Few Steps from Home Adopted Pets Happy Endings

From Barbara...

A little over a year ago, I fell in love with a kitten on Petfinder. The little grey and white kitten's name was Emma and she was a sweetie that I wanted very much to love and cuddle. Upon adopting "Emma" I watched her grow to be a real playful beauty. Per the adoption agreement, the kitten was to be neutered at 6 months of age. I took little "Emma" who was going to be renamed "Treasure" to the vet. When the procedure was completed, the vet mentioned that "he", my little kitten, had come through with flying colors. He? Oh yes, I found out that day that little "Emma" was actually a boy. This darling little male kitten, would follow me around the house, and as all kittens will do, he "scouted" his surroundings. Needless to say, Emma as a name would not do, and Treasure didn't quite fit him either. My little boy is now known as "Scout." He is loved dearly. One of his favorite toys is a fishing pole with attached colorful leather strips on the end. He loves to jump for that when I hold it in the air. When I go from one room to another at home, and I should be there any length of time, Scout will literally drag his little fishing pole to wherever I am so that we can play. My house is home to 2 cats. I have a female rescue from Owosso, and Scout from Few Steps. Both were found on the net at Petfinders. My home would not be complete without my 2 "kids."

Miss Nilla here: Fashion Trendsetter, Lap Warmer Extraordinare and Diva Pug... but life wasn't always this good. Before I found my Forever Home, I had a very rough year. I was shuffled around to several homes and went through a scary surgery, waking up at the vet with no one to claim me. Few Steps from Home took care of me and helped me find my new mom, dad and pug-brother. I was pretty traumatized for a while after all that scary stuff that happened, and tried to bite at hands and scare people away. It took a lot of patience from my parents and the help of a dog trainer to get me

where I am today! I may never be as excited about

meeting new people as my pug-brother is, but I'm

learning to enjoy the life every pug should have with

lots of love, attention and daily walks. Life is good

now thanks to Few Steps from Home who took me

in and helped my new family adopt me.

Ta ta for now! It's time I returned to that warm lap.

From Cindy...

Our family started volunteering for a Few Steps From Home (FSFH) by helping at the Cattery. My children both helped to clean up after the cats and to provide them with love and attention. Elli, my 9 year old daughter, made a quick bond with Emily a one year old tiger cat. Emily loves to be loved and would follow Elli around the cattery or ride around on her or my shoulders as we cleaned.

I decided that Emily would be a wonderful addition to our home already filled with 2 cats and that Elli's birthday, September 15th would be a great time to adopt Emily. FSFH made this possible for us. They had Emily spayed and brought her up to date on her shots for us. We reimbursed for the spaying, but they took care of the rest and they continued to house her for us until the birthday party.

Shortly before the BIG DAY, I showed Elli the website that said Emily was adopted. Of course she was devestated, but was thrilled at the same time that Emily found a home. On the day of her birthday, Emily rode from the bathroom to Elli's side in my school bag and then "popped" out at Elli... Elli literally cried with joy when she saw Emily and it was priceless when the light went on in Elli's eyes when she realized that SHE was the one the website had said adopted Emily.

Bringing Emily home has changed our household for the good. She is the most wonderful cat and having her medical records given to us upon adoption, I don't have to worry about what she has been exposed to or what needs to be done. But on a grander scale... volunteering for FSFH has also changed our lives and how we view animals. Thank you FSFH!!!

Andy and his Brother Jackson came into rescue. Jackson found his forever home after being in foster care for quite some time. Sadly, he left his brother behind. Andy searched for his forever home but came up short every time. One day this nice man named Eric seem him on Petfinder cand fell in love with his sweet face. Despite Andys "issues: Eric insisted on adopting him. Eric wanted a challenge. Eric's challenge became on of the best decisions he ever made. He gained a wonderful friend and companion. Eric recently added a new friend to his "pack" Blossom now known as Peach! Yay a happy ending for Andy now known as "indy and sweet little Peach!

hey there

i am just writting to let you know that jacks has graduated from beginners education at the petsmart. hes doing so well with all his training...the trainer is really interested in helping me work on his agression toward strange male dogs, so she has offered to take us to a dog park and work with him one on one. hopefully we can really get him over his fears. also i took him home a couple weeks ago and introduced him to my parents cat and pomeranian. he did awesome with them completely gentle with them. he merely sniffed them and then went about his business. i also found that its not really children that he freaks about its when anyone aproaches him that he doesnt know with direct eye contact and hands at his face. so im keeping him away from children i cant tell not to do that. so older children i just tell to ignore him and let him come to them. hopefully hell keep progessing. im so happy with him. thanks again.

Dianna.

Hi Heather,

Just wanted to let you know Sarge is doing great!! He knows all the routines and acts like he's been here forever. He is still a little timed in new situations but gets over it quickly. Of course he is very smart and has learned some "not so good" tricks!! He knows he's not suppose to put his paws on the counter but nobody told him he can't stand on his hind legs without touching the counter and take dirty dishes out of the sink, to clean them up and he sees nothing wrong with that!

I've also found out the hard way he likes to tear apart things with feathers in them--like feather pillows, oh yes that was real fun to clean up. Needless to say he is still put in his crate when I go away for more that 10-15 min. but other wise he doesn't go in it.

He is not aggressive about his food, Lewis and I can both go up to him and touch him & it doesn't bother him and of course I can do anything to Lewis & he doesn't care. I do stand between them when they eat though, otherwise they will spend more time trading each other food than eating.

I thought I would see if he would come up on my bed on his own but after about 2 weeks of not being in his crate at night he still didn't. He probably thought he wasn't suppose to. Any way with treats in hand it took all of about 10 secs. to get him up on it. Now every time I walk in my bedroom he jumps on it.

I sent 2 pictures, not exactly snuggling with the cat but getting close. One has all 3 of my furry family members. I had to get up to the bathroom one night. Yes there is a space for me on the far edge of the bed. The other one was just Sarge & the cat taking a nap on the bed.

Thanks again for the great boy,

Terri

Hi Becky,

I thought I'd give you an update on Zoey. (I added a y to her spelling - personal preference).

It's been 4 weeks now and she is fitting in very well. Actually she fit in well after just a day or two. Even Payton now loves her and has gotten used to her fast movements. The girls have learned a few hard lessons about leaving toys out, Zoey has eaten a few toys. But we told them they can't leave things on the floor so it's not Zoey's fault.

She sleeps most evenings in the leather chair that was my lab's. It's very cute. We only crate her when we leave so she's not in the crate too much. She loves our backyard. Right now she is barking at the birds in the farmer's field. She just can't STAND them being back there. If there are birds in the yard or in the field, she runs out in a full run, then puts her brakes on just before the fence. I told Joe that one of these days she's not going to stop in time and will hit the fence. So far it has not happened.

Zoey has even gotten Grace to play a bit, something that hasn't happened in about 18 months. The hardest adjustment seems to be getting to know our neighbors. She keeps barking at them and "protecting" us.

We are looking forward to the upcoming warm weather to spend more time outside all playing together. She's a great dog and we're very pleased to have her in part of our family.

Email me anytime if you want to check on her. I'm now friends on Facebook with A Few Steps From Home too.

Laura

Hi Heather,

I can't really find the words...but I think you already know.

We made it home safe and sound and he was such a good boy. We stopped randomly at one point and found this beautiful beach on Lake Ontario and we just ran...ran and ran. He is so flippin' fast. I could not believe it. I am a pretty quick sprinter and no matter how hard I pushed he always had more...he was just toying with me. We hiked a trail that led to the beach and he is an amazing trail dog...curbs himself and steps out of the way for people passing...so polite. A silly kid let his Yellow Lab's leash go, who immediately came bounding right at Mally full speed and Mally did not make a peep, just let the dog sniff, and go on his merry way. And when we stopped another time he gave kisses to a 5 year old girl who was caught between elation and terror.

Anyway, no hitches on the ride. He is not really eating yet, but he's just so excited (and I was a little nervous because you said he was such a good eater, but he does love the Mother Hubbard Bacon and Cheese biscuits I got him, so he's had quite a few of those - and they're organic so I figure it's okay). He seems to like it here. The fence is done but for one gate, so I blocked the gate and let him run around the yard and he basically ran until he collapsed, rolled over and demanded a belly rub.

The baby gate appears to be working and actually Kai and Malakai touched noses through the gate last night. Kai swatted at him once before that and all he did was let out one RESOUNDING and awe inspiring bark, but wagged his tail the whole time...so I think we are on the right path with them and based on that interaction I am thinking they will be just fine together in the near future.

I was able to see immediately about how he finds his way and claims his stuff. At our last pit stop in Canada, he and I were walking and running around on the grass and then he trotted back to my truck, stood on his hind legs, put both his paws on the hood and just looked over his shoulder at me...I am not positive, but I could have sworn I heard him actually say "This is mine." He loves his new bed and claimed that immediately. Steph and I switched off sleeping on the couch just to give him one area to deal with his first night and he seemed to like that a lot because the bed is right next to the couch.

Anyway, enough ramblings, we just can't thank you enough for everything that you do and especially for bringing Mally into our lives. I really hope you take me up on the offer to come out and visit, we would absolutely love it and I am sure Mally would too. Animals don't forget and we certainly won't. Please let me know if you ever need anything and stay in touch.

P.S. I am just sending some pictures of him in the house and yard and his new bed and his dining table (which I think I forgot to mention before).

Best Regards,

Sean Aaron Thomson

Well, it has been an interesting introduction to knowing Shyla. It took two days before she stopped trying to drink from the toilets, she tried to train me to open the lids for her by leading me to them while refusing water any other way..... we compromised by setting a big bowl on the toilet lid, then progressed to a smaller elevated bowl in the living room. Problem Malamuted!

Then she could not fit comfortably into the front seat of the Yukon so instead of buying a Hummer for more space I constructed a special padded platform so she could stretch out in the front. Problem Malamuted! I took her to the groomers for her first bath on day three and there was a bit of fear being that EVERYTHING was all so new to her. But she freaked out over the dryer/blower so the next day I furminated a small truckload of fine undercoat off of her in the garage after she dried completely. Her blood work came back and turns out she is hypo-thyroidic, so she is on thyrosin. We'll get a follow up in 4 weeks and get the dosage "dialed in" over time. With diet and exercise one vet thinks about 105 to 110 would be her "optimal" weight, so just 15 more to go! It took two days away before she showed any interest in her lion and she was ALWAYS sleeping so lightly, so many new adjustments to make...... but then one afternoon she climbed up, laid down behind me on the couch and cuddled her lion (who was patiently waiting for her on the couch) and went to sleep. Now she takes an afternoon snooze there every day in PA. Not much room left after she lies down behind me on the couch, and she likes being very close. Malamute sweetie. Her light sleeping has turned to deep happy sleep when needed. She really adapted to Carla's rental house here in MD rather well, and tolerates the 14 week old (red) Malamute puppy, Kai. Actually, while not liking the food thing, the toy thing and her tail thing with a bouncing puppy (strong aggressive stance) she has also been visibly protective of Kai, too. When they play frisky -run -jump -tornado puppies in my townhome living room, you had best get back and watch the show! Kai's morning Kreation photo started with a completely CLEAN spot on the floor that she decorated herself in a few hours.

In all, Shyla is really coming along, happy, pampered and loved. She was a good choice for me and I pray, vice-a-versa..

I bought Shyla a custom cut and tailored to fit 2" ballistic nylon harness and a horse lead for a leash. She looks MARVELOUS !!!

Robert :-)

Sorry this email took so long. We just got internet. Harley is doing very very well. I hope you got the letter that said he had been fixed. He is doing very well after that. We have started him in puppy classes at petsmart and he is in his second week. He is doing very well with the classes. Hes very smart and loves his treats. He has met a little goldendoodle in his class and they are so cute together when they play. He just rolls on his back and she paws at his face. My brother and Harley love playing outside and Harley is very gentle with him. He is the biggest cuddler. He will plop down right on top of you and put his head right on your shoulder. We love him so much and are very happy we found him. He is a chewer though so we do have to watch him for that. I just want to thank you so much for Harley. I feel he has completed our lives and is a very big part of our family. Thank you so much.

Sincerely,

Jourdan Vanderlip

and Chris Mason

Linda and Heather-

Just wanted to update you on Angel and let you to know that we love her very much and she's fitting nicely into our family. My husband renamed her Willow and she has become a Daddy's girl. She sleeps with us on our bed at night and many times shares my pillow! I've even awakened to find her head resting on my chest. She's a sweetie and a cuddler! We've been walking Willow and our other dog Chaucer together and most of the time it works out well. Willow is aggressive towards other dogs when we walk but I'm sure that is because she needs to be exposed to other dogs and taught how to behave around them. I'm teaching the two of them to sit while the other dog walks past us and we're making progress. She's fine with any dog that comes into our home. Don't worry- we're working with her and already she's picked up a couple of commands that I've been working with her on.

She loves to play with toys but hasn't gotten the hang of returning the toy to me when we play fetch. She also likes to steal Chaucer toys so they've had some 'words' with one another but nothing that is a problem.

Will send you some pictures soon (as soon as I download them from my camera) so you can see how she's doing.

I'll be taking her to obedience class as soon as I finish the project I'm on and hope to get her the Canine Good Citizen certificate eventually and maybe certification as a therapy dog. Right now we're concentrating on letting her come into her own in our home and establishing a strong bond between all of us before we go any further.

God bless the work you do and thanks so much for our new little girl!

Take care- Deb King

Tikanni aka jake:

To hear my mom tell it, it was love at first sight. My mom saw my photo on Petfinder.com, and that was it. She was smitten. So began a series of excited email exchanges that ended up in me finding my forever home.

I had a pretty crummy start in life. I was alone, didn’t know where my next meal was coming from, and everything either itched or hurt. Some folks took me to a shelter, but they were gonna do something awful to me as they figured I was too far gone.

Then an angel showed up – her name was Heather. She took me to her home and nursed me back to health. She taught me all kinds of cool things, like how to sit and speak and shake hands, and how amazing hot dogs taste. And she loved me.

A short while ago, my new mom and new auntie came to get me. My new dad, meanwhile, was busy holding down the fort and earning the kibble. We drove for a very long time, but finally we got to my new home.

I’ve been in my new house for exactly nine days, but it feels like I’ve been here forever. I’m having so much fun! We go for walks and rides, we watch television, we eat, we visit nice people, and we play with all of my new toys. We do almost everything together, and I couldn’t be happier.

My folks hug and kiss me all the time. They keep telling me how lucky they are that I came into their lives. I think we’re all pretty lucky.

Heather- Sorry it took so long to get these to you. Cowboy is doing just

great. We only used the crate two nights. Cowboy made himself right at

home. He walked in and settled down as if he had been here his whole life.

He is getting along with everyone, including Chance. He loves his pool and

gets in it as often as he can. He loves, loves, loves to play catch and

Frisbee and wears us out(in a good way). His favorite place in the whole

house is right in the center of my bed-go figure! We love him very much and

couldn't imagine life without him. Thanks again for all the good work you

do and thanks for making our family complete. We will send updates, thanks

again! Terri Hebert

Dear Heather,

It has been a little over a month now and Charlie is doing so well. He gets more comfortable and confident every day. He was pretty scared at first. He even growled at me acouple of times. But not Tom. He seemed really taken with Tom from day one. He also really likes our son, Shane. He is great with dogs. So they are buddies. At first he almost seemed obsessed with Tom, but now he loves us all.

He gets to go for at least one or two walks everyday. At least one car ride with me, and sometimes one with Tom. That seems to be his favorite thing. That, and drive up windows. I go to the bank everyday cuz of our business. I have a stash of treats in case the bank is out. He is great on a leash. At first I walked him right next to me, on a short leash. But now we use the extend-a-leash and he really likes that. He has met alot of our neighbors, doing well with all that he has met. He is friendlier with all the men. I think he must of had a male owner that he misses. He just got to met my Mom and Dad. They fell in love with him. I took him to Grand Blanc for the day and he was just the best boy. We play toys alot. He likes to growl the whole time. But we know he is just playing!!

You were right he does like the couch! He will lay on the loveseat and stare out the window. And stand on the big couch watching people go by our house. If I ride my bike he goes from window to window to see me. He has quite a personality.

We are sending along some pics. Also I wanted to send an Email to Crystal at the Gladwin county shelter but don`t know where to send it. Could you help me with that?

All for now, we will keep in touch.

Lori, Tom and Charlie

Just wanted to give you an update on Mason, the black cat we adopted a few weeks ago. We brought him home and at first he wouldn't come out of our back bedroom. It took him a good two weeks before he felt comfortable enough to just come into the livingroom. Now he is the "King" of the house. He runs up and down the hall and last night ran into our screen door trying to get at the fireworks being set off next door! He sleeps under my bed and is a delight to have. He also likes to bite bare feet.

I will have pictures for you very soon but we are so glad we have adopted him and love him dearly.

Louise Nehring

Au Gres, MI

Heather/Linda: I want you both to know, how "lucky" we were to have found the "best dog in the world". Without you both, we would not have this gift.

Buddy has a vet, Dr. Amy Carlson at Countryside Clinic, he is neutered, wormed, and is sporting a "chip", Midland Dog Liscense, all shots are up to date, and he is on Hartguard and I have made an herbal spray that keeps his coat beautiful.

He is really part of the family now, he loves to go to our cabin, he loves to chase balls into the water, he jumps for the frizbee, and is first mate on the pontoon.

I will send you some pictures, as I get them. I am not as literate on the PC or with phone pics, but will send you an update soon. We brought him home in the rain, and through out the time up to now, he loves people, and especially children.

He visits my son and family, they have a larger lab, and a 3 month old chocolate lab, both males, and they all play very well together. The neighbor at the cabin has a boxer, male, and once they were done smelling each other, they get along fine. I won't take up anymore of your time, but we thought we should let you know and follow up with you as we promised.

FYI...he now knows commands for walking along paths, and my husband is letting him off the leash from time to time, but he always obeys and comes when called.

He was hesitant on being outside without someone, and that is fine with us.

We leashed him at first, and worked with him, and we do have a pen, if needed. We don't let him stay alone without being in the pen. He doesn't seem to mind, and he knows we will be back. If you need copies of his medical/liscense papers, let me know and I will send a copy to you.

I just wanted you both to know what a great gift we have found, "thank you" so much......

Charlene and Greg Johnson

Hello, This is Chris & Joe just letting you know how Molly is getting along. She is settleing in & becoming more relaxed with us. She follows Joe around the garden just like our other Molly used to do.Herky has excepted her rather well & she thinks he's a piece of the furniture.Susie, the bunny, has started to be very inquisitive & jumped into Mollys' bed while Molly was asleep. The result was Molly suddenly sprang to life and startled Susie who immediatly jumped out again and skiddadled into her cage.Joe layed on the floor next to her bed stroking her until she stretched out on her side so he could rub her belly.She closed her eyes and gave a big sigh like she was in heaven. She still will not come to us but I think she is understanding we are not going to hurt her.It will take a while to gain her full confidence but we have all the time in the world for her.When the time is right and we are on one of our jaunts we will stop by for you to see her and Herky together if that's ok with you.Well, bye for now, we will send updates and keep in touch, and thank you so much for Molly. Chris & Joe.

I thought I'd give you an update on Zoey. (I added a y to her spelling - personal preference).

We are looking forward to the upcoming warm weather to spend more time outside all playing together. She's a great dog and we're very pleased to have her in part of our family.

Email me anytime if you want to check on her. I'm now friends on Facebook with A Few Steps From Home too.

Laura

Well Ace has had a wonderful night so far! He is fantastic with the boys and they love him tons! We took him for a walk and he played out back with the boys. He has tried to hump our oldest and Paul and myself. Hehehe:-) Typical boy. He ate some dinner had a treat and is resting quietly in front of the fireplace. He pooped in the house shortly after Linda and Heather left. I was proud of him because he didn't do it downstairs on the carpet. He did it on the slate instead, easier to clean! He acts like he has lived with us forever. I will send more pictures as I take them and will give an update every now and again!

Thank you again!!

Melissa