Happy Tails!
Hear first hand accounts from some of our wonderful adopters and how much joy their furry friend has brought them.
We met Koda when she was being fostered by our daughter’s family. They fell in love with her and thought she would be a great fit for our family. They were right! We fell in love with her too! We’ve had Koda for about 5 months now. We lost our 14 year old dog, Blue about a year ago and we were devastated. Having Koda has brought much love and laughter back to our house. As far as Koda’s adjusting into our household, I don’t really feel like we had any real challenges. We were used to having an older dog and when Koda came, it reminded us of what it was like to have a young dog again.
Since we first met Koda, I don’t feel like her personality has really changed. She seemed pretty happy and full of life when my daughter was fostering her. I am not exactly sure how she acted when she was actually in the shelter. Koda’s favorite treat is Beggin’ Strips. She loves walks, and playing with her toys. She loves to ‘sing’ along while my husband plays the harmonica. We spent many months feeling lost and sad without having our Blue around. When we adopted Koda, it brought a lot of joy back into our house. Everyone and I mean everyone loves Koda. Our whole family and neighbors adore her. She has been a great addition to our family. Even my cat Aj tolerates her and that says alot!!
Probably the most rewarding part of adopting Koda is knowing that not only did we rescue her but she kind of rescued us too. My advice to anyone considering adoption is to definitely adopt and not shop for your pet. You also need to realize by adopting an animal you are making a commitment to love and provide care for that animal for his/her entire life. You will end up spending a lot of time and money on your pet, but it will be worth every minute and every penny spent. When it comes to our experience with the rescue, I can’t say anything but great things. Everyone was helpful and answered any questions we had. The shelter and Koda’s foster home (I may be a little biased) must have taken good care of her because she came to us ready to be part of the family.
When I first started volunteering at the shelter about 4 years ago, we got a call from someone wanting to surrender a dog his son had bought on the side of the road. He told us “something’s wrong with the dog,” and admitted she’d been kept locked in a bathroom. We asked him to bring her in immediately.
When he arrived, the poor girl was stained yellow from sitting in her own urine. Right away, we noticed she struggled to hear and see. I couldn’t leave her in a kennel—cold, scared, and confused—so I brought her home.
My husband and I fostered her for about four months. During that time, we confirmed she is both deaf and blind, likely due to being a double merle. We knew she’d be harder to place, but we were determined to try. Eventually, I found what seemed like the perfect adopter in Pennsylvania. After weeks of talking, we planned to meet halfway in Nashville.
But when we met the family, Charlotte sensed something was off. She was anxious, wouldn’t let them pet her, and made it very clear she wasn’t going anywhere. And honestly, it was so hard to imagine giving her up that we were almost relieved she made that decision for us. After six hours of trying to help her settle, we finally accepted the truth: Charlotte was meant to stay with us. So we packed back up, drove home, and officially adopted our foster dog.
Today, she’s living her very best life. Even though she’s deaf and blind, she’s incredibly smart and has learned our routines better than any dog we’ve ever had. Nothing slows her down. She sleeps right on top of our heads so she can feel when we get up, and she follows us around the house like a little shadow, always finding her way with confidence. She’s created her own cozy hiding spots for when we’re not home, since kennels are a big no for her.
She may see and hear the world differently, but she understands love perfectly. We adore our little Charlotte, and we wouldn’t change a thing about her. (Actually we would change her fear for people but that’s an easy work around!)
Honey came into our lives as a foster, and it didn’t take long for us to fall completely in love. She fit right in with our family especially her foster siblings and none of us could imagine letting her go. That’s when we knew she was already home furever.
From day one, she acted like she had always belonged here. The transition felt natural and easy like she was meant to be part of our family.
At first she was a little escape artist from “jail” aka her kennel 😄 but once she saw her brothers and sisters using their kennels, she followed their lead. Now she actually loves her kennel and feels safe there.
Over time, she has become more confident and expressive. You can tell she knows she’s safe now and she loves to “sing” and yap like she’s performing at a concert.
Honey loves laying on her back and scratching at the air when she wants attention it’s one of her funniest and cutest quirks.
Honey has changed our lives by the love and joy she brings into our home. It is such a blessing. She truly adds happiness to our everyday life.
Everyone in our family adores her. She and Kojo especially love to cuddle their best buddies.
The most rewarding part of adopting is knowing you saved a life and gave them a loving home.
My advice to anyone potentially looking to adopt is to make sure you have the time, patience, and financial ability for vet care but if you do, it’s one of the most rewarding decisions you’ll ever make.
Overall, I feel this is an incredible organization to adopt from. Jessica was amazing and answered all our questions and still keeps in touch with us. It’s a small-town rescue doing big things to save animals of all kinds.
I was volunteering at the shelter and sweet Teddy (formerly known as Mr. T) was a mess. Had heart worm, missing a bunch of hair, and was a big guy. My husband Jon came to volunteer with me that Saturday and fell in love with him. I told him I didn’t think I wanted to take him on, and Jon said he didn’t think he’d get picked up quickly bc of all the reasons. So we took him home!
The first few days was us figuring out how he fit into the house. We knew from the shelter that he was very toy motivated, but would growl anytime you got close to it. We did a DNA test and found out he’s mostly Rottweiler and that’s a common trait for them - he was just talking to us! Now we growl with each other while we play.
Initially I was a little intimidated by his health issues and size. But all of that went away about a month into having him…his heart worm was under control, we put him in pjs to keep his skin covered while he was healing, and once we knew his growls were just him talking and not him being mean, we got to establish a relationship.
His love for toys instantly shown thru, but he started showing adoration of his people about 2 months in. He’s such a love bug and forgets he’s 100lbs often haha. He’s a great listener and crazy smart. When he wants something, I say “show me” and he’ll point with his head what he wants (usually toys or to go outside or treats).
We call it the gator roll - when he’s really loving on you, he’ll get so excited he flips on his back - when we start rubbing his belly he gets so into it he starts to roll around. We call it gator roll bc he’s so big that once he starts you can’t stop it haha
I genuinely know he helped our elderly dog live another 2 years after her brother passed. He’s the one thing that can uplift my spirits when I’m down. He’d do anything for me, and keeps me sane and grounded.
Our elderly dog immediately loved him. We got a Boston terrier from another rescue about 2 months after we brought Teddy home. I was so worried Teddy might accidentally hurt him that I muzzle trained Teddy, but there was no need! They are inseparable, and you can usually find them in a single crate together just chewing on toys
The most rewarding part of adopting has been seeing them thrive, and knowing you were able to give them the ease in life they deserve. Seeing them flop onto their backs and see them comfortable enough to be vulnerable makes me feel like I made a difference.
My advice to any potential adopters is to give them time when they get to your home. Be patient - it’s hard to know their history most of the time. Learn their needs…know that their personality will start to show in a few months, be kind and give them grace.
I volunteer with this shelter because I believe in the good they’re doing for these animals and the community. Everyone at the shelter gives their hearts for these babies, and goes to lengths I’ve never seen to be compassionate. They treat their dogs well, and let you make sure your decision is the right one.
I met Lilo (previously nillie) October of 2024. she was super nervous but slowly became more talkative and very cuddly. She loves seeing people (that she knows), watching birds, and cuddling on her specific pillow. I got Stitch a couple months ago (previously bug) when I realized Lilo needed a friend. he is very curious and loves all people, and loves to try and lay in the sink 🤣. Lilo wasn’t a fan at first but they love playing together now and I'm super happy with my decision. both of them might be a little crazy sometimes but i wouldn’t trade it for the world. If anyone is considering adopting a cat i would say go for it 100% but also know you can’t change them, but they will change you.❤️
