I lost my best friend. He died in my arms, and I didn’t think I would ever find another best friend as fast as I did… but apparently Gabriel needed me. That’s why God took Fred, my 15 year old Senegal parrot. From the minute I walked in and laid eyes on Gabriel, I knew we were a perfect match, as he laughed and talked about in his own special little language. He told me, “Papa, where have you been? I’ve been waiting for you to come get me.” I promised him I would be back. I did not tell
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Archives for Happy Tails
Learning to knit
I adopted Spice in January 2016 when she was 14 years old. She was shy and quiet. She has blossomed into an amazing cat. Very active and playful. Loves toys and likes to include me in her play time. She is currently ‘learning to knit’ with some spare yarn I gave her. Spice now Sweetie (a.k.a., Fatty Cat)
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Sweet Pea fills us with joy
After our beloved toy poodle, Tarot, passed away last month, we were bereft. Sweet Pea leapt into the void with her happy tail wagging and perky attitude, and we are all smitten with her sweet disposition. Liberty now Sweet Pea
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Hemi from the Love Train
We had just lost our Border Collie, Ringo. He was 11 years old, and we said we were going to adopt a senior dog. But every time we looked, there were no senior dogs…and then we saw the Love Train coming from Tennessee, and Hemi (aka Ruby) melted our hearts. Ruby now Hemi
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Mouses’ new house
My fiancé and I went to HSHV every weekend for a year. We knew exactly what we were looking for. A grey and white pitbull, about two years old. We came across many incredible pitbulls but my heart was set on a grey and white color. One day we got a text from a volunteer (Shelley Troxell Tessmer) who said you have to come and meet this sweet girl. She’s perfect for you guys. We came in and she was so quiet (as a mouse) completely grey with white on her chest and her feet. We came back three times
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Gunner is Living The Good Life
This sweet boy was adopted as a puppy in June 2014 from HSHV. Now he happily lives with his family and 3 cat sisters. He loves car rides, visits to the ice cream shop, walks and naps on the couch.
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Joyful Josie
In June 2017, 2 weeks after moving into our first house, we decided to adopt a little puppy from the HSHV Love Train. We say “decided” lightly because it wasn’t really a decision, it was a given. It wasn’t the greatest timing, we had a LOT going on, but as soon as we met Josie (formerly Catwoman) we just knew she was a part of our family, and she instantly wiggled her way into our hearts – -where she will forever stay. She had a bit of a rough start. She was spayed when we adopted her, and she ended
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Lottie finds her home
I had been looking for a dog for a couple of months after moving into my first house and had been visiting HSHV frequently. One Saturday afternoon in April 2017, after a hike, a friend and I stopped by HSHV just to look around. Lottie’s was the second to last kennel we walked by, and her eyes drew me in. I instantly fell in love with her. I took Lottie home two days later and we have been inseparable ever since. The day I brought Lottie home, she walked into my house and climbed right onto the couch. She made
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Puppy Mill Rescue
Dudley was a puppy mill rescue who ran away from another rescue (reportedly). An HSHV volunteer found him (fortunately). The “rescue” decided to leave him with HSHV (thankfully!). I fostered him for a year where he formed a tight bond with my Westie, Isabelle. Dudley would never be able to be adopted as, along with other behavioral problems, he barely even let me pick him up. So, he became “a foster failure.” Isabelle passed three years ago and though he missed her, he finally started bonding with me. I got another rescue, Teddy, who is very lovable. Dudley finally decided he
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Our family feels complete now, thanks to Bernie
We instantly fell in love with Bernie (formally Manuel) when we met him one Sunday morning. He put his little paw under the cage, and I had a feeling in my stomach that he was the one. We had been toying with the idea of getting a puppy since we now are homeowners with a big fenced in yard and lake nearby. He had a rough start, stray puppy, Parvo, and a possible injury to his nasal passages — but since we’ve brought him home, he’s flourished! Our four-year-old daughter and Bernie love to cuddle, go for walks, and play
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