Adding a third dog to our family was an easy leap that followed a calling from the notion of ?why not?. We felt that there was a dog somewhere that we could add to our family. Last spring we welcomed Ryder into our family and his last months were precious for all of us. Then two angels from Heartland rescued Yoda from a kill shelter. His skin was infected and pink and his cough continued for three weeks. We patiently fed him small amounts of food and watched in amazement as he did a little excitement dance when he saw food in his dish. We were encouraged as he slowly investigated the backyard. When he is afraid of being alone and cries when panicky in his sleep we gently reassure him, and he wags his little tail. Many had mistaken him as a ?fat pig? because he did not resemble a dog. In a few short months Yoda has grown surprisingly beautiful grey and white fur. We appreciate the services available at Heartland with Shari?s grooming and Tammy?s training. Our family of three dogs has grown close and now snuggles all together. The rewards are deeper than we imagined. We are also demonstrating to our children respect and dignity for aging animals. I do believe both Ryder and Yoda were cherished and loved during their lives before they were ?lost? because they are such sweet and dear dogs. It is incredible that we have been so fortunate to be able to take this leap and enrich our home together. Heartland helped us find perfect match of a dog to our family and our lifestyle. Thank you Heartland! We love our pups!

My husband and I wanted to let you know how the puppy we adopted in late October is doing. Her name at the shelter was Cindy and was part of a litter of German Shepherd mix pups with 3 girls and a boy.

We have since named her Sydney. We can't believe how quickly she adjusted to our home. She is wonderful. Her big brother Magnus welcomed her into the family without a problem. He is a German Shepherd and is about 90 lbs and much larger than Sydney, but she doesn't seem to care. She will always try to get him to play with her and chase her around. They get along great. Sydney has such a fun personality and she makes us laugh all the time. She is a great addition to our family.

Thank you so much for doing what you do for these wonderful animals. I have attached a few photos for you to look at her in her new home.

Kristen & Joel Schiff.

Dear Heartland,

I adopted my 2 cats from you in March of 2005. I was only planning on adopting one, but was convinced by one of your volunteers to take his "friend" as well. They were a year and a half when I adopted them, and I was a little worried that because they were older they might have attachment issues, or behavioral problems. Not only do they not have any issues, they are actually the sweetest, snuggliest cats I've ever been around. I am very happy I have both of them, as they have brought a lot of joy to my life. They quickly learned my names for them and are quite smart, and a lot of fun.

Thank you so much for doing all the good work you do in finding these sweet animals their "forever" homes!

Attached are some pictures of my "babies"...Purcy is the buff colored tabby, (you named him "Buff") and Punky/Pumpkin is the orange tabby (you named him "Wade").

Thank you so much!

-Rachel Fatoorachi

Hello Heartland,

We just love our Bernie puppy-cat. He sleeps on my pillow most nights and purrs and purrs and purrs. I call him a puppy-cat because we think he's a dog in disguise. He greets us at the door as well as any guests who come over (other 4-legged ones included) and he follows our dog Elijah around and helps him in his quest for treats. We get ganged up on! Elijah has lost weight and become more playful now that he has a buddy. You can see what good friends they are! We are so grateful that we were able to bring Elijah to pick out our cat- Bernie was the one that not only didn't run away, but actually cuddled up to Elijah's paw when they met. It's been a happy match. Thank you so much for giving him such wonderful kitten care- especially for getting him used to having his nails trimmed. He likes to perch on our shoulders, so our (mostly) scratch-free skin thanks you! He's a wonderful gentle cat.

Thank you for all your work,

Melanie Brown and Michael Patti

(Elijah and Bernie, too!)

In August of 2006 I, for the first time in over ten years, was able to have a dog in my life again. I found Chet on your website and I just knew he was my dog. The next day I came to see him and the connection was instant. I knew I had to bring him home. So I did.

Since bringing him home we have changed his name to Jack. When I first brought him home I was nervous about how he would do with our cats, but they've all adjusted nicely. He's even found a best friend in our white cat, Stanley. Usually where ever you find Stanley then Jack isn't too far behind. He's the most loving animal I think I've ever come across. He's protective of his family but isn't hesistant to give kisses once he knows someone.

He loves playing outside and going to the dog park. This winter he spent a lot of time playing in the snow. However, his favorite activity is going for trips in the car.

Thank you so much for saving him. He's found a true forever home here.

I have attached a few pictures of him and Stanley, him laying around the house, and him at the dog park.

Meaghan Foley

Well, we have had Spawn now for about 1 year, and he is such a joy to have in the house!

One of your volunteers helped us pick him based on his personality and how he would fit into our home with 2 dogs and another cat (Bilbo who was 1 1/2 at the time). When we first brought him home, I thought we made a mistake. He was so scared and hid all the time, once we couldn't find him for 24 hours in spite of 3 sweeps of the entire house!

However, after lots of attention and some time to fit in, you would never know Spawn was so shy ever in his life. He loves to make noise and he loves to be pet. He meows loudly when he wants something, has a fascination with water and he and Bilbo are absolutely hilarious together. They love to chase each other around the house and wrestle, when they aren't sitting together looking out a window.

He's now a big boy who loves to give kisses and get them, and loves his treats and catnip. Your shelter volunteers did a great job helping us choose the right cat for us. I can't imagine our lives without this crazy, affectionate boy!

Sharon Lester

Spawn is black and white, and bigger now than in those pics. BTW, you guys did give him a very appropriate name. ;-)

Hi Heartland family,

Last month I adopted Doodles and Tootsie (alias Tanya and Kewpie) from your shelter. They are sisters, and the best kitties in the world! The adapted quickly to their new home and within a couple of days were exploring all over the house. I have two other kitties, Callie and Harley, who at first were not at all pleased with allowing the new ones into our home. But with time, they have accepted these two orphans (their owner passed away), and now we are all one big happy family. Many thanks to the Heartland staff and volunteers for their devotion and dedication to all the animals in their care. Attached are pictures of Doodles and Tootsie with my boyfriend, Dale.

With much appreciation,

Mary (Chicago)

Dear Heartland Animal Shelter and Staff

We just wanted to update all of you on our silly pets that we adopted form you. It has been almost a year since we adopted "Amelia" now Gracie Fay and about 3 months since we adopted "Bevo" now Lola Lu. Everyone is doing just great as you can see in the pictures, Gracie is a wonderful dog with the intelligence of a person. She listens to every command and never leaves your side unless she knows it is ok. She has gone through obedience class and is starting intermediate this summer while also attending doggie day care and play time once a week for socialization and fun as shown in one of the pictures. She is definetly the apple of our eye and we dont know how we could of found a better pup to look out for our old man pup after his brother died one year ago in March.

Now as for "Bevo" now known as Lola she has made a big mush into our hearts even though it took a lot of patience for her to come around. It was probably a month before she came out of one room but now she is a silly pudge ball that does not forget to tell you who's the boss!. Don't ever let her food bowl become completely empty or else she will let you know. =) She loves to be by you and follow you around but hugs and kisses are just a little to annoying for the princess.

We just want to let Lisa, one of Heartlands cat volunteers, know that Lola is doing great and no matter what everything can be worked out with some extra TLC.

Thank You Heartland for filling our house and hearts. =)

Carla and Jaime

Gracie Fay, Lola Lu, Shiloh Ray & Niko

Alf, an 8 year-old homeless Pomeranian with bald legs and tail, has become our baby boy Osito, a healthy and happy dog. We came to Heartland in October of 2006 to look at Chihuahuas, but fell for the Pomeranian with the huge smile. You said he was homeless, and after some care, and high quality food, his hair would grow back, and he would be healthy again. Well, Osito is now a big puff of tan and red hair, a huge change from the way we picked him up. Adoption has not been perfect, he has had his share of problems, but we could not imagine our lives without him. Thank you!

The Trujillo Family

Hi,

Since Hilo just turned 1 year, I thought I'd writeand let you know how he's doing. We adopted Hilo last Sept and he's really exploded into our lives. :D He'sgot the biggest, goofiest personality, we joke that he's a canine Chris Farley. He's also the most happygo lucky dog I've ever met, which balances things out for his older brother Remy (our other dog) who seems to be cronically morose (just kidding). They get along great, Remy pretends not to be interested and tries to play it cool, but once they get out in the yard they play for hours. They'll run and wrestle until both are too tired to stand up and they just lay on the ground and paw at and gnaw on each other. Here's a few pictures of Hilo

Thanks for a great doggie!

Mike, Kristin, Remy and Hilo

I adopted Fafnir (known to Heartland as Munchkin) on March 23, 2007. One of my cats, Tweak, needed a playmate for Chase-The-Kitty, and I knew Wiggy would not like a cat that cut into his lap time too much. Fafnir seemed like the "purrfect" fit.

We had a rough start, Fafnir got a bladder infection and peed on several pieces of furniture, as well as several spots on the floor. After some time in "solitary confinement," some antibiotics, and a slow reintroduction process to my cats and the rest of the condo, things seem to be OK. I still have my fingers crossed that the pee problem was a fluke, and that the infection was most likely brought on by the stress of having everything in his life change.

The poor little guy had spent most of his 2 years in the shelter, and suffered through some bouts of URI as well as ringworm. Moving into a home where absolutely everything was new had to be freaky.

Right now he's doing great. He and Tweak chase each other around and wrestle a bit. Tweak has established beyond any shadow of a doubt who is in charge and what the rules are and Fafnir is very good about respecting that. He still does not like to be held, but has more and more places in my home where he feels that my petting him is an OK thing to do. He came very close to hopping into my lap the other day, then he remembered that much body contact can be scary.

He gets up on the bed with us whenever Tweak allows it, and if she says no, he'll happily lay in one of the cat beds. He also has a favorite toy, I call it his "gnu" that he loves to carry around, stalk and kill. I've included a picture of him with it.

Fafnir was like a kid in a candy shop when he discovered the toy box. I woke up one morning to find that many of the toys had been removed from the box and were scattered around the condo. He's also been known to use a "squid" toy (a furry body with feathers) as a wash cloth. He'll lick it repeatedly, then rub it all over his face and ears. It's too funny!

He's a great little guy! - Diane

Dear Sirs and Madams,

I am composing this small note to give you an update on the progress of our little Bennie.

Bennie is a wonderful addition to our family. He is growing like a weed and learning new things everyday.

Who would have known that he would double his mass in such a short time. :)

He started out at 7.6 lbs. and 21" nose to tail; and can you believe it, he is now 15.8 lbs. and 32" nose to tail.

As of 6/30/07, he is 98% house-broken and has mastered the instructions: sit, stay, come, wait - (walking), off, no, stop - (walking), quiet, and the cutest thing... when you tell him "bedtime" he goes strutting off to his crate to settle down for the night.

I think that you folks are doing a wonderful job and I wish you continued success.

Take care and best regards,

Corey and Dorrie

P.S. Thanks Jennie and Heartland! You were wonderful. :)

Dear Heartland,

It was love on the Internet. Mom saw me and said "I'm yours." My name was Joe but now it is Hailey . I know... Hailey sounds like a girl's name but mom picked the name before she picked me. I'm macho enough to live with it. I've attached my photos from the Heartland internet in case you forgot who I am. (They are the ones with the fence from your place in the background.)

I burst into my new house last August 27th by jumping over the couch and crashing into the coffee table. Nick knacks went flying so we don't have anything on the coffee table any more. I love the mud so we don't have a white rug anymore either. I've learned how to do lots of tricks for treats and you don't get a treat if you jump on the couch!

My mom saved me by jumping into the frigid water when I fell through thin ice my first day at the dog park. She dove right in, broke the ice and carried all 53 freezing wet pounds of me out of the ice chunks. She must love me to do that. I haven't wanted to swim since. I love to chase squirrels, rabbits, moles, moths, butterflies, birds and cicadas. I eat them when I can catch them. Mom tries to keep me away but then she just has to pick them up. It seems to me it would be less work for her if she just let me eat them.

I get restless if I'm not busy, so mom takes me to doggie day care, dog obedience school, and the dog park. I'm mom's aerobic exercise machine. By the time she has vacuumed my fur off the floor, squatted to clean my paws, washed the muddy floor, taken me for a walk and brushed me, she is as tired as I am. She's lost weight since I've been around and I haven't gained any so I got a gold star from the vet!

It sounds simple, but I have learned to walk; on a leash that is. I used to drag mom around behind me by pulling as hard as I could. Every time I pulled her she would go the other way so I figured it was best to stick with her. I'm still tempted by all the rabbits but I'm pretty good not to pull mom's arm off.

Mom throws squeaky toys and Kong toys for me in the backyard. Sometimes I bring them back to her and sometimes I don't. I figure she needs the exercise of fetching them for me. I make her laugh when I toss the toys around my neck. She says she doesn't know what she would do without me now. I don't know what I would do without her either. I love my mom.

Thanks for taking me in and finding me a new mom. I am finally resting so mom can send you pictures of me doing my favorite things: running in the park, playing in the back yard and playing with my toys. Oh yea, and I love the snow!

Love,

Hailey, the boy dog.

This is Maggie (formerly known as "Cupid"). Maggie is a canine urban warrior, a city dog.

Maggie's favorite things to do are going out for dinner, watching the Chicago Cubs on television, chasing seagulls along the lakefront, chasing squirrels in Lincoln Park, peeing on statues and watching the fireworks at Navy Pier.

Maggie has adopted Ron and Reggie Bernstein as her caretakers. She is pretty happy with them.

They make sure that she gets to walk regularly and visit with all the other urban dogs. This is important because she has very important butt sniffing to do.

When she is not being walked, Maggie enjoys her chaise perched high at the window on the 16th floor. There she watches the birds go by and reminisces about her early days. Maggie is very grateful to the fine folks at Heartland for finding her such suitable companions and hopes other dogs are just as fortunate as her.

Hi Hannah

Here are some pictures of Pani (Lady). Every one here just loves her and thinks she is the sweetest girl. She seems like she is adjusting really nice. She ate well this morning and is now sleeping with Marley on the carpet. I will send more pictures as time goes by and if you ever want to know how she is doing just call or email us. She does not need a crate to sleep in as she can sleep on 2 beds with the kids or 2 couches in the family room with Marley.

Thanks for really caring about Tuni, I know that is how all of you will always think of her. I think of her as Pani Petunia.

Ray & Carol

To Whom it may concern,

I adopted Geneva, now Genny Hendershaw, at Heartland Shelter, as I had recently lost my Cat Elysheeva after 14 years of being best friends.

Eli also came from a no kill shelter, I will miss Ely dearly but felt I must also give another Cat from a no kill shelter a wonderful life for herself and as a tribute to Ely and the No Kill Shelters. Also good for me!

Regards

ROD HENDERSHAW

Dear All, Humans and Felines,

I really enjoyed your hospitality and love but do not think I will be back anytime soon. So, miss me but don't feel sorry for me OK!?

Genny

Cat of the House

Dear Heartland,

I just wanted to update you on Angela, who is now called "Cubby"!! Our family adopted this little Shepard Mix in April of 2007. We had been looking a little bit after the loss of our oldest German Shepard in March. We found the little two footed Cubby on your website and fell in love. We came out to see and I knew we had to have her. Cubby, who is missing her back two feet, actually about 4 inches of the back feet and shin, was a love. Our daughter, Melina, is 7 years old and was born with several different anomalies herself. One of Melina's anomalies is she was born missing toes and problems with her feet, they told us she may never walk. ( She walked at 11 months and hasn't stopped ) So, when Melina saw Cubby she had started to cry and said Mom we have to take her, I finally have someone who is different like me!!

Well, that cinched it, Cubby is now ours. I cannot tell you how great the bond between my daughter and Cubby is. I always believed animals will not judge you, part of the unconditional love!! Cubby is getting around just fine, you would never know she is missing anything. She is all puppy, feisty, chewy, happy love!! We just want to thank you for taking Cubby and allowing her to have a chance at life! We will continue to keep her healthy and happy. I know that she will continue to bring us endless joy, give or take a few chewed shoes!

I have attached some recent pictures of Cubby and Melina.

Thank you for everything!!

The Klima Family

Dear Heartland,

We'd like to update you on the loving puppy we adopted from your shelter almost a year ago. At Heartland she was known as Ceilia, a shepherd mix puppy with blue eyes. I had stopped by Heartland after the sudden loss of my six year old Shepherd to donate his physicians formula c/d canned dog food. Tammy asked if I would like to see the litter of shep mix pups. At that time there were two girls and one boy left.

She brought out Sammy the male pup, and he was too big, Sydney, the other female was a nice dog, but we just didn't "click."Then she brought out "Chaya" (the name we gave her) and it was love at first lick! Chaya has also adapted well to a new baby boy in the family. When we adopted Chaya I was 5 1/2 months pregnant, so as Chaya grew, so did my belly. Chaya and our son Ari have become nice playmates and I have enjoyed watching them roll around and have fun together. Ari is seven months and Chaya is fifteen months old. Many of our friends and family members thought ( and still so think ) that we were crazy for getting a puppy while I was pregnant and that having a baby is enough work. I am so glad that we adopted Chaya. I was on bed rest for two months before I gave birth. She kept me company all of Jan and Feb 2007. I feel that I am raising Chaya and Ari together, and I like it. My husband travels out of town at least once or twice a month, and Chaya keeps me company. She loves to ride in the way back of my SUV and she likes long walks. Chaya also thinks our bed is her bed, and she sleeps with us every night. She follows me everywhere I go. She is my shadow. I am so happy that she came into our lives. Thank you for saving her life and making ours better because of her. Her pretty blue eyes light me up every day.

Dana Glass

We fostered Oy, now officially known as Sambo (as in Little Black Sambo) but called Sammie, for about five months and decided to make the relationship permanent in September. It took a while for Sammie to be comfortable in her new home. She was a stray and was brought to Heartland when she was about eight months old.

She would not socialize at all at Heartland and everyone was worried about her. Of course, when she arrived at her new home she hid for quite a while but I knew she was doing okay because her food dish was getting empty and her litter box was getting full! When she was comfortable she couldn't wait to get out of her room and explore the rest of the house. And, the resident cat couldn't wait to meet her either!

Slowly she acclimated herself to her new surroundings and her playmate, Miss Kitty. Miss Kitty is about seven and came to us from Anti Cruelty in Chicago about four years ago. They are now buddies and Sammie's goal is to keep Miss Kitty active and on her toes. They are very different cats--Sammie is still somewhat a kitten and very inquisitive and Miss Kitty acts (or acted) like an old lady, not wanted to play much at all.

We're all glad to have Sammie as part of our family although Red, the fish, is not too happy about that big black body with yellow eyes staring at him all the time!

Patricia Morey

Dear Heartland,

Woofie is doing well. He is great with the kids (and kids are great with him too). His health is much better and he seems like a younger dog -- he's put on about 10 lbs and nearly up to his ideal weight. He has had a few issues with housetraining, but all understandable and getting much better. He is a great fit with the whole family and has been good for our other dog, Moose. Woofie is an amazingly sweet dog. Thank you for saving him and for everything you do!

Ben, Nicole, Oliver, Penelope, Moose and Woofie (and Gabby)

Dear Heartland,

We wanted to update you on how "Pookie" (now known as "Sammi") is doing. Sammi came to the house as a playmate for our toy rat terrier Nina. He quickly became a "big brother" and protector of his home. Sammi is incredibly sweet and gentle and soon returned to a second "puppyhood" playing and rolling aroundwith his sister - and demanding tummy rubs ever night.

Sammi is doing well in his training classes and always wants to please his owners - except that he never lets anyone sleep in and makes sure that he has his morning walk promptly at 6:30 every day. He and Nina love to say hello to everyone in the neighborhood and are known as "those matching dogs" by all the kids from the school down the street.

Thanks for introducing Sammi to us and keep up the good work!

John Silva

Dear Friends at Heartland,

Hello! You will remember me as Rascel and I thought you would like to know how I am doing because a little bird told me that I was one of your favorites there at the shelter! (don't tell any of my furry friends that are still there!) Well, I'm doing GREAT! I'm known as "Jaxson" now, but I got to keep "Rascel" as my middle name. I'm so happy to be here and feel so loved. My "Mom" keeps hugging and kissing me, telling me how glad she is that I'm here, but she's confused, I think, because I'M to one who is SO glad! I knew if I was patient enough, the right person would come along for me. I have nothing to fear any more. My new step-sister, Gryffin and I are still "in negotiations", shall we say. I'm sure we will iron out all the rules eventually. I have lots of room to run and play (three floors!) and I constantly impress my Mom with my jumping abilities. Here are a few pictures of me in my new home. The first one is my favorite because it is my "thoughtful" pose as I ponder how lucky I finally am after a rough four years. Thanks so much for all your care. I'll remember always.

Love,

Jaxson Rascel and Diane Holstrom (Gryffin, too)

Hi Heartland Staff:

I just got your newsletter in the mail and it encouraged me to send in a "happy tail" about a puppy I adopted from you at the end of September. He was called Kelso, a 11 week old, 14 lbs lab mix (with Border collie most likely). I am happy to report that he is doing fantastic in his forever home and is now called Denali... like the National Park in Alaska. You can see how much he has grown the last few months from his pictures... in fact the first month he gained 8 lbs.

Denali LOVES everyone he meets and is learning good behaviors thanks to puppy school and the Dog Whisperer. He especially loves playing with all the puppies and big dogs at the park. Thanks to peanut butter filled kongs he is learning to love his crate and is sleeping through the night.

Having a companion like Denali has really made me happy and I'm glad I found Heartland to adopt him from!

Chloe

Hello! Enclosed are some photos of Moxie and Caramel (you knew Caramel as Taffie). When I went to Heartland to find some new companions, I was overwhelmed with the number of cats available for adoption. I asked the volunteer to name two cats who were very sweet but for some reason were constantly being passed over for adoption. She went right away to Caramel and Moxie. They have turned out to be the sweetest pets! Despite having her own bed, Moxie likes to hang out on the scratching post/ball toy (Caramel loves to play with that toy!). Whenever Caramel sleeps in her bed, she always has a paw hanging out (see photo). Both love to chase toys on a string. We are all very happy together.

Regards,

Michelle Mondro