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Heidi

 

Sassy

 

D.O.G.

Letter from Heidi

Nicky writes: Yes, a year has passed since I came to live with the Chavez family. Well, three-fourths of the Chavez family. Their daughter was away at college. She graduated in May but will be teaching in Richmond in the fall.

Martin, the high school senior-to-be, and I became good friends during last summer. Unfortunately, he returned to boarding school in September. Fortunately, he came home once a month and, sometimes, as with fall and spring breaks for nearly two weeks. Martin is home now, but I heard that he is going away to college in late August. That means that I will be going back to Martin's dad for all of my needs. When Martin is home I sleep in his room. When he is away I sleep next to his dad. When they are both away [as in the college orientation last month] I am anxious although Martin's mom tries to calm me. Separations are tough. It was fun riding in the car when we would drive to Martin's school [a 100 miles one way]. I mainly slept until I recognized his school. Then I would make all sorts of sounds as I knew I would be seeing Martin soon.

Martin's dad retired last month so I am rarely alone. We have some nice walks together. We both enjoy evening walks in cooler weather [but not snow for me]. Martin's dad is rather patient with my smellings and markings during our walks although when he is tired he will bark: "home, home." ["bark"?] He usually lets me drag him when I need to smell something. I've started to hear fireworks. I hate fireworks. On the last 4th of July, Martin's dad had to lay on the floor next to me to calm me.

Winston writes: My new mom and dad tell me that my previous family must have taught me some good manners and how to play ball and Frisbee, because I know how to come, sit, speak, shake and am housebroken. When I arrived at my new home I liked my new sister because she was small and quiet. After 10 months I got another sister. She was bigger and I growled at her sometimes. I am sorry I did not make her feel right at home because she is a nice girl. I did not like her at first because she was getting a lot of attention, but I like her now. She follows me everywhere. I like to talk a lot. She does not mind when I talk all day when we are together.

I just love the woods at our home. I don't have to worry about moving cars and trucks. I don't run off because I am so happy here. I talk a lot and I like to chase squirrels. I still get jealous when my family is around other kids, but I am working on that problem.

My dad is great. I like when we play ball. Chasing the ball is my favorite. He always tells me I am doing great. I always hand him the ball before running out to catch it again. I could play for hours. I love my new father and mother. Dad likes to wash cars and I like to play in the water. Mom works in the garden and around the pond. I like to just be outside around them. If they are outside without me I always wait at the door and watch for them at the windows.

I love my squeaky toys when I am inside and am always lying by my dad's feet. I follow him everywhere. He talks to me a lot and I like that. I get so excited at the beginning of each day that I talk and talk until we eat and go outside together.

They make me feel loved, and I love them unconditionally.

From Mia's Mommy:
Thank you so much for following up with us. Mia is doing wonderful. She has settled herself right into our family. She has livened up our oldest sheltie (8y/o) and is the ideal play mate for our four year old sheltie Austin. Mia has learned how to sit and lay down (we weren't sure if she knew how to before but she she definitely does knows now). Austin is trying to teach Mia how to fetch the frisbee, but so far all she is interested in is herding him. Mia took her first trip to visit family in Beckley, she got a little car sick on the way, but once we got there she was much better. My three year old niece Savannah fell in love with her. I was so impressed at how well Mia responded to Savannah and how tolerant she is (we don't have children so it's interesting to see how our dogs respond, for future reference). I have never seen an aggressive side of this dog. She has never nipped or growled since we have had her. We are so thankful to you at NVSR for allowing to adopt this beautiful animal thank you so much we absolutely love her!!!

From Mia:
I am having a great time in my new forever home. I have an older sister KC, an older brother Austin and two sugar gliders, Tutter and Mayzee, that I love to sniff. We all sleep in the big bed with Mommy and Daddy (except for Tutter and Mayzee because they sleep all day and play all night and we need our beauty rest you know). We go for car rides to this really cool store for animals and we always get treats when we go there. I love playing in my backyard with my brother Austin, and KC even chases us around and barks sometimes. I have a special place on the back of my Mommys leather couch were I sit and watch over my yard. I have so many toys to play with and Austin and I love to play tug of war with our rope!! Everyone got bathed, nails and toe fur trimmed and brushed yesterday so we all look and smell so pretty!! My Mommy and Daddy love me alot and take really good care of me. I miss Nicholas and my puppies and wish I could have stayed with them but I just love my new family!

Zander's mom here. Zander is doing great! He has 3 canine sisters, he runs around the yard with Halle, he wrestles, chases, and plays tug with in the house with Arielle, and he leaves Tallie alone because she's older and needs her peace. Zander loves everyone and everyone loves him, both canine and human.

Zander is very smart. He passed his first obedience class and even did much better than nearly everyone else in the class and he was the only blind puppy. He listens very well, except when there's a lot going on outside and he'd rather stay out there instead of come in the house. He loves to bark at the neighbors so I have to give them a break sometimes. Also, he plays fetch in and out of the house and does that very well. It's so fun to watch him outsmart the other dogs who can see. He's brilliant.

Kirby writes: Yes, it has been 8 months since my adoption. I am doing very well and have grown into a beautiful young man (dog). My owners take excellent care of me and I enjoy my fenced in yard very much. I am let out often to run and play in it and I love that. When I am tired of course I always love to come back in and stretch out on the huge couch for a nice nap. I share my house with many other pets and I love them all. There's Smokey, the grey old cat, Baily the 2 year old Bichon Frise, and the newest addition are 2 kittens named Buddy and Fancy. We all get along very well and get plenty of attention and love. We like to play together also.

My vision problem doesn't slow me down a bit. I am able to take walks on a leash and with very little assistance I can conquer anything. Of course, my owners are always close by if I need help. I live with a wonderful little 7 year old boy who runs with me and pets me a lot. He is also teaching me how to fetch.

Sometimes we go to grandma's farm and I get to run and run. I also get to play with her australian shepherd.
I love my new home and am having a great time. I have great manners and they are improving every day. I always get lots of treats and compliments.

Pat writes: My mom is beginning to realize that Shelties rule at our house (she's out numbered three to one). I joined Sass here last November. Mom fell in love with my soulful blue eyes and shelties kisses. I'm never far from her side when she's home.
NVSR and Susan Bailey helped me through two major surgeries for lumps and bumps in December and January. We had all sorts of fun this past winter as I just didn't understand that drainage tubes were not for chewing on. Mom made quite a few trips to Deepwood through the snow.

Dr. Jones came up with a safe combination of medicines that enables me to get up and down stairs and chase squirrels to the end of my leash. (I charmed her too with my blue eyes and sheltie kisses.) Mom knows better than to let me off my leash as I'd keep going til I got those pesty squirrels. There's one that loves to sit on our deck railing and tease me. Then I used to get growled at for barking until one day when Mom was in the kitchen and she saw what that sneaky squirrel was up to . . .
I have a soft bed in the kitchen that cushions my older joints & keeps me warm. And another bed at the foot of my Mom's bed.

We have a wooded path near our house that has plenty of squirrels to chase and we walk there often. I've gotten better at not challenging every dog that passes by us.

In February, Thatcher came to join us at eight weeks of age. It's been a challenge teaching him all a sheltie needs to know. He can be such a pest sometimes but Mom says he's picking up the best traits of Sass and I. I'm working on teaching him how to keep the squirrels out of our yard. He doesn't quite have the bark right yet.

Apples writes: Hard to believe I've been here a year already! I like it here, and I love my newmom. It didn't take long fur me to bond with her, an follow her around everywhere. I have a big brother too, a lab mix named Nick, and a teenage human sister named Heather. Nick and I get along pretty good too now, we've had our 'arguments' over time, but now even if I accidently bump into him, he doesn't get mad. I also have a Bichon cousin that my gramma lives with, named Corky, and I get to go visit him sometimes and hang out. He is my size, so I like him ok too.

Heather decided 'Apples' was a cute name, so I am not named Buddy anymore. After hearin some of the other strange names Heather picked out, momma decided 'Apples' wasn't so bad after all. I get to cuddle with my mom alot, and I am allowed on the bed, which I apparently wasn't in my former life. I was nervous at first, being up there....I wouldn't come up on my own, even though I kept puttin my front paws, and actin like I wanted to come up, so momma would pick me up and put me onna bed. Now I hop right up there, as soon as mom even sits down on the edge, and I enjoy layin up there with her at night and watchin TV. I get lots of pets and cuddles.

I think I have mom pretty trained now, she used to give me my thryroid meds right out of her hand, and for awhile, I'd eat them. But once I saw Nick gettin his meds with cheese, I decided that I wanted cheese with my pill too. And I get it. Its very easy to train a human. I also do the 'sheltie flip' with my nose to get more petting too. I am forced to get these things called 'baths' occasionally, which I can do without, but I guess its ok, at least it aint every day like you humans do.

Overall, I am livin the good life now, so thank you NVSR fur finding me a new furever home! I am looking forward to the picnic again this year too, and seeing my 'Nanty Sue' again.

Isabel's Mom writes: She's my little shadow when I'm home, following me around which I love. She enjoys her walks and there is a neighbor dog that she loves to bark at on the walks -- you can see her anticipation building as we near his/her house and if he isn't in the yard, you can see the disappointment in her face. She has her routines that she expects -- cookies after our walks, crushed ice.

She's absolutely wonderful and we feel very lucky to have her.

This is Ginger and since I think I am the Queen of the house, I'm going to speak first. My mama loves me to pieces. And I don't let her get out of my sight if I can help it! I'm not too crazy about sharing her with my other siblings, but mom tells me, and always shows me, she has plenty of love to go around! That helps to make it better! When mom feeds us our breakfast and dinner, I always seek her out when I am finished eating so I can say thank you to her. Doesn't matter what room she is in....I go to her and have to give her my thank you kisses! I think she really likes that....she says it makes her day. I watch her thru the door as she goes off to work.....then I lay by the door all day long and watch over my gramma till mom comes back home again. Gramma likes for us to let her know when someone is outside...and boy do we do that well! NOTHING gets by us! I am moms little cuddlebug, I like to sneak up on the sofa and lay at her side when she watches tv. Mom says my fur is all soft and silky and she likes to pet me a lot!

This is little Lassie here. I am very happy with my family. I can't believe it's been two years since I was adopted. I want you to know I can do the best Sheltie Spins you ever saw! I get so excited when my mom comes in from work that I just dance and dance for her. And you know what else? I am sooooo smart.....my mom can't even spell words around me anymore. I KNOW what they mean! I just go nuts when she spells words like, o-u-t, p-e-e, or r-i-d-e. My mom loves me so much. She loves us all so much....she says she doesn't know what she would do without all of us. One of my jobs is to take care of my gramma while my mom goes to work. Ginger and I guard the door. Gramma calls me her 'cute little pretty thing'. And she really makes over me after I've had a bath and all my hair is all fluffy and pretty. Another one of my jobs (and Gingers too!) is to go out in the yard with our other sister, Sassy, and run like we are nuts and try to catch all the birds and squirells and neighborhood cats....oh, and the bunnies that come up to our fence to drive us crazy, too! Sometimes at night, while we are inside with mom, we can smell the deer or the bear out in yard, and we bark and bark and let mom know something is out there. We get plenty of exercise, both for our legs and for our lungs! Ginger and I are so glad we came here to live with Mom and Sassy and our two cats. Mom says NVSR is the best! And we think so too!

When Sally came to NVSR she was petrified of everything and everyone.

Her family writes: Sally is like a new child. Coming to me scared of her own shadow, we have worked very hard at bringing her around to the wonderful little girl she so deserves to be, carefree and loving. After 2 years we have almost gotten her there. She loves to run and play with the other dogs, she loves to cuddle on the couch or bed with Mom and gives those wonderful little Sheltie kisses. She still has some issues and scampers at loud noises and is still a bit shy of dad and the 2-legged girls but she has made such a tremendous turn around. She is a great girl.

It will be two years on 25 August that Kelsey has been a part of our family. She was fifteen months old when we got her. We can't imagine not having her; she is a joy! Jim and I both thank you for all that you do for Sheltie rescue.

Lassie writes: I'm a really happy puppy!! I'm young for my years & play all the time with my sister, Melanie, my Mom & Dad. My Mom works at home so I get to go out all the time for walks and to chase those funny squirrels my Mom insists on feeding. I'm still not completely potty trained but they are working on it. I'm much better than four months ago, I'm happy to brag. I'm still aggressive with my sister but only get really angry about once a week & have dog fights. I really do love her but I want to be boss all the time & so does she. My Mom knows how to handle me when I get really hyper & out of control. She takes me outside to race & run. That works well with anger management. My groomer discovered I only have 3 toes on my back, right foot. What a surprise! I sleep with my family in the master bedroom. I have a huge pillow all for myself and love to sleep on my back with the feet up in the air. I eat my meals with my sister in the kitchen, yummy. And when my parents go out, they enclose us in the kitchen in case I have an accident, which I don't usually do, of course. My parents give me snacks & chews all the time - I feel like a queen. We are a very happy & loving family; thank you for placing me with Sheltie fanatics.

Tucker writes: Long to get back to you but Mom has been busy and I had to wait for her help. I'm not too good at the computer.

I am so happy to get a chance to tell you how happy I have been for the past three years. You know I chose Mom. She had come to get my mother but she wasn't interested but I know a good Mom when I see one so I let her know I wanted to be the one. It was love at first sight for both of us. It was difficult at first because I was afraid of Moms birds and wouldn't go into the kitchen the first couple of weeks but I mostly got over that.

Mom is on to go a lot and takes me with her a lot of the time. Sometimes I decide not to go and really shake one of my toys when she leaves.

I like to lay on the front stoop and watch the world go by but some times I have to bark at the people going by on the street then Mom makes me come inside, mostly I try not to bark except if I want to come inside.

I have Mom pretty well trained to get up at 6:45 in the morning to feed me sometimes she even goes back to bed for a while but at least she gets up and feeds me. I think my favorite time of the day is bed time. I get to snuggle up to Mom and we tell each other about our day and get kisses and she gives me a lot of loving and tells me how handsome I am and what a good boy I am. Then we watch the news together. Mom and I are very happy together.

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