Pumpkin

When my girlfriend and I started looking for companions, we stumbled upon the Tails of Hope website and noticed a few doggie candidates. When I applied, I received a friendly and prompt response letting me know which dogs were still available. My interest turned to Pumpkin. He had numerous pictures and according to his bio, sounded like the perfect dog for us. His foster mom was very helpful and accessible in answering all of my questions. The adoption process was thorough yet timely as it was very organized and well managed. Upon approval, I went to pick up our new little friend and knew it was a perfect match at first sight. He ran up to me and immediately rolled over with his tongue hanging out. He is so full of energy and love, I cannot believe how lucky we are for this to have worked out. Pumpkin sits with us, fetches and is actually house trained (we are so thankful). He walks well on a leash and has a "big dog" attitude - which makes us laugh. He is quite the TV critic (as his foster mother told us) but quickly quiets down when we say his name. Pumpkin has adapted perfectly to his new home and it feels as if he has been with us for years. We are truly a success story and are thankful for everyone who made this adoption possible. I tell him constantly that he "is a good boy" but he is much more than that. As a new member of our family, we are thrilled to share our story with all other potential adopters. - Evan and Erin

Phoebe

I rescued Ollie, a Rottweiler mix, about a year ago. He is a wonderful dog but lonely for a dog companion. I tried to introduce Ollie to dogs in the neighborhood to play with but trying to meet others on regular basis was difficult. I had been looking for another dog through various rescue organizations and the humane society but did not see the one that I thought would be a good companion for Ollie and me. While riding a work shuttle bus, a gentleman asked if anyone was looking for a good dog that is Labrador/Border Collie mix. He said that his Mother volunteers for "Tails of Hope" and she was trying to find a home for a great dog, Phoebe. My coworker spoke up and said that I was. I inquired about the dog and she was everything that I thought would make a good friend for Ollie. She was the right breed, size, age, and I wanted to rescue another dog. Furthermore, he had a picture of her with all of her information. She was a very cute dog with a sad history. Phoebe was a stray dog rescued by his Mother from the humane society. I contacted the gentleman's Mother and we met that evening at a kennel where Phoebe was staying. Ollie and Phoebe played a little and it appeared that they would get along. The next night while I was sitting on the couch watching television, I asked Ollie, "Where is Phoebe?" Ollie's ears perked up, he got up and started looking around for her. I new he liked her since he definitely remembered her name. The next week Phoebe was brought to my home. Ollie and I met Phoebe and the "Tails of Hope" representative outside. When Ollie and Phoebe saw each other they wagged their tails, started jumping, and playing with each other. Well, Ollie and Phoebe are inseparable. Where one is the other one is. From the beginning, Ollie has shared his toys by taking them over to Phoebe and laying them next to her. I don't think she new what to do with the toys or for that matter she didn't seem to understand very much. Ollie has been helpful in training Phoebe. She copies him in play, which includes wet-neck, tug-of-war, catch-me-if-you-can, and taking toys when the other isn't looking. Because she copies Ollie, she is quickly learning commands, leash walking, and house breaking. My friends, neighbors, and veterinarian seemed surprised by how well they get along and they get along better than I had hoped. I expected a little jealously from Ollie, but I think I may be the one a little jealous since he seems to have little time for me.

Pesky

Once upon a time, there was a beautiful little brown Tabby kitty cat named Indy. For a while she had a 7 year old boy for an owner, but this little fellow was not yet ready to handle the responsibility of being a pet owner. So before long, Indy was placed in the animal shelter in hopes she would be adopted by someone else. Unfortunately she became sick in the shelter and didn't present herself well, so no one showed interest in adopting her. Indy's time in the shelter was fast running out. However, thanks to the wonderful work and vigilent spirit of Tails of Hope, Indy found her way into the heart and home of Margaret one of the members of the organization and a volunteer at the shelter. She arranged to take her from the shelter to try to nurse her back to health. Margaret and her husband were already housing 11 other kitty cats but they managed to find room for Indy on a temporary basis. Indy's health improved tremendously with some tender love and care, but it was not going to be possible for her to make Margaret's home a permanent residence. Needless to say, Margaret already had a house-full, and she wanted to be able to foster more cats for Tails of Hope. That's when Indy's picture went up on the website. Then as fate would have it, Jackie went exploring on the Internet to find out about Animal Advocates with the intent of doing some volunteer work for them. Ultimately Jackie found her way to the Tails of Hope Home Page from the Animal Advocates site. Wow! This was just what she had been looking for, and she decided to make contact to find out how she could help the animals sponsored by the organization. To make a long story short . . . when she called Flo from Tails of Hope for more information, Flo asked Jackie if she could do any fostering. Jackie said yes once she talked it over with Nelson her husband. After some preliminary investigating and careful planning, Indy was placed in Jackie and Nelson's care by Margaret and Flo. It was tearful separation for Margaret but she felt confident that Indy was going into a good place. Immediately, Indy managed to capture the hearts of Jackie and Nelson, and even though Indy moved in with a small dog and another kitty cat (Pasqualie and Patina) her adjustment went well. It has been more than two months now, and what was a brown tabby named Indy, is no more!!! This is because Indy became Pesky (short for Pescarina). She needed a name to match her mischievious personality in addition to needing an Italian sounding name beginning with "P". . . so she could fit in with her adopted brother and sister (Pasqualie and Patina)! That's right, Pesky has moved in permanently with Jackie and Nelson... and hopefully they will all live happily ever after! And we have another wonderful happy ending for a Tails of Hope story.