Brutus (Now Fitz)

My name is Brooke Norris. My boyfriend, Erik Green, and I adopted Brutus from CHA about a month ago. We renamed him Fitz and he is doing great!

We live in a second story apartment and he has found favorite places to look out the window and watch for people (and bark or growl, especially at bikes). He has been great with any new people that come over and when we take him to the dog park he seems to get along with other dogs pretty well. The beagle in him does take over wherever we go because he just wants to smell everything. Fitz loves to play fetch with a rope or ball (and is getting gradually better about the bringing it back part). He is very cuddly and likes to always be close to us around the apartment. He also likes to go on car trips; whenever we're driving somewhere he will sit on the pasenger's lap and try to get as close to the windshield as possible.

He has been great as far as letting us know when he needs to go out and hasn't chewed up anyting, except the occasional sock. He is pretty much crate-trained, although Erik works from home and we don't keep him in it at night, so he is only in the crate when we are both out. We took him to the vet about a week ago for a check up and everything was good.

Our experence with CHA was great! We described the type of dog we were looking for (smaller, male, under the age of 5, playful) and they brought out Fitz (Brutus) and let us take him out on a walk and get to know him. It was also great to have all of his infomration/records and coupons organized all in one folder that we could take with us. I have already recommended CHA to friends who were looking for a dog because I felt that the employee/volunteers we worked with were very open and honest about everything up front and helped us to get a pet that is a great fit!

Thanks for checking in!

Brooke and Erik

Magnolia Lily (Now Maggie) & Winn (Now Jigs)

Hello! Well, Maggie (Magnolia Lily) and Jigs (Winn) are doing well. Maggie had absolutely no problems claiming the house as her own and has explored every open room. Still quite the curious cat. Jigs had a bit of a harder time, hiding behind the couch and under the bed for most of the night. He still is a little shy and doesn't like fast moves. But a still hand in front of him invites a head butt and much rubbing is required.

The favorite toy in the house has to be the laser toy. Maggie has some serious "hops" and goes vertical quite often. Jigs isn't as fast, but he loves the mouse filled with catnip!

I've enclosed some pics of the two newest additions to the Davis family. Thanks for the opportunity to touch base.

Sincerely,
Jennifer and Terry Davis

Cecil (Now Harvey)

Hello! just wanted to let you know how Cecil (now Harvey) is doing.
We were a little worried about how he would do with our cats, but he
is doing great! Please see the picture below! (Wayne, formerly Crush, was adopted from CHA in June 2010.)

Harvey is a really sweet boy. When we first met him at the shelter,
he was really wild and jumping all over the place. At home, he is
much calmer and likes laying on the couch with us after his walks
around the neighborhood. He is working on his listening skills and
starts doggie classes on Thursday.

We are really happy to have this loveable pup as part of our family!

Thank you-
Herron Family

Molly (Now Honey)

Honey is doing really well and has just made herself feel at home. She has 3 toys she likes, especially the squeeky football. She loves to sleep in my bed with me at night and for a little dog takes up a lot of room. She just wants to be close. She is a good buddy when I am watching TV. I am so glad I chose her and she chose me. It is a perfect match and I love her dearly.

Carole Hoffman

Smudge
It's amazing how much time has passed since we adopted Smudge. Smudge is an absolute joy, but the transition has been a bit challenging. We kept him separate from his new playmates (an older Garfield looking cat named "Basil" and the runt of another litter named "Annie") for a while to let him get his bearings. We finally let in to his pitiful cries to go explore and explore he did. I really don't think that he's an escape artist; I think that he is just a truly inquisitive little man.

We really wanted a playful cat to keep up with our little Annie, but didn't think too much about the difference in size. I am happy to report that after much patience and work with the two of them, they're warming up to each other quite nicely. My husband and I were really concerned for awhile. I think what finally sealed his fate and our love for him is how he squeezes his long little body between the two of his as we sleep. One morning I woke up and realized that not only was he wedged between the two of us, but he had laid his head in the palm of my hand.

Smudge is the second black cat we have owned and they are definitely unique. For some reason, black cats seem to act more like dogs and have this great fascination with water. I'm currently shopping for a kitty fountain for Smudge. I figure that it would be easier than trying to teach Smudge to turn off the faucet with his kitty paws. His love of water has progressed into a fascination with the washing machine. It's a front loader and everytime that I start a load of clothes, he runs down to the basement and watches the clothes spin.

My husband and I were impressed with the shelter, especially the number of volunteers we encounterd that night. You folks take such good care of the animals and truly care for them. Hats off to you and thank you for rescuing Smudge so that we could take him into our home and spoil him rotten.

Sharon Hanrahan

Honey
Honey is doing wonderful in her new home. She has been the easiest dog we have adopted so far. No accidents and she is such a good girl. She has a dog brother, Ringo and a dog sister Zoe. Ringo is a Cattle dog mix who is 6 years old and Zoe is a Lab mix who is 15. We adopted Ringo from CHA last March. She gets along wonderfully with both dogs. Ringo doesn't do well with all dogs so we were a little worried how he would do with Honey. But, it worked out great. Ringo did a little growling for one day and then realized she didn't care so he stopped. Honey taught Ringo how to play. He didn't know how. Now they play all the time. It is so cute to watch. Honey takes every toy out of the toy box on a daily basis. This includes about 20 stuff animals. It looks like a war zone when she is done. She has chewed an arm, ear, leg, eye or nose off each animal to make her mark. She doesn't seem to have a favorite. Honey goes on a walk every morning and really enjoys that. She met the neighbors lab mix, Buddy, yesterday and she really liked him. Every time one of us sits in a chair or lays on the couch Honey jumps up and lays her head on your head or across your chest. If you don't make room for her, she will lay on top of you. She loves to cuddle.

Our experience at CHA was great. The volunteers were very friendly and helpful and the staff was also very helpful.

Thanks for taking wonderful care of Honey.

Patty Hoyer

Waylon
Waylon is settling in great and is a sweetheart. He just went a playdate last night with another puppy and had a blast. We have been training him and signed up for obedience classes that start next week. He is also teething and so far we have found two puppy teeth around the house. He loves bones and treats and his favorite toy is his kong stuffed with peanut butter. He has two cat siblings that he gets along with pretty well so far. Our experience with CHA was awesome and we love our puppy!

Thanks!

Kristen and Chris

Sir Charles

Sir Charles is settling in very well. We have another cat and each day they get a little closer to each other. We had a great time talking with Sir Charles' foster mom. It was nice to hear the story of where he came from and what he has done his first three months.

Joos Family

Hinata

Thank you for the e-mail. Hinata is very playful happy kitten. She plays hard. Then get tired and take long nap in our bed. The picture is taken in my daughter's bed room. All of us are happy with Hinata. Thanks again for letting us have Hinata.

Veda

Dear CHA Staff,

Veda has settled in beautifully! We were all prepared to have a bumpy "settling in" period what with the holidays and many visitors, etc. Much to our delight, Veda popped out of the cat carrier, investigated her new home top to bottom and made herself right at home. She has been subjected to all the family in and out at Christmas and a New Year's Eve party, but remained social and friendly to all. Veda has been very diplomatic with her affection and has spent equal amounts of time sleeping in each of our bedrooms. During the day, she likes to nap in her bed by the window where the sun shines in. Her favorite toy is definitely her tail. She seems to be forever amused with chasing her tail!

For anybody thinking about adoption, I highly recommend CHA. The cats were all so well cared for and the staff was very helpful. When we lost our beloved cat last April, I swore I would never want another cat. I couldn't imagine any cat filling her spot in our family. I can't believe how quickly all of us have fallen in love with little Veda. She is already a part of the family!

Thanks again for our little Veda,

The Campbell Family

Debo (Now Miko)

We adopted Debo (renamed him Miko) about a month ago after we lost our dog of 15 years to cancer. Our experience with CHA was great and Miko is doing really well! His backstory was that he was primarily an outside dog and would have to get used to everything about living in a house. This made us a little nervous about what we could be in for, but he has been amazing. He's not had a single accident in the house and quickly got used to indoor living. We have two young kids and he's been great with them as well--very friendly and gentle. He's also become quite the snuggly couch potato and warms up quickly to visitors. He likes to play with a toy bone, but most often wants to sit quietly close by your side. When he gets really happy, he prances like a show pony, which is very funny. The timid and shy dog we met is growing more confident and happy by the day. We all love him and his big bat ears very much. We feel lucky to have found him.

Fuller Family

Maize (Now Chase)

Chase has adapted to her new home very well. She was a surprise for Kati, our almost 6 year old daughter, for Christmas. Our family has been talking about a kitten for over a year now and had decided to get one in February for Kati's birthday...surprise! Christmas! Chase has a sister, Elia, who is a 9 year old chocolate lab, a crested gecko named Pete Parker, and a tank full of tropical fish to keep her company. Chase is very loving and frequently naps on us. She plays with everything, including her toys and our daughters! CHA was great to work with. Chase was at Petsmart and I'm glad CHA has this partnership. The employees at Petsmart know us from our meal worm supply for the gecko and our frequencies to the fish department. Chase is growing so much.

Thank you,

Suzanne

Simba (Now Bengal)

Bengal(Simba) is doing GREAT! He fit right in w/ our family and seems to be a happy little guy! I had been a little concerned about our dog not approving, but she actually seemed happy to have a new friend!  Just this week they came real close to sleeping in the same dog bed (We could tell Bengal was thinking about trying it! lol) The kids just love their new pet and even help change the litter box and feed him!  All in all, he has made a very welcome addition!! Thanks so much!!  

The Cleaver family

Chris (Now Sherman)

Hello Ambre - I want to thank everyone who took care of Chris(now named Sherman).  I can tell that his kind and lovable demeanor has been fostered well by CHA at the shelter! My experience with everyone has been fantastic!

Lois (Now Friday)

"Lois" the kitten is now Friday the kitten.  She is absolutely wonderful. She acts as if she has always been here.  She has 2 4-legged siblings...our 14 year old cat and our 8 year old dog.  Our elderly cat has actually gained weight and become much more youthful.  He had been going straight down hill since our other cat of 11 years passed away. 

Marc, Sarah, Jack, and Claire Aubry