| Contact: midwestpaws@ymail.com |
| We are a licensed rescue and a 501c3 non profit organization. We are dedicated to helping those who are needing a second chance at life. Please consider making a donation to help them on their journey home! Thank you! |
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Success Stories |
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Below
you will find the stories of our babies who have been adopted by generous
people with big hearts. We would like to share these with you as they have
brought great joy to our hearts and we hope they do the same for you!!! |
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Yogi |
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Selecting a family pet
became a decision between getting a puppy which would require a large amount
of care and attention up front for training; or, get a mature Rescue Dog
which had a background and some initial training and wouldn’t require the up
front time and care a puppy would. The mature Rescue Dog proved to be
the best decision for us. Yogi came from a foster family who already
knew him and provided a window into what his temperament would be like and
they were exceptional in their description of him. He was trained in
most of the basic commands and was eager learn more. Yogi was
described perfectly and he is all I was told and more: Yogi proved he
was just as eager to fit in with us as we were with him. The
combination was an unbelievably fun and energetic family pet right off the
start. My first Rescue Dog
“Yogi” proved to our Family and Friends that a mature Rescue Dog
can be the best choice and a tremendous and loyal family pet in just the
first two weeks. After a family trip to Minnesota we are so excited to
tell Yogi’s story and how we found him. Our Family and Friends as well
as people we meet are in awe of his disposition and story. For us, the
mature Rescue Dog proved its value whether your wanting your first pet or
like us take on a second pet to compliment your lifestyle. I’m very
active outdoors and wanted a GSP for years, which I’m so excited
I decided to get this breed at the time Yogi was available.
The breeds energy and activity fit me perfectly. Our recent family
trip to Minnesota
proved that Yogi is an unbelievable
Ambassador for the
Rescue Organization. I’m thankful each day we found him and am amazed
at how easily he has fit right in to our family with our older
Wheaton Terrier. |
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Sophie |
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 I wanted to write
and give you an update on Sophie. |
I had expected to have to work with her quite a bit after the reports from the foster family. They had reported that she didn't respond when called, would not take food from a human hand, and would only come in if the door was left open and would then either hide under the bed or in her crate. I'd like to report that I am very very pleasantly surprised and it's a real treat seeing this little girl come out of her shell. She has been a great dog....cute, intelligent, a responsible household member and a real joy to have around. Each day with her is a sheer joy and she shows daily improvement in spirit and demeanor. After seeing her as she is now, it's hard now to imagine her as she was.....there is no resemblance. |
Max |
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 My name is Max. This
is my story. I used to live in Central Missouri with a whole bunch of
friends. I guess the guy who owned all of us got upset one day and tried
to burn the whole place down! Some nice people came to visit us and took
us all far away to this new place called Raytown. We were all pretty
scared I think. They were really nice and fed us and took care of us and
let us play outside. One nice lady came and took me outside and played
ball with |
me. I liked her a lot. I think she liked me too. I was pretty happy outside running around with all the little puppies and chasing the ball. It was MY ball after all. I did not want to go in and I think the nice lady knew that as she had to drag me in. I whined a lot after I got back inside. The nice lady left. The next weekend, the nice lady came back and she brought a man with her and two little girls…one couldn’t even walk and got to be carried around! The went outside to play but soon another volunteer came in to get me because she said that the nice lady and man wanted to play with me! Yippee. They stayed for a long time that day. We played for hours. I even walked with them on a leash. I wasn’t too sure about that. The nice family left again. But they came back the next day to play with me again! I think I really like this nice man. He seems to want to play with me too. I guess they had to leave, but I heard rumors that they wanted me to come home with them. Gosh, I missed them, but they did come back on Saturday, March 14th, and I got to go for a ride in their van and stay with them! They had a nice crate inside the house for me. I wasn’t too sure about it and that first week was pretty rough for all of us. I didn’t care much for their carpet and now they are considering getting hardwood floors through out the house…did you know there is padding and wood under carpet? Me neither! I didn’t like their kitchen much either and decided to re-arrange that as well. I don’t think the nice man was very happy about it at all. But, we got through it. I get to play outside a lot more now too. My favorite person is their little girl Adelyn. She is 4 and I just love her to bits. I am so excited when she gets home because she loves to play and just be outside with me. I jump all over the place when I see her. The little bitty girl is okay too, but she is quite loud. They have two cats too but I am not so sure about them. They kind of scare me. They like to hiss at me and act like they rule the house…that is okay for now I guess. I love to chew on stuff and dig. Tennis balls are like candy to me so I had to show them I need something with more chew. I am on my second dogzilla ball and just love to fetch and retrieve. I am getting better at bringing the ball back, but still have to work on it a bit yet. I am so happy they brought me home with them. I really like it here, but I am still pretty shy but working on it. It is so nice to have place to run and play and a warm place to sleep at night and good food and treats. |
Remington |
The Saga of a Rescue Dog |
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My name is Remington.
I am a German Short Hair Pointer. I grew up in a puppy mill with lots
and lots of other dogs. I am five or six
years old, but no one is really sure. They say that my original owner
set fire to my home. I was very frightened, but I was lucky because we
were rescued by a very special group of people. I was sent to a place
called Raytown. As the song goes, “where the hell is Raytown”, and I am
still not sure where that is. I was so scared when I arrived. I was in a
strange place not anything like what I was used to. There were indoor
kennels, warmth, food and people who cared for me – they were nice, but
there were so many of us there. |
One day shortly after I arrived, a man came to help take care of all of us. He tried to play ball with me. I like playing ball. He was kind and gentle. I could snuggle up to him, and he would pet me and talk to me in a low soft voice. I tried my very best to make him stay with me – I would get close to him and look up at him with my GSP eyes and wag my tail a lot. I would bring the ball back to him because he seemed to like this. He brought this lady to see me one late afternoon. I sniffed her hand, and then lay down by her feet. She talk softly too and petted me – I snuggled in – I knew this was a good thing. After a few days I heard that this couple was going to “foster” me. I did not know what that meant, but everyone seemed excited about it so I went with him in his truck. When I got out of the truck, I was at a new place – they call it their house. I have my own bed and kennel, a big back yard to play in and chase the squirrels (I do not like squirrels in my yard), and two other dogs to play with – just two – not sixty. One is a female Weimer who can be pretty grumpy at times, but she is showing me how to behave. I think she is the leader here. The other is a GSP like me except a female, and we play tug of war together. The man and woman seem to like all of us and spend a lot of time with us. I think I really want to stay. I heard the man talking to the other folks who “rescued” me. He says that I am doing very well and the other dogs are adjusting. I like it here. It is warm and I have plenty of food. I have dog friends to play with and people friends who are teaching me how to behave. I go on long walks through the park and the neighborhood – lots of new smells – I even got to go to a small lake with fields around it. The man said I was really pretty in the field. I’m not sure what that means – I was only pointing at a bird in the bushes – or maybe it was a mouse – I like to chase them, too. I really like to lie on the couch with my head in the man’s or lady’s lap at the end of the day. Snuggling has become my favorite thing – I never got to do that before. I heard the people say that their children and grandchildren will love me too. I think that is a good thing. I met some “small” people the other day - we had fun together especially playing ball or chasing the Frisbee. I bring it back so we can do it again. The people I am living with are very patient and understand that I have lots of new things to learn. I am doing my best. I heard other people say that adult dogs coming from a “puppy” mill will not make good pets because of the bad environment. I don’t know about that, but I think I am doing okay now. I was nervous when I left my friends in Raytown, but these new people are very good to me and I like it here. I heard the man and lady saying that they would “adopt” me. I am not sure what that means exactly, but I want to stay with them and be a part of their “pack”. I am safe now. |
Bella |
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Hi!
Our family adopted "Bella" from Midwest Paws this past July 2009. We
wanted to send you a picture of her and a update on how well she's
fitting in with our family. |
Bella has settled in perfectly! She is the sweetest dog we have ever known! She is playful and loves the daycare kids that I watch during the day. In fact if a baby is fussy she will calmly go sit near them to make sure they are okay! She also loves our 3 rambunctious boys. She is very tolerant of their loud energy and takes advantage of their throwing skills whenever she feels like playing ball. Her favorite thing to do is take a nap in the master bed as you'll see in the attached picture. She used to hate having her picture taken... she would look at me with those sad GSP eyes that define the phrase "puppy dog eyes". She would try to make herself invisible. I think she was sad to have her picture taken because she may have thought she wasn't going to get to stay with us. Now that she's been with our family and listened to us reassure her over and over that she's with us forever she doesn't mind photographs anymore. She's tried out some new things like the couch and chair but she quickly learned that they were off limits so she's content to take over the beds. Our Maltese Zoey is not one bit afraid of the "big black dog". She even takes Bella's bones whenever Bella decides to share. Bella doesn't like Zoey jumping up on people... it's bad manners after all, so she puts a paw on Zoey and makes her "sit still". Other things that Bella loves to do is point the birds and squirrels and deer that make their home near our backyard. She will sit on the picnic table like a person and bird watch for hours. Rawhide bones are her favorite treat along with ice cubes! She is a special dog as all GSPs are... we feel fortunate to have her in our lives! Thank you! |
Dodge |
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We first fell in love with the pointer
breed after adopting our first family pet more than five years ago.
After many wonderful years, we felt we had "molded" the perfect dog.
When our English Pointer passed away, we couldn't imagine getting any
other breed. We knew we wanted a medium sized, smart dog that was easy
to train and good with kids. Although we knew we couldn't replace our
dog, we wanted one with a similar personality. After searching on the
internet, we came across Midwest Paws website. We looked at all the dogs
and just saw something in Dodge's eyes that grabbed our attention. We
set up a time to meet Dodge and immediately fell in love with him. When
he first met our 11 month old son, Mason, Dodge was such a gentleman and
just let Mason pat him on the head. Within minutes, we decided Dodge was
exactly the dog we were looking for. Dodge came home with us shortly
after our first meeting and fit right in the family. He is so well
behaved and already knows many commands, most importantly "sit" and
"stay." He loves his new giant backyard where he stalks and hunts
squirrels all day long. We can hardly get him to leave the squirrels and
come inside some evenings. However, when he finally comes in, he just
wants to lay down and get all the attention he can. He is the highlight
of Mason's day and brings a smile to his face every time. I think Dodge
enjoyes it too as he just touches his giant nose to Mason's cheek and
lays down beside him. Thank you Midwest Paws for helping us find the
perfect family pet! |
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Hershey |
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 I am forwarding copy of my son Dylan with our dog Hershey. It is been one year since I adopted her through you agency. At the time, my family had been wanting a dog, but I was reluctant. We had had a family dog for almost 16 years, and I was not really ready for another one. Finally, I gave in to the idea and started searching adoption sites. I came upon your site and found a picture of Hershey - then known as Haley. I had not considered getting a GSP, but the idea of a family dog that had the possibility of hunting intrigued me. I picked her up, thinking that I would surprise the family with her. She was pretty shy when she came home and I was a little nervous that I had made a mistake. We had to work with her to get her to come around and gain confidence. But once she did, she has been a joy. She is good with my wife and kids and a good companion. We live near a large off-leash park and take her there almost daily. She also jogs with me most mornings. We spent the summer training her and walking with her in hopes that she might turn out to be a hunter, and she really did. She had the natural instincts to find and point pheasants almost from the start. She now runs to the car when she sees us getting the hunting equipment out. Thank you for having a service that helps dogs like her find a home. |
Baxter |
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 You may remember this guy as Ross, one of the
newborn puppies from last |
year's puppy mill fire. We now live in San Diego and he's happy as can be. He loves his weekly trip to Del Mar Dog Beach to splash in the ocean. Just thought you'd like an update. |
Stella |
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 We got lucky! |
Stella came to us named Ciera - the family voted for a "rename" so we went with Stella - and wow, she has turned into a wonderful dog! We absolutely love her - she is part of our family! She loves running on the open fields in our front yard - she is the master! There is never a dull moment since we got hooked up with the incredible pooch. She keeps us on our toes all the time, she has a wonderful demeanor, is great with the kids and is an excellent watch dog! She never runs away, but she does run, make no mistake - this dog has wings! She has always enjoyed getting into the pond in the front yard, but most recently gave it a try and paddled out to the boys in their canoe to join them after feeling most left out! We often feel compelled to get another rescue dog - Midwest Paws rocks! we love you guys...... |
Jack |
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 These are some pictures of Jack, one of the MO 75. He was in foster care with our group, the home he was in ended up not being what it appeared and he is now in my care. If the perfect person does not surface soon, this is where he will stay. Not sure how many happy endings you have seen of this wonderful group of dogs you helped but I cannot thank you enough for saving Jack. I had to pull up the info on his situation just to remind myself of what he'd been through. He's a great, great dog. Thank you, thank you. |
Birdie |
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 My husband Greg and I rescued Birdie in March of 2009 (she was a rescue from the puppy mill fire) from Midwest Paws and have enjoyed every minute of life with her since. Over a year later my husband, a first time dog owner, is even more head over heels for this little hazel eyed little girl who has stolen his heart. She fits right in with our family, she loves her time at the park across the street from our house, she enjoys swimming, playing fetch, and running in the woods with my parents GSP. She listens well and is an active member of our family, I just was writing to give you an update on how well our little "Bird" is doing and I wanted to say a big thank you to all of you for the wonderful work you do for these precious animals. We can't imagine life without her! |
Jacko |
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 We have had Jack (formerly Rowdy) for 2 years now and we just wanted to thank you for all you do. Thank you for taking in and rescuing this dog who has become such a big part of our family. Some friends of ours were a part of your foster family program and Jack was staying with them. We went to carve pumpkins at their house in October of 2008 and fell in love with Jack immediately! We filled out an application the very next day to adopt him. My husband and I had both grown up with dogs and were so excited to adopt our very own. We are so thankful for such a wonderful dog that completes our family! Jack loves the outdoors and has been able to use his pointing skills on several occassions. He successfully helped my husband to come home with two pheasant on a hunting trip last winter. He loves to point at birds in the yard and we've even caught him pointing at flies in the garage! He loves to hike, chew on his bone, go running, cuddle, play with our niece and nephew, play fetch and SWIM! We love our Midwest Paws dog and will look here first when we are ready to add to our family. I have attached a photo of Jack on the hunt. Thank you again! |
SAM |
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 Hello Midwest PAWS I wanted you to know I love my new mom and dad, they love hugging me and I love it too! I like to lick both of them all over their faces. I especially like it when my dad laughs when I lick his ears, One of my favorite times is when Mom and I curl up on the couch in the afternoon to take a nap after we feed the horses. I snuggle up to her and she puts her arm around me and says how happy she is having me in her life, She kisses my nose and rubs my tummy m If I could cry happy tears I would, I am very happy and brothers are too! I want to thank you for finding me a home for me to grow old in, my mom wants to thank you for matching us up. I know we will grow old together learn from each other and our love will grow stronger everyday. Love, Thanks, and a big Lick! Sam aka Skye's boy red |
Howie |
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Howie is doing great! He
just got back from his first hunting trip with me last weekend.
Here are a few pictures! He did amazing! I will write something up
for the website in the next week or so!
Thanks again for a great dog! |
MAGGIE |
I’ve been thinking I should write you and let you know that Maggie is doing GREAT !!! We kept her name because we thought it fit perfectly. Thank you for taking such good care of Maggie. She is a lover ... that’s for sure. She loves to be close to us. I like that. Her favorite toy is the tug rope that Cecil bought for her and she still enjoys her daily backyard runs chasing the tennis ball. She likes hanging out in the back yard on the weekends when the weather is nice. I peek out the back window from time to time to make sure she is doing OK and I often catch her just laying in the sun. But then a squirrel will run by and Maggie is up again running circles full speed around the back yard. It’s funny how she can go from being totally quiet and still to being a high energy dog in a split second. Her absolute favorite spot in the evenings is on the couch with us while we watch TV. Sometimes it ‘s hard to see the TV because we have Maggie in our face. She sure loves to snuggle up close. We have a morning routine of walking out to the front yard to get the paper. We come back in and eat our breakfast then Maggie licks my cereal bowl clean. In the evenings we play more tennis ball, tug rope, check the mail together, and hang out on the couch. She really is a great dog and I can’t thank you enough for letting us take her home. She has done a wonderful job of helping us to heal. When we find ourselves missing our little Sammie, Maggie makes sure we don’t stay sad for long. I’m sending you a few more pictures so you can see how well she is doing. I hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving too. May God send extra blessings your way for taking care of his four legged creatures. I don’t know how you do it ... it’s so hard to say “goodbye”. I’ll say a little prayer for you. It sounds like tomorrow could be a difficult day. Just keep remembering how much love and joy you are spreading by all you do as a Foster mom. Thank you so much!!! |
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Thelma |
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 Her new name is Belle
and my kids love her! She is a wonderful pet and I thank you for all you
do. |
My kids love her. |
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HERBIE  Hello,
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My wife and I adopted Herbie (was Clyde) about a year and a half ago. Herbie is just about two now and is loving life. We just moved out to Northern Utah and Herbie has been taking full advantage of exploring the surrounding mountains, rivers, and lakes. Herbie loves to tear it up with his pals at the local dog park for awhile before sleeping for hours on his spot on the couch. Herbie has been a great addition to our family! Thanks for the good that Midwest PAWs achieves! |
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Baron 
Hello, |
My name is Baron, I was adopted by a loving family in October. When I first met my new mom, she knew I was a loving and sweet tempered puppy who was full of energy. She took me home the day we met to a new house where I am the king of the back yard. I love to watch the squirrels and try and catch them, but dang are they fast! I live with two small kids, who love to snuggle up to my soft fur. I love to be close to my new family, I am usually one step behind my mom, where ever she goes in the house. I am very patient with my new 3year old friend, as she likes to pull my tail, or try and ride on my back. I’m ok with it though, I love the attention. ANY ATTENTION! My 7 year old friend loves to cover us up in blankets and watch T.V. He even sneaks me snacks when mom is not looking. Mostly I am just a curious pup, still learning commands, but I have come a long way in the past few months. I am fully house broken, and love to go on runs with my mom. I get excited when new people come to my house, so I’m still learning not to jump up on them…but I’m getting much better. My favorite time is at night, when the kids go to bed, and it’s just me and my mom. She spoils me with affection, and I lay right next to her for the rest of the night. She loves to take me out for long runs, all kinds of strangers tell me how pretty I am. Most of all, I am just happy to have a nice warm home, and people who love me. I think they love me as much as I love them. Thank you Midwest Paws…if it was not for you, I may never have known this kind of life. Thank you for all you do for me and my furry friends, and my new family thanks you too!!! We are a perfect match : ) Love, Baron Von Bodenhamer |
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Lexi  We are foster parents for Midwest PAWs, Lexi became apart of our family when I saw her at an adoption event. We already had our name on a weim puppy that came into the rescue, but after meeting Miss Lexi I fell in love and she went home with us that day. She was a very timid puppy with people, very scared but is getting better and now wags her tail and comes up to us. She LOVES her sisters and foster siblings and enjoys playing keep way with all of them. I'm glad she was rescued from that awful puppy mill and brought into our home where she can be loved and happy. |
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Sally  We are foster parents for Midwest PAWs and
Sally is our first foster failure. She was our first foster with Midwest
PAWs and we fell in love with her the minute she walked in the door. She
is a very soft sweet girl that just can't get enough attention. She is
very loyal and Daddy's little girl. She has a special place in our
hearts and was named after my parents GSP that we lost many years ago.
She now has 7 acres to run and hunt and is very loved and spoiled. |
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Todd
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 Hi, |
My name is Todd. (sometimes my family calls me Toad, but I don't mind) I was adopted in June of 2010. I am thriving at my new home. I still get scared sometimes and hide in the upstairs bedroom if there are a lot of strangers in the house or there is a lot of noise. I am pretty happy here. My family doesn't really know what happened to me before I went to foster care or how old I am, but have been very patient with me. I have another GSP, Lucy, and a little girl, Megan, to play with. When I first came to live here, I was terrified of everyone and everything. I would not even go outside without being on a leash. I would not let anyone pet me and I would only eat if my food was up in the bedroom. Now I eat in the kitchen with everyone else and I hang out in the family room with the rest of my family. They are so proud of me for going to the door and letting them know when I need to go outside. ( Especially since they just got new carpet- I got a little anxious when they put that new carpet in but love it now!) I love exploring the yard and beyond. I even bring them some wonderful surprises from my back yard adventures. I don't understand how anyone could not love a dead bird or animal bone, but the lady does not let me bring them in the house and she throws them away so I have to go and find more! I also like to go over to the yard next door and steal all their cool toys. Lucy and I love to chase tennis balls and play tug of war with sticks or the neighbors toys. I get to sleep with Megan and when it is time for bed, I go right up to her room and jump in her bed. It is so warm and cozy that I never want to get up! The man says I will probably never be able to go hunting with him because I am still gun shy ( whatever that means) but I am perfectly content to hunt for cool stuff in my own back yard! The lady says I get along really well with other dogs and am becoming more and more social every day. I want to thank Midwest Paws for saving me and for finding me a wonderful forever home Love Todd |
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Tango  Hi, my name is Tango. I was rescued by Midwestpaws from Topeka, KS. My owner could no longer care for me. These nice people came and saw me at the place I was staying and I heard them say something about fostering me. A few days later they came back and picked me up. I got to their house and found they had two other GSPs, a boy and a girl. I love playing with them! We all just get so excited when the squirrels come out in the back yard! The back yard is huge with four large trees...lots of squirrels to chase! I guess the people fell in love with me because they said they are adopting me. I was really happy to hear that because I really like it here! |
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Sasha  Midwest Paws, Just wanted to give you an update and say Thank You for Sasha, our GSP we adopted. I am not going to lie, when my wife and I went to go see Sasha at her foster parent’s home we were both worried. Sasha was three years old and has been living them for over a year. You could tell that she was very happy with them and they cared about her very much. We feared that she would be set in her ways or get depressed and would not adapt in our home, but were we wrong. The day we went and picked her up she jumped right up into the back seat and sat well the whole way home. When we arrived home she was so full of energy that she explored the entire house and acted like she lived there her entire life. Since that day, she has been awesome. She has been well behaved in the house as well in the field. She has even gone and walked the woods with me a few times and did great. She goes everywhere with me. When I put my jacket on she gets all excited because she knows that she is going somewhere. She runs right out to the truck and jumps right up in the back seat and sits. She doesn’t care if it’s just a ride to the store. I think she really enjoys all the attention. Whether she is playing catch with my son, following my wife around the house, playing with my grandson, chasing my wife’s dog around, or just lying in the chair with me relaxing, she is always well behaved and seems to be enjoying life in our home. Some people would say that Sasha is lucky for finding a good home, but my family would say, we are lucky for finding Sasha. Thanks again, Jim, Sherry and Sasha |
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Gracie  Hi! My name is Gracie. I am a 2 1/2 year old GPS. I want to say thank you to my foster family for taking such great care of me until I got to my forever family. I love my family and they love me. I love to take walks with them and sniff out the neighborhood smells. However, my favorite pasttime is monitoring our yard. I love to chase squirrels, bunnies, and birds. I "rollerskate" through the yard searching them out of their hiding places. Once tired, I retreat to the front porch to my chair or inside the house to relax until the next hunt starts. My family loves to pet me, play hide & seek with treats, & hug me lots. In return, I give them lots and lots of kisses. I am all love. My family and I couldn't be more blessed. Thank you, Scott, Tammie, Anna, Emily, and Gracie |
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