Scout the Survivor

I adopted Scout back in April from Magnificent Mutts when he was my work at the animal hospital being treated for Parvo. I call him survivor scout because he lived through this virus that's so often fatal. When I adopted him from Linda, he was less than three pounds and so weak he could barely walk. I'm so pleased to report that in the past few months he has gone from one extreme to the other-- he's a ball of energy and by the time we are finished hiking or playing its me who can't walk! He has finished all of his vaccines and has been neutered now, and his.training has gone so smoothly, although he still loves to steal my flip flops. Thank you so much Linda and all the other fabulous volunteers and fosters. This little guy reminds me every single day that life is a blessing. He shows such joy and enthusiasm for life, its hard not feel gratitude and smile when I'm around him

Lola's Tail

Hi Linda

I just wanted to send along a few pictures of Lola that I had taken today and one from when she was 8 wks old. We just had the yard fenced so she can romp and play outside as much as she likes. She also got a new dog house to hang out in and watch the birds on the pond behind our house. We are near completion of our second puppy class and enrolled in the next intermediate level. Just this week she has learned wave and crawl to add to her repertoire of shake, sit, down, and a pretty darn good come to name a few! She is doing extremely well and she is growing so fast!
I had taken her home on St. Patricks day from your Elmhurst event and I cannot thank you enough for entrusting her to me. It was a rough time for us as we had just lost our Shiba to liver failure. Lola has helped mend my broken heart. She has been the most amazing joy we could have ever hoped for. She has such a wonderful personality, is such a cuddler, and gets tons of compliments wherever we go because she is just so beautiful. We love her so very much and are so thankful that she is part of our family. We couldn't imagine our lives without her!

Thank you for your compassion and all that you do!!
Peggi R.

Cassie's Happy Tail

Dear Linda,

Just wanted to give you a picture and an update on Cassie - a black German Shepherd you rescued from Terra Haute, Indiana.

I have had Cassie since you allowed me to adopt her on November 1, 2008. She is happy, healthy, and doing very well.

Cassie goes to camp at doggie day care at Petsmart twice a week and has a blaswt they lover her at the Petsmart. She is still wary of strangers but she adjusts after a few meetings. She is a GREAT dog and I love her very much. She and my Golden Retriever Sunny are very close although Sunny is the boss. Here is a recent picture of Cassie.

Thanks again for rescuing Cassie from Indiana. I wanted you to know she has a wonderful life.

Sincerely,

Linda Maranda

Honey's Honey 2 (Ivan)

Hello!! My family and I adopted Honey's Honey 2 (Ivan) now renamed Mojo (my boys renamed him) on June 5th. We were looking to add a new member to our family after having to make the difficult decision of putting down our 11 yr. old sheperd, our beloved Sheba. We had time to heal and was ready to open our hearts and love again. Then we found Mojo. He has been such a joy!!! He is very smart. He knows how to sit and give paw. He is just about housebroken, only an occasional oops which is great for his age : ) He loves to play ball and run around in the yard with the kids. He is awesome with walking on a leash and loves to go on walks and will happily greet and give kisses to anyone who will show him attention along the way.
We took him to the vet on June 14th for his shots, deworming, heartworm preventive and routine puppy check-up. He gained 4.5 lbs since he was seen by the vet there when we picked him up that day in Elmhurst. All looked good and is due to go back July 5th.

We can never thank you enough for choosing us as his forever home. We love our little Mojo!!!

The Banaski Family
P.S. I will keep in touch and share photos and happytail stories.

Warfette

We adopted Warfette, now renamed Sasha 3-4 months ago. She is a sheltie/collie mix. She was 8mos. old at the time and very shy. The day we adopted her she was afraid of a man in an Easter Bunny costume so we picked her up and took her outside. We spent about 30 minutes with her, my boyfriend held her like a baby and she wouldn't let him put her down. This was the start of a beautiful friendship, she is definitely his dog. Always at his side. The first week we had her we took her to the vet and sadly she had one of the worst cases of Red Mange our vet had ever seen. Treatment of Red Mange consists of getting weekly Mitaban dips and skin scrapings which is VERY expensive and toxic to dogs, especially sheepdog breeds. To this day she is still getting dipped. This is a very exhausting process for the poor pup. She has most of her hair back now after 3months and her scratching has become minimal. With lots of prayers we hope she'll be done with her treatment very soon. On a happy
note, she is loving her new home. She has a best friend, another sheltie, and spends most of the day sleeping on the love seat in the sun or playing ball in the back yard. The excitement of her day is taking a walk through the neighborhood. She was 27lbs when we adopted her and is 39lbs now, she's a growing girl. She has the sweetest temperament and loves to be pet and cuddle on the couch. Sasha and our other dog, Sadie, are inseparable. We have had to do a lot of socialization with Sasha when we first adopted her. She was very afraid of men, we think she had a previous man be mean to her. She's opening up now and enjoying visitors at the house petting and playing with her. We definitely love her and believe we were meant to adopt her. She's a great addition to our household.
Sincerely,
Jessica & Nathan

Update on Emma (formerly Austine)

Emma is adjusting nicely to her new life. She is a great addition to our family. She loves to run, jump, and play ball with her new bother and sister - Duke and Molly. She is learning to obey basic commands and heel on a lead. She has a sweet temperament and loves to cuddle and give kisses.

Health Update
As you may recall, Emma had some complications from her spay surgery. I'm happy to report that the antibiotics worked well and no further treatment will be necessary.

Ron & Nadeene

MIZZBEE now Chloe

On june 13 my family and I recently adopted a norfolk terrier who is a year old whos name was Bee but we changed it to Chloe. We love her and she has warmed up and she seems to be comfortable now so here are a few pictures of her now.

Thank you so much =]

Hercules now Hank's Happy Tail

Hi Linda,

How are you? Just wanted to say hi and send an update of Hank formerly Hercules. He is wonderful and so so sweet! I love him and enjoy every minute and everyday with him.

Thanks Vicky Jagielka

Zander's Happy Tail

Hi Linda-

We adopted Zander last Thursday night. We've renamed him Stanley, since we felt it was time appropriate after the Blackhawks won. He is such a sweet boy-a little bit of a velcro puppy, but I'm sure it's just because he's been through alot. He also is getting along well w/Watson our Dane. We took him to our home up in Door County last weekend and he had a great time. He has caught on really quickly to house training. I'm going to get him into a puppy class at the obedience school where Watson went. I also stopped by Page's Healthy Paws which is a natural pet food store in Lake Zurich and they recommended Now puppy formula, so we're switching him over to that food.

He had a visit to our vet yesterday, and received several boosters as well as a fecal check, and a general exam. Dr. Shakir said he would honor the pricing for neutering that you have set up with several of the vets in the western suburbs. Do you just need proof, such as a fax from him that it was done? I think we'll wait until the end of July to give his bones as much time as possible to grow.

Thanks for your help, and we'll continue to let you know how he's doing.

Lisa and Scott O'Dell

Glenda's Happy Tail

Hi Karen,

Hope this finds you well and enjoying this wet weather and paw prints everywhere. Linda had sent me a note a while back with Glenda's microchip asking for pictures and I've been remiss in getting back to her; and now I see it's your email address I have so please if you could forward them on

thanks much,
Cathy

Jaimee's Update

Hi Mary,
I wanted to send you a few pics of the boys and Jaimee. She is so good with them and is starting to protect them like they are her babies (even barks at my dad if he starts playing too rough). I'm so glad to have found her, we're starting training classes next week to teach her a few things...she already knows sit and down but I want to do something more formal so she can get out and interact with other dogs too. Thanks again for everything, let me know if you have any trouble opening the pictures (one of them only has Jaimee's nose in it, but thought it was too cute not to send).

Lisa

Jainey's Update

Hi,
Jainey (Abby) is doing great. She is now 33 lbs, has all her shots done, and is a good eater. Still piddles in the house sometimes but she's starting to get the idea. My 90 year old father loves her.
There isn't a safe shoe in the house. We had out of town guests for our daughter's wedding and tomorrow they're all leaving with one less pair of shoes.
We'll send a picture as soon as we take some new ones.

Lori Gronowski

Athena's Happy Tail

Hello,
We're very much enjoying the newest member of our family - Athena. She's adjusting very well and we're very happy with her progress. We've been working on simple commands at home and she's learning them quickly. She's food motivated so that makes training a little easier! We've tried signing her up for two different obedience classes and they were both cancelled. We just tried signing up for a third that will start later in the month. Once we're confirmed for that class, we will fill out the pink form and will mail it in. She's had her second round of shots and her test for hook worm came back negative so she's good to go. She has a great appetite, is playful, and sleeps through the night. She's doing very well with potty training and hasn't had an accident in two weeks. Will send more updates as we progress. Thanks again for your part in helping us find our new family member. She's very loved!
Kindest regards,
Nicole

Simba's Happy Tail Update

Hi Debbie,
I hope all is well in your world! We are all good in ours. Simba is
growing like crazy. She has now become our gentle giant! I wanted to
pass a couple of recent pictures of her onto you so you can see. She
really is such a good dog. Her and Juno love each other to death. They
play all the time and when she isn't playing she is like a huge throw
rug on the floor!
Talk to you soon,
Nicole

Lexey & Bentley Updates and Happy Tails!

Linda,

Not sure if you received my email in March. I just wanted to send you an update--perhaps you can use in your website newsletter.

The dogs--Lexey & Bentley--are doing great. I can't believe they'll be two years old on June 20. We are so grateful we have these two boys in our life.

Take care, Linda. Hope all is going well as Mag Mutts!

Lorie Crouse

P.S. Lexey had his 10 seconds of fame on Channel 5 -- Brant Miller posted his photo (the one I'm enclosing of him smelling the daffodil) after his weather report a couple weeks ago. I'm also enclosing another photo of Bentley from April--a bit more recent than the former winter photos I sent.

Hi Linda,

Hope you and your great organization are doing well.

I wanted to send you a couple recent photos of our boys, Lexey and Bentley (formerly Spanky & Frankie). They LOVE playing in the snow. They are totally spoiled and get a spa treatment EVERY time they come in from the cold. We have dog washcloths and towels in their sunroom; we wet two washcloths, wrap them inside a hand towel and microwave it for a minute. They get a nice warm wipe down when they come in from the cold. They especially love the warm towels on their bellies and getting all the snow off of their paws and legs. They actually lay there with their eyes almost closed--like they're falling asleep getting a spa treatment. In the hot summer, we wipe them down with cool washcloths.

Okay . . . you do realize these are our four-legged children, right? Yes, they are spoiled rotten, but they give us so much in return. They are great little watch dogs, and they bring us joy each and every day. We're also so happy we kept them together.

The boys are doing great--such great dogs! They weigh 50 lbs. each and will be two years old this June 20 (that's the official birthday we gave them). I can't believe they're going to be two! They grew up to be very handsome dogs. We're absolutely thrilled with them. Our male cat, Beamer, loved them from Day 1. He lets them lick him all over and loves hanging with them. Our female cat, Porsche, is still coming around--and has gotten much better about them. However, she still lets them know as the only four-legged female in the household, that she rules! If you can believe this, she actually herds them out of certain areas of the house where she feels they are not allowed. They take her very seriously and don't mess with her. Even though this 10 lb. spitfire can have her moments, we've spotted her quietly spying on Bentley up close. We think she has a little crush on him. Bentley is the quieter of the two dogs (he's the black and tan dog); Lexey barks at any two-
or four-legged creature outside--and there's everything out by us--deer, raccoon, opossum, skunk, fox, squirrel--and, unfortunately, coyote. We're trying to train him on barking at the right things, but we've decided it's pointless.

Thought you'd want to see a couple recent photos. Again, we can't thank you enough for rescuing our great guys--we call them our little de-stressors! After a rough day at work, they always make us laugh.

All the best,

Lorie & Curt Crouse

Maxie's Happy Tail

Hi there. This is Rachael Grzyb who adopted "Maxie" the German Shepard, renamed Lincoln, back in April. Just wanted to let you all know how great she is. I can't understand why anyone would have ever wanted to give her up. But I'm glad they did because now she's mine. She gets along great with my 3 pound Maltese. The two of them can play for hours outside. She also gets along great with my 8 year old daughter and my two cats. She is the most loving and affectionate dog. Most of all she does her job of why I "hired" her. She keeps me protected and feeling safe in my home. I love her so much!! Just wanted to give an update on her and tell you all thank you for saving her for me.

Sincerely,

Rachael Grzyb

Ted's Happy Tail

Ted is doing well alitlle skidish of the mower and hose he was able to go inside so he did but came out later. My daughter & her baby came over and he was happy to see them Eva is bossing him he seems okay with that Liz

Famous Alumni

Tinley dog dresses as Santa for Mokena event

photo: Amanda Jacobs/22nd Century Media.
May 26, 2010 | 01:46 AM

Vicki Medlik of Tinley Park walks her Great Pyrenees, Hoss — dressed as "Santa Hoss" — in the Woofstock Pet Parade on Sunday, May 23, at Main Park in Mokena.

Button's Happy Tail

I did get your thank you note and I think it should be my thanking you for Buttons. If I ever get her under control on a leash I will have the GREATEST DOG IN THE WORLD.

Betty

P.S. My other two are pretty great too!

Robbie's update

Hi Sonia,

Robbie is doing well. I think he's getting a little more muscle. We walk twice a day so hopefully I'm getting a little more muscle too. He's eating well and allowing us to sleep. I call him my angel. It was good to talk to you last night. I hope to get more pictures or Robbie in a couple of weeks when my son gets a new phone.

Take Care,

Nancy McLean

Look at this pretty girl!

I am happy to report that the spay wound is doing much much better! They suggested leaving the stiches in for a bit more than the 10 days...so we will go back in sometime mid-this week. We had another concern yesterday as after she went pee, there was a small amount of blood (this morning as well). Rob took her over to the vet right away and they thought perhaps it was because she was in heat when being spayed. They suggested finishing the antibiotics, and getting a urine sample when we come in to get the stiches out this week (antibiotic free)...so we will do that.

Despite all of these medical issues, she is doing great! We seem to have the house training down (we are hoping she develops a signal for us to take her out). As the wound is looking so much better, we took her to the dog park (and she LOVED it!). We are going on a few short walks a day (will wait a few more days to go longer). She loves the yard.

While we are keeping her off the furniture, we have allowed her on the couch in our family room (she has a blanket to sit on). She just loves it. At night when things get done, we sit down to watch some tv...she knows it and is so happy to plop down and shut her eyes.

Katie and Rob

Cooper's Happy Tail

Hi Linda and Sonia!

I transported Cooper, the chocolate Lab, two Saturdays ago, and now he has found his forever home with us! He was so good tethered in the car and had such a great personality - just what we were looking for! He went up to Magnificent Mutts, so I contacted Linda when I couldn't stop thinking about him. We drove up and picked him up Friday afternoon. He's a terrific dog and we're so glad we found him. We have two older dogs (12 and 14), so he's keeping them on their toes! Everyone's getting along really well.

Just think, if I weren't helping such a wonderful bunch of people save some great dogs, we never would have found him! Thanks for all you do!

Diane

Glenda's Happy Tail

Morning Karen........

She is the biggest sweetheart !! and totally wonderful. Her and Tobi are pretty much inseparable and just amaze me how they communicate with each other and how smart they are. We are all having fun.

Pogo and Polo's Story

I adopted two sweet dogs from you about 4 years ago. They were named
Pogo and Polo. I renamed them Guinness and Harp. Well I am sorry to
inform you we lost Guinness this weekend. He died of a massive stroke
on Saturday. I managed to get him help within 15 minutes of the event
and we tried valiantly to save him but I guess it was his time. He was
so sweet and kind they never even bothered muzzling him the whole time.
He didn't have a mean bone in his body. His brother Harp is beside
himself with stress and loneliness. I am thinking about bringing
another dog into the house so Harp is not alone all day.

I want to ensure Harp is happy with the transition so I may want to take
some time in finding the right match. We have a wonderful home with a
big fenced in back yard. The boys had their own bedroom with a nice
twin sized bed to sleep on, full run of the house at all times and a
doggy door so they could come and go when they wanted to. I am
comforted that Guinness knew he was loved greatly and wanted for nothing
while his was with me. I think he would want another needy dog to be
rescued and given a loving home as he was.

Dana G Dunne

Riley Gardening

Garcia now Tula's Happy Tail

To Whom It May Concern:

We adopted our puppy Tula in January of this year from your Rescue Organization, her name at the time was Garcia. We were told that we needed to provide proof of her being spade by May. Tula had the operation over the past weekend and is doing great! Attached is the receipt from Elmhurst Animal Care to verify this. Brenda Petruck and I are the owners. I cannot seem to remember if there was a specific form we needed to use to provide you with this information. If there is another route we need to go in order to provide you with this documentation or if you need a specific identifier in order to verify the puppy please let me know. I have also attached a couple of pictures of our little girl, she is too cute! Thanks and have a good one!

Updated pic of Jagger

Jainey now Abbie

Hi Everybody,

It's Abbie Gronowski (Jainey). I just wanted you to know I'm doing great. I've grown a lot and I get into everything. Tomorrow I'm going to my first vet appointment. (The vet is mommy's cousin).

My kitty sister doesn't like me much. She always hisses at me and then chases me under the table. Mommy never heard such weird noises coming out of a cat. My big brother, Gus, likes me. We play all the time. He's 11 and I'm keeping him young.

Sometimes I sleep with my brother and his wife, sometimes I sleep with mommy, but I love to sleep with Gus. If I could only learn to pee outside mommy would be very happy. We're running out of paper towels again.

Hope you're all doing well. We'll send pictures when mommy learns how.
Abbie

Toby's Happy Tail

Dear Minday and Linda,

Here are some pictures of Toby (aka Ewok) with his new pack of canine sibs, Russell, Rani, and Benny. I will see if I can get some pictures of Toby at agility class (begins 4/17) to pass on. Toby is doing beautifully, by the way. He particularly loves playing with Ben and snuggling with all of us on the bed. He had his first long walk in the forest preserve today and seemed entranced by the geese, ducks, racoons, and particularly the squirrels (he and Ben are the official squirrel patrol).

Thank you both again from the bottom of our hearts for Toby and for your kindness and love in caring for him.

Sincerely,

Caryn and Todd (and Russell, Rani, and Ben)

Riley's Happy Tail

Hi Linda,

Riley is doing great. Not a single mess in the house and he's getting along with the older dogs (photo attached).

He's a typical puppy and we keep "redirecting" him, but we love him a bunch. His cough is almost gone, too.

Thanks for facilitating the adoption.

Karen and Randy Weissman

Rocky and Drago's Happy Tails

Hi Magnificent Mutts!

Just wanted to give you an update on our two pups we adopted from you guys.

In January 2009, we adopted little Mighty Mouse. He was only 9 pounds when we got him. We changed his name to Rocky Apollo and he has grown to over 50 pounds. He has a ton of energy and loves going for runs. Rocky can go up to eight miles now, and is begging for more! He loves going to the dog beach, visiting Grandma and Grandpa (who spoil him more than we do) and playing with his cousin, Artie. Artie was his favorite playmate, until ...

A week and a half ago we brought Rocky to get his picture taken with the Easter Bunny. We left with another puppy! We planned to wait until after our wedding in November to adopt another dog, but much like Rocky, Viggo seemed to choose us (well, he chose Jenny). His smile and cuddliness was too much to pass up, so we went home with our early wedding present. After a lot of deliberation, Viggo became Drago Lang, sticking with the Rocky theme. He's still getting used to his new home a bit, and to his new big brother. They play constantly. Rocky always wants to keep playing, even when Drago is completely wiped out. Drago has already learned his name, how to sit and is getting a handle on where he needs to go to the bathroom.

We're all looking forward to a summer of playing outside, long walks and runs, and more time at the dog beach! Thanks for everything you guys do. We've gotten two wonderful puppies from you and have been recommending your organization to our friends and families. Keep up the good work!

Brian Hertel, Jenny Wisz, Rocky and Drago

Jainey now Abbie's Letter to Mag Mutts

Hi Everybody,

It's Jainey, but my new name is Abigail (Abbie). I'm having a good time in my new home. I have an older brother named Gus and two kitty sisters, Cloey and Lea. I also live with my mommy and daddy and my human brother, Greggy and his wife Theresa. I was born on my daddy's birthday. I've been a pretty good girl except for all the peeing I do. I even peed up my mommy's bed my first night. My favorite toy is my daddy's house slippers. Mommy put my picture up on Facebook and everybody loves me. One nice lady wants to dog-nap me for her little boy but mommy said NO.

Mommy will send you pictures as I grow. Thank you all for taking such good care of me.

Love,
Abbie Gronowski
xoxoxoxoxoxoxo