Dear OHS,

After some looking, I finally decided to adopt a three year old cat,
Fiyero (aka Anton). He was found a stray cat and while he was beautiful he was a little homely looking and needed a good grooming. Now after a bath and a couple vet visits, he looks just as beautifulas ever! He has turned out to be a wonderful cat! He gets along
wonderfully with my roommate's cat, he loves to play with his new kitty friend and all the toys he has available. Plus, he is a great cuddler, likes to head butt, and purrs as much as possible. When we brought him home he adjusted very quickly. The second we let him out of the carrier he was curious, but acted just like he had lived here the whole time! Of course, I was very lucky to find a cat that adjusted so quickly and is as outgoing as Fiyero.

I want to continue to help as much as I can. When a friend asked me what I wanted for a belated birthday gift I asked them to donate to
OHS and that would make me happier than anything they could give me.

Thank you for giving our little ex-stray, Fiyero, a second chance and for giving me a new friend! :)

Sincerely, Rebecca P (posted 4/10/06)

I wanted to share with you two long term adoption success stories. We adopted Snow 18 years ago from OHS. He was a big white husky mix and a gem of a dog. He was calm and accepting and we had 7 wonderful years with him before we lost him to cancer.

When we went to OHS to get our next dog, eleven years ago, we had in mind a smaller dog. But In the very last kennel, (in the old building) was a dog that looked like a clone of Snow, another big white husky mix. My daughter and I looked at each other amazed. Had Snow come back to life? No, it was Belle, a female, and it was just meant to be. We had to take her.

That was eleven years ago and Belle has been another great dog. She is affectionate, fun, gentle and loyal. I now volunteer at OHS and I am humbled by how forgiving and giving all the dogs there are. Thanks for giving us Snow and Belle.

Alanna (posted 4/10/06)

Dear OHS,

We told the ladies, I forgot whom I had talked to ( had English or Aussie accent, I believe), that we would keep them updated on Capone, a white Boxer that came out of your shelter and was released into our rescue. This is a picture of him the day that his foster mum said that she was going to keep him, that he wasn't going anywhere. He climbed on her husband's lap, sighed and went to sleep. As you can see, he had an extra long tongue as a result of a malformed jaw, he also had one leg that was shorter than the others. He is such a sweet guy.

Thanks, Janet, Washington State (posted 4/10/06)

Dear OHS:

We adopted "Chantelle" (now Amy) last year on December 17. She was about 10 weeks old, but had a kitty cold.  My husband and I took turns holding her (all night long) and administering medicine, and occasionally we had her sleep on a heating pad. We thought it was touch and go, and she had to have fluid drained from where her spay surgery had been. But she pulled through, and she's an amazing cat.

Very independent, comes along on nearly every single walk with our dog Cody, friends with the cats next door, not afraid of anything (except for a strange dog that chased her to the top of our screen door), licks Cody's face, catches mice in our garage, is sweet and affectionate (and will drool as you pet her!). Thank you for Amy! Here she is snuggled with Cody (a puppy from Second Chance Companions, whom we adopted in February when he was 8 months old), whom she usually greets by butting his head and rubbing against his leg.  I noticed today she came to my lap first, but only because Cody was on a walk!  

Happy Holidays, Sharyn of NE Portland (posted 12/19/05)

Dear OHS:

Six years ago I adopted Olive and Mystick from OHS. Olive was the KATU pet of the week, yet I never saw the segment. I adopted her the same day she was on TV. She was the first cat I saw when I walked into the kennel and she immediately came to the front of her cage and purred. I knew immediately she was the one I wanted.

She is 11 now but still plays like a kitten. She follows me everywhere, constantly purring and waiting to play.

Even though I have a lot of friends, my life would be a lot more lonely and much more empty without these furry and fun companions.

Thanks for everything, Melinda M of SE Portland (posted 10/27/05)

Dear OHS:

Shadow is an amazing addition to our family of two cats, two young kids, and one 14 year old Standard Poodle.  All are getting along as great as can be expected for a new huge 82 pound four legged member of the clan. 

We are extremely happy that after spending the first 6 years of his life as an outside dog, he is now adjusting very well to being inside with a doggie door to our fenced yard.     

All in all he is a wonderful pet and we are still learning about all his personality!  When he first came home (this August) he showed us that he could open our sliding glass door with his nose, and push open our  very heavy gate and went right to our front door to wait for us.  He is always at our side just being love.  

Thanks, Kim of Portland (posted 10/27/05)