Alumni Tales 7

sAsha is quite the Sassy Cat

When I visited the cats at the MD SPCA, Maryland Monroe had just been spayed and wasn't feeling very feisty, but, after just a few minutes with her, I knew she was the cat for me. Even in her post-surgery daze, she showed a great mix of spunk and sweetness, and that personality grew when I took her home with me. A few months later she accompanied me in my cross-country move, including flying in the airplane with me, and she has become quite the sassy cat! She loves to race around our new home chasing invisible prey, play with crumpled up receipts and her own tail and lounge in the sunshine. I call her Sasha now and am so glad to have her with me in my new city! —Jaime

Rascal is irresistible

Rascal was lucky enough to be featured on WJZ as the morning pet up for adoption on March 20, 2010. Seeing his little face on TV was extremely hard to resist. So hard, that we saw him on the news at 7 a.m. and had him in our arms that morning at 11 a.m. He was already named Rascal and after spending 30 seconds with him, we knew it fit him perfectly.

He is such a loving dog. He cuddles and snuggles and adores his brother and sister. Rascal has become such a wonderful addition to our family. We are so thankful for the MD SPCA! —Katy

Finn Changed HER Life

I came to the MD SPCA in search of a dog because I was frustrated with running and walking alone and in a major a rut in my life. Everything was going well, but something was clearly missing. I needed a companion and protector in my new home. I didn't expect to find Snowy, now named Finn, who quickly bonded with me and became my best friend.

I walked into the adoption center and saw Snowy standing in the second kennel from the entrance, wagging his tail silently. He walked right up and greeted me with his gold eyes. I remember thinking he looked like a cross between a fox and a wolf (since then I hear the same on a daily basis). I immediately knew he was meant to be my dog. I was nervous about my new Husky/German Shepherd mix being a flight risk on the drive home, but he reassured me that we were a perfect fit by putting his paw on my shoulder at a stop light.

Immediately, Finn was the perfect fit for my home. At first, he was a picky eater and would not play with toys or take treats. Now he has grown to love a variety of treats and tosses his favorite rawhide bone in the air to play. He loves our morning and evening walks, daily brushing (he thinks he is a lap dog at 70lbs) and the neighborhood dog park. His favorite part of his new life is definitely going to his "work" every day, doggie daycare two miles from my office! While I spend the day in the office, he runs, plays and interacts with his pack. He is a favorite of the daycare staff, especially for the girls, who all offer and beg to take him home! We successfully completed intermediate obedience training and are currently enrolled in an advanced course. Finn goes everywhere with me, and I don't notice it anymore, but he never leaves my side regardless of where we are. He's as happy lounging on the couch as he is exploring the woods around our community. Adopting Finn was the best choice I have made, and he is loving his new life in his forever home. He truly has changed my life and made such a positive difference in my life and the life of each person who has the chance to spend time with him. —Elizabeth

Cinnamin is Absolutely Wonderful

My dad surprized me on Valentine's day with a trip to the MD SPCA. I was so excited to get a dog. As we walked down the rows of dogs looking for their forever homes, we couldn't decide and wound up getting in a argument over whether we wanted a Blood Hound or a Mastiff. After walking away from the Blood Hound, I wanted to head back to the Mastiff my dad fell in love. He had spoted Cinnamin happily wagging her tail. We raced in as two other couples approched, grabbed her papers and requested the dog. When asked if we wanted to walk her to get to know her, we said we didn't need to do so. My dad wanted this dog and nothing would change his mind. She is my dad's right-hand dog, she loves car rides and she gets excited so easily whenever we come home. She knows so many tricks and is absolutely wonderful. We wouldn't be as happy without her in the house. —Michelle

Quintin is Loved

We have had Quintin about six months now. His weight when we got him was 48 pounds. His is now about 75 pounds. Everyone loves him to death. —Kelly

Bella Is Loved

My husband and I had been looking for a dog to adopt for about two months. We knew that we wanted a dog who was less than 12 pounds and around 9-12 months old. We made many trips to the MD SPCA and on Sunday, February 21 we made our last trip! We woke up and went online to see what new pets were listed. We saw a dog named "Timmy" who we thought was very cute. We, along with our two children, quickly got dressed and made our way up to the MD SPCA at opening time. We saw Timmy, and I immediately thought he was bigger than we would like. We were looking for a lap dog. We decided to take him outside and realized he was a very well-behaved dog! Once we were back inside, we checked out the nursery. And there she was, Ruby (who is now Bella) was in the crate without any paperwork. I wanted to find out more about her immediately! In the meantime, we met with Timmy in the room. He was a great dog but just not the one for my family. I went to the front desk and began asking questions about Ruby. I was told that she had arrived the day before from a shelter in West Virginia. She had not been checked out by a vet yet, therefore she was not up for adoption yet. I was very dissapointed and made sure the woman at the front desk knew that I wanted to meet with her and eventually adopt her. As we walked around, my husband decided to check in on Ruby. She had papers and was ready to be adopted!!! Needless to say, we ran and got a helper, went into the nursery and she was taken out of her cage. She immediately rolled over onto her back, and I fell in love with her along with everyone else! We took her outside and then took her into the meeting room. I picked her up, and she cuddled up against me and gave me a kiss. She was ours to adopt!!! One more great ending to a great story is that Timmy was also adopted that day by a lovely couple!!!

Bella is a wonderful addition to our family! She is well behaved, very smart and very loving! My family and I couldn't imagine life without her! Bella is a Mountain Feist/Chihuahua mix. She was estimated to be around nine months old when we adopted her. We have designated May 5th as her B-Day! So, she is now about a year and a half old. We love her so much! She is part of our family! We thank the MD SPCA for everything that you do!!! I hope many other families chose adoption over purchasing their pets...Bella thanks you too!!! —Jennifer

Kibble is a Wonderful Dog

I adopted Kibble (previously Mona) in December of 2008. She is such a wonderful dog and is an absolute joy to have in our home. I thank the Maryland SPCA for connecting me with such a great friend. Kib loves to run, play with her toys and sit on your lap. She is physically unable to sit NEAR someone. She must sit ON someone. She is the friendliest dog ever and loves meeting new people. I snapped this pic while she was tuckered out. She's a tad scared of the camera so I had to be sneaky! As you can see, she's also a Ravens fan! —Kate

August Keeps Everyone Laughing

Hi I'm August (formerly Manny)! I came to the MD SPCA when I was nine months old. My first family taught me "cute" tricks when I was a pup, like sitting at the kitchen table! But when I got bigger, they didn't like it so much anymore. Now I live with my mom, whom I adopted when she came to visit at the shelter. She said she was just looking, but I got her with my big golden eyes. I love to talk to EVERYONE, including the neighbors, and I keep everyone laughing with my new tricks and sounds. I'm so glad I found my furever home : )

Sandy is Thriving

We absolutely love our little girl! We adopted Sandy from the MD SPCA on June 20, 2010 and are so happy that we did. Sandy (formerly Buttons) came to the shelter from BARCS after having her right eye removed. No one knows what happened, but it was clear it was something bad from Sandy's reaction to men. She was so shy and scared, it broke my heart. I can't imagine someone being so mean to a cute, innocent puppy! Well, Sandy is thriving now. She loves to play fetch, cuddle with us, chase her tail...she's up for anything! Thank you, Maryland SPCA, for helping us find each other! —Megan

Stephanie has found her Forever Home

My mommy, brother and sister adopted me after I stayed at the shelter a long time. They came during special adoption hours just to see me. My mommy saw my video on facebook and fell in love with me and wanted to bring me home. I am so happy to be in my new home. They bought me my own bed, my brother gave me his blanket, I have a yard to run around in and they take me for walks. This is my forever home. I love my new family. —Stephanie (adopted by Camille and family)

Stewie is one of the Best Things that Ever Happened to His Family

Hi. My name is Stewie! My mommy and daddy adopted me when I was eight weeks old. They only came to the MD SPCA to look, but I stole their hearts. I was the only mixed color puppy in my litter of all black brothers and sisters. I am a Lab mix and one of the best things that ever happened to my family. I am happy all the time and love being around people and other dogs. I love playing with my big sister, Onyx. She is a Chow/Lab mix. I drive her a little crazy sometimes, but she loves me! Thank you, Maryland SPCA, for letting my mommy and daddy adopt me! —Stewie (adopted by Melissa)