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Make a Shelter Dog Smile! Click the link to the right to learn how to donate a comfy bed to one of our shelter dogs!

Deer Dogwood Frendz,
I lik mi nu familee. I have a kat sistur named Harley. She iz mean. I tri to play with her but she sez mi klawz are to sharp!! I also have a dog sistur named Sitka. She iz nis. She iz a minachur Amerikan Eskimoa. She iz big, wite, and fluffy. I have a brother pug named Jack. He iz mi bud. He chuz bonz. He only haz one eye. I help him see. I am polite. I told him Hi, mi name iz Bogey.

I am eating a lot!! One bag of kat fud lasted Harley a long time but now mi mom haz to buy a bag evry week. Mi doktur sez I wil fil out and be big.

We saw mi sheltr frend Flash at Petko. Flash wuz looking for a familee. We sed hi. I got kat treetz.

I kan run reelee fast. I run fast upstarz and veree veree fast downstarz. I am lik a torenado. I am veree athletik.

So… I'd survived parvo, though five of my brothers and sisters couldn't and I survived a life threatening stomach disease. I figured, so what if I would be tiny all my life. When my dad adopted me, he decided to give me the best dog food, vitamins, and yogurt each day – and for sure keeps me up to date on yearly vaccinations! He named me Ady, I think because I needed a good ady-tood after all that I'd been through. He says I've grown like the weeds in his garden. Here I am with my best girlfriend, Michelle. (She's really my dad's girlfriend, but he knows how to share.) The three of us are family. We go on float trips, fishing trips, and visits to grandparents' houses. I was almost cheated out of life, but a lot of people worked hard to pull me through. Well… how d'ya like me now?!!!!

So, here's me, Cocoa, finally in my forever home. My family thinks I'm gorgeous, just like my two girls (the human ones). And I'm smart, just like my boy (the human one). So smart that I figured out how to get up on the kitchen table and counter to sneak food, but I got in really big trouble for it from Dad. And at first, I chewed up a few of my kids' toys and, yeah, I got in trouble for that too. One time I got loose from Mom and ran out on a very big highway, actually stopped traffic. WOW… was Mom mad about that!

But, like I said before – I'm smart and I can learn. And, of course, I love my new family and want to make them happy. So now I focus my energies on my kids: playing fetch with them, taking them for walks, comforting them when they're sick.

Know what the best thing is about having a forever home? It's having people to love… especially my kids!

"Cooper! Cooper!" Figured I was in trouble again, no idea what for this time. After my leg had healed and the cone was removed, I had to make up for a lot of lost time... chewing water hoses (I LOVE to play in water), nudging, rough puppy playing, and... yes... smelling butts. I mean, how else am I going to get to know people! Never a dull moment with me around, they said. They also said, I would have to learn manners before I would find a home. Well... hah... I showed them! Found me a home ON A FARM!! The lady who adopted me loves birds, but I'm not holding that against her, as long as she loves me more. And she must, because look at what she bought me... a swimmin' pool!!!!! Yeah! She understands me. Life is good... reallllll gooood...

Dear San Nick Claus, I'm a little, no, a lot, shy.  Don't get walked much, which is AOK with me.  Don't like to be "out there" with everyone looking at me.  But, Miss Kathi noticed.  She notices EVERYTHING!  Even while she's working, she teaches us commands and makes us behave politely.  She took me to the Fall Festival and, with her help, I did great!  She says I'm her favorite Shelter dog because I try to please.  Me!  Her favorite dog!  For Christmas, like everyone else here, I want a home, but I want it to be with a best friend just like Miss Kathi, please.
-Merlin

Remi, short for Remington, that's my name. Ya gotta have a little sense of humor, no matter how bad things are! Somebody shot me! I mean, somebody really shot me… up close… in the face… with a 22 rifle! Me! Just a stray puppy! Why? I never did nothin' bad to nobody! The bullet went clean through my left jaw! Yeah! I cried… a lot… just like the baby that I am. I used a man's porch as a hideout for a couple of days until Animal Control picked me up and brought me to the shelter. I cried some more because they held me and hugged me. (I like hugs… really, really, really!) They said they would take the pain away and make sure no one ever hurts me again. I wanted to believe them, but how could I when every person I've known has failed me? I heard that the employees were scheduling me for surgery, but then I heard someone say, "How are we ever going to pay for this?" Then someone responded, "By hopes, prayers, and love."

So, here's the update: Seven teeth shattered along with my upper jaw bone - not enough bone left to pin my jaw so it had to be wired - the vet removed well over 50 pieces of tooth and bone fragments, and I will always have bullet fragments in my tongue and jowls (no airports for me!). There's some infection in my jaw, but antibiotics will take care of that. Other than that, I'm doing great, or… hmmm… maybe it's the painkiller making me think that. Whatever! When I feel better, next week hopefully, I'm gonna tell you how much I love all the people who are helping me… the donations for vet care and a cushy doggie bed, soft food, a real roof over my head, and puppy hugs. If I'm allowed to be selfish for a minute, I would like to tell you what I really want… no…really need… more than anything is someone to hold me. Just take me home and hold me. If healing begins from the heart, then I just want to lay close enough to you to hear yours beating for me!

My name is Bart and I wanted to let you know a little about what Dogwood Animal Shelter does.  I can only tell you about my experiences, but I think my story will help you see that Dogwood is more than just a place to eat and sleep for homeless animals.  You see, I was taken to Dogwood by a family that found me wandering around near the woods on the side of the road.  I wasn't really sure about letting them pick me up, but I was out of options!  I was sick, hungry, thirsty, and hurting.

  When I arrived, several staff members jumped into action trying to figure out what I needed.  Right away I had fresh bowls of food and water.  I was so happy just to have that!  I would have been satified with only the food and water and a blanket to rest on.  However, those employees stayed with me and looked me over.  I was missing lots of hair, had a weird skin infection, my ears were so bad they were swollen and smelled bad, and my eyes were oozing some weird smelling green stuff!  Yuck, right? 

Soon after eating, I was given this wonderful bath that made my skin feel so much better!  I was a little nervous because I thought it might hurt, but boy oh boy did it feel good!  Then, my ears were cleaned out along with my eyes and medicines were applied as well.  Within the next couple of days, even though I was already feeling so much better, a veterinarian came and looked me over too!  Can you believe it?  I was starting to feel the love!  He gave me some meds to continue my healing process and soon I felt like a puppy again!  It took months for me to be in tip-top shape, but no one at Dogwood ever gave up on me!  Not one person ever said that my treatments were costing too much or that I wasn't worth it.  I LOVE this place!!!  Once I was feeling better, I was taken up front to the adoption area...and guess what?  I was adopted by a wonderful family who loves me!  Life is great!  I am so thankful that Dogwood Animal Shelter is there for animals like me, but I also know that without the wonderful people of our community supporting it so generously, my story would not have had such a happy ending!  So, in short, THANKS for your support.