This is Red, a pit bull rescued from a high kill shelter..he now has a great home!  Red is sooo sweet and smart..he knows how to fetch, play dead when you shoot him with your finger and much more.  What a great dog..when I saw him I knew he was a great guy!   Now he sleeps with the cats! 

Just sending you an update.. She is perfect!!! No accidents at all. I gated her in the kitchen last night but all she was doing before I put the gate up was laying in her bed anyway.. As soon as I put her new bed down she knew it was for her. She went to the bathroom outside when we got home. Then when we got up… And then again a few hours later on her walk.. She is so calm and relaxed and it doesn’t even bother her when the baby cries a little. She isn’t the least bit interested in any toys which is a good thing because she doesn’t even care when the baby is playing with her toys.. Here is a picture of her in her new bed… Oh yea and we did change her name to Jewels, we think it suits her better.. Thank you so much this is the exact dog we  were looking for.. She fits us to a T.

Jen

Hi!  I adopted Baja (now named Fizzgig) from you a few years ago and wanted to let you know that he is the happiest dog I’ve ever known.  He gets along great with his “big sister”, an Irish setter.  All he wants to do is play and play until he can’t run anymore!

It’s long overdue, but thank you so much for your part in bringing us together!  You’re a fantastic organization.

Mark Maggio

Greetings,

My name is Steven Guidaboni and a few months ago (November) I adopted Comet from you guys.  I am happy to say that Comet is loving his new home in Stoughton, MA.   He is socializing so well, and hes great with kids. We spoil him wayyy too much as well I guess. He has a nice fenced in kennel to run around in, he goes on his daily walks, and hes even gone swimming in the pool a few times!  I just wanted to send a few pictures to keep you updated and to say thank you for allowing us to adopt such a great dog. He is such a little kid with his own mannerisms and personality, I honestly cannot imagine our family without him. Have a great holiday, and keep up the great work you are doing.

Sincerely,

Steven and Susan Guidaboni and Comet

Hi Joy,

We hope you’re well!   Barre and I can’t believe it’s been a year already since our lives became that much better because of Wally!

We wanted to say hello and let you know Wally has been an unbelievable addition to our household. He has had a great year going for long drives, walks around Boston, hanging with his dog pals and learning to swim in Cape Cod!

We can’t imagine our lives without him in it. We thank you again for taking a chance on us and sending him our way.

We hope everything is going great in Georgia and that lots of other pups are finding great homes!

We attached some updated pics of Wally.   Have a great day!

Regards, Tony and Barre

Here are a few photos of Nellie’s birthday.She loved her cake, as you can see she is licking the plate clean. When Bobby came home and I was baking her a cake his words were….. “I’m getting my bags and packing them now” my response….” Why” because you have lost it!!!! But if you could have seen him taking the pictures you can tell he loves her too!!! Enjoy

A year ago, we adopted our Nigel from your shelter.  He is a cock-a-poo who came to us after you had removed him and others from a puppy mill.  I just thought I would keep you up-to-date about him.  We found him to be extremely fearful, mostly of tall people–men, especially, and my tall housekeeper.  We enlisted the dog behaviorist recommended by Case Vet Hospital, added a daily Prozac dose, and slowly, but surely, he is less and less timid.  He is uninterested in play with toys, but he carries his bed everywhere, placing it wherever our family is, and lying beside it, paw on the cushioned edge.  He carries his full dog dish in to rest next to the bed, and he then fetches a blanket which he places carefully in the area.  He proceeds to eat his dinner after setting up the nest.  He is mostly house-trained–except on rainy days, he stubbornly refuses to get wet… and even under an umbrella, he is not especially fond of going out.  He is great with other dogs, and we socialize him whenever possible.  He has warmed to my husband slowly, accepting goodies and treats from him, as suggested by Kevin, the dog trainer.  We had to have five teeth removed, but he has otherwise been healthy.  We have no knowledge of his actual age since the vet felt his tooth decay indicated an older dog than two.  He is smart, sassy, and we are definitely happy to have him.  I just wanted you to hear how one of your successful alumni is doing.  He is a beautiful fellow, and we really enjoy him.  I hope you are placing many of his friends since home care really is so good.  Doris Greenberg MD

He is a fantastic dog, and fits in perfectly with his
adopted dog brother and sister. Thank you GARD!
Sincerely,
Robin

Just to give you an update, we LOVE Jake. He is the sweetest, best dog ever. It is like he has always been part of the family.
Becky Conner

Hi Joy,
I just wanted to say hello! I’m having a great time in NY. Its cold here though. I sent you a picture of me in the snow. The snow is fun and I like to sniff it.
I loved Thanksgiving and I found out I really like turkey. My family also has an ice maker and boy do I love ice cubes!! I helped everyone decorate for Christmas and my stocking is already hung up!
I’ll have my family send more pictures after the holidays. I really just wanted to tell you “thanks” for saving me and finding a real nice family in NY that wanted to adopt me. They love me and I love them too.
Have good holidays and I’ll have my family write you soon….
Love,
Lily

Hows Bo doing?  Well, he is VERY loved at our house.  Sometimes I think his fur is going to be rubbed off, hes loved so much.  He has mastered the stairs at our house, which is good because we live in a raised cottage and weve introduced him to the water.  He really has taken to it.  We have a little doggie ladder (basically a gradual step ladder) that lets Kelly sits on in the water and Bo walks down to him.  Yesterday we took him to Ossabaw and he just ran and played.  He was so wiped out in the evening, but is back to his same old self today.  Ive been doing a lot of reading, so were slowly training him  – or maybe he is training us.  Either way, again we are so very happy to have adopted him!  He is very good with children and other dogs.  Great personality.

Hi Joy,

We wanted to share some pictures of Addison that were taken the first night she stayed with us. We are really enjoying getting to know her and having her in our family. She seems really happy here too.  Thank you so much for all you do to help dogs in need. We wish we could adopt them all!

Andrew & Amanda P.

Just wanted to drop you a line to give you an update on how Swazy is doing, I adopted him from you last fall. He has turned out to be the best dog any pet owner would ever dream to have. He is fun, loving, playful, non-aggressive, extremely intelligent, and thankful to us that we have given him a loving home. I am getting ready to adopt another chocolate lab from Screven animal rescue so that he will soon have a girlfriend and playmate. Swazy is now up to 80 lbs and healthy as an ox. Swazy and our cats hit it off just right, in fact, Swazy and Lexi play (chase) with each other every day. Lexi will chase Swazy then Swazy chases her back but neither of them try to hurt each other they just run and play. Well that’s about all, just though you might like to hear how one of your adoptions turned out.

Respectfully,

DANIEL R. LAPE

Hi! Amber is doing really well.She is the apple of my eye.I cant believe she is practically housebroken already.She had 1 small puddle by the door last night,when it was so cold out.As long as I keep a sweater on her she’s been real good.She loves watching the birdfeeder out the front window and has all kinds of toys to play with.I made her some polar fleece sweaters to wear. Amber loves to go on walks w/Ben(I bought her a tiny harness).They get along so well,he lays on the floor & she jumps all over him,once in awhile he’ll give her a little nudge w/his nose & make alot of noises @ her.I have to send them both outside to do all that running.I find it so hard to believe anyone would get rid of such a sweetie.She does hate the vacuum,she growls & attacks it.Even the cat gets along w/her.(and it took me years for Ben & the cat to ignore each other)Just wanted to thank you again,although I just cant thank you enough for Amber,I love her to death.Here are a few pictures.Take care,we’ll keep in touch,Kathy,Amber,& Ben

Hi Joy,
I’ve attached a few photos of Ryleigh (Dolly). As you can see, she is doing great! She is the most lovable, sweet dog that we have ever had. She has adapted amazingly into our family and I can’t believe we have only had her 3 months……..seems like forever.
Enjoy the photos.
Melissa

My husband and I adopted tia about two or three months ago and she is just a pleasure to have around the house.  She is very sweet and and loves to snuggle we couldnt be happier with our new addition.  Thanks for connecting us with such a sweet girl!  I will send more pictures to keep you updated on Tia.

Hi, Joy,

I thought you might enjoy seeing photos of little Coco, the little poodle we adopted 3 weeks ago for my aunt.  Coco and my aunt are doing fine together.  They were meant for one another!!!

We have found a wonderful groomer for Coco, and vet.  He was checked out by the vet right after he went to his new home, and all is well.

Thank you again for helping us find Coco for my aunt.

Sincerely,

Ben

Our Lola finally got a good home!  She was used as a bait dog and we had her eye put back in.

Mrs.Bohannon,

I just wanted to let you know that Lola has already stole our hearts. She is such a sweet puppy and is already getting well adjusted to our house.  She has found her own favorite dog toys that she likes and snoozed away last night on the doggy bed. Thank you so much for giving us this opportunity to give Lola a home.

Hi Mrs. Bohannon!

I wanted to send you all pictures of “Slick”–Maine Coon(my daughter was in her “Who-ville” costume for her dance recital)–and “Bridgette”–White German Shepherd (with my son Ryan)–and let you know they’re doing wonderful!

Thank you all for all you’ve done to help us with adopting such amazing pets!

The Jaillette Family

Hello,

I just wanted to share some information about Duke & Daisy (Bart & Lisa).  These two characters were the exact puzzle pieces our family was missing.  Although we have only had them for 2 weeks, we couldn’t imagine life without them.  They fill our hearts with so much love and joy.

After the first week, Daisy became pretty sick with severe diarrhea and bleeding.  We took her to the vet immediately.  Both Duke and Daisy were thoroughly examined with many tests.  They were found to be in top notch condition.  She was just having some tummy issues due to the change in food and environment.  Having said all that, I want to give great KUDOS your shelter for providing EXCELLENT care for these animals.  The love you have for them shines through in the care they all receive.

Thank you for giving us the opportunity to fill our hearts with such wonderful creatures.  These 2 really are pure perfection.

Regards,

Suzann & Jason Benton

Last Saturday, I drove from Summerville, SC to adopt a puppy from you.  We found a puppy named Hero and he has stolen our hearts.  He is very smart and is house training very easily.  We renamed him Finn and I have attached a few pictures.  We love him very much!!!  Thank you for helping us find him.  And especially thank Michelle for all of her hard wok with the adoption!

Elizabeth Bates

Hello All,

I thought you would appreciate some pictures of Bailey. I will send you some as he grows. He is a WONDERFUL addition to our family. We love him lots!! Have a great day…Lorie 🙂

I just wanted to give you an update that Boomer is doing really well….. In fact, you would think he has always lived here by the way he is acting.  The big plus is that he loves my kids, and they love him.  My other two rescues are learning to love him… Ha ha.  They are still sorting out what to think of this guy with all the energy who came in acting like he owns the place!  But all in all, smooth transition with the dogs.  He is also doing really well with his potty training.  He’s had a few accidents, but at a minimum.  He LOVES his new dog bed that we have beside our bed and has to be coaxed to get out of it.  We took him to the groomer on Sunday at PetSmart where they gave him a milk bath treatment which seems to have helped with the itching.  I’ll be taking him to our vet for his well visit and appointment to get established next week.

We thought you would enjoy seeing a picture of Bobo floating in the lake. He really loves the water. We are enjoying him so much. So glad we found him, and thankful for the work you do.

Hi, Hannah is doing great.She is now up to 49.9 lbs.I had her weighed Mon. for her heartworm med. to see if she went to the 50 lb. pill and she did.She’s never needed a crate.She’s left with Bandit when we gotta go to the store or pay bills and theres never a problem when we get home.She had someone take alot of time with her at some time in her life because she knows sit,shake paws and stay.She’s very,very well behaved.Bandit  will play with her and thats a first in yrs. that he’s liked a dog.She doesn’t like thunder,she jumps up in the chair when it thunders,I guess the chair makes her feel safe..lol….I’ve attached some pics. I took today and will send more updates down the line.   Bev

He is now know as Henry Schmidt, the beloved member of our family.  Since adopted he has gotten a haircut, gone on numerous trips to Forsyth and Hilton Head beach, and been the best friend/partner in crime/brother to our rescued dachshund, Wiener Dog, whom we’ve had for 3 years now. Henry has been the most welcome addition to our family and we are very thankful to the everyone at GARD for taking care of him prior to him finding us and his forever home. I’ve attached two pictures of Henry, one of him on the couch and one of Henry and Wiener Dog cuddled up ready for bed time. They are quite a pair. J

Sugar is the sweetest dog! We just love her. My sister could not get her to eat anything after picking her up on Tuesday. She would drink water and just finally ate for me yesterday – a piece of Honeybaked Ham. Now, she eats hamburger and rice with the other dogs but will not eat the Iam treats or Kibbles & Bits yet.
I took her for a car ride today and she rode so well. She is very well behaved and gives me kisses. She likes to sleep away from the other dogs and chose to make her bed on the base of the treadmill. I will send some pictures as soon as I get them transferred from my camera. Hopefully, I can send pictures yet tonight. I am cooking our Thanksgiving dinner for tomorrow. My husband and I went to my father-in-law’s for dinner yesterday. Sugar stayed home in the house with the other dogs and they all got along just fine. We could not ask for a better dog! I am sending a picture of her in the van on the way to Columbus from my brother-in-law in a separate email. I cannot seem to copy the picture into this email.
Thanks so much!
Jean

I just want to thank y’all from the bottom of our hearts, for allowing us to adopt Ginger. She is doing great with her new big brother Frankie. They play and are well acquainted. She loves our children and they love her as well.  She is the sweetest dog ever. She loves LOVES our couches 😊 and she loves sleeping in the bed with my husband and me. She is so happy to have found her new family. Thank y’all again very much

Sincerely,
The Ware Family

We received the following story from one of your adopters and thought that you would like to see it.

Thanks again for all that you do.

Mike
Petfinder.com

I saw Sophie’s picture on Petfinder.com about a week after unexpectedly having to put down my 9-year-old pit bull/lab mix after a brief and horrible battle with aggressive prostate cancer. We weren’t really ready for another dog but our remaining dog, Spenser, had been distraught without his best friend and we were faced with the decision to either medicate him or get another dog. She has been nothing but a blessing for our family. Sophie and Spenser immediately bonded. She is in love with our newborn son – we can’t get her to stop giving him “doggie kisses.” Thank god for this website because otherwise how could we have known our perfect dog was waiting for us thousands of miles away? Thank you Petfinder.com!

I’m a sweet Georgia Girl, I wished upon a star and found out that dreams do come true.   I am told that my original owners, from Georgia could not afford me so surrendered me to a place  that destroys dogs that they cannot find homes for.  Lucky for me a nice lady from GARD, a rescue foundation in Georgia that has a no kill policy rescued me before I met a terrible demise.  I was sent to Canada to a rescue foundation that helps out  because there is so much poverty where I come from that people aren’t able to adopt homeless animals such as myself.   I was adopted by some people that didn’t understand me and weren’t able to give me time to adjust into my new home when I displayed behavior that they weren’t willing to work with. I once again found myself in a Shelter waiting  for my forever home.

Like I mentioned at the beginning of my story dreams to come true.  There are no more broken promises in my life.   I now live in a home that has more than enough love to go around.  I live with  two other canine companions, two cats that refuse to run from me,  a bunny and two guinea pigs that give me what for if I get my nose to close.  I am still wary of men but am getting more confidence almost daily.  I listen really well to my people and have good recall.  My mom says I play nice with the other dogs at the dog park.  In the spring my boy,(the one who saved his money and rescued me), says he is taking me to agility…not sure what that is but it sounds like fun I can hardly wait.

Thank you to all the angels that worked so hard to see that I found my forever home.   There is a special place in heaven for all of you.

Love,

Your Little Duck Tooler

Daisy AKA Georgia

Time flies!  It?s been a year since we adopted Obi and we wanted to check in and share some photos.  We are so happy we have him and we are thankful for the work being done to place such wonderful deserving dogs!  Here are some photos of Obi adventures

Igloo now Maverick is loving life. He has been a great addition to the family. Training is going very well and he gets along with the neighbors dogs.

Hello, I’ve emailed you once before but it’s been awhile so I thought I’d send you a more up-to-date photo.  Munken as we call her is still doing great with us.  We adopted her back in Spring of 2010 and she has been a wonderful addition to our family!  Thanks again!

Airiel Bailey

This is one of our dogs who went up north and stayed with a friend of ours.  Her new mom could not go pick her up and our friend Cassie got her friends the pilots to give her a ride!!!  We had Miss Madoo 2 years after we rescued her from a crack neighborhood in Garden city.  She’s come a long way!!

Hi! Madoo is HOME! : ) She flew from PA to CT to meet her mom at the airport.  Thank you so much Don and please thank your co-pilot for me! She was wonderful and Madoo wouldn’t be home if it weren’t for the two of you! I am so happy she is finally home! Madoo has been waiting two years for her forever family and now she is finally home where she will be loved and cared for by a wonderful couple.  Cassie, thank you so much for putting me in touch with Linda! She is so sweet and put me in touch with Don who didn’t hesitate to offer his time/plane to help Madoo.  I might have to learn to fly now! It looks amazing! Madoo was wonderful on the plane and looked out the window and then fell asleep over NJ. : ) Thank you so much for everything you all have done to help Madoo make it home.  I miss her already! She is such a loving and affectionate dog.  Thank you all for helping her! I’m so glad I was able to foster her and meet her and help her make it home.  She was wonderful around my dogs and little sisters while I fostered her.

Here’s a picture of me trying to hold Cara and Buoy for a picture. Ken took this at Bare Cove Park in Hingham, which is where we take them to run around. We go there at least 3 times a week. Cara loves to swim, and Buoy loves to watch her swim!! The picture is a little blurry because they rarely stay still. I’ll try to get a better picture soon with Ken in it too. Joy – I have attached a link to the park website in case you want to check out where they spend their time. They have a good life.  http://www.hingham-ma.com/barecove/index.html   

Maxwell has fit into our family so easily it is like he was waiting for us. Thank you for taking care of hime until we could find him. He is a sweet,loving and well behaved dog. He likes the groomer,the vet, and evey dog  and person he happens to meet. I didn’t even know he could bark until after a few days. God bless you for all your work that you do. Thank you for making us smile.

The Schultz Family

We rescued Miss Priss (Josie) from a kill shelter when she was extremely pregnant. She looked like she had given up. We took her to the vet immediately and he did an emergency C-section because of complications not allowing her to give birth naturally. She was a great mama and all puppies were adopted, as well as Miss Priss, now known as Josie!

Josie is settling in wonderfully! She had a nice bath with girly blueberry vanilla dog shampoo as soon as she got home and looks very stylish in the pink collar with brown polka dots with matching leash. And my Mom was suckered by her cute little face into buying her a very snazzy heart-shaped ID tag with little pink rhinestones on it. We are still working on housetraining, so she has to go in her crate at night and while we are gone but she does very well in there. Last night she was dropping some hints that she would like to go in the big dog bed (literally a toddler bed) with the other two, but I prefer not to step in pee puddles first thing in the morning… 🙂 She is finally relaxed enough to go off the porch without being dragged and loves running around with our other GA girl, Sophie. We brought Josie to the local dog park both days this weekend and she did very well though still a little nervous about playing with the other dogs. She has been great with all people, I only noticed that when the guy working on our fence was petting her she trembled like a leaf all over. He smells strongly of cigarette smoke which none of my friends or family do, maybe she was abused by a smoker? I have already talked to our dog trainer and she will go to obedience classes in late August; I think she will do very well as we are already making good progress with sit and down. Once Josie is better on leash hopefully she will be able to go jogging with us – she’s certainly a little rocketdog in the yard!

These aren’t the best pics attached – one is from my phone – but the good ones are on my computer at home! Thank you so much for taking care of her and her puppies until we found her. She’s so wonderful, we’re just so happy to have her as a part of our family.

-Cordelia

Dear Joy,

I just wanted to thank you so much for the chance to adopt these little guys.  They are doing so well, love the snow, bother the cats a bit, but we are getting along fabulously.  Their names have changed…Pinky and Moe (guess which one is Pinky???) they have tons of toys and beds and smackerels to nosh on.  We love them!  thanks again, our digital camera is on the fritz but as soon as we get another we will update…

Kathy Harris B.

Hello Tom & Joy,

I just wanted to let you know that Bailey, now renamed “Bogart”, is really settling right in (see photos attached).

He napped all the way back to Boston, but since his arrival he has been a non-stop bundle of energy!

He already had a bath and made a few neighborhood friends.

I want to thank you both for making this happen and Tom, I hope you get some sleep tonight- you deserve it!

Warm regards,  Inge

Dana and the kids came out yesterday, Annie fell in love with them and they her, as you can see.  Lilly still has her tail our of joint!

Linda

Hi Joy, thought you might enjoy these picture of Sweetie (and Wylie)!  Sweetie absolutely loved winter and playing in the snow.  She’s doing really well and she plays with Wylie all the time.  She’s a good one for wet kisses in the morning!

Hope you and your dogs are well. All the best!

Maryelyn, Keith and Sweetie

Hi Joy, Sorry I haven’t write to you regarding my blue heeler
Camilla!!! she is doing very good remember how small she was, well she
runs the house now she is the boss, weighting 41 pounds we hoping to
spayed her next week .
She is muscle all over so active and runs so fast, specially when she
stealing something from the house to the backyard,
Thank you for my little lady!! we love her so much
I will send you an up to date picture soon
Elena

Good morning. It was finely cool enough to take the girls to the beach with me. It has been too hot for them and alot of days too hot for me. Most of the summer ,I left them home in the ac. There were somedays I went to  the beach  and left because it was too hot even for me to sit there and living near the ocean didn’t help this much this summer.. Not our kind of weather, So, finally got our summer pixs. Rose and the girls.

This is Prissy she was pulled from the Humane Society just hours before she had her babies…shes now doing well in her new loving home and won’t have to worry about having babies ever again!

Hi Joy!
We are happy to report that all is well with “Little Squirt”. We changed her name from “Cookie” because next to Max, her big brother, she looks like such a Squirt…I am sending a picture of her with Max along to you…hope you enjoy it!

Hi Joy! This is Bianca Sue, now named Snickers. She is living a healthy, fun life in Charlotte. She has been with us for 1 year. She is a guard dog. She barks at EVERYTHING! We love her. We are so thankful we found her. She is the sweetest, cutest, watch dog EVER! Thank you SOSOSOSOSOSOSO much for rescuing her for us. She is the best dog I could ever have or wish for.

Cara, Mary, and James

So the name had to change, but Redden and I are getting along great!  We moved out by the park and now have a big yard (1/2 an acre) and lots of trails at the park.  He loves to go camping with us- he even has his own doggie tent and jacket.  Red is still a little unsure about the water, and tries to tip a canoe while sniffing everything.  I guess swimming lessons will have to wait until spring break!
He has positively become the focus of my days, and is the best lunch date I’ve had in a while.  Thanks for all you do, and Happy New Year!

Alison

Hello – I am across some old paperwork I had from your organization dating back to 2012….I adopted a dog that came up on a transport to Newtown, PA back in May of 2012 (her name was Natasha but we changed it to Dixie).  I just wanted to send you some pictures of Dixie…she is doing very well and we are so happy to have adopted her.

Bernadette Goydish

Dear Joy,
Murphy is doing great!!!! He has adjusted very well and is probably the friendlyist dog I know!! He was nuetered about a week ago and he has been fightling a bad case of worms. (probably why he was so thin) He just finished his meds so we will recheck him in another week. He is pretty much potty trained and he is sleeping in our bed at night. He loves his walks and definetly likes the car! Thanks for saving such a sweet dog. He is such a lovable and gentle little guy. If you know anymore about him please let me know.

Thanks again,
Chris

On August 5, 2009, the most beautiful angel the world has ever seen left this earth to cross the Rainbow Bridge. This angel’s name was Beauregard Phire.

Beauregard was a very cute, very gentle, and very loving little Lhasa Apso who spent many years with us, ultimately teaching us the most important and basic of lessons that life has to offer.  He taught us how to truly celebrate our lives, as well as the lives of others.  He taught us the importance of living life with love and compassion in our hearts.  Likewise, Beauregard never met a stranger — never failing to introduce himself and extend a greeting to anyone that he met.  He taught us how to make friends (a lesson that is often taken for granted by us less-than-sophisticated humans).  Beauregard was truly our source of inspiration; and from this inspiration came his most cherished nickname: “Sweetness and Light.”

Sadly, Beauregard — like all companion animals — got old.  At the age of fifteen, he went home to a place where the pain no longer plagued him; a place where the doggie treats manifest themselves with abundance, and where the belly rubs and ear scratches are free for the taking.  Beauregard’s advanced age ultimately made it more, and more difficult for HIM to care for US.  He held on for as long as he could — waiting for the time when his beloved charges could continue on in his absence.

Beauregard knew, however, that his job caring for us would not end with his passing.  So, before leaving this earth, he set out to orchestrate the Universe in such a way as to lead us to a place where our tortured hearts could begin to heal.  That place was Georgia Animal Rescue & Defence (GARD).

The decision to find another dog (just one short month after the passing of our sweet Beau had occurred) was a very difficult one, indeed.  We were plagued with questions, such as: “Will he forgive us for looking at another animal?  Have we waited enough time?  Can we really give our love and attention to another animal in need, when our hearts and minds are still on our loss?”  These questions led to more questions, and more still; until finally it dawned on us that Beau’s magic was working its wonders right before our very eyes.  When we came across the GARD website, it was not our hands doing the internet navigating…it was Beau’s paws.  He led us to our source of healing.

While at GARD, we fell in love with not just one dog, but two — being the soft-hearted saps we are.  Sadie Mae (a gorgeous little Miniature Pinscher mix) and Ember (a regal little Labrador mix) both went home with us that day.

Both girls are now an intricate part of our lives here in downtown Savannah.  Having never had real leash training before, the girls proved somewhat challenging in this area at first.  Yet, it was quite obvious that they were more than willing to learn how to walk on leashes; and in two days time, both girls have mastered “stay,” “sit,” “come,” and a handful of other simple commands.

Sadie Mae, despite the obvious Southern name she has, is truly a city-girl at heart.  Her interest in all things in downtown Savannah tickles us.  The horse-drawn carriages, the loud buses, the hundreds of people clogging the sidewalks each day is nothing but inspiration for her, and peaks her curiosity at every turn.  At first, Ember was a bit skittish of all the noise, excitement and hustle-and-bustle of city life.  Now, however, even she is curious, adventurous, and loving the downtown lifestyle, just as much as Sadie.

Both girls get to run and play together; they simply love the exhilaration of jogging with us each day; they enjoy meeting all the neighbors and their dogs; and most importantly, they love their new home.  And what dog wouldn’t love it, especially with all the toys, a big comfy sofa on which to chill out, and a big fluffy bed on which to wrestle?

Yet, despite all the blessing and luxuries that they have at their disposal, WE are the ones that are blessed to have them in our lives.  We didn’t pick these girls.  They were picked for us by our dearly departed Beauregard.  He knew we needed to move on.  And he made sure to send us the best girls for the job!

To the team at GARD: thank you for what you do.  You might not realize it now, but your job on this earth is more than just rescuing companion animals like Sadie Mae and Ember.  Your job is actually a small part of a much grander plan.  The work you do showers this planet with sparks of light and compassion.  And we humans need to take lessons from what you do, and apply it to our own daily lives.  Never lose the faith, the drive, or the passion to do what you do.  If it weren’t for caring people like you, we might not have had the chance to meet our new girls, who are helping us to heal more, and more every day.

Jericho & Danyael Phire

Sula has a wonderful life here on Nantucket Island. She gets three walks a day, one of them off leash with other dogs and just recently she has learned to stay with me out in the moors and be off leash. We have two cats who she sort of plays with, when they will, but she really wants to chase them.  She needs a dog buddy who she can play with, she is incredibly social and wonderful.  After I realized she had terrier in her I had to learn how to deal with that but now
things are moving forward really well.

The puppy is doing great!
Sorry I got so emotional.
2 years ago, my parents died. Dad was March of complications from diabetes and Mom was cancer on Christmas eve. I sat alone with her and wrapped my children’s presents and watched the inevitable last breath, alone.
After making the arrangements, I had to go home to the kids and be happy, since the magical time of Santa only lasts a few years. My wife was as upset as me, but I had to be strong for the family and push on. My only outlet was taking Maggie ( my golden retreiver)out and the two of us would walk the neighborhood, thinking and unwinding in the quiet of night.
In October, a tumor burst and she passed away. I didn’t know how much it would to lose my companion.
I can remember crying maybe 4 times in the last 20 years.
When you handed me the puppy(Natasha), I was overwhelmed. Sorry if I made you uncomfortable. I’m not emotional, but that moment completed my family.
Nothing will ever replace Maggie, But there is plenty of room for healing and new experiences.
I cannot begin to tell you how grateful I am.

If you ever need anything, please let me know. I have many connections. Always check. From Philly DA’s to Joe Biden’s brother. I will send pictures soon. Thank you for all of your work. I is sooo grately appreciated. You are a true hero to our family.

Thank you,
Frank Suga

Hello,

I thought I’d update you on Callie’s progress in our home.

She’s doing well.  We just love her!   She’s calm, still a bit timid (not unexpected) and seems unsure when we approach her with the leash.  She seems to make progress every day.

She’s been for rides in the car, gone to the pet store for some goodies, and has met the neighborhood kids who all really like her.  She has had a nice bath and she smells terrific!  She even has a new collar and leash, and a special tag with all her family info.  She’s really becoming a very important part of our family!

You should see her roll around in the snow.  She’s so funny to watch:  she sniffs around, then lays down and rolls around in the snow.  Then she shakes herself off and does it all over again!

She’s too cute.

I’ve attached a couple of photos so you can see she’s in a loving, happy home where she’ll get lots of love and attention.

Carol

I am just in love with this little guy.  He and Lola seem to be hitting it off.  She has explained that she is still Princess of the house and Ollie seems to be just fine with that.  This morning they were running around playing and then a few minutes later,  they were both on the bed snoozing. 

Hi  Joy, Michelle and all your staff,

Just a quick note and a couple pics to let you know Maggie, now named Eve, is doing wonderfully.  We have a Vet appointment tomorrow at 16:30.  This way we will get the prescriptions we need for heartworm and Tics and Fleas meds.

We have called her Eve, because being such an alpha female, she reminded us of a character in J.D. Robb’s books called Eve Dallas, who is an alpha female cop!

She is having a ball, loving the yard , screen room and house.

Thanks you so much for all the work you do and for helping us find our wonderful new companion.

Lorraine and Terry Heaton…. and Eve, of course

Hi!
I wanted to share a picture of our little guy that won 1st prize in a local photo contest 🙂  As my brother says “that boy ain’t right”   hahaha
I hope things are good with you.
All the Best,
Eileen and Oscar!

Just wanted to say thank you for all you do!!!  We love our little guy!!  He’s doing really well!!  He’s been fixed and close to about a year old now. We love him so much!  Hope your well!!!

I adopted Rex from his amazing foster mom, Christina. He is such a
sweet, lovable, happy go lucky dog. We go for walks every day with his
golden retriever friend, Shannon. Then on the weekends it is off to
the dog park. He loves the dog park…playing with new friends &
swimming in the pond. Thank you so much for the amazing work GARD does
to bring dogs to the NE so they can be adopted. Because of your
efforts, I have this wonderful dog.  Rex definitely has his ” forever”
home with me. I adore him. Thank you so much for the work you do to
find homes for shelter dogs. Your efforts bring so much joy and
happiness to owners and dogs alike.
Valerie H.

Hi All,

Just wanted to send some pics to let you know how great Georgia is adjusting to her new home. Adopted on 7/18 here in NJ..our Greyhound Lucky was not so sure about his new sister. That’s all over and they are loving each other more everyday. She is just what he needed! Goergia is doing great, weighs in at a great 16 lbs and is just full of energy. We laugh every day since she arrived, she is quite the comedian! Hope you enjoy the updates and I have just sent her sample into Doggie DNA for testing, just to see what wonderful breeds make up this delightful dog!!! When folks ask us what kind of dog she is my husband’s answer is…”One that needed a forever home!” She certainly has one!

Best to All
The Hunsbedts

He is very,very sweet.  He looks adorable with his new dark brown collar.  When we got home last night, he had a blast running around in the snow in the front yard.  It is kind of frozen so he was sliding across it…too light to sink through!

Do you know what kind of dog he is?  I think he looks a little like a pit bull terrier mix but Tommy thinks he looks like a jack russell terrier mix.  Just curious if you have any background.  We figure the vet will let us know anyway.  I figure he is too big to be jack russell esp if he is only 4months old.

Thanks alot!

Pauline

P.S. Hope I am not bothering you with all these emails.  Its just nice talking to someone who does what you do.  It is what I would love to be doing but don’t have the courage to give up everything to do it.  That’s why I give you guys so much credit.  It is such a good thing to get those poor dogs out of their sad situations and that there are people like you willing to do it.  Thanks again!

Nutmeg was one of the puppies chosen for Puppy Bowl VI on Animal Planet:

Hi, here are some recent photos of Nutmeg, as you requested.  She’s happy, active, and a great new addition to our family!  Thanks for everything

Just wanted to let you know what an amazing dog Sam is…he is a super addition to the family! He got much taller and is now quite a handsome boy. He’s been a joy to have in the house…but seems to think he’s a lap dog. 🙂 After his initial antibiotic treatment he never had an accident in the house, and he even rings a bell when he needs to go outside. He is such a smart boy and has learned lots of tricks like ‘shake’, ‘high 5’, and ‘beg’. He has definitely adjusted to the comforts of home! We all have so much fun with him!

Thanks again for our Sam and all of the good work you do!
Lauren B

Hi joy another year with my beautiful camilla. She is the boss of the house !! I cannot believe the way she turned out to be from the little thing all sick when she got here to the  60 pound energy machine she is now. I’ll always thank you for sending her to us.

Hey Joy!

We just wanted to email you and give you an update on the little guy! :]

He adjusted really quick to being in our home. We stopped at Petsmart on the way home and got him a new bed which he fell asleep in during the cart-ride around the store. He sleeps in it all the time, it’s become his safe-zone. He carries all his new toys to it and surrounds himself with all of his babies. He has taken a liking to one specific toy that’s a little round pig, we call it his baby because he brings it everywhere! We have started him on Nutro Ultra for puppies which he LOVES! At first he was a little picky, but then took right to it and eats it with no problem. We also mix in a little wet food with the dry food which he loves as well. We also found some new treats that he likes! We got him Nutro Natural Choice Crunchies that are berry flavored and we also got him Chicken Blue Bits from Blue Buffalo. He really likes them both but we use the Blue Bits more for house training and the Crunchies more for just rewarded him inside. We also got him Antlerz which is a bone he really loves. We asked a few people for opinions on bones since Petsmart didn’t have the Merrick brand and everyone has said that Antlerz are really good because it doesn’t have little pieces that will break off or choke them so it was the only bone that made us comfortable to give him. We have started to crate train him for the night time which he has picked up really quickly on. The first night he wasn’t happy about it, but then the following nights he just goes right into the crate and curls up. We put his piggy in there and his little blanket that he always curls up on so he is one happy pup.

We took him to the Cedar Animal Hospital on Monday for a regular check-up and to get his Bordetella shot. She said everything looked really good with him :] they did tests for both intestinal worms as well and said that it came up negative which made us very happy. We are going to Dr. Jennifer and she gave us a prescription for Sentinel. They put the Andvantix on for him that we got but they said when we start him on the Sentinel next month he can use that for both the heartworms and for fleas and ticks. We also brought him in yesterday to the vet in Sylvania for his rabies shot and to get him neutered. They took very good care of him! He slept for most of the day yesterday, but today he seems to be feeling much better. He’s still pretty sleepy but he’s been getting up every once in a while and has seemed much more like himself.

We have been trying to take him in the car as much as we can, even if only for a few minutes. He seems to have anxiety a little bit when he’s in the car so we’ve been trying to find fun places to take him so he can learn that the car isn’t a bad place. Even when we take him to the puppy park in our complex, we drive him there just so he can have someplace exciting to go in the car. He LOVES the puppy park. He runs around and chases us and loves to get his little paws muddy. My sister and brother-in-law are coming up from Florida for the weekend to visit and they have a chihuahua so I’m sure he’ll love having another puppy here.

I’ve attached some pictures so you can see him in his new home. He loves his puppy naps! He’ll run around and play with you then just go and plop into his bed.

We’re in love with the pup. We’re so happy to have him in our home!! Everyone keeps sending us text messages and phone calls asking us to send more pictures and asking how he is doing, they just absolutely adore him. Both Robert and I are so happy to have such an amazing animal to just spoil and take care of. We’re getting the supplies for Robert to build him his ramp for the bed so we will have to send pictures when that is finished. We also wanted to let you know that we did end up changing his name. We changed it to Manuel but everyone calls him Manny. It seems to fit him really well and he seems to know it when you call him :]

We wanted to say thank you again for everything. We were both broken-hearted when we saw how upset you were the day we adopted him, but we just wanted to send an email to hopefully give you some comfort. We are keeping our promise and taking good care of him. Giving him more love than we ever thought possible. We’re truly blessed to have him.

I hope everything is going well, we will definitely keep you updating with everything. I’m sure we will be in for a visit soon!

Taylor and Robert

Hi Joy

Thank you sooo much for letting my have Waterboy be a part of my family.  I have named him Sandler and he comes when I call him that.  He is doing really well and has already made a few friends!  He’s a very snuggly boy and he got more toys and treats than you can imagine from family and friends!!  He’s stocked up for a long time!  He loves his walks and the SNOW!!  Gizmo, my sisters dog, has been playing in the snow with him when we go outside.  They got along instantly 😉  They are the best of friends already!  I will keep you up to date if you would like.  I’ve attached a few pictures from his first few nights in his new home.  He loves the couch! HAHA

Wendy

Hi GARD,

My name is Lily Mae and I lived with you all until September of 2008 when my Mom and Dad came and adopted me. I just thought I’d send a quick note and let you all know what’s been going on with me! 🙂 My dad is in the Army and now we live at Fort Knox, Kentucky. I really like it here because there are lots of places for me go on walks and squirrels for me to chase! I also like to watch Animal Planet and give high 5’s.

Mom and Dad also got me a little brother before we moved to Ft. Knox! They rescued him from a vet’s office in Richmond Hill, GA. His name is Scout and he is half German Shepherd and half Beagle. He’s kind of shy because the people he used to live with were not nice to him. He and I are like two peas in a pod though, and we love to run and play tug of war!

Thanks for taking good care of me until my Mom and Dad adopted me! Please give the dogs there some scratches behind the ears and belly rubs for me! 🙂

Licks and Wags,
Lily Mae Chase

I just wanted to give you an update on Porters first night with us. As you can see in the attached picture, I think he is very happy. He is sound asleep in his new King-Size bed with my daughter. He seems quite smitten with her and she with him.
He is precious and we are already crazy about him!!! While Buddy (our older Golden Retriever) was slow to come around…there was no growling, no fighting, and Porter seemed to respect Buddy’s space. I am very happy about that. We went for a little walk tonight and Porter just wanted to follow Buddy and Buddy seemed ok with that.  We will give you an update in a few days, but I think it is safe to say that Porter has a new home!

Hello-
Wanted to send ya’ll a picture of Copper, whose names now Cooper due
to me being unable to get ‘copper’ out of my mouth whenever I would go
to call him!  Tounge just wouldn’t rap around it!
He is doing wonderful, just the best behaved rescue dog i have ever
seen.  He is fast on his way to becoming spoiled rotten — and he
loves it!  He has learned that the small white fuzzy puffball that
keeps licking him is his sister and they are getting along fabulosly
now.
We want to thank ya’ll so much for having the perfect dog we were
looking for, right when we were looking.

Greg and Lauren
(& Cooper and Lola) : )

We adopted Cayenne a few weeks ago on 5/21 at the Pooler PetSmart.  We have renamed him Bentley and we are in love.  You said your dogs have middle names so we made it Bentley Gardner as he picked up a watering can on his first trip to the back yard to help out with the patio plants.  He is a great puppy.  So gentle and loving and also playful.  I have attached a few photos. We were hoping to find a dog that would be good with our 4 1/2 year old daughter and Bentley is the perfect match for her.  Thank you for caring for him before we found him!

Good Morning,

My boyfriend and I adopted “Bogie” a cream lab mix on Saturday after seeing him at Petsmart in Pooler.

Huge thank you to everyone who helped him choose us as his “Furever” home!

His new name is Duke. He has been with us 3 days now and is doing great so far. He is getting used to crate training at night and loves his teething bone and doggie pacifier that one of your wonderful volunteers helped us find! When he is allowed to have some “inside” time, he loves his dog bed and sleeping next to his new dad! We keep him on his leash inside to get him used to the rooms without getting into puppy trouble, but we have a feeling by this weekend he will have free roam. He has a vet checkup on Wednesday to meet his new Dr.

Enjoy some pictures we have been taking!

Morganne Hedden and Jonathan Cook

Hi Joy!
Just wanted to give you an update on our little Rascal!  We adopted him in January of this year and couldn’t be happier with him.  He’s a big old lazy butt, and loves spending a majority of his time on “his” couch.  The second we opened our front door he claimed that couch as his throne.  It took him a while to get used to the cold, but once he saw his first snow fall he was hooked!  He had the time of his life in the yard, jumping through the snow and eating the falling snow!  The neighbors get a kick out of him, they said they could watch him all day long!  He loves everyone and everything!  His favorite is hide and seek with the kids and chewing the feet off of Barbie dolls!  We couldn’t have asked for a better dog he truly is a big part of our family now.

Angel before

Angel AFTER

Angel came to us with some pretty outstanding needs. A discarded breeder dog slated for euthanasia she was crippled from prolonged confinement in a crate.  She has found the most wonderful home where she is adored and pampered. Her new family takes her everywhere and does daily physical therapy with her to restore functionality to her once useless legs.

This was a feral kitten we rescued:
Hello!  We just wanted to update you on our adoption of ‘China’, she was an 8 week old Snowshoe mix.  We re-named her Olivia once we brought her home, although the only person to refer to her as Olivia is the vet at Cedar Animal Hospital in Richmond Hill.

Though she was nothing but shy and weary of everything around her, she didn’t hesitate to follow me anywhere and everywhere around the house that my feet took me.  She trailed behind me like a little lost puppy, which, I must say, she has more dog traits than cat traits!

Besides her adorable little face, big blue eyes, and tiny as a whole-self, she has more energy than I’ve ever seen one animal have!  I nicknamed her ‘Baby Munkin’.  I always joked with my husband that she looked like a baby spider monkey, and while running around the house full speed, she’d occasionally make a run-in with our older cat, Thor.  She’d arch her back up high and start walking sideways towards Thor and then run away in the same manner once she realized her wanted nothing to do with her.  (Munkin was supposed to be a combination of Monkey & Kitten.)  After her shyness wore off she made tons of hilarious squirrel noises as we call them.  She does not meow, but boy does she has a wide variety of noises all her own!  She is not your typical cat but my husband and I both absolutely adore her.

I’m able to call out ‘baby munkin!’ and no matter where in the house, whether it’s under the bed, across the room, or sleeping in the clean clothes in the laundry room, she’ll come running towards where ever I am.  It doesn’t work for my husband, but I think it’s just because I’m home with her all day, and have been since we brought her home from GARD.  When she isn’t running around like an absolute nutter, she’s the sweetest, cuddliest little thing there is.  Her purrs have not stopped!  She likes to rub her face on mine before she sits up on my shoulder on the couch or in my lap.
When it’s time for bed, she knows it!  She loves a particular blanket on the bed, she kneads her two front paws and rubs her face on the blanket at the same time, purring louder than an old car for about 5 minutes before she finally settles down and sleeps with us for the night. As of two weeks ago she’s fully up to par on all of her vet needs, and thank you for recommending us to Cedar, I really do love it there.  Dr. Jennifer said that she’ll probably be a small cat, maybe 7-8 lbs.  She’s just about 3.5 now.  This was a shock to us because our tabby cat Thor is about 18lbs!  We’re so happy with our adoption, and we think what you and your staff do is amazing.

I’m attaching a picture since I remembered you saying you enjoyed updates on adoptions and pictures!  She’s sittin’ on her favorite blanket, so I thought it was appropriate!

Airiel Bailey

Wanted to send another picture of Toby. He is an amazing part of our family and is thriving!! He has been groomed and has seen an amazing veterinarian and has been blessed, after a baseline blood workup, with being a model of health!

Thank you again for being a wonderful advocate and foster home for Toby. We truly cannot picture life without him.

Picture below of Toby cuddled up on my husbands lap.

With so much gratitude,

– Lesley Marr

I would just like to take this chance to update you guys on how Comet is doing.  I got his paperwork the other day, and he just got a clean bill of health from our new Vet. We think Comet loves his new home! He is really such a good boy we cannot believe it.  He hasn’t had a single accident, he knows his commands, and he sleeps on his bed at night without wandering.  Not to mention that he is great on a leash.  For Thanksgiving I ran a 5 mile road race, and decided to take him along.  He loved it! he stayed next to me the whole time, and he really impressed a lot of the runners we were alongside.  He seems a bit skittish around men the first time he meets them, but he is fine with females.  He was never skittish once with me though, its like he knew I was adopting him!.  My fiance’ Susan and I call him velcro, because he follows me all throughout the house, never leaving my side.  I understand that someone else actually called for Comet but didn’t get back to you in time, and we got him kind of last minute.  Well we cannot thank you enough.  In the 2 weeks we have had him he really has become a member of the family, and we love him so much.  Here are a few pictures of Comet. I hope you enjoy.

Hi Buff and Joy,

I just wanted to drop a hello and let you know that Elbee (the lil black lab mix) is doing GREAT!  She has adjusted well to the city life and is soooo smart.  In the last month, she has learned to sit, paw, lay down and is pretty much completely potty-trained!  She is such a lover and just wants to please us 🙂

Thank you for bringing her into my life and I am so happy to have her!  Here are some pictures of her – she is growing quickly.

All my best,

Kelle Adams

Joy,
We adopted Bear 1 1/2 years ago.  He will be 2 in December.  He was 5 months old at the time.  He weighed in at about 25 lbs.  Well he now weighs in at 55 lbs.  He is a pleasure and adjusted very quickly – much easier than I ever thought it would be.  I really wanted to save a dog at the time and did lots of online research.  When I saw Bear’s picture I KNEW HE WAS THE ONE.  He is particularly bonded with my 20 year old daughter but pretty much loves everyone, including the grandchildren.
Denise in MA

The happiest dog in the country….Your Tebow….His name is Turbo…… Thanks!

Hi, my name is Sandy, and I’m emailing you to give you an update on the border collie puppy I adopted October 3, 2009. I went to pick her up an hr drive from my house, with my dad and boyfriend, and when I saw her, I fell in love. I named her Navi, prounounced (nah ve). I named her after a fairy from one of the Zelda video games because its most commonly used phrase is “hey, listen” and that is what the little puppy does. She is doing very good and has gone from 9.8lbs to 18lbs. She’s still a baby though, and some mornings decides that she still wants to be carried down the stairs. She’s teething, so she’s been chewing everything, but other then that, she’s doing great. Navi is pretty much house trained, she’ll only have an accident if its really raining outside cause she doesn’t like to get wet, or even go out when its raining even though I hold the umbrella over her, not me. I figure its something that she’ll get better with in time. She now sleeps through the night without the need of a mid-night potty break. Navi loves toys that squeak and is starting to learn the names of her toys, she has a squeaky toy turtle that I told her to get today and she ran to the turtle, grabbed it and got half way back to me before she got distracted. I can’t tell you how happy I am, and her training will only get easier the more I work with it, and when she’s done teething, which the vet said should be soon. Enclosed is a picture of her outside 5 days after she came home. Thanks for bringing this little nut into my life.

Thank you for Corky. He is wonderful, happy, and loved. He now lives on a very nice boat at Lady’s Island Marina. He can’t wait to get ‘home’ every night and LOVES to hop down the companionway to get on HIS boat. Being a boat dog is the dream of every dog. I know for a fact this is true. We get gently rocked to sleep every night. Who WOULDN’T love that life? I’m sure he tells every dog he meets. Apparently, he does because I see some very jealous dog faces! LOL

finally, a few pics of cassie in her new home with her brother, riley. she is doing great. and is really coming into her own. she has found the joy of running at the dog park and chasing down a tennis ball. enjoy the pics… and stay tuned for a christmas pic. have a great thanksgiving.

Mike

Dear All, Bear is now 1!! (we think….) My husband and I chose April 1st for Bear’s birthday and for his present we bought a house, so he now has 3 acres of woodland and a pond to lie in and get filthy, which he adores. He is really well and was successfully neutered by our family vet in late October of 2007. We have discovered that Bear has an obsession with tennis balls and we think he is a Dachshund / Border Collie mix and he is amazing – he plays football and lies on his back with the tennis ball in his mouth, removes it with both paws, waves it around and replaces it in his mouth!! Thank you so much for letting us adopt him, we love him very much. You are welcome to use these photos on your website as an adoption success story if you wish. Sincerely, Cate

Hi Philip!

Wanted to check in with you about Oscar (and how could I not send more pictures!!)
I swear he now “poses” for them J  I have been trying to capture his “smile” in a photo and although I haven’t succeeded yet, I enclosed a funny picture of the tail end of one, he makes me laugh every day 🙂  I am sending you 2 different emails to be able to send you the pictures! He is a FANTASTIC dog,  I just love him so very much!  He is completely used to the cold now —  it doesn’t phase him at all anymore!  In fact, he’s usually the last one to come  in.   I have been bringing him to a huge local pet store to help socialize him, the workers there have been very helpful & understanding toward him .  I bring hot dog bits with me J The first visit, he growled at everyone &  tried to climb under every shelf he could find L   I didn’t stay too long,  I tried to keep it light & happy. The second & third time, he only growled at certain people & he did take treats from some.  The nice thing too is he is so distracted in there that  wearing a leash which he doesn’t like, is the least of  his worries – poor guy.  I will continue to bring him there & other places. I will be THRILLED the day he can join me & my other dogs on the long walks we take every day.   The other item we are working on J  is my neighbor lets my dogs out for me on Saturdays when I am a the clinic.  Since he had quite a serious growl/bark toward her while I was here, I asked her to stop over briefly each day, just to give him a treat so he could get to know her.  The first time she entered while I was at the clinic to let them out she  said he was lunging/growling/barking  & wouldn’t  let her enter the house. What I do now  is close the door to his crate & leave the house, then she comes in & drops him a treat & leaves — short & sweet.    He is SUCH a snuggle bunny!!!! He loves burying himself between my comforters, & he sleeps with me every night!
Sorry my email is so long, but I just absolutely adore him, and I’ll always be grateful to you guys for saving him !!  All the best in 2010 for  you J
Eileen & Oscar

Attached is a pic of our babies, three of which we were lucky enough to get from GARD!!!!!

Left to right
Max, Samson, Charlie, Sunshine (Charlie is the only one who is not from GARD)

They are all AWESOME!!!!!!

Hello from Nellie,
Here are a few pictures of me at my new home. I’ve been here about 9 weeks now and I love it! I have met many new “dog friends” ( Patton,Winston, Sam, Dixie, Cookie, and Nicole). My brother, Thomas loves me sooooooooo much. He is really glad to have someone to pal around with. I’m known, at the groomer, as “princess” and in the neighborhood as “Prada Dog”. Well I have to go take my afternoon nap now. Enjoy the pictures!!!
Love Nellie Huncke

Hi Joy,

Just wanted to send you a few pictures and let you know Thompson is doing GREAT at his new home!

The girls love him and he had a fabulous Christmas with his new family. He is a spunky, fun, and sweet dog.

Hey Joy hope all is well down south I was going to give a 1 year update on Ripley but when i checked the website and saw his picture on the youtube link i thought to give his update now. After meeting you and hubby in CT over labor day weekend Ripley has just been amazing the neighborhood kids running of the school bus to look for him, to our many daily hikes usually more than 3 miles, he never gets tired just keeps going and going.He is the smartest lab that i have had, you need to only tell him once and he understands whether he has done good or bad.Being single and with no kids it is cool to have other dog owners tell me  what a handsome dog he is.then when i tell them he was a shelter dog they are blown away.So not knowing his true birthday or age i decided to make his birthday (he will be 2yrs old?)   the same as mine which is the 4th of  JULY (i will be 47) also reflecting his new independence on his life, I thought that was pretty cool in closing I wish you and your group GOD SPEED and keep up the fantastic work you do  Mike

Hello Joy & Company.

I’ve been tardy in not getting in touch with you to let you know that our lives have been enriched with the adoption of Buddy (fka “Blitzen”).

In June 2012, my wife and I were discussing getting a dog since I am now “retired”. I think it was June 15, 2012 when my wife saw “Blitzen” in the Friday edition of The Savannah Morning News. We live on Skidaway Island (The Landings) and we drove out to Pembroke the next day to see “Blitzen” because my wife couldn’t believe that he was “that cute”. He was. We brought him home the same day. On Sunday, June 17th, we renamed him “Buddy”.

It’s been a wonderful year with Buddy. He’s super smart. He’s loyal, friendly, and most of all he’s ours. When we were looking at him to adopt, he made it easy for us. I sat down in the grass and he came over and licked my hand. We understand Buddy (Blitzen) was one of five brothers in the litter and that you talked the woman who had the litter in handing the litter over to you guys. Thanks.

We often wonder what happened to Buddy’s other brothers. If one of them was still waiting for a home, we’d take him in to be a companion for Buddy (and us too!).

Anyway, Buddy will be in the Savannah Morning News’ Newspapers in Education Pet Calendar. He will be in the month of March 2014. The calendar runs from September 2013 to September 2014. I’m attaching two pictures of him. One when we had him about 2 weeks (he was about 5 months old when we adopted him) and the other was just a couple of weeks ago which was taken by a professional photographer at his “photo shoot” for the calendar. Buddy is now about 19 months old.

Thanks again for publishing Buddy’s (Blitzen’s) picture last June, 2012. We sure love this little guy.

Thank you so much for helping [name removed] get so many dogs out of their house.  [name removed] had a lot of trouble with her clothes because of the dogs and cats sleeping and etc., on her clothes.  You cannot imagine the change in [name removed] now!!  You folks do the best job!  We are so lucky to have you in our community.  Thanks, Susan, School Nurse at Bryan County Elementary

This was Buster who was used as a bait dog.  Pilots for paws took him to Florida.

I just wanted to touch base with you two about our newest and dearest family member. He is doing GREAT. He is eating regularly now. (thank goodness) He is the most loving thing we have ever meet. We got him some toys and he has his favorite that he carries around with him. He is so full of kisses and love in the morning. He climbs at the foot of my daughters bed everynight and helps wake up my granddaughter in the morning for school by sitting beside at the side of her bed kissing her until she wakes up. Thank you two for all that you do. We thank the good Lord that there are people like you out there because we think it would have been a shame for Buster not to be a part of this world. What a kind soul.

Linda Rose

Joy,

Hello!  Just a “letter from home” from Percy here!  He’s doing well.  Every day he grows stronger, and continues to walk better.  We had him for his second vet’s appointment today, and he continues to improve.  His stools (if I can mention them!) are now more solid, and his itching has been minimized.  We obtained for him a nice “puppy cut” at the groomer, and as you will see, it suits him very well.  We also had him microchipped at the vet today, for maximum safety and protection.  He’s really a sweet fellow.   If you are ever back in Winter Park, please let us know!  Although the attached photos were quickly snapped at the kitchen table with only my Macbook, I hope you enjoy them.

Best,

Brent Kubasta
(and Elaine)

Thank you so much for allowing my family to adopt Daisy, my children were so thrilled when I pulled up with her in my arms. She is a wonderful addition to our home and gets along beautifully with my kids and our hound dog Hank. She must have been spoiled b/c she only likes to lay on her bed or our covers and she thinks she is allowed to sit in the chairs at the table and eat from our dinner plates, she wasnt happy when I told her she had to eat out of her princess bowl only!!! Thank you, Thank you, Thank you.

Dear Joy,

We can not thank you all enough for our new baby. While we may not be the most imaginative as we named her Georgia, she has already made both us and our 12 year old dog, Keera, smile. “What is my big dog doing??” is a constant concern.   And today, as we have some unexpected sad news about how long we might have Keera with us, Miss. Georgia made us laugh. She’s only been with us for like 48 hours and she’s already saved us all.

We are thrilled! So too are all of Georgia’s new people. She has quite the fan club.         Thank you for her!!

Hope the rest of Tom’s travels went well.

Really, thank you for her.

All the best,-Kathleen

Hi, Joy;

I have renamed Travis to Nicholas (Nicky) and he is settling in well ay my home on the Vineyard after two days at my girlfriend’s house in Newton, MA. He has been well behaved, playful with Tuxedo, and passed the toddler test on the ferry last night.

He is sitting at my feet right now, and has a Vet appointment this afternoon.

No chewing issues (so far), though he does have counter surfing tendencies. He is a sweet, lovely dog. He and Tuxedo have regular play sessions. What can I say, he is even better than Tux on a leash. How anyone could bear to give him up is beyond my understanding….

Rick H.

To all at GARD,
So, Olive, formally Honey, has been home for about 8 hours. She is a complete joy. It feels like she has been here always. She got a bath after 3 hours and was a gem. Will try to cut her nails tomorrow! She fits right into the “pack” we have and we are in love. Thank you again for the two angels you have sent us…(Honey and Trudy). P.S. Tilly, (Trudy), Is not that thrilled….Says, “Hey, this is my house!”   I’m sure after a few days they will be romping.

Thanks again,
The DiGaetano’s
Pennington NJ

Hi,
We adopted “sugar” In September from your rescue. Here is a picture of her — she is working out wonderful and my daughter and her are best friends. Thank you again!!
Mary beasley

Hi Joy!

We thought you might like this latest picture of Coco (crippled little toy poodle adopted May 6, 2009) and a Christmas stuffed toy, Santa Paws. Coco has bonded to me quite easily and we love each other dearly.  He is right here now by my chair as I type, telling me he is ready for “beddie bye” so I will put him in “our” (his and mine)  bed.   He is so sweet.  He goes for grooming every six weeks and loves the ladies at the grooming salon but it breaks both of our hearts when I have to leave him.  The owner always lets me pick him up in two hours, less than the usual time for pickup.  She understands our attachment.

Thanks again Joy for suggesting Coco to my nephew, Ben Gill, to adopt for me.  Couldn’t have been a better choice.

My best to you and all the “little people” at the shelter.  God Bless all of you!

Fran H. and Coco

Hello,

Heidi is a little princess.  She knows this is her home and family.  We had a play date with my neighbor and she was a little controlling not that she didn’t play nice she just made sure Ash knew this was her domain.  She goes to day care one day a week and loves it, the people there tell me she is awesome. I
do take here to obedience classes and she shines she is soooo smart she is the head of the class.  Whoever sad she could not be trained is crazy the instructor uses her to demonstrate.  The pup you sent is really cute but I think we are going to hold off I’m no sure how receptive she would be to another dog living here.  She does love all the attention.  We will keep in touch send new pics soon.  If you are ever around this area call you are welcome to come visit.  Heidi sends her love……………………………………………judy

Barley and Mason had their check up yesterday and everyone is doing great.  Barley is on her
last round of ALBON for the cocidia and she now weights 7.2 lbs and is in perfect health.  He is just giving her the Albon to make sure the conccidia isn’t lying dormant in her little system.  Mason is a
whopping 11.9 lbs and is turning into a beautiful boy.  He loves his training treats.  They both sit, down, high five and RUN.. BOY DO THEY RUN!!!!! lol  Thanks again for such wonderful babies.  See attached pics taken a few nights ago when they wanted on the bed (which of course is where they sleep).  Will send more pics once we get out and about with them.  They finally have their last round of shots and can go out and about. Can’t wait to see how they react to parks and camping
etc.

Hi Joy,

I wanted to let you know how Murphy is doing. We stopped at a Petco in Ct. and was able to have the little guy groomed Sat. night. We kept him seperated from our other dogs that first night so that he could relax and get used to his new surroundings. By the next morning, everyone was together. He adjusted really well and faster than we thought. He truly is a joy and a wonderful addition to our family. We have a male tiger cat that he absolutely loves and that tail goes a mile a minute whenever he sees him. He just gets right in there, he’s not shy at all. Thank you so much for letting us adopt such an angel. We’ll definately keep you posted on his progress.

Carol

Just wanted to drop you a note to tell you how Savannah is doing.   She is the most fantastic little dog.    Extremely smart.  I ended up getting another dog about a month after we got Savannah.   She’s an english setter about the same age as Savannah named Gracie Louise.   They are the best of friends.   They play just about all day long.

Savannah is a little spitfire.   She can hold her own.   She isn’t timid at all although she is a little cautious with strangers.  She’s a tough little cookie.  AND she will eat anytime anywhere and just about anything.   Nothing finicky about her.   I think we’ve put some pounds on her.   She especially likes duck tenders. 

My two boys absolutely love him and are so happy he’s here and they keep
saying we got the ‘perfect dog’.  I knew he’d be great and he’s won my
wife’s heart over as well (she hasn’t had great dog experiences in the
past).  We’re very happy and so is Milo.

Hello Joy & all,

I have been wanting to give you an update on Taylor/Emily/ Bridget.had to change her name from both as I have granddaughters w/ those names….Female SchnauzerA391935……

She is absolutely wonderful…..She has settled in nicely…… She can see out of the left eye now & watches things where b/4 she listened to the sounds.The right eye that was bright red has changed to her normal color brown w/ some blue.She is so strong, intelligent & willing to learn.
I recieved what I needed from your vet for Bridget to get her shots.She was great.I was so proud of her when the vet tech approached her she sat to be petted….just like I taught her. She was well behaved w/ the other dogs , loves to go for walks, loves everyone & everything.She is great w/ the cat,my other dogs.She is just plain wonderful.She has gained weight… loves her food….Eats her Vitamin E soft gels right along w/ her food daily.
I want to thank you for taking good care of her & for giving me the chance to love her & care for her…..
Hugs,
Bridget, Bob, Becky, Buffy, Brody,Pause the cat & ME ,….Marie …. the Alpha dog

This is one of the puppy mill rescues that was so matted we had to rush her to the vet to be shaved down.  She couldn’t even walk.

Here is a photo of Nia already at play and grateful to her new mom, Pam.  Thank you, Joy.  You’re the best!

Good Afternoon,

I just wanted to reach out and give you an update on one of the pets we adopted from your organization back in February of 2009.

We had the opportunity to adopt Gracie, a beautiful Labrador retriever mix, and she has been a joy every day since we have had her! She was 5 to 6 weeks old when your organization drove her up to Connecticut, which was a very long ride for both her and your wonderful driver, Wanda!

From the moment we saw her, the feeling of gratitude and love we already had for Gracie was incredible. It makes me wonder why anyone wouldn’t adopt an animal versus going through a breeder. The act of adopting her has strengthen our bond with Gracie and has brought such a source of joy and happiness to our family. I truly believe that the animal adoption process is the only way to go, and we are already planning to give Gracie a sibling from your organization in a few years!

I wanted to thank all of your volunteers and the organization itself for all the hard work and effort you all do on a daily basis, and I can imagine that at times it can be thankless. Please let me know whatever I can do up here in Massachusetts to help support GARDonline, and I will continue spreading the word to everyone I know interested in a pet.

Thank you once again, and keep fighting for these animals!

– Brent

(Here are a few pics over the past year, starting with the original picture you posted)

Good evening,

This is the Williams family with an update on the Boston Terrier, Gigi.  She has adopted quickly and well to her new home with us.  She absolutely loves the baby!  She has growled a couple of times, but I think it’s all part of adjusting to the new and strange surroundings;  it’s nothing I’m concerned about at this time.  I have included a picture.  …I really appreciate all your help through the process of adopting Gigi.

Best Regards!

The Williams Family

It took a while, but here’s a great picture of him from a vacation last month. We discovered he’s a natural at herding cattle. 🙂 He’s a one-in-a-million dog and we’re so glad he’s ours. Thank you so very much for rescuing him and matching him to our family!!!

-The Earlixes & Basil

She is doing so well.  She is so friendly and affectionate, and has done beautifully with every dog and cat she has met.  She is now inseparable from our elderly black lab, and won’t go out or eat unless he is with her doing the same thing.  She is clearly learning from him, and now sits nicely before getting her dinner or a treat.  She likes to play with him and he is so tolerant of her puppy antics.

I took her out on a walk with some friends and three other puppies and she was so funny.  She is ten times faster than any of them!  She is so pretty when she runs.  They romped and played.  We came to a stream and the other three dogs jumped right in (they are retrievers, and had been to this place before).  Gracie had us doubled over in laughter.  She was not so sure about the water, because she’s had a bath and didn’t much enjoy it, so she danced around the edge of the water testing it out, meanwhile gazing longingly at the other three happy, paddling dogs.   She rolled in the mud a little, splashed a little, ran back and forth and finally decided, hey, I’m going it.  At which point she blasted at full speed right straight into the water.  Of course that put her way out over her head before she even knew it!  She started paddling furiously and paddled so hard she launched herself halfway out of the water up into the air.  Of course she got the hang of it quickly.

At home she is just a love.  She sleeps with my daughter but we had to buy her a little dog bed and put it down at the foot of the bed, because otherwise she’d creep right up onto the pillow next to Karina’s head!  Now she runs in a curls up in her bed when she sees Karina brushing her teeth.

I can’t express to all of you how grateful we all are that you saved Gracie for us.  She is an endless delight and we are all completely smitten.  She comes everywhere with us and is so well-behaved in the car and on a leash in a crowd that it’s easy to bring her.  In fact a crowd forms whenever we bring her out because her personality is so attractive.

Again, many thanks to all of you and rest assured, Gracie is a now a pampered princess with a loving family!

All the best — Dianne

Ricky is already a star!!

He’s a dear boy who is already “rough housing” with the cats; they love him….as does Fiona…..right now he’s carrying her leash around the house as if to say, “get off the computer and take us out”!!!

I do wish he drank more on our walks, nope, there are small ponds and a lake and my bottled water, will not drink it….i got a spray bottle and spray water into his mouth…ha……and you didn’t mention that this is the “ever ready of pups”, even with no water, he’s always ahead a bit…

hot here….hot there i am sure, tired of sweating!

Hi Joy,

Here’s Bella (formerly Reese) with her “big brother” Tanner. We just can’t get over how sweet and well-behaved she is! We had all of our extended family over for Christmas, and everybody just loved her. We’ll send more pics once she has filled out a little. 🙂

Thanks again!

Sara

P.S. What a small world?I was at my friend Dara’s house yesterday, and I found out that her new dog is also a rescue dog from GARD!!

She is so sweet! She is settling in well; she sleeps in a crate in our bedroom at night and seems really comfortable. During the day, she’s had lots of playtime, including meeting the neighbors’ dogs yesterday.  We took her to our vet today, and he said that she is healthy. We are delighted to have her! We’ve renamed her Francie after the protagonist of “A Tree Grows in Brooklyn,” a favorite book in our family. We feel like we’ve struck the puppy-love lottery!

Ann Smith

Hi There

I already sent you some pictures via “regular mail” but I wanted to share some more with how happy he is !! He doesn’t care for the snow or cold but he enjoys following my other dogs around the yard so they are helping him to deal with it better, he watches them plow thru all the snow & joins them quickly then runs back into the warmth of the house 🙂  I have to tell you also I see his “grin” ALL THE TIME!! & it’s the most precious face I’ve ever seen!!! I absolutely adore him!!  he is extremely smart & great with my dogs. He is terrifified of the leash, it definately triggers something awful with him but once the weather improves I will patiently teach him it leads to a fun walk! Enjoy the pictures, and happy holidays!
Best,
Eileen

Hello Joy,

I just wanted to let you know that “Brindle 2 girl lab/mix” is doing well. We have named her Dakota and she has adapted very well to our family. We got her from you in February of 2010. Dakota is very playful and loveable with our children and she loves her big sister molly who is a 5 year old boxer. She has brought happiness to molly and to our family. Thank you for saving her! I would not know what we would do without her.  We love her soooo much!! and you and your team will forever be a part of our lives. Keep up the great work!

Thank you Guard!
The Earley Family

Hi Mickie,  Just to let you know we are so thrilled with our GiGi.  SShe has been fora long walk with us.  Eaten and drinking wonderfully.  (I think the cut up veal and roast beef helped). She goes right to her bed in our living room like she’s been there forever.  She is great with our cats.  She doesn’t even want to sniff the .  I just gave her a sponge bath cause I know you can’t get those stitches and surgery wet.  She was super.  She comes when we call her and seems to stay when we say stay.  A dream dog!  You must feel so special making so many people and dogs happy.  Thank you so very much.  God bless you.  Marie and Ted

Hi Joy, I wanted to send you a picture of your babies! We love them to infinity and beyond.

It’s been a year since I got Ollie from you. He gained 6 lbs. He was
10 pounds when I got him. He is still timid with men but he is a
different dog. He has brought me great joy and is full of himself
with me.  I named him Ollie luya. A play on alleluja.  I will send a
few more pics. I hope you are still strong in your mission and
continue ur work. If you need a trasporter let me know. I wish you
much joy.

Hey Joy!!

Sorry I haven’t written earlier – I wanted to get some pictures of Blue (aka Banjo) to you. We’ve come to realize that when you live at the beach…..your summers are packed with guests :), so I haven’t had the time to get some really good pics of my 4 legged boys but I’ve attached what I’ve taken over the weeks with my phone. He is doing so great – just as if he was meant to become a Batiz member all along. My son and him are glued together (he calls him his “baby”) and Timber couldn’t be happier having a younger brother – the additional personality at home has been wonderful! It is time for me to have him neutered and I needed to talk with you about how to go about that. I had asked my vet a couple of weeks ago if there was a chance they would honor the neuter voucher and he said he would have to see – I guess speak with you and make an arrangement. If not, I need to get a recommendation from him on a close by clinic. If that’s the case should I get the voucher and then call them to set up the appointment or would you need to speak with them? Please just let me know and enjoy the pics! Have a great day!

Lara

We’ve taken Belle (now Penny) to the Cedar Animal hospital for her checkup and everything is great.  Thanks again.  My family has fallen completely in love with her.  She is a joy in our home and will be well loved and cared for.  Best wishes and thanks.

The Sohayda family.

HI GARD.
We adopted bentley from you right before new years last year. Just wanted to let you know that he is a TERRIFIC  dog and we really enjoy him. He is a very quick learner and is great with the kids. Loves to play with the cat, wish the cat loved to play with him. but he put up with it. We now feed Bentley Blue buffalo dry food with Natural balances sausage style food. He is allergic to wheat or corn  not sure, so we eliminated it out of his diet and his coat is now unbelievably shine and soft. He does not scratch at all any more. He loves his natural uncooked bones( soup bones) and has a bunch buried in the yard. He goes to the dog park frequently and enjoys seeing other dogs, even If he has to go thru an adjustment time every time when he first thinks that all dogs are going to hurt him and he gets a little snippy. We are so glad that we took the time to drive to Gard and to find Bentley, he is a true enjoyment. He will be neutered within a few weeks and I will send you the “proof’
What happened to the other litter mates? I would love to get to know them.
Lena

Hi  Joy….  Just  wanted  to  let  you know that  B.J. & Cleo are  doing  GREAT!!!!   Worf  and Cleo  have  really  bonded, and  now  that B.J. has  gotten bigger and  more  active,  the  3  of them go  crazy  in the  yard playing  keep away  with balls, sticks and  pine cones.

Rob  and  I  are so  happy  we  found  your organization,  and when  the  time  comes  will adopted again  through  you.

Me (on the left in the picture) and my sister Michelle (on the right) did a bake sale on August 1st. We made over a hundred dollars but because our expenses we only could donate $44.00  to each organization, UNICEF and GARD. Michelle chose to donate to UNICEF because she said they donated to all causes. I chose to donate to gard because I love animals and Milkshake (now Dustin) (middle of picture) came from GARD.

My husband and I adopted a precious kitten, who we named Molly, from the Georgia Animal Rescue and Defense (GARD) on February 19, 2010. She was one of a small handful of kitties you had at your facilities, which primarily housed dogs. Most of her siblings were orange and white, but she had beautiful coloring and markings, not to mention the sweetest little white socks on all four of her paws! We fell in love with her picture (which we saw on Petfinder.com) and were thrilled to find that she had not been scooped up and taken home by somebody else when we arrived at the GARD facilities! We knew she was ours as soon as she was placed in our arms.

We took Molly home, stopping at Petco along the way to get her all of the “essentials” (kitten food, cat carrier, treats, shampoo, claw caps, kitty litter, cat box, etc.). Once home, we set up our laundry room as her room. She quickly made herself at home and became a part of our family.

Over that past year, Molly has grown into a healthy, happy, playful kitty. She loves to play fetch with her various mouse toys, can do tricks for her kitty treats (sit, shake, lay down, and stand on two legs) and is fascinated by water! She enjoys long naps on her back and does extremely well on long road trips! She is all we ever wanted and so much more!

Thank you, GARD, for this precious addition to our family! It has been nearly year since we adopted her, and we haven’t regretted it for a second!

Sincerely,
Heather and Josh Williams

Hi Joy, Just wanted to let you know how much we all love “Max”. He has really done well. We are working on house training and he has caught on pretty fast. Didnt do real well with everyone gone yesterday, but that is to be expected…..so we know what to do next time we are all gone. He’s not sure about the horses so he keeps his distance. He gets along well with all the dogs but the female Husky “Natasha” she tends to put everyone in their place, lol He adores the grandkids and wants everyone to pet and love on him. Not sure why he has adopted sleeping in our bed under the cover? lol Yes he pushes the cover around until he can get under the blanket and down he goes to lay his head on my leg and curl up for the nite.

Thank you for your patience the other day, sure wish I lived closer to work with Curly…..I think I made the right choice. Thanks again, Gisele B.

We adopted Pepper now known as Chloe “Sweet Pea” Thornton, back on May 13th, 2017. We were extremely heartbroken over the loss of our 4yr old dog to canine lymphoma,  that we knew we needed a new fur baby in our lives to help ease our pain.

Thank you for allowing us to adopt her. She’s spoiled rotten,  but that’s the way it’s supposed to be!

Hi Joy,

We are totally in love with our little Sadie.  She has adjusted beautifully and is spoiled rotten.  Sadie sleeps in my king size bed between myself and my daughter Mackenzie.  My son Parker loves her as well.  She loves riding on the golf cart too.  I plan to entroll her in obedience classes soon.  I don’t know how many of the attached pictures you can put on your website, but we would like it if you could please put the picture of Sadie, Mackenzie & myself (the last one) on your website.  Thank you for the wonderful work that you do to save so many animals.  You are a true angel on earth.  Take care and we will give you additional pictures and updates.

Love,

Sharon, Parker, Mackenzie and Sadie

I adopted Sydney from you last January and just wanted to give you a quick update.  Sydney is a wonderful, sweet dog, and he has settled beautifully into our house.  He’s been through beginning and intermediate obedience classes, just passed his Canine Good Citizen test, and is signed up to start advanced classes.  I hope you enjoy the attached photos.  Thank you for all you do!

Carol Murry

Hi There,

I adopted Sparky from your shelter almost 3 years ago. I just wanted to let you know that he has been the most wonderful dog. He is not only my companion, but also my absolute best friend. He has the best temperament I’ve ever seen in a dog; he never barks, and is always laid back and sweet to everyone. I honestly can’t thank you enough for providing me with the best dog ever. I tell everybody that they should absolutely consider adopting before buying a dog. And I always make sure to tell people where he came from 🙂 It has truly been the best experience. I’ve attached a bunch of pictures, and as you can see he travels with me everywhere I go. He loves being outside, cuddling in my bed, riding the train with me, and even goes on 3 mile runs with me! He is simply the best dog. I just wanted you to know that he has been in a loving home, and is truly happy here in Massachusetts. Thank you so much again for sending me my best friend.

Truly yours,
Megan Daly

Hi Joy!

I’ve now had Fiona for over a year now; I just love her to pieces, doesn’t she look great???

Fondly, Kimberly Parker

Just to let you know, Timmy (his name is now Booger) is doing fine……he is so playful and has such a great personality.  Attached is a picture of his first horseback ride.

Lisa

Joy,

Stitch has been with us in his new home for a week now and I wanted to drop you a line to let you know how he’s doing.

He has got to be the best dog on earth! He’s so friendly and well behaved. Every time we take him out anywhere people are just taken in by his big “puppy dog” eyes. He seems to be as happy with us as we are with him. He and my daughter are virtually inseparable. She is definitely not looking forward to going back to school and having to leave him at home 🙁

Thank you so much for what you do for these animals. I hate that we missed getting to meet you last weekend.

Thank you again

Dawn H.

Joy,

We are already very fond of Ms Lucy!

The two dogs know sort of opposite things – Lucy knows come, Georgia knows sit. Ms. Georgia is thrilled and just loves to play. We are really insistent that they play together with a toy between them, but Lucy loves to run around with a stuffie in her mouth and is happy to oblige. Georgia helped me distract Lucy from being concerned while I trimmed the hair away from her little scraped legs and put so antibacterials on them. They are so deeply gentle and sweet together even when playing pretty rough.

Lucy is very confident and springy and just loves to snuggle. Lucy put her front paws up on the jump seat of my truck and occasionally gave an ear lick – needless to say we love her already.    She is very dear.

Your work brings us so very much pleasure!   -k

Hey Joy!

I wanted to send you a picture of Charlie swimming with his sister Ella!  We take the pups swimming everyday and Charlie will sit at the door everyday until we do!  Ella (our five year old lab) loves Charlie so much and is actually very protective over him.  They are so cute together.  Charlie is such a wonderful dog and we love him so much!

Gena and Gabe

Hey guys,

Just wanted to give you an update on Marcel, now named Tuco, a lab mix we adopted back in may 2012.

He has grown into a 65 pound monster! He’s a huge part of our family and we love him very much.

Just wanted to thank you guys for what you do.

Hello, to those who volunteer for GARD, our family would like to send our deepest Thanks to you all!!! We recently adopted one of yuor puppes… the black and white Aussie mix puppy, she is doing great. House training has been phenomenal and she is great with our children.!! We will send pics to add to your happy tails soon!! Again Thank you all from our family to yours!!! Danielle & Mike Bird

Reggie here started out as a rescue that we fostered out until he found a forever home. Almost overnight, his foster home became the best forever home that he could ever hope for. He is spoiled rotten and is loving every minute of it! GO DAWGS!

Hi Joy.  Hope all is well with you and the rescued critters.  Lizzy Lou is doing great.  She was spayed yesterday and I have attached the receipt from Godley Station as proof of the procedure (per the adoption agreement).  She is feeling a little lousy today but is sleeping right now.  She is such a good girl and we love her to pieces.  We take her to our house up in NC every few weeks and she absolutely loves it up there.  I’ve attached some photos. She is a mountain dog for sure and has a friend, Chiquita, that comes over to play up there.  They are funny.  We also have taken her to the dog park in Savannah at the corner of 41st and Drayton and she has a blast with the other dogs.  It’s funny how you get to know the dogs names before their parents names.  Anyway, take care.  I would love to get Lizzy a sister or brother from you one day before we move to the NC house.  We’ll see.  Take care.

Greetings!

I adopted Lacey from you back in Jan. of 2010.

She was about 5 months at the time. We kept her name, as she already responded to it…she is THE BEST DOG EVER!!!! So smart, obedient, and LOVING! We got her weight up right away and she is doing wonderful! Our Vet is always very impressed with how lean she is; she loves to run.

This girl loves to cuddle with us, and our two other dogs! They all get along really well…she is our only female, and she definitely runs the show! She is a very beautiful mix, and  gets compliments everywhere we go.

Thank you again for giving me the opportunity to make her a member of our family!

xo

Jennifer Bingham
Saugus, MA

Hi Auntie Joy,

I wanted to let you know that I’m still doing great in my home. It took a little while but I can really be myself now and I’m a crazy little boy. I play with my toys all the time, and usually bring five or six of them on the couch at one time. I get so excited about every little thing because I’m so happy. My mommies must really love me because they are always kissing and hugging me, scratching my back and especially scratching my ears, I love that!!!!!!

I hope you like the pictures. I love to pose for pictures!!!!! One is with my two brothers, Pablo (Pabi) and Benito (Benny). (My real name is Miguel, Mikey is my nickname.) The other is just with Benny, and of course I had to send one of me in my Christmas tie.

I hope you and everyone at GARD have a wonderful Christmas. My mommies will be sending a check soon for a donation for the holidays.

Thanks again for saving me, you are wonderful!!!!

Love, Mikey

Dear GARD,

I adopted a dog from your shelter a week ago Thursday.  His name was Spider (I have re-named him Sydney).  He is a wonderful addition to our family and is settling in nicely and quickly learning his house manners.  When we first got him he was terrified in the car, and after many short car rides (and accompanying treats and affection) he’s finally able to ride in the car without shaking.

Thank You,

Carol M

Adopted Polly year and half ago. She was one of the pups that was left in Macon at a hunting lodge with her mom and a few pups. Just wanted to give you an update of what she looks like now. She is wonderful.         Thanks for bringing her in our life.

Hi 🙂

Isn’t she the cutest??  She is getting sleepy home in Pembroke on Easter day; we’d already run 4-miles in the morning….OH, and Saturday (and then Monday as well, vacation day!!!  She’s an energizer bunny!!!  I just wished she was not so finicky an eater)…hope you and yours had a lovely day!

Hi Joy,
My family loves our new dog Cosmo!  Cosmo is such a sweet boy and he has transitioned into our family very well.  We cleaned him up with a good grooming and he is starting to put on some weight.  He follows our dog Jack around everywhere and is such a love with our two children.  We couldn’t have asked for a better dog!  Thank you very much for all your hard work and dedication to these animals in need.

Sincerely,
The Kroese Family
Lakeville, Massachusetts

Hi Joy, Sara is wonderfull. Such a sweet dog, loves everyone she meets. We go to the beach everyday, sometimes twice a day. She does go in the water with me[LOL].We started doggy training classes, its so much fun and she does quite well. Can’t wait for her to see snow. My other rescued mastiff and her play all the time together. I will send pictures, of course I have lots of pictures.  Hope all is well! Rose

Joy:

Here are some pictures of Morgan! She is doing well with us and we named her Mina.  She also recently started going to basic training classes at Petco.  She’s doing very well! Thanks for coming to NJ for adoptions!!!

Best of Luck,
Wick Family

Hi Joy!
Just wanted to let you know that both kids are doing extremely well. Both have SO much personality and are so much fun everyday. Just read previous posts from Cocopuff about Munch – had no idea what that precious boy had been through and how much your husband did for him. No wonder he was so sad for him to go. Please let him know how happy we are to have this precious boy and how grateful we are for all he did to save him. He and Prissy enrich our lives every day and we feel blessed to be their humans. We continue to collect supplies for you – hope to have a decent load soon. Will be in touch. You remain in our thoughts and prayers every day. Luv u guys!
Vicki and Nancy

Attached are some photos of Riley a puppy we recieved from you in April. Just wanted to let you know she is doing great and the kids LOVE her.

Also we sent away for the DNA test on her and we were surprised to find out she not Wheaten Terrier mix,but a cocker spaniel mix. I am attaching the certificate if want to send it to the other owners from the litter feel free. Once again thank you.

Brian

Hi Joy,
sorry I haven’t written before now—-we had computer problems.    Anyway—–Chicky/  Dixie    she didn’t respond to us with her name of chicky—–my daughter said dixie and she went running to her. so the name stuck and she is doing awesome!!!
The first 2 days she was nervous the poor girl—after the second week she was coming around nicely. The children love her and she loves my kids .
She is still a little shy around my husband— (any man for that fact)
I will take pictures and send them to you.
The transport lady ( wanda) I think was her name   she is such a nice lady.  I enjoyed meeting her.
So hopefully this rests your mind that our dixie is happy and is in good hands.  We love her and she is a huge part of the family.
Thank you
Sincerely
Diana Houle

Joy – Logan is still doing really well and is a lot of fun.  He loves to play fetch and Dan is teaching him to catch in the air now.  He has really been a blessing since we lost our Hannah Bear in February.  It?s funny how he has certain personality traits like each of our former dogs, Hannah (a Newfoundland/retriever mix) and Chelsea (a cocker/basset mix).  He has Hannah?s retrieve gene and Chelsea?s independent, secure personality and moochie appetite.  In any case, he?s a good one!

I hope all is going well with your GARD rescue group.  Keep up the good work.

Woof,   Lisa

Hi Joy!

My husband and I just wanted to send you a little note and tell you how great our black lab mix is fitting in at our home. He is just a little love-bug he loves us and all of our friends and family and the feelings are mutual. We love coming home to see him running at us just to lick our faces and say hello. He was excellent in his dog training classes one of the better pups. We love him soo much and just want to thank you for bringing him as well as the other pups up to jersey last september.. we have that new addition to our family and it has been amazing. I attached a few pictures of Luigi and hope all is well with you and the rescue.  Thanks again.

Jackie Breese

Joy, wanted you to know how in love with Maggie we all are.         She is a pain in the ass right now (LOL) but she is happy and that is all that matters! We are dotting on her and she learns so fast, one of the smartest puppies I have ever met! You are a good women Joy, thank you for pulling Maggie from that horrible place and making it possible for us to love her and share our lives with her! GOLD STARS in Heaven and on Earth for you Joy!!!

Sweetie has had a wonderful Summer chasing all the critters (squirrels and chip monks) that venture into her and Wylie’s backyard. The flower patch is looking a little bit trampled, but Fall and Winter are coming anyway. For a Georgia gal, Sweetie took to Wisconsin Winter; she loves running around in the snow! She has claimed one particular chair in our house and at night when we watch TV, Sweetie is on her chair zzzzzing away always with a watchful eye for anything to happen.  She’s doing great and Wylie is happy that he has someone else to get into trouble with!!

Hope all is well with you, Joy!  Looks like you have a full house of dogs–I’ll drop a check in the mail so they can have some treats on Sweetie.

Maryelyn and Keith

Thank you Micki!  We are so happy with our new fur baby! We have named him Rowan and we took him to see Santa Paws this past weekend!  Here is a cute picture for you on a happy ending.  Thank you for all that you do! I will be in touch when we get Rowan fixed.  Merry Christmas!!

Dear Joy and others at the shelter,

Thank you for helping me find my new home!  My new family thinks I am great and tell me I am a good dog.  I am getting used to the new name they gave me and now I am called Kiwi…cause they have red fur on the outside.  I have a new sister (Jazz the Wheaton Terrier) and a brother (Jimmy the cat) and I really like them both.  Jazz and I go on walks with everyone in the family and it is really nice.  I learned some new things like how to walk up the stairs, that it is OK to go wherever I want in my new house, and kissing a cat gets you hissed at.  I just thought you would want to know how I was doing.

Kiwi the Golden Dog!

P.S.  in my picture I am smiling!

Attaching some pix of the latest addition to the family, some of you know I recently lost my beloved Nellie to a spleen rupture, and though I tried to stay with just 1 dog, it was not possible…….so thanks to the Georgia Animal Rescue and Defence (yes they spell it that way), I found this baby, rescued from a high-kill shelter down there….I can’t imagine anyone giving her up, she is sooooo mellow, well trained and an absolute gem, physically not perfect but so what?   We’ll deal……Her name was Eve when she came, but she didn’t respond at all……but when I call her “Baby Girl” it’s all tails and response…..so Baby it is!  We ate a good breakfast this morning, we’re crashed right now, and just happy…….Pix attached are so-so…..but better than nothing!

S

Words cannot express our gratitude for saving Rufus now known as William Womack of Windsor Forest.  He fits our family as though he’s always been here. He was’t feeling well last night and Chloe (our other golden)  supported him and snuggled.  When I got home today he was back to his old self.

Good Afternoon
It has been nearly 2 years since we adopted “Bubbles” now know as Georgia  I want you to know how thankful we are to have her . She is a great dog. She had her knee rebuilt last year and you would never know she had a problem with walking … now if e can slow her down a bit it would be wonderful

She is great company for our other pets and gets along with everyone a true lover of all

Thank you again
Sandi Shelton

Just wanted to give you an update on his progress.  After we spoke, the vet gave him some fluids under his skin and he perked up in a few hours.  He is now fully integrated into the family and is so loving.  He gets along very well with the kids and they spoil him.  He loves to play football (his squeaky) with one of my daughters, he follows my eldest where ever she goes.  He has done very well and has adjusted to his home.  I have had to experiment with his food, but I think we have found one he likes.  Enjoy the pics.

Thanks

The Allen family

Hi Joy,

Just wanted to send along another update on Wally (originally Peanut) for your website.  He is just the BEST little dog ever and has been adjusting just fine. He actually seemed adjusted and right at home during his first week!  He is such a good listener, so sweet and is so loveable. I can’t imagine our lives now without him.  Every time we have Wally out and about he makes everyone smile and we are constantly being stopped! He is the talk of the town!

Thank you again for all you did to help us adopt Wally. We are in so in love with him!

Best wishes,
Barre & Tony

Hello Gard,
I just wanted to tell you that domino is still doing great.  He has to be the friendliest dog ever.  He loves everyone and everything.  Its been about 2 years since we adopted him and just wanted to let you know how much we love him and how happy he is.  I have attached a picture of him and his friends we recently adopted the little chihuhua in the picture and we had a   sleepover with his cousins the little pug and the bulldog mix.  Every dog in this picture was adopted from shelters we thought you would like it.  Thanks again the venturelli family

Dear Joy
Mike said you wanted some pictures of Duncan.  He is doing very well and is lots of fun.  He sits and stays and comes when called some of the time.  He does his business outside most of the time.  He is not biting as much as when he first came to us.  He has a wonderful personality and seems very happy.  Thanks for all that you do

Hello from Ringo at his new home with Linda & lane Thames

This morning Benji was so happy he was running around in the house so he is getting use to all of us.  He and Heidi are so good together and they are starting the “play thing”.  He is my sweet boy that I have waited for a long, long time.  I am so thankful that he is house trained and he is having no trouble at all eating.  Isn’t he beautiful after his bath?  Can’t wait to get him to the groomer. 

My daughter, Amy, has fostered quite a few dogs and lots of them she has brought over to show my husband and I.  Of course they are all so cute and it’s always tempting to get another dog.  (I had a mutt that was part cocker spaniel for 14 1/2  yrs.  Abby was her name and she was the best dog ever.  We had to put her down 4 yrs ago.  What a loss that was.)  Ever since then I wondered if there would be another.

So on a cold day in February Amy brought Rusty here to show us another of her fosters’.  We went outside and played, wrestled and just had a great time.  That night I went to bed and got just about zero sleep.  I tossed and turned and imagined him outside working in the yard w/ me, going for walks, etc as my Abby had done.  My reluctant husband agreed we’d “try” to see  of he would work out.  Well, here it is , July, and it’s the best choice I’ve made in a long time.  My husband loves him too!!

We have named Cory Cooper & he knows his name.  What a joy he is!  Thanks again.  Barbara & Jimmy Anstine

Merry Christmas to all of my friends at Georgia Animal Rescue and Defence. This is Nikki (formerly Colette). I wanted to say “Thank You” for taking care of me until my new Mom and Dad could bring me home.

I’m having a great time here in Florida. I have a huge yard to play in. I play with my toys, dig holes, and chase the squirrels and birds. I’ve even chased Miss Kitty up the tree a couple of times. We take walks together, and rides in the car. At night I sit with Mom and Dad watching TV.  It’s great fun!

I like my new vet, and my groomer. She did a wonderful job of making sure I looked perfect for my Christmas picture (see attached).

Again, I want to wish all of my friends there a Merry Christmas, and hope all of you find great homes in the New Year.

Best Wishes!
Nikki

Thanks for helping us bring another dog into our home, she is loving the back yard and getting to know her new big brother Auggie (also a rescue).

I remembered that you like to know how the dogs are doing here are a few pics of bitsy he has adjusted very well it took a little while but he loves to go for walks. He thinks he’s king of the house and loves to sleep either under our pillows (we haven’t quite figured that out) our curled up with one of his brothers.

Thankyou,

Lisa

Dear Joy,

Early last Summer we adopted Bear.  We live in MA and after a couple of false starts we finally made the connection and picked him up.  He was pretty scared but loveable.  Weighed in at about 25 lbs.  He spent the two hour drive home sitting on my lap.  Bear was about 5 months old.  He is a beautiful Chow mix.  Now at 1 year old he weighs in at 55 lbs. And has claimed our youngest miniature schnauzer as his personal toy.  They love each other.  My daughter and I love him too.  He is with her tonight at her child care job   He really looks like a chow but has saddest looking eyes and howl, so thinking some hound dog in there.

I had been looking to adopt a dog in need for quite awhile but when I saw Bear’s picture, I knew that he was the one and still is.  Thank you!

He is right at home, we love him!
Sarah Counselman

Hi, My husband and daughter were in Pet Supermarket on May 24, 2008.  You all were there having an adoption day.  He adopted a visually impaired shitzu for me that day.  I know this is a really long time coming and you probably don’t remember, but he has always wanted me to send pictures of “our baby”.  I would always forget, but tonight I was watching Dog Town on tv and was thinking how greatful I am for people like you.  Without you and your work I would not have my Benji (who I call my “forever baby”, he really is a mama’s boy).  He’s come along way and is doing amazing.  Most of the time you would never know he can’t see.  I just wanted you to see some pictures of him and let you know how much your hard work is appreciated.
Sincerely.
Lisa
p/s I believe the name of the person who personally helped my husband that day was Joy,but we thank you all.

My Ceili….we rescued her 3 yrs ago on January 24th…she is the love of my life, my baby girl…she has given me more than I have ever thought I could deserve…she got me through terrible grief after losing my brother, and she has helped keep me going through Lupus and a bout of cancer…she is truly a wonderful dog…when I first saw her on the page 3 yrs ago…I just knew…thank you for being their voice, you have truly blessed my life..giving me her…I am so grateful….Keep up the wonderful work….Joanne OGara

This is a picture of a very contented Mary Kay emailed to me by my daughter is  better at computers..  She is gaining weight and becoming more sociable with people as well as other dogs.

Nancy

Just wanted you to see how well Copper is doing.  He is full of energy!  Just loves to be around people and other dogs….loves and almost demands attention!  We just love him!

Hello..just wanted to share a picture of Jack (formerly jack jack )..rescued from your group 5-6 years ago now. Hes been by best friend and is doing so well.His favorite thing to do is play in the woods ! 🙂
Thank you !
love, kelly and jack

Hello Joy,

My husband and I adopted Daisy about a year ago. The time spent with her has been bliss.  She is everything you said and more. We’ve had so many adventures together and I look forward to so many more! She loves everything we do from our long hikes, swimming, playing ball,car rides and playing with her dog friends.  She makes everything in life sweeter.

Thank you for all you do! Lorraine

Hi Joy,

Happy Holidays to you and your family!! I hope your holidays were filled with joy and happiness.

As you can see by the pictures Murphy is doing very well. He has been part of our family for almost 2 months now and we love him so much. He loves everybody and is so sweet. Remember how skinny he was? Well his first trip to the vet he weighed in at 23 lbs and he is now 31!!! He looks wonderful !! He loves to eat and has filled out so nicely. He loves to play and has so many toys but his favorites are the ones that squeek!! He also will steel your slippers if you don’t have them on! He loves to go in the car and for walks. Walks are a bit tough right now with this winter weather in NY. He didn’t really like the snow in the beginning but he really didn’t have a chose. That white stuff is here for a few more months. I sent you a few recent pictures. As you can see Murphy loves sleeping with my youngest son, Kyle!! They didn’t even know I took the picture. He is still a “scardy cat”and is afraid of a lot of things but we are working on that with him. I hope you have a Happy and Healthy New Year. Thank you for saving such a sweet dog!

Chris, Murphy and the entire Snyder Family

3 weeks ago we came to you guys in Pembroke and adopted a 16 month old Shepherd Mix. “Mo” has become a great pup and a great member of the family!  He is doing a great job with the house training so far and stands at the door when he needs to go outside! When we first came and walked our cute little brown and black friend he wouldn’t walk on the leash at all and would just lay flat on the ground.  Now he is a joy to walk around and he loves going on walks and to the park. He is very sweet with other dogs and is just a puppy full of love!  Thank you so much for the work that you do and thank you for bringing little Mo and I together!

My husband and I adopted these two beautiful puppies from you in November ’09 from a litter of I believe 9 total.  The male on the right we named “Gator” and the female/runt on the left we named “Allie”.  (We both went to UF, sorry for you UGA fans:)).  We just wanted to share a recent photo with you.  They are almost 9 months old now, I believe they thought the date of birth was September 21, 2009.  They bring so much joy to our lives and thank you for all your help in adopting these additions to our family.

Hi everyone at GARD,

I’ve attached a few pictures for you guys to see. You will see Sam has grown a lot since you last saw him!

Hello, Joy,
As you can see, Sugar is going to have to go on a diet soon. She has gained a lot of weight since I got her in November.
Do you know if she was groomed previously? I’m not sure if her fur needs trimmed or not.
She is the most wonderful dog!
Jean

Thought I would give you an update on “Wiley” (we renamed him).  He is turning out to be a GREAT dog.  Very intelligent and at times, a hand-full…..J, but he is adjusting well and realizing this is his forever home.  Was he ever placed before we got him..?  Or had he just “escaped”..?

Enclosed are a few photos.

Thanks for all your hard work..and Merry Christmas.

Bill Sherman

We were blessed to be able to add “BRADY” to our family August 2009 .  I don’t know if you remember us but my sister in law and I drove up to your shelter back in Aug 2009 from Daytona Beach FL.  We were on  mission to find a small dog for our family.  We fell in love with 3 of your dogs and could not decide which to chose.  We left to go talk it over at McDonalds, during our absence one of the dogs we were wanting got scared when some people brought their “not so nice” big dogs in the shelter without announcing and dog commotion began.  One of the dogs we wanted got left in the raised sink and got scared and jumped – hanging himself….you gave him CPR and he lived.  My sister in law (Tammy) was heart broken and knew we couldn’t leave with out all 3 so we did!
Our families are soooooo much better with these little new additions.  They do require more work than other dogs but they are worth it.  When they look in your eyes with complete love and gratitude it melts you!  ALL 3 dogs are loved more then they could imagine.  Even ” Bruiser” the little guy who you did CPR on..he is awesome and healthy and house broken and spoiled.

My sister in law took two of the dogs I kept one- “Brady”a white cockapoo.  I had him fixed, a dental and groomed with in the 1 month of having him with us.  My 7 yr old daughter fell instantly in love- Brady is UNBELIEVABLE with her.  He just lets her carry him like a baby ALL the time! Really all the time, we joke and say he doesn’t know any better but honestly, he probably doesn’t.
Brady gets to go to the baseball field several times a week (I have a 13yr old and 11yr old Boy in travel baseball teams) and the kids there love him.  He gets to run and run and it is hysterical – not sure if he ever ran before!  🙂
He gets to sleep with my daughter at night in her soft warm bed…I am sure he feels like he has gone to doggie heaven.

I just wanted to update you on our dogs…they are so wonderful and loving.   We are so fortunate to have found your rescue.  Keep up the great work.

Sincerely,

Juli Vandehey

Hi Joy,

Remember me, Harley? I’m doing really well up here in Boston. I got attached to my new friend Janelle right away, and now we do everything together. I love to give her high-fives when I’m on my back. It’s been a little over two weeks since I loved here and slowly I’m coming out of my shell. I didn’t make even one sound the first week, but now I howl a bit when Janelle leaves. Hopefully she doesn’t lose her job because of me, because all she wants to do is stay home and love me to pieces. She says thank you for taking such good care of me before we found each other. Well, time to go for another jog; I’m on a strict weight loss plan.

Love,

Harley

P.S. Say hi to my old buddies and let them know someone will adopt them soon. How could they not be adopted? Janelle says it was very easy to get me and would recommend GARD to anyone!

Here is a pic of him with my husband and Annabelle after a dip in the lake this week.   He is very relaxed and content
Pam

We adopted Josie in November from one of your partner rescues in New Jersey, Love to Live.  I know you guys see a lot of dogs come through your shelter, but she was with you a long time.  Her earliest papers say she was 10 months old and she was 2 1/2 when we got her, so almost 2 years with you.  I have been meaning to contact you to tell you that she’s very happy and loved in her new home and ask you if you know anything about her history and how such an adorable little girl could have not been adopted in such a long time in the shelter.

When we met Josie for the first time, she was such a happy little girl and loved to give kisses.  We were looking for a dog that would get along with my boyfriend’s alpha personality dog, Maddox, but also a little girl to put him in his place.  After we met her, we brought Maddox to meet her.  They seemed to get along fine, and we loved her, so we signed the papers and brought her home.  As soon as we let them loose in the back yard together, they just ran and played together until they tired each other out.  Maddox has about 20 pounds on her, but she can still wrestle him to the ground and pin him and she can outrun him any day.  They are perfect playmates and best friends.  She is the most adorable little girl and so well behaved.  Thankfully she was already housebroken when we brought her home and could be trusted to be loose in the house without destroying anything.  She is so smart and very quickly picked up on the rules of the house.  She is so loving and wants nothing more than to get a hug and kiss from you or cuddle up on the couch with us.  I attached a few pictures of her.  We celebrated her third birthday on Sunday and she tolerated a birthday hat long enough for me to take a picture.  She knows how to look cute and she gives you what we call “Josie eyes” that just melt your heart.

I don’t know how such a perfect dog could have waited so long to find a forever home, but I’m glad she did.  We are so happy to have found such a good girl.  If you remember that little face and anything about her, please let me know.  All of these dogs have a story and it’s always a mystery what their past was.  Maddox is also a rescue from the south and was also adopted in NJ, but that’s all we know about him.  I know you guys are very devoted to finding these dogs a good home, so I’m sure it’s good to hear about their happy endings.  I appreciate your time if you can remember anything about her.

Thank you,
Heather

Hi Joy,

Just wanted to show you some pictures of Tess and Emma.  When I get more pictures of Tess (when she’s older I’ll send them to you).

Rosalie

Just wanted to give a quick update on Kashi. She’s doing great! We’re crate training her and she’s doing very well. She’s a very sweet, obedient, and surprisingly calm pup, very good around the baby and the other dogs we introduced her to at our extended family’s. She’s adjusting well to living with us, and of course she’s loved by all of us! I’m attaching some pictures from the day we brought her home. Thank you for letting us adopt her, we are just so happy to have her!

Hi Joy,

Just wanted to let you know that we are all head over heels in love with Reese (now “Bella”)! She is settling in very nicely and is an absolute sweetheart. Thank you so much, and have a wonderful Christmas!

Best,

Sara

Hi Joy,

I wanted to take the time to give you an update on my new baby Remy (latte).

After making the long ride from GA to CT Remy was a little tired and received some much needed TLC. I am absolutely in love with her! She is such a ball of energy during the day and a cuddle bug at night I absolutely love her kisses!

She fits right in with our family and walks well on her leash. She enjoys all the new toys I have spoiled her with.

Remy says “thankyou for everything you did for me. I am very happy to have my forever home.”

Jennifer K.

Joy: We adopted one of your dogs in March of 2007 when you brought them up from Georgia. Kaylah has been an absolute wonderful dog. We would definetly do it all over again. Kaylah enjoys her time with our other 2 year old dog, Lucy, who is a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel

Hello!

We adopted Addie – who is now named Reya because my niece is Addie – on May 16 at the PetSmart adoption event. I wanted to let you know that she is doing really well! She is still quite scared of many things, but her confidence is growing faster than I thought it would. She once stuck to a safe corner in our dining room, but now ventures about the house and enjoys running in the backyard. She is a cuddle-bug and a loyal girl. She also took to house-training and we had very few accidents. She loves her safe, comfy crate (for positive training and quiet time, not a jail!). Her vet check went very well. She is healthy, just very timid. I wanted to let you know how she was and send along some pictures of her getting comfortable in her new home. She is getting along very well with our two cats and our Shepherd mix.

Only time will tell if our Shepherd mix (LuLu) will truly be getting along with her. They enjoy each other’s company, but Lu has been an only dog for two years. Unfortunately, LuLu is anxious when Rey scatters. And, because we have the best luck (of course!), Lu needs to be on antibiotics at the moment. Being understandably cranky and tired, Lu snapped at poor Rey one evening. There were no injuries, thank goodness. Reya was very confused about it, but we took the right steps to get them back on track. I am meeting with a trainer tomorrow to see how Reya can benefit, because even at about 6-8 months now she is probably behind a puppy in confidence and obedience. But she is the sweetest and most loving dog anyone could ask for! So I’m hoping a proper trainer can help us with the bigger issues and get little Rey feeling good about herself, as she should!

Hope all is well with GARD! Your volunteers were wonderful to work with and very helpful. I was so impressed with the kids, too. They asked for lots of pictures, and unfortunately I am sending way too many. But I’m so proud of how far this dog has come and you all should be too! She went from a trembling bed-ridden pup and, well, you can see from the pictures that she made it out of that corner! Thank you for this sweet girl (who snores like a grown man!).

The pictures are in order from when we brought her home. Hopefully there is a big difference between the first and last!

Wishing you all the best,

Sandra Posick and Addie-now-Reya Posick

Dear fellow rescuers and transporters,

I am passing along this message of thanks from Pearl’s new family.  They adore her and she is doing very well in her new home.  Without your help, Pearl would never have found her way into the lives of these precious boys and this wonderful family.  After three long days of transport, Pearl’s life has blossomed into a joyful one and I am honored to have had a part in this.  Thank you for all you do from my heart to yours.

Kim Cook, Blue Sky Rescue of Minnesota, (Pearl’s receiving rescue)

********Hi Kim!  I just wanted to pass along these photos to you and to tell you how thankful we are that Pearl is a part of our family!  She’s such a
sweet dog: so good with the boys, and with other dogs, and she’s smart!
She seems to be adjusting well and we just love her!  It’s fun to have a
furry companion back in our lives, especially one as good as she.  So
please pass this message on to all the others who helped bring Pearl to
us.  We’re sorry that we’re benefiting from someone else’s loss, but we
sure are glad to have Pearl in our lives.

Amy, Ted and the boys

Hi Joy,

Remy (latte) has arrived safely, i am absolutely in love with her. She is so pretty and very sweet. Thankyou for sending her to me. I will keep you updated on her life ( if you’d like) you all are great people and i admire your work. I have sentTom back with a small donation of 2 bags of dog food and 2 bags of cat food, if there is anyhting else i can do to help out please don’t hesitate to let me know. Again thankyou and god bless you and the animals in your care. Jennifer and Remy

Hi Friends at GARD,

I just wanted to send you this Christmas picture of Logan (aka Dash) that we adopted back in March and let you know that he is doing extremely well.  I can?t believe he will be one year old this month. We feel so blessed to have him as part of our family.  He is a confident, friendly pup and very funny too.  He loves people, plays nicely with other dogs and even likes cats.  I think he shows great potential for doing therapy work in nursing homes and hospitals in the future.  We hope your rescue work is going well and wish you the best in the coming year.

Have a Merry Christmas!

Sincerely,

Lisa S.

Gainesville, FL

Joy,

I finally have a few minutes to sit down and send you a thank you note and a picture of our new baby from GARD. We got “Gina” (now Sophie) a month ago and she has been an absolute blessing for our family. As I mentioned in my application, we had recently lost our 9-year-old lab/pit bull mix to prostate cancer. It was devastating to us, and our 6-year-old beagle Spenser also took the loss of his life-long buddy very hard. He was suffering from extreme anxiety home alone during the day, to the point of even clawing through a screen window and trying to jump out of the second story! I was so nervous about adopting a dog from another state based on a picture and your description over the phone – but it couldn’t have worked out any better. Her temperament was everything you said it would be, and (most importantly) Spenser accepted her immediately. His behavior since we got her changed almost instantly for the better. I brought her to work one day and he reverted right back. (Incidentally, she was a doll for a full 8 hours at work – everybody loved her, she was so friendly and well-behaved!)

Sophie came crate trained, is great in the car, friendly with other dogs and cats, loves all people, and took about two days to learn sit, lie down, and stay. It took three days for her to figure out that her food bowl is the one on the left, and she and Spenser have to wait in front of their full dishes until I release them from their sit. Everybody is blown away to hear that she is a rescue dog and I have had her for so little time. Most of them think she must be some kind of special breed, she’s so beautiful – especially now that she has put on some weight and been to the groomer. They all think she is lucky to have been rescued, but I am more inclined to believe that my husband and I (and Spenser) are the lucky ones.

A big thanks to you and everybody at your organization who helped to bring her into our lives. Sophie is certainly a walking testimonial to your program for placing dogs “up North.” When I saw her picture online I could see my old dog in her eyes, the way he looked at me in the pound all those years ago. No dog can ever replace the ones we lose, but by giving us the opportunity to give another dog in need a home we have been able to find some meaning in his early death. Our “family” is complete again! 🙂

Cordelia, Andy, Spenser, Sophie + the cats

Hi,
I hope this gets to the right person.  We adopted York from you about a month ago.  He is awesome!  You were right, it only took about 2 weeks or so to train him.  He’s very sweet with our kids.  We’re very happy with our new family member.
I’m attaching two photos.
Thanks again,
Gina

Hello GARD
I just wanted to send you a note.  We adopted domino about 6 years ago from you. He is doing so great and he is truly our daughters best friend.  I have to say he is probably the best dog we have ever had.  He loves kids, dogs, and cats.  And best if all he is a big black dog.  Just thought you would like to know how greatful we are to have him in our lives.

Cindy Venturelli and family

Cleveland is becoming a big boy! We took with to SC for a week in November, he had a great time. Here are some pictures. He is healthy and doing great, now 45 lbs and full of energy. He has learned to sit, stay, play dead, roll over, and speak among lots of other things, he is such a smart dog! Take care, enjoy the holidays.

This is Alexa – we adopted Tillie (formerly Trudy) just over two years ago, and I wanted to send you an update along with some photos of her! She is the SWEETEST dog we have ever owned. You were so right when you said she will do well anywhere… she is so thankful to be in our home and just wants to love and be loved.

Here are some photos of her… she is an angel and we are so lucky to have her!

Happy Holidays!
Alexa

Joy

I thought I would provide you an update on Nadia (formerly known as Ana) and Tasha (formerly known as Kelly).  Both are doing very well.  Nadia’s eye sutures came out about 2 weeks ago and we are waiting to see if they contract more with the scar tissue.  If not the left eye will need to  be tightened up but my vet wants to watch for another 6 weeks.

Both are in obedience school and are at the top of their class.  Nadia can do a full minute sit/recall and both do over a 100 yard ‘come” on the first command.  Tasha does sit/recall but only about 45 seconds right now.  (at the end of the 3rd class)  we have 3 more weeks in basic to go.  Then I am looking at agility for Tasha.  I have never seen a BRT as fast and agile as she is.  She plays with one of my barn staff’s australian shepard mix.  They go racing around the horse riding arena (all sand)  and then to a sliding halt.

Nadia is very protective and attached to Hagrid and he is just loving it.  I was picking up them from the groomer on Monday and they always get put in “luxuary suites” while they wait for me to pick them up.  One handler went in to get Hagrid before Nadia and Nadia wouldn’t let her touch Hagrid until they put the leash on her also and they came out together.  Tasha is the typical youngest child…carefree and light hearted.   I am going to try and take more pictures this weekend.  Both are gaining weight…Nadia faster than Tasha but she was underweight more.  Nadia is now 93 pounds and we expect her ideal weight to be about 110 to 115.  Tasha will be lighter with her weight right now at 81 pounds ( up from 70) but her ideal weight is about 90 to 95.

Hope all is going well for you and please relay the update to the person who had surrendered the dogs so she knows they are loved and doing well.

Also how is the other BRT doing that went East?

Thanks

Val

Hello to all the wonderful volunteers at GARD,

We adopted “Georgia” yesterday (5/22/10) from Tractor Supply in  Flemington, NJ. Joy will remeber us. My two daughters and I were there for about 2 1/2 hours. On the application I filled out, we had already named her “Dora.” When we got home my husband was not too found of naming her after a cartoon character, so we put our heads together and named her “Georgia” in honor of the great state where she hails from.

While adopting her, Joy mentioned that there was one months pet insurance available. I was not quite sure how to sign “Georgia” up for that.  Would you please email me the details of how I sign up? (Of course hoping not to use it, but just in case)

We just LOVE our “Georgia.” Our friends also adopted a dog that day and love her too! I attached of picture of her and will send you updates.

Thanks for all you do to help the defenseless dogs!

Sally, Pete, Sophie & Ellie Rosenberg

Thank you for giving us this little nugget (Bourbon). We LOVE him. His name is now Bay. Bay Bourbon Dauksys. 🐕❤❤❤

Hi Mickie,
I just wanted to update you on Brian. He is doing great. We can’t love him more. He is the sweetest boy and so happy. His tail never stops wagging. Attached is a video of his graduation day from training school where he was a star. Then we took him out for a celebration to a local restaurant here that has “Yappy Hour”. Where you can bring your dogs and have a beer and a bite to eat while your dogs enjoy play time. He had a great day.
I can thank you enough for getting our little boy to us. He makes us so happy.
Thanks again,
Maureen and Kevin

Hello,

Just wanted to drop a line and let you know how one little kitten you rescued is doing. Back in May of 2007, I answered a ad in a paper up here in Vermont. I picked up a little gray tiger cat from a house in Bristol Vermont. I do not remember the name of the women. She told me that her daughter ran a shelter down south in Georgia, and that she just brought back some kittens so she could find homes. I saw this little girl huddled in a corner of a cage and fell in love. Her name began as Sweety, then changed to Tweety Bird when we found that she may not be so sweet, and now it is just Bird.

The Bird has definitely had her ups and downs. She fell out of a tree and broke her pelvis in January of 2008. Patched her up and I think she has more energy. She has been a wonderful addition to our family, and we look forward to many more years with our little Bird.

Thank you for all the work you do

The Martin Family

Here is the Dogster page for Jack, who was adopted from GARD.

Just a few photo’s from a trip to the National Sea Shore . Province town is very pet friendly!
Scout had a great time! He is such a wonderful dog, I wanted you to know how happy he is and we are. Thank you for everything you did to unite us.
if we can ever do anything to help let me know.
sue

We wanted to let you know that Whiskey(Keebler) has settled in nicely. The 1st few days were a little dicey, but he is a LUV and has already learned sit, off, down, and lots of leave its!! He is great with my norwhich, and not so good with my cat!! The first time he saw a horse he barked for 10 min straight, but now they are just part of the back yard. The snow is great entertainment, good thing cause theres more on the way!  thanks for our dog. we appreciate all your hard work.   jim and kerry p.

Hi Joy,
We got home yesterday and already Boo is settling in nicely. He is resting in my lap as I am typing you. He and I did quickly become buddies. Everyone else he is learning to trust. He goes to my husband as well, but he is my dog as I had wanted him to be. I have to find my camera to send you some pix but, be at ease he is fine. Thank you for letting him go, now I have the dog I wanted.
Love and Licks
Boo and Suzanne

Hello!

We wanted to share with you how much we love Pete and how well he has fit right into our family.  He is growing (over 70 pounds now!) and thriving here on Cape Cod and absolutely loves the snow and chasing sea gulls on the beach!  Pete has a love of the woods as well and loves racing down the trails of the local state park, stopping to investigate every interesting tree, bush, and rock.  He and our 2 year old lab Marcie were instant buddies and love curling up together on their dog bed or any other soft comfortable surface they can reach, as well as playing tag in the back yard.  Pete tap dances around when its time for his meals and adores our two children who use him as a soft fluffy pillow!

Wherever he goes he receives an automatic hug from everyone he meets as they cannot resist his teddy bear eyes and soft fur.  We are proud to tell people he came to us from your organization and they, like us, are shocked that such a beautiful and loving dog could have been so thoughtlessly tossed out.  Thank you for saving Pete and bringing him to us, he is the perfect addition to our family and he now has the life every dog deserves!

Liz and Shawn

Nigel on his first day in our home…with his new tag…and a favorite basket.  Since he is now king of the big dog bed which he sits on by day looking out the window at the squirrels.  We are working on obedience, and hopefully, the little kitchen surprises will diminish.  he is slowly winning over our grieving housekeeper — who thinks it is disloyal to have a new dog after losing our previous dog.  Time and charm will out.  Doris Greenberg MD

Thank you to all of your wonderful staff for doing what you do.  On
behalf of our family, we have made a $50 donation to you via PAYPAL,
as a thank you for sending us our wonderful four legged friend almost
three years ago.

Elaine, a golden retriever adopted in August 2009, entered our lives
with your help and now we could not imagine our family otherwise.  She
has outgrown many of her fears, and has learned to love the cold
Canadian winters very much.  She is in good health, and thriving,
enjoying her walks and has even picked up a few tricks.

Thanks for everything.  We love our dog.

The Young-Monette family

Hello – we recently adopted one of the little Chihuahua puppies and thought you would like to see her picture. This is Tori Moon. She is doing very well, and getting along well with our other dogs. Thanks again for saving the animals.

Debbie H.

Hi,    My family adopted a cute little terrier mix named Pal ( we have since changed his name to Sparky) as a gift for our family last Christmas. I just wanted to let you know that this has truly been a wonderful gift. Sparky has become such  big part of our lives that it’s hard to imagine life without him. He tags along with family members to the barn to hang out with our Haflinger pony named Fritz, goes on play dates to our friend’s houses and has a wonderful time.  I wanted to thank you for the work you do, it makes such a difference in the lives of the animals  you rescue and the families who adopt them.

Sincerely,

Melissa L. Pelletier
Edgartown, MA

I just wanted to drop a note to say Tank is doing very well. He was neutered on Thursday and is back to his normal self  already. I have attached some pix of him. The one in the snow was taken Wednesday the 4th. He is almost 50 pounds, very strong but very gentle. The other was taken in November with his best girl Millie who we brought with us when we picked up Tank. Millie was spayed the same day as Tank. Thanks for the great work you do. The MacNamara family

Dear Sir or Ma’am:

We recently adopted “Jellybean” back in the beginning of February 2011.  We just wanted to send you a photo of her and let you know that she has adjusted really well and has become a part of our family.  She is very playful, affectionate and well behaved, as far as Lab puppies go.  We’re very happy that we were able to adopt her and give her a home.  Thank you so much for the opportunity to have another family member.

Sincerely,

Adam and Heather

P.S.
The cat and “Jellybean” get along just fine.

Oscar came to us from Jones County Animal Control having been marked for euthanasia due to the fact that he was “vicious”.  During his intake here at GARD, he was placed in a kennel with several other small dogs and, although he seemed to coexist with the other dogs allright, he would scream and snarl when approached by staff and try to bite them.  
It was during this time that I met Oscar while I was cleaning kennels.  Although he wasn’t nutting up on me, what I saw was a dog who was too scared to move, I had to move him and the chair he occupied together in order to clean.  Oscar was a perfect picture of a dog who had all but given up and would have, undoubtedly, pined away(failure to thrive) but I did see in his eyes a glimmer of him still trying to reach out.  Taking a little time with him, I gained his trust and took him into my office/rehabilitation center where his trust grew and solidified to the point that he, under the right circumstances, could be considered adoptable.
Eileen, a vet tech in the northeast, came into the picture through an online response to his Petfinder listing.  Although I’d pictured Oscar’s adoption as a process that would take place over time (as trust was established and built upon) here at the shelter, my correspondence with Eileen gave me confidence that she was understanding of his situation and up to the challenge.  Having immediately fallen head-over-heels in love with him, she has worked with him since on his remaining issues and has made fantastic progress.  Eileen keeps in touch regularly with updates of his progress and photos while Oscar, meanwhile, lives like a king!
 (The whole point of my story is that what we did here at GARD with little Oscar was just short of a miracle just to get him to the point where he could be considered adoptable but that was by no means the end of it.  Eileen fell in love with the face on the website and, when she realized that he needed further rehabilitation, rose to the challenge.  The loving care that she’s put into him has been rewarded many times over.)
I will leave it up to your creative instincts as to how best use their story!

Hi Philip!!
The first thing I thought when I looked at CoCo  (aside from being beautiful) was “those are the eyes of a very smart dog! “   but they are actually both very bright looking!
Oscar is doing terrific!!! I could not possibly  adore him more.  I thought he was happy the last time I wrote to you  – He now wags his big bushy tail ALL THE TIME J  I can barely get to the back door when I ask him if he wants to go “outside”  he bounces up & down on me, then on the the door  before I can open it!  Although I still don’t trust him with “strangers” .. he is  so much better then he used to be!!  One of the proudest accomplishments I have with him is he now “drops it”  – meaning a toy/rawhide.    He was hysterically possessive of his toys/chew treats.     I chose my  “battles” with him in the beginning,  primarily because my first goal was to gain his trust.   I waited until I had gained some trust with him, but I had NO DOUBT  he was going to bite me when I removed things from his mouth.  I actually wore thick winter gloves because even though it was a lot of hysterical growling/snarling, he did make a few attempts at me.    It is just so remarkable  & rewarding to me to see the change in him on this issue,  the dog who once would bite me,  grab his treat/toy & run away from me with it,  now drops what he has in his mouth & looks up at me wagging his tail J   I brought him to my condo in southern Maine for the first time 2 weeks ago & it was so heartwarming to see him run on the beach as if he were the happiest dog in the world!!! J J
The weather wasn’ t   too good on the beach so I will send you some pictures  of him enjoying it another day.  The only aspect that I felt sorry for him was he was very worried  arriving to, and once at the condo.  He either followed me everywhere or hid under the bed, of course even though I felt sorry for him I am convinced he is a bit of an actor J.   I attached some pixs of him hiding!  I bought him a new stuffed animal & in one of the pix you can see he comes out long enough to grab it & bring it under the bed with him J   We stayed for several days & he was much more relaxed by the end of the week there.   I was going to shave his coat down a bit  to keep him cooler this summer & also between the two dogs  they  “sweep”  a lot of sand home!  but I wanted you to see how beautiful & thick his coat has become.   I call him my little “nordic  fatty”   still haven’t mastered him stealing my other dogs food & treats but he is so active I am not to worried.  I may send  seperate emails to fit all the pictures in 🙂    I so hope things are going well for you, I’ll be in touch soon with some beach pictures now that summer is (slowly) arriving here!
All the best,
Eileen & OSCAR

hello,I adopted brody as a puppy 4 years ago from gard. He is my baby.very smart and protective.
He will not let me out of his sight for long, he even goes in the bathroom with me when I shower.
when I get home from work ,his face is in the window ..waiting for mommy.
as soon as I get in the door..he tells me all about his day..or he’s yelling at me.
he will sit in front me, look straight at me and talk..it’s the cutest thing ever.I wish I new what he was saying.
He has his way of telling me what he needs.if he wants to go out,he will go over to his leash and paw at it or bite it.
when he’s hungry he will get my attention and then go over to his bag of dog food and poke it with his nose.
if he wants to play he will drop a toy in front of me.
if he wants a treat or to be brushed he will look directly up at the shelf that they are on.
He knows the words ,go out…. ride…. camp….night night
plus the basic sit ,lay,shake,get up.if I say papa or sammy is home he will perk his ears and run to the window
and look for papa or my daughter. He knows his toys by name,duck,chicken,monkey,Frisbee,ball
and will get them from his toy box when told to,if only he would put them back.
He don’t bark ,unless someone’s at the door and he wont lick your face,unless I say kisses.
I hope we have many years together.I love him as my own boy.thank you for saving him and letting me adopt him.

Wendy brown
Bristol,VT

Hi Joy,

I am so grateful to have found such a great companion.  I adopted, “Waterboy” last Febuary.  His new name is Sandler and he is the biggest love bug!  He gets along with everyone.  I bring Sandler everywhere with me.  He has more Aunties than any dog I know and a few people have wanted me to give him to them, but he’s mine to stay! He loves camping, kids, other dogs, the beach, hiking, canoeing, swimming of course (he has his own pool), and going to the barn with me. He’s so obsessed with water that I can’t keep him out of the horse water trophs when I bring him to the barn.  Its hysterical! I have a horse that Sandler “walks” for me by taking his leadline.  Its the cutest thing!  You were right on when you said he was a goofball.  Where ever I go he’s by my side or on my lap!  Thanks so much!

Wendy

She is doing really well and seems to love the snow! Thanks so much for bringing her to us.

Julia

Hi Micki,

I just wanted to let you know that Jack (Tyler) is home safe and sound. We are so glad to have welcomed him into our family. He’s sweet and learning very quickly. I never would have believed he had never been on a leash unless you had told me because he walks so well. He is already learning to sit and has become best friends with our neighbor’s dog Dunkin. I also wanted to thank you for everything you do for the animals in your care. There’s not many people who are willing to be so kind.

Leanna Ashcom

Good morning, The dogs had their pixs taken with Santa Claus, donations went to our local animal sheltor. Sara was afraid of Santa Claus at first but he gave her a treat so she was happy. Hope all is well. I hope you have a wonderfull and blessed Christmas. Rose

Just thought I would update you on our three legged angel.  We changed her name to Scarlet.  She is doing great.  She is so well behaved that she gets to go to work with mommy from time to time.  Everyone falls instantly in love with her. She is the sweetest little pooch I have ever known. She loves to cuddle up on the couch and in bed.  She is truely a gift.  Thank you so much.

Angela, Lydia & Alyson

Joy,

I thought this was a great day to write and tell you how Mandy is doing:)

She is a real member of the family now.  I take her to doggie daycare twice a week for 4 hrs each day, because she just loves playing with dogs.  They tell me she much prefers to play with the “big” dogs!!

We re-finished our garage space so that Mandy has a real “playroom” when we are at work .  She loves toys and bones, and long walks.  She gets along famously with neighborhood dogs and my son’s very large dogs:)

She still gets car sick, but we only take her to places in the neighborhood.  We found a local groomer who does not crate the animals, so Mandy can play there also.  I bought a carrier for her in the car, and she does much better in that.

She is eating well now, altho food is not her priority…toys and other animals are her priorities.

I want to thank you for letting us have Mandy.  She is bringing such joy to our home.

Laurie MIdgette

Hi Joy and Tom,

I wanted thank you both for all your help bringing Fitzy (formally known as Bandit) into our family. Fitzy a 5 month year old Schnoodle we adopted about 2 months ago is doing just wonderful. He loves to play and meet the other dogs in our neighborhood. He is the talk of the town and charms everyone he meets. He is so cute its sometimes hard to walk him because everyone wants to say hello but don’t worry he loves the attention! Here is a picture of Fitzy on Halloween dressed as a Bumble Bee. Thanks for all your help and for everything you do!

Katie and Timmy

Thanks for helping Buddy get his new home with us. He is everything you said he was and more just a sweet wonderful Shepherd. We have included a picture for you of Buddy relaxing in his new bed at his new home.

These are pictures of our first meeting with Wags (now Ruby) in New York.  Our 6 month old Caroline loves her new sister!  They are getting along great.   She is a great new addition to the family.  We think she likes the north but we keep warning her about the winter!  Thanks for everything you do there at GARD.  We couldn’t be happier!

Love,
The Sullivans!

Hi Joy,

Just wanted to give you an update on Mikey (Murphy), and he is doing wonderful. He is just a love and I have to say, out of all of our dogs, he is the best behaved and does whatever he’s told. He’s the first one to go outside and the first one back in. And he loves to go for rides!!

I recently had knee surgery and had to kennel our other three dogs for a week so that I could take it easy and we kept him with us. He stayed with me the whole time. He wouldn’t leave my side, not for a minute. And I now work from home and he stays with me in my office while I work.

In one of the pictures, he has taken a liking to one of our guinea pigs, Cocoa. He absolutely loves her!!! We have a three floor cage and usually rotate the pigs between floors, but we can’t move her, he’d be heartbroken!! He stares at her all the time and tries to give her kisses. I’m surprised at that, he’s a little stingy when it comes to giving kisses. He usually only gives them when we come home and he’s happy to see us. 🙂 She really likes him too. She was a rescue also, her previous owners kept her in their cellar for two years all alone. She has plenty of company with him now.

The other picture is Kita, Benny, Pablo and Mikey on the back porch hanging out. They all get along great and we’re so happy that we were on Petfinder the first night that we saw him and inquired about him. Thanks again.

Take care,

Carol

We just adore him.  his name was dexter and we changed it to mullins.  i would love to know more about him and where he came from if you know anything that would be great.  i remember that he came from a kill shelter in sc and had some sisters but that’s all i know.  he was sick when we got him and very scared.  he had never been on a leash before and froze up when i put it on him.  he didn’t have normal bowel movements for a good month.  according to the vet even when he had gotten better he just had a very sensitive stomache.   even though times are tough with the economy etc.  we spend whatever we have on him.  we make sure he gets the best food and lots of toys.  we even try to get him organic treats.  he loves to play.  he tries to bring a toy with him whenever we go outside for a walk.  he loves the leash now and is not afraid of it at all.  it’s been great for me because he has me out walking more.  he has a room upstairs that he likes to go to and lay in the sun and look out the window.  he was up there sleeping this morning and i had become upset about something and he heard me cry.  he came charging down the stairs to my side the second he heard me.  i realized then how it is really them who rescue us.  it’s amazing how in just a few months he has become such an important part of our lives and i can’t even remember what it was like before we got him.  dogs have such great character and love us so unconditionally.  i feel forever indebted to him for all he does for us.  in return i do my best to make sure he has a great life and is spoiled, happy, and healthy.  i will send you a link to my website when i get it sorted.  we will try and get you some more puppy food too.

thanks!
meghan

  Joy, termite is wonderful and smart- here are some pics-he loves Sugar our cocker and she loves him-he is still small but fast–hope you remember him-little cockerdash.

Do you remember Little Bit.  We adopted her three and one half years ago.  We love her to death and you can see what she does most of the time.  It was nice seeing you the other day and we will stop again.
Keep up the good work.
Bettye, Jim and Little Bit

Joy,
Thank you so much for taking the time to help me adopt Paris last Friday.  I know you were very busy getting ready for your event on Saturday, so I greatly appreciate you helping me J

Paris, now named Penny J is doing very well in her new home.  Her and I have been working on housetraining, and she’s doing great.  I’m also helping her to feel comfortable being in her crate.  I’ve been very consistent, and have been reinforcing her positive behavior, and she is making my job easy by learning very quickly.  I’ve been trying to slowly get her introduced to more and more people, as she’s very shy yet, but getting more comfortable.

I am so glad that I got her, and by the way she always wants to be by my side and cuddles up in my arms, I think she’s happy in her new home J  I put together a website so that I can share pictures of her with my family in Minnesota.  Feel free to check it out!  http://pennypenny.shutterfly.com/

Thank again!  Hope things are well,

Last year I came and adopted the little black Schnoodle that had been so badly abused he wouldn’t allow anyone to touch him for weeks upon coming to your shelter.  I have meant to do this for months, and finally have made myself stop and send you an update so you can see what a great job he did of turning things around after you gave him the chance?

Anyone who meets him exclaims over how funny, happy and sweet he is,  which makes me so grateful because of all he had to overcome.  It took only patience on my end and time (less than 45 days or so) for about 80% of his abusive behavioral habits/reflexes to be gone, and the 5% or so he still has today he will probably always have.  No one else would even recognize them however, and I am happy and constantly amazed at how I couldn’t have asked for a better behaved, sweeter dog.  And all he asks from me in return is to sit down on the couch with him so he can sit behind me on the cushion, where he lays his head on my shoulder very softly and lets out a happy, contented sigh?!

So thank you so much for my Ollie as he is easily the most delightful, enjoyable, sweetest thing ever?

Curly was one of our puppy mill rescues and was scared to death!

joy,

it’s been over a year since we got lola (aka “curly”) from you.  it’s taken me that long to learn how to take/send pix via email.  wanted you to see a pix of her, though.  she’s such a baby and charlyce keeps her be-ribboned and pampered.  if you’re ever in the I-75/Jefferson/Gainesville/Athens area, let  us know and we’ll meet you so you can see her.  🙂

sarah

Sherman is now called Pokey, and is happily adjusting to his new home. He had a good night sleep and is exploring like crazy.

Hi Joy:

I just made a donation to GARD but I also wanted to give you an update on Kylah the sweet giant schnauzer.  I think she rescued us more than we rescued her.  She has been such a joy in our life.  She had a pretty bad bladder infection when she got here but that’s gone and she has lost a lot of weight with a new diet and that has helped with the arthritis pain…

So attached are some pictures.  She likes to strike a pose!  And she loves her dolls (a monkey and a racoon).  Her groomer lives across the road.  Kylah gets to wander around our property on leash and visit neighbors and friends for treats and a haircut.  But as you shared with us, she is pretty stubborn and she mostly likes to nap.  So in honor of you as a mother of lots of dogs of all ages, breeds and sizes, Happy Mother’s Day.  And thank you for the gift of rescuing Kylah.  God bless you.

Best,  Cathy

Good Morning, Miss Joy!

I am just writing to thank you again for recommending ME to Ben to adopt for my new Mama, Fran Hohenstein.  It is a perfect match and we are both very, very happy together.  We do everything together and on my grooming dates, my mama can’t wait to get me back so Miss Salli lets her pick me up in just two hours.

We will celebrate my first year here in my new “forever home” on Thursday, May 6th.  I call that my “birthday” – the start of my new life.  I expect to celebrate many additional birthdays in my new “forever home”.

We both appreciate you telling Ben about me – my being cripple is not a problem for me or for my Mama.   We love each other very much.   I am truly grateful to you for suggesting me to Ben.   Hope you and all your little and big animals there are doing good.   Hope to see you sometime when you are in Savannah.

Love,
Coco Hohenstein and his Mama

Formerly Lydia, Fiona was resting after a long day at play. She was adopted by a family who treats her special. She gets to play with other visiting dogs and children and is enjoyed by all members of the family. She is even better than expected!  She left here in a crate that made her feel as though she was in a palace, until they took a turn, in which case she slid side to side, but it was loaded with toys, and a big chewy bone.

Hi Miki,

We love BoBo and he is doing really good in our household and gets along really well with the cat. He is affectionate and playful with us.  He is learning to stop barking at cars and trucks.  It was the right one for us and we are grateful that you sheltered him!

Hi Auntie Joy,

I wanted to let you know how happy I am in my new home!!!! I wanted to send you a picture of me in my St. Patty’s day tie. Another picture is with my brother Benny and me playing tug of war. I love playing with my toys!!!!!!! And the last one is of me with my big smile, the one that I show every day now. Thanks again for saving my life and giving me this chance to be happy and loved not only by my mom’s, but by my two brothers and sister and my cats. I love cats!!!!!

Love,

Murphy, now known as Mikey

Dear Joy and Company,

Joey (Jolene) is adapting well to the snowy weather here in central New York! The first thing she did was flop onto her belly and roll in the snow. She loves her sister Lucy and her new back yard.         She is everything you said she was, so sweet and gentle and loves everybody.         She is perfectly house-trained too. She’s enjoying all the attention and loves to play tug-o-war and chase games. She looks like a little fox streaking across the yard and diving into the snow. That’s her on the right waiting at the door with Lucy. Thank you again for all you do. We all love our new girl.

The Wood Family

Fayetteville NY

I could hardly stop crying yesterday when Katy said she was going to get Beasley. We were at Jalapeno’s when Katy began sending us photos with her phone. I’m sure the waitress thought I had gone mad. I’d cry at every picture Katy sent. We are getting ready to take the girls back to Statesboro and see Bea ourselves. I hope you print this out and when it seems nobody will give a dog a home, you can look at this and smile. Words from Queen’s “You’re My Best Friend”

Judy

We invited Sophie (jack terrier feist mix) into our home last September and all I can say is it has been all smiles ever since. She has definitely become one of the family and we love her dearly! Thank you so much for introducing us.

Hi Joy…how are you? just going thru my old mail and I see its been a while! I know you deal with a lot of animals, so to refresh your memory..”Sinbad” was a white Siberian husky you brought to our house in Savannah in July 2010..we re-named him Diefenbaker, and he is doing great! (do you remember?) he and our white kitty are inseparable, and I walk Dief almost every day after work…the yard was completely fenced in after Dief moved in..then concrete was poured under the fence once he started digging holes (his favorite pastime…he buries EVERYTHING!) I finally found a fantastic harness for him that he can not wiggle out of from “Walk Your Dog With Love” (check it out!) and now I have even started to take him into the Nursing Home where I work to do pet therapy! My husband Raymond is home most of the time with Dief when I am working, and he spoils him with treats from the kitchen. H e IS a needy dog, very timid, but I think he has come along nicely. He also is NOT afraid to express his opinion on things! (very vocal)And when I call him to come inside, if he does not want to come, he turns his head away from me, closes his eyes, and pretends not to hear  or see me! Luckily for him, he has a big dog house with comfy cushions, and he mostly does this on cold nights when the moon and stars are out….in the morning he paws at our bedroom window to come in, tho.  Thank you so much for matching us with  our dog…and please come visit us whenever you are in Savannah!    Berkeley Grady

Little Ricky is doing just great. We think he is settling in just fine. The kids really enjoy playing with him. I know one thing he is a pig when it comes to eating!! He is doing well with the house breaking, not too many accidents in the house. He is a real ham when it comes to snuggling and he thinks he is king dog, because he figured out how to climb into the bed. Not to sure on how to get down off of it just yet, but he’s learning. We will keep you up to date on him with emails and pics. We are very happy to have him as a part of the family. Thanks for giving us a bundle of joy to love and care for. Jeff and Stacey Green

Just a note to let you all know that Sara just passed and got her Canine Good Citizen Certificate, at The Potter  League for Animals, our local shelter. She was in a group of 5 dogs and did very well. Next its the Pet Therapy Certification. I have already brought both mastiffs into Nursing Homes. I am so proud of her.  Rose Murphy

Joy,

I am sending you some photo’s of Toby.  He is the greatest!  He loves to play and run in his large backyard and is growing like a weed.

He is doing great and we love him very much.

Jeanie Hattie

Hi there.

I adopted Mandy (wheaten terrier mix, aka Teddy, we think the mix is border collie or shepherd) from you back in June. We have had her for 3 months and she is just about 6 months old.

Just to let you know, she is doing wonderfully. I feed her good, holistic and natural foods and sometimes raw (my sister feeds her boxer raw and she is a beautiful dog).

She is a fantastic, beautiful, calm pup (at least until my 7 yr old son Josh gets home from school). She is able to run outside with supervision (adult only) without going into the street. She was 12.? lbs when I got her, now she is probably close to 30 lbs. We just love her to death and she is a happy pooch.

Thank you and have a great day.

Regards,Dawn C.

This is Sunny – she was one of the puppies chosen to appear on Puppy Bowl VI on Animal Planet:

Hi Joy!

We’ve been watching Animal Planet’s Puppy Bowl!  She’s a (sleepy) celebrity!  We’ve been so very happy and grateful to have such a wonderful pup in our home.  Here’s a pic of her at about 8pm on the evening of my daughter’s bday sleepover..look familiar?! Other pic is with my daughter Hanna at a puppy kindergarten class.  Hope all is well.  I’ll stay in touch.

Janice

I wanted to give you a quick update on Simon.  He is doing really well and finally understands that he is safe and very loved and that he doesn’t have to fear, just relax and be adored!  ( He may still be fearful of the tornadoes on the trip up here).   His potty training is really coming along and we determined his birthday to be around November 23, 2008.  He gets at least 5 or more massages per week with the rubber groomer and he loves to play fetch every night until he is out of breath.  (toy shopping for him was a blast!)  We allow him to sleep in bed with us, but he would much rather sleep in the dog bed with Tucker (our 10 year old scottie/dachshund mix).  Our cats are slowly adjusting to his enthusiasm and everyone who meets him falls in love.  We plan to take him and Tucker camping a lot this year and only consider the campgrounds who love dogs, not just tolerate them.  He still likes to be held like a baby and loves to put his paws on my shoulder while I scratch up to his collar and back down to his tail.  He is very spoiled and his crate is becoming more like a decoration than a timeout place for him! (although he loves to steal waffles from our 3 year old daughter).  He thinks that our 7 year old daughter is his mother!  He is rarely home alone and hopefully never will be.  He is incredible and thank you for bringing him into our lives!  My 5 year old daughter even has frequent dreams about him.  He is a gentle loving soul who really gives our house a happy, lively feel!  All 20 pounds of him!  He is a blessing totally and completely!  Thanks again!

Hi Joy,

Caroline is loving her new life with us and our two children and her dog friend Scooby ! She is trained to the invisible fence and made it thru the kids 8th birthday party ! Thank you for saving her and letting us give her a new life with a loving family.

Sue and Family

Hello!

Just wanted to update you again on Duke (“cute lab puppies”).  We’ve been hit with a major snow storm and Duke LOVES it! He fits right in!  Even though the attached picture isn’t the best, it’s all I could do being I could barely see the screen outside. I’ll send another cute picture showing the aftermath of coming in from the snow – he passed out on the couch (we got well over a foot of snow – more like at least 2-3′ with the drifts)!

He’s doubled in size from when we got him and doing very well!

Thanks!

🙂 Sue

Hello!
I am sending you some pictures of Luna, previously known as Naomi mastiff mix.  She has already become part of the pack with her other sisters and brother, cats are still not too sure about her.  She is learning to run a lot better previously could not keep up with the long haired Chihuahua she is too fast for her.  She sleeps in the bed with me and the others, but she is growing so fast I might have to get her a bed soon and she snores really loud.  Luna is growing so fast she no longer fits in the small tub I use to bathe them, after only one month.  First thing she learned when she came to the house was to lie down on the sofa, my dad scooped her up and straight to sleep she went (first picture).  She has become a very happy puppy and will soon begin leash training; my dad (the veterinarian) said not to start her to early since it put too much stress on her young joints.  I just wanted to say thank you for the opportunity you guys gave me to adopt her, she has made our home complete again even the Chihuahua is happy again to have a friend to play with and boss around.  Thank You Heydie
P.S. I would send you a picture of her when she is fully grown.

Thanks, again, to your husband for helping me get to know the girl. I was amazed at the number of dogs you’re rescued and how well cared for all of them appear to be! If I hadn’t seen the picture and met the Wheaten Terrier, I could have found at least 20 dogs that would have been possibilities. You are doing a wonderful service… what dedication!

Ted E.

Here are two pictures of Chance. The first is from right after we got him and the second is from a couple weeks ago. He’s doing great and loving running around. Definitely a wonderful part of our family.
Lindsay

Hi.

I’ve been tardy in not sending a picture of the dog we adopted at GARD. His name at the time was “Blitzen”. I believe you told my wife and I that he was one of 4 or 5 of a litter of puppies that were delivered to GARD by a “dog hoarder”. Anyway, just wanted to send you a picture of “Buddy”. He’s been a wonderful buddy to my wife and I. We just love him to death. He sits, stays, comes. He’s just a fabulous, sweet dog. People stop us wherever we are to ask about him, etc.

We’ve been thinking of Buddy’s (Blitzen’s) other brothers and do sincerely hope that they’ve all been adopted to good homes.

So, here is the picture. Buddy said to say “hi, thanks for letting me go with Mike & Ginny O’Neill”.

Just an update on Toby.  He is doing great and has fit in with my Golden and Lab.  I think my Golden and him are the same age.  He loves it here and you can see he has grown a wonderful coat for our cold winters here in Calgary Alberta.  We love him and he is very happy.  He is such a joyous little guy.

This is Cassie out hunting for cicadees on Cape Cod. Her new name is Tuna

Hello ,

I was able to adopt a dog from your organization about three years ago.

I just wanted to send an update to let you know, Ronin and I are doing
great!
He is a happy and healthy boy.  We spend lots of time taking walks or
runs and
he is very sweet and loving.

I was also wondering about the rest of his litter.  There were 4 other
siblings.
I would love to get an update, if possible.

Thank you,

Jason

Just want to share a photo from Tot’s first week at his new home!
Pictured left is his sister, Maddie. My husband has given Tot a new
name… Levi! And he is doing beautifully! Very smart and very
willing…. already has the leash down pat and responds to multiple
commands like “sit” “here” and “bedtime” Sooo cute and we love him to
pieces!

-Theresa

Hi Joy,
We adopted Elvira, who is now known as Vayder.  We couldn’t have asked for a better dog.  She loves to play and be outside which is good because the nice weather is coming and we plan on being outside a lot. We took her to the beach the other day and she was so excited to be somewhere new where she could just run, play, and explore.  I must say, it was funny to she her reaction to the noise the waves make on the beach.   Anyway,  thank you so much for the opportunity to share our life with Vayder.  I have attached a photo of her at the beach.
Mike and Heather

Hi Joy!  It was so nice to see you today at Cedar Animal Hospital.  You were right when you said our girls missed us!  They’d only been in boarding 2 nights, as we had family in town that can’t handle big lovins.

Attached are more pics of Clover, the flower child, butterfly-watcher.  Belly rubs, hangin with her sis, and her favorite… thinkin she’s Flower from Bambi.

She knows you love her and was very excited when you came out to the truck to see her off.  We love ya too and thank you for our precious little baby.

Chelsie & Jarrett

Dear JOY,Nikki, Wanda and all at GARD:

Attached are photos of our dog Abbey who we picked up in Connecticut exactly one month ago today.  How grateful we are to all of you for rescuing this beautiful dog whom we absolutely LOVE.  Our 6 cats treat her as  though
she had been part of our family for years.   She is such a JOY to have, and this is what you are all about – bringing JOY into the lives of these precious animals you rescue and into the lives of those who adopt them.   May you be blessed into the eternities for this extraordinary work you do to improve the welfare of these wonderful pets who need the compassion and dedication that  you provide.

With love and appreciation,
Paula and Alex, Littleton, Massachusetts

THIS IS RUBY AND PEANUT.THEY ARE HAPPY WITH US AND THEY ENJOY RUNNING OUTSIDE IN THE BACK YARD.

BRONSON AND LAURA

Good Day!

I adopted an Aussie Mix 2 years ago. She has been a stalwart companion, comes to work with me every day, and is training for human remains detection for urban search and rescue.

Just thought you’d like to know what happened to her!

Lori

Lori E. Gordon, DVM
Massachusetts Task Force 1 (MA TF-1)
Urban Search & Rescue

We had Samantha for almost 2 YEARS at the kennel. She was shy and just needed the right person willing to work with her. Here is her happy tail along with some updates…

Joy,

I am about to print out the contract, sign it, and send it your way. Please return a signed copy at your convenience. Also, please let me know what amount to deposit for the adoption fee. I would like to reimburse you for the leash, harness, and any other reasonable costs you see fit. Further, I am so grateful for the work you do and I am so happy with Whisper who I have renamed Sam (short for Samantha). Although I will have to wait until the end of the taxable year (December), I came hoping to make a donation to your organization from a charity that I work with. You should hear from me in November regarding this.

An update:
As you remember Whisper/Sam was extremely shy. As expected for a shy dog, at first she was shaking, confused by new surroundings, unsure of me, and kept her tail tucked between her legs for the most part. I was ready to do whatever it would take to help her learn to trust me. I had no expectations for a speedy transformation. On the second day with her I brought her outside on the leash. As soon as she started walking away from me and felt it get tight she freaked out then laid down too afraid to move. She didn’t know me yet and didn’t trust me. I would NEVER pull on her leash. Instead I just went at her pace. If she wanted to get up and walk, then we would start moving, if not, we just sat there. I bought a much longer leash to give her some space.

Although I bought her a crate (safe zone) and put it at my bedside at night I could sense she was a social girl and might have thought it was a punishment. I only used it for one night. After that I just put her dog bed by my bed. Fast forward a week, I walked into my room to go to sleep and she was on the bed. I’ve read about establishing yourself as the alpha and how people say not to share the bed with your dog. However, this is not a problem animal, she just needs love. I saw this as an opportunity to bond. She now curls up with me every night.

After she had gotten used to the leash and going on walks I took her to one of our old fenced in cattle pastures to see if she would try to run away from me off the leash. It was one of the first times I saw her acting like a dog. She chased a deer, leaped and bounded all around, tail wagging and a big smile on her face. After some exercise I whistled and she came right back. I opened the door on my truck and she hopped right in. When I’m on the island in GA we now go on walks without a leash (never unsupervised and never near any ponds). She won’t go more than a certain distance away from me and her tail is always up in the air… loving it. If I change directions, she follows me. Same thing inside. She follows me everywhere. Of course when in Charleston and not in the yard, she’s on a leash for walks, but she loves the freedom of running around in the yard and lying in the bushes.

It took me a couple of times to find the right food for her but she seems to love the Purina Pro lamb and rice. I hope that’s ok? Not to give too much information but it’s the first brand that she really seem to like and it gives her solid stools. Also, she’s only had one accident in the house. It was in the beginning when she was nervous about going to the bathroom on the leash. I think she was afraid I would get mad, but it was no big deal. She’s realized I’m not going to hurt her and she has really bonded with me. Yesterday was her first day at the beach. I’m sure it was overwhelming for the first time but she played around for a few minutes and then hopped back into the truck, which she feels safe in. She’s such a sweet girl.

It’s amazing how quickly she’s come out of her shell. She’s definitely still shy when it comes to new people, but after a few hours she warms up to them. Especially when she sees me interacting with them. She loves other dogs. Not a mean bone in her body. I love this girl and I’m very proud of her! Thank you for everything.

Attached is a photo of her enjoying the sun as I write this e-mail to you.

Best,
Jay

UPDATE:

Hi Joy! I hope all is well with you. I’m sorry it’s been a while since my last e-mail but just wanted to send you a picture of Samantha lounging in the sun in Charleston.

Also, wanted to let you know I took her to Cedar Animal Hospital in Richmond Hill last month for a checkup and she is 100% healthy! The Vet listened to her heart, lungs, did another heart worm test, gave her a parvo shot, and trimmed her nails. She’s also on monthly flea/tick and heart worm medication/tablets.

She continues to bond with me and sleep on my bed every night. She LOVES to chase deer when we are in Georgia. She’s extremely fast which give the deer a bit of a scare, but I don’t think she’d know what to do if she ever caught up with one. Just loves to chase them into the woods a bit and bark at them. It’s been cool to hear her bark as she is not usually vocal. She also loves other dogs as I may have mentioned. Her tail (which was almost always tucked when I first got her) now wags every day. When she picks up on a scent her tail goes straight up. She loves to follow her nose, but won’t leave my sight (unless she goes for the deer). She always comes back within a minute or two. It’s so awesome to see her being a dog!

She’s still shy around other people and is most at ease when it’s just the two of us. However, she continues to make improvements and I am continuing to introduce her to social settings for short periods of time. In Charleston we do normal things like walks on the leash or going for a drive. She feels safe in the truck. I’ve left her at home by herself for an hour just a couple of times. When I come back I’m greeted by tail wagging and this little happy jump/leap thing she’ll do. She hasn’t had any accidents inside and she doesn’t chew anything up. She does like to collect socks and drop them on her dog bed kind of like a trophy. It’s cute. For the most part though she comes with me everywhere. I’m very proud of her!

Enjoy the pic and I hope all is well.

Best,
Jay

In the snow!  We went to New Hampshire this weekend and he had a blast and met a new friend who was also adopted from Georgia!  Enoy!

Wendy

Hi Joy – Just wanted to send an update.  Dotty is doing really great.  We love her so much.  She has gained a pound and we are working on a few more.  She doesn’t mind all the extra treats.  She oves her runs and morning walks.  She has learned sit and lay down.  Once we have “come” down pat we are going to head to the off-leash park.  That will give her a chance to really run (not slow down to my pace).   She is such a joy and the hit of the neighborhood.  We get stopped constantly so people can pet her.  She loves all the attention, expecially when they tell her she is a cute girl.

Thanks again for helping us find each other.  Cheers, Tannis, Jason, and Dotty.

Jonesy (aka Theo) is coming along nicely since we adopted him in August. Still a tad timid, but just the sweetest, cutest dog ever-as you can see!

Merry Christmas,

Nancy Whitaker

Hello!  I just wanted to give you an update on Petey (aka Bear!) .  He is awesome and we are so excited to have him.  I am in love with him!  He has adjusted quickly and been doing excellent in house breaking.  He and my other female dog play and he has lots of new toys that he loves.  He seems to love the squeaky ones!

I just wanted to let you know that we are blessed to have him.  Thank you again for looking after God’s creatures!

Maria

Micki
Just a quick update on Justin and Jonah…. We adopted them just a few weeks ago and they are growing so fast. They both love their new home and are the sweetest goofballs ever! Their new names are Huckleberry Finn (Justice) and Edgar Allan Poe (Jonah). We call them Huck and Poe. Both are very smart, great with little kids, and are learning new commands daily. Thankfully they wear each other out playing in their new yard and start swimming lessons this weekend. Our family already loves them dearly.
A big “THANKS” to you and your volunteers for helping to bring them into our lives and taking care of doggies in need!!!
Sincerly,
Diane Perkins and Family

Joy,

I just wanted to send you some photos of Jamie.  We renamed him Petey.  He already knows his new name.  You will see our other dog, Chance, is in two of the photos with him.  They are the best of friends.  Petey even likes our cats?maybe a little too much!  Haha.  He is thoroughly enjoying our 3 acre property and now that is is not 17 degrees out, he spends a lot of time running in our backyard.  Thank you for the beautiful work your organization does.  We are so happy to have Petey as a member of our family.  He is healthy and happy and will be getting immunizations starting next Friday and neutered thereafter.  I know from my experience working in a shelter that you sometimes don’t feel like you can make enough of a difference, but for those you adopt out, it makes all the difference to them and their new families.

I especially love the photo of Petey under our tree.  He stayed there all day on Christmas despite the chaos.  My parents got such a kick out of that.

Fondly,
Patti

Hi Joy

Our puppy is doing wonderfully. She is very playful then crashes for her naps. She is a wonderful truck/car rider. She is discovering the New Hampshire trails but always stays near.

Her coughing is nearly gone. Her appetite is much improved especially when we introduced another food (Innova). Her favorite treat for training is cheese. She almost has the sit but gets so excited for the cheese! She now will go up and down stairs, event he big scary basement ones. She sleeps through the night in our room on her pillow and definitely does not like any cage or being left alone! She loves chasing the tennis balls and brings then right back.

Her first cat encounter was…interesting. One cat will rub up against her, the other just hisses and runs. She also barks at her reflection in the door windows and the dishwasher reflection. Very funny!

Just wanted to give you an update on Chewy (formerly Rex) adopted from
Christina in New Jersey in June 2010. He is doing great! He adjusted
very quickly. He is a sweet, gentle dog. He loves to go to the dog
park every weekend and has lots of friends to play with there. He is
quite smart and learned basic commands very quickly. We are now
working on fun things, like “roll over” and “find it”. Thank you so
much for the work that you all do. I feel very lucky to have Chewy in
my life. Valerie H.

Dear GARD,

Just wanted to let you know that little Wolfie is getting bigger!  He had a vet check up last week and weighed in at 7 pounds.  He is strong, healthy, and very well socialized little pup and he enjoys playing in our backyard and going on walks. He has been to our wonderful neighborhood dog park a few times, where he does beautifully.

He is scheduled to be neutered in July, otherwise very healthy.  He also begins obedience training classes (with us) next week.

The vet says he looks like a terrier, but we think he is a schnoodle.  No matter what he is, he is a great dog.  Thanks again!

Zoe Burkholder
Montclair, NJ

Hi Joy:

I just wanted to let you know that Kylah is a treasure and she seems to be happy with her new home.  She spent four hours at the groomer yesterday who has a special touch with rescue dogs, especially terriers.  We checked with the vet on her records and learned that she’s almost 8 years old, which explains her calm attitude and some of the gray hair.

So I am attaching pictures of the lovely Kylah (her new middle name is Zulu).  She is so sweet and as you suggested, she is a man’s dog (but not for long).  Thanks for all you do and best regards,

Catherine

Joy,

Here we are just 2 weeks after having Buster join us in his forever home and he has created a special relationship with all of our kids (and us – he has chosen me to be the alpha leader!). But the most special bond is clearly with our 13 month old daughter. He is incredibly tolerant of her playing in his crate and playing fetch with him.  I think the attached picture of her feeding him kibble from his bowl captures some of the magic between them.

We are so happy to have him as part of our family and he is blending in so well.  I will continue to send updates but I thought that this might be something wonderful for your happy tails page.

Warmly,
Rebekah

Joy-

I just wanted to let you know how great Pete is doing at his new home – he is such a wonderful, sweet, beautiful dog!  He and our lab Marcie are instant friends and he has been showering us with kisses.  He loves to be brushed and loved the peanut butter dog treats we shared with him!  Our kids were so excited when he arrived and he fits in perfectly with our family.

Thank you for sending us this wonderful dog – he is perfect and will be pampered and spoiled, as all dogs should be!  I will send photos and another update soon.

Best wishes,
Liz

I’ve told all my friends about your animal shelter and how wonderful and helpful your volunteers are not to mention how sweet and beautiful your dogs and puppies are!!!  Thank you for making our family complete by allowing us to adopt and bring home…Simone Krull

Buddy is doing good. He loves to play. He gets excited when I come in the room, but he is still scared go outside. We are still working on it. He likes to get on my bed. He has grown some too.

Cap

Nigel is now recovered from his respiratory illness, and he is becoming a distinct presence here….he is doing well with house-training, and other than being afraid to come into the front doorway, he is getting more courage every day.  Just thought you would like to see a clean little guy enjoying the luxury of a new home—we are happy to have him.  Doris Greenberg

Hi There.

Just wanted to let you know that Nuggette, the puppy we adopted last June is still doing awesome.  She has the sweetest personality and is such a snuggler.  She seems to have topped off at 26 pounds, and since Cyrus is @ 70 lbs, to us she is a tiny little thing. lol, my sister in law has a chihuahua mix and another little dog, so they laugh every time we talk about how tiny Nuggette is – so I guess it is a matter of perspective.

I can’t believe that we are coming up on one year since we got her. I think that our official adoption date was June 20, 2013.  We could not be happier to have her in our family, and look forward to many more happy years with her.  Thank you for everything you do for the kind souls who can’t speak for themselves.

We will be bringing up some more bags of dog and puppy chow as soon as we have a free moment. Is there anything specific that you are in need of in addition to food? I am saving up blankets and once I get another stockpile of them I will bring those too, but let me know specifically what y’all need so that I can get something useful.

Thank you,
Tammy Pollock

Little dog happy at last
By Rebecca Holland
Editor, The Claxton Enterprise

Jasper was looking at the camera, a slight magnetic smile on his furry little face. He was sitting in the Georgia Animal Rescue and Defence shelter in Pembroke – a year and half after his rescue from a horrific puppy mill in Macon, Georgia, one of the older dogs, age guessed to be anywhere from 4 to 8, and eyes cloudy with cataracts, blind to what we all see and take for granted. But, little Jasper, and we use the word little loosely, was happy.

A few weeks ago, I was sitting in my new home in Claxton, Georgia, my poodle, Buddy, on my lap. I had never really thought about getting another dog. No, well, I had thought about it, but just never really was going to do it. My job keeps me away and having just one day was enough, but I wanted to do something for Buddy. I just typed in the word poodle in a shelter search and the first photo that popped up was Jasper.

As I began to read about him,  I thought, you know, we could foster him.

I got to the shelter, and he came out and I knew, he was ours.

He is no longer called Jasper. His name is Barkley. He wears a sweater and sleeps on the couch, on a pillow and on my bed. He and Buddy hang out together when I am gone. He has not been outside much due to weather and I didn’t have the right sized halter, and he wants to go out. For a blind dog, he is eager and enthusiastic. He jumps around, loves, and right now, we are dealing with some issues that he probably has had it for a while with his ears and of course, his eyes. But he doesn’t seem to be bothered by it all.

He is happy and he has a new brother and a human companion.

I am used to a 7 pound poodle, and here is one that is almost 25 pound one.
It is different, but so far we are good.

I would encourage anyone to check out the older dogs – they can clean up good and play good and just be comfortable.

Hi!  Just wanted to say thanks again for the amazing gift of a puppy!  Miney sure was relaxed and calm at the adoption the other day, but is quickly becoming more of the rambunctious puppy I was waiting to make an appearance;). We have named her Louisiana – “Lou” for short – and we are already so in love!  Here is a picture of her playing in the sunflower field behind our house, and another of her taking over her big brother’s bed and toys. Only one who hasn’t warmed up is the cat, but we will work on that. Haha. Thanks you for all you do!

Good Morning!

I keep meaning to get updated pictures of Tinka Tank (our “little” brindle boxer mix), but every time I turn around she’s grown again. Tank is now up to 20 pounds and getting along great with Keesha, our cocker spaniel.  They both have a grooming appointment on Tuesday the 7th, Tank doesn’t need it, but I think it will be a good learning experience for her.  She’s been great with our pool training, she will only come as close as the concert walk way and will not venture any closer. We’re very proud that she’s learned this so fast, mainly for safety! She’s learning to sit, unless it’s time to eat (we’re still working on patience) and we are working on laying down and staying (I think stay is a little advance for a puppy… so we’re taking that easy). We’ll be scheduling her spay shortly… I’m thinking maybe late July time frame, since Brent will be on leave and can “baby” her constantly once she’s home from the spay.  All and all (now that she’s having less accedence in the house ;-).)  She’s a great dog and we thank you so much for allowing us to adopt her.

Thank you again!

~Brie

Aubrie A. P.

OD, LT

4 BCT S4

Molly (formerly Mona Lisa) is enjoying her daily walks in Florida. She loves playing with her squeaky balls and playing with her ‘big’ brother Bailey (our Shih Tsu).

I don’t know if you will even remember Dexter. He came to us about two years ago now after being rescued from an animal hoarder, along with his brothers and other relatives.

Well, I just wanted you to know how he is doing.

First all, Dexter is the smartest dog either my husband or I have ever had–and by a long shot.         He can learn vicariously–just by watching our other dog, Rupert.         He still avoids new men, but unlike our first few forays into the world when I had to nearly carry him down the sidewalk, he just loves his walks around the neighborhood. He greets women and children with a wagging, curious tail. Even with men, he warms up after a bit.         Just in case you have any doubts about Dexter’s new self-image, he is COMPLETELY dominant over our 85 pound golden, Rupert, despite weighing just 37 pounds.         Their relationship is close, though, and they always sleep curled up together.

I’ve attached a couple of photos so you can see how he’s doing. They were taken at my Dad’s cabin in WI this past weekend. He does NOT like water–he stands on the shore barkly whenever Rupert swims, but he does like hanging out on the beach with the family.

Hope in your day of caring for homeless animals, this little update will keep your hopes up.

Yours,  Michele T

In July of 2011 we adopted Dazy from your organization at the Agway store in Raritan New Jersey. We had her DNA test and found out that she is a Yellow lab and Great Pyrenees mix.

She is a joy to have as a member of our family. Dazy loves people and other dogs. She has already completed puppy and intermediate training classes. Soon she will begin advance training. Our goal is to have her complete CGC training so she can become a therapy dog. Her trainer told us she has a very good chance of achieving this goal.

Thank you for the wonderful work you do and for bring Dazy into our lives. She is going to be trained to give back to people in need.

Mary Ann and Roger DeAngelis

We are so thankful to have Brian in our lives. Thank you GARD for bringing him to us!

Hi Joy,

I wanted to share with you some photos of Chessie – now Casey. He is having a whirlwind of a summer in New Hampshire and Cape Cod! He even met celebrities Drew Barrymore, Jimmy Kimmel and other Saturday Night Live cast members at the Wolfeboro, NH Parade on July 4th (they all were patting him and complimenting him!).

Casey is an amazing dog, just as you said. We adore him and he has settled right into our family. Even our alpha female Boston Terrier likes him!

These photos show him taking his first swim in Lake Winnipausakee, and checking out the waterskiers…

Thank you for sending us such a wonderful guy, we feel blessed to have him.

– Jessica B.

Dear Joy,

Thank you so much for the joy that Heidi has already brought to our family. It’s only been 2 days but she feels like she’s always been a part of our family.  She is super, super sweet and such a good listener.  She’s pretty well trained for such a young dog.  She’s been sleeping in a bed on our floor and has had no accidents and when I take her out to the bathroom she stays right by my side.  She is very loyal and seems grateful for a loving home too!  Today she is going for her spay and then a grooming at the end of the week.  Thank you for what the wonderful job you are doing to get these pets loving homes.  We love her.

Rocio C.

Bluffton, SC

Joy,

I hope you’re having a great summer. Lily is enjoying the pool as you can see. She is a great companion. I’m thinking about signing her up for agility classes. You may see her on the Big Screen someday !!! Haha. Take care for now and enjoy your summer.

Chris and Lily

For Joy…attached is a holiday picture of Elaine (adopted Aug 2009), with rescue pal Molly.

Merry Christmas, we will make our annual donation very soon.

Keep up the great work!!!

Hello GARD!
Eli (Stevie) has spent the past year playing on the sandy beaches of Martha’s Vineyard. He has the luxury of running through our 160 acre farm helping us herd our 30 sheep and 35 cows. We absolutely love all 55  pounds of him with his one ear that stands up and one that flops down, bushy curly tail and two different colored eyes. He makes us laugh everyday! and even our dog hating mutt Usah loves him too. They play ALL day. I am so grateful for the opportunity to have taken him into our home and hope we can enjoy each other for many years to come!
Julie Olson, Laine Scott, Eli and Usah
Edgartown, Marthas Vineyard Massachusetts

Hi Everyone at GARD.

Thank you so much for letting us make one of your four-legged  family members a permanent member of our family. We adopted Nuggette on June 20th of this year. She is a brindle/black mixed breed puppy, who looks like she could a mix of several different breeds depending on the angle, lol. She is beautiful and has been the perfect addition to our family. She has put the pep back in the step of our older dog Cyrus, who was also a rescue dog–and she certainly keeps us hopping. She has a wonderful disposition, and loves to snuggle when she is not running circles around us all at warp speed. We are so grateful for her, she has stolen our hearts and we look forward to many, many happy years with her.
I wanted to send you a few pictures – one from the day we brought her home, one chillin’ on the steps of the pool, one of her and our son, and one from our camping trip where you can see  her and Cyrus chillin’ at bed-time.

Thanks again for everything you do,

Tammy P

Buffy is thirty pounds of pure love.   Georgia Animal Rescue and Defence Inc.  was very helpful in answering all our questions and with the paperwork.  Buffy quickly felt at home and follows me all around the house.  She loves sitting next to us in the living room and going for walks in the park where she had this photo taken.  Notice no leash!  She stayed right with me!  She didn’t like being left at the groomer, but she sure looks great!  Of course that doesn’t make any difference to a dog.   LIbby

Update on Jamie who we renamed Harri.  This is a picture of her on our dinghy in Newport, RI.  Everywhere we go people stop us and ask what kind of dog she is, she is so unique.  She is very lovable, smart, has learned her name, doesn’t leave the yard and jumps from the dock to the dinghy and the dinghy to the boat like she’s been doing it for years.  We start puppy obedience school this Tuesday and I’m sure she’ll wow them.  We are still having a little trouble housetraining her but we are definitely seeing progress.  The good news is that she doesn’t get car sick anymore.  She’s the best and we are very pleased with this new joy in our lives.  Keep up your good work.  Sue 

Hi,

I wanted to send a few pics of Emma–she is doing VERY well and is
always with her new best friend, as you can see from the pictures 🙂
She’s growing big and strong and house-trained quickly. She also loves
chasing tennis balls outside and chasing butterflies. We adore her.

all best wishes,

JuliAnna

Joy:

Pam asked me to send you a picture of Nia, our rescue poodle you called Angel.

Katie the yorkshire and Nia are getting along very well and Nia has settled in FOREVER.

Thank you for all you do.

Dear GARD,

I wanted to send you an update on our sweet and newest addition, Mollie (Molly). She has settled in so wonderfully and our other beagle, Millie, loves her too! We adore her and we’re so thankful that we had the privilege to adopt her from you. I’ve attached a photo of her and Millie sacked out together. She’s the smallest one (bottom) in the photo.

Thanks again for taking her in and caring for her!

Amanda Hinely