Hi Heavenly Hearts,

Wilson (formerly Sluggo) has been a dream.  Yes, we are still in love with him.  We are definitely blessed to have him.   He is a perfect fit for our family.  I always tease Paul that he is my boy cuz he does love me;).  He loves to snuggle Lilly.  He lives for her.  It is very sweet to watch them interact.  He isn't happy unless he is touching her somehow.  He just turned 1!  Where does time go?  He weighs 22lbs.  He is still kennel trained although he is in
there less all of the time.  He hasn't chewed much, but we do give him lots of toys/snacks to chew so he doesn't feel like he has to eat anything he isn't suppose to.  He is very smart and listens wonderfully.  Of course we have put a lot of time into him which helps with the pay off.  We take him everywhere with us.  We spent a lot of time in the boat with him this summer.  He liked the boat but wasn't crazy about the water.  By the end of the summer he was much more comfortable. 

We laugh because people always say, "he is so cute, what is he?"  We very seriously say that he is a Siberian Kangaroo Hound.  We have had a few people look at us with a blank stare.  We have had other people call him a ligar (mix between a lion and tiger).  

We can't thank you enough for allowing us to have him.  We are all very happy!

Enjoy the pictures. 

Thank you again,

Kim

My husband and I adopted Molly from Heavenly Hearts on Halloween of 2009. We renamed her Busy, because she is a very very busy girl--she is always rearranging her toy basket, learning new tricks, and playing with her numerous dog friends.

Here is a photo of the three of us in Florida last Christmas. She wasn't sure what to make of the waves, but she enjoyed all of the new smells.

Busy is such a huge part of our lives now, I can't imagine not having her around. I am in my third year of veterinary school and she is my companion, mascot, and reminder of why I want to be a veterinarian.

Thank you for letting Busy into our lives!

Sincerely,

Jessica and Chris 

Hi Heavenly Hearts!

It is Colin and Jenna writing to let you know about Penny-dog.  We have now had Penny for around 7 months and she is still doing great and is completely spoiled rotten.  I don't know how to stress that last point enough.  My wife and her have become quite the pair of buddies and I usually find them napping/laying on the couch watching tv.  I never knew that dogs could lay around and sleep so much.

When Penny is not laying around being a lazy couch potato she is usually begging for someone to tug with or looking for someone to throw a toy for her, and someone usually complies (emphasizing the spoiled part again).  We have gotten very comfortable with her being off leash.  She is extremely intelligent and enjoys the company of people to the point that she doesn't like being on her own which makes her off-leash obedience very easy to manage.  Since we live adjacent to a "shop" of my employer everyone has come to know Penny around the house and it is even to the point where Penny will disappear while we take her outside to go and say hello to all of the people working in the buildings.   We usually wait for her to get done and she comes back to the house so we can let her in.  One day she took longer than usual to come out and we later found out that one of the employees had brought in some snacks for her, so Penny made a special new friend that day.

I hope all is going well with you and thanks again for your help in taking care of our dog before we knew her.

Colin and Jenna

Dear Heavenly Hearts,
Molly is doing great. Since my last email, she has had lots of my family and their kids visit this summer. We have been up north to my sisters lake house with all my family and 8 nieces and nephews. Lots of action and noise. She loved it. My sister who has the lake house has a dog named Darby who loves the water. After watching Darby, Molly was running in the water also. She had lots of room to run and play. She loved the pontoon boat rides, ranger rides (like a four wheeler, but more car like) and she even took a slow ride on the wave runner with me, sitting between my legs and arms. She loves to play with her cousin Maddie from Heavenly Hearts also. We sit and laugh when they get together.

We also started dog class this summer. We flew through the basic class and now have been promoted to the beginner class. We train Wed evenings and Sun mornings. She enjoys going to class. Looking to start agility also in a couple of months. I think she will really enjoy it. Today our instructor was unable to make it, and we were asked to join the class above us. She actually did better than a lot of the dogs in the upper class. She is a smart girl. After this class or the next (cant remember), we are going to take a class to obtain certification to be a therapy dog. Once we pass that class, we are certified to visit any health facility. I would really like to visit hospitals with her, especially children's hospital. She loves everyone and they love her.

Everyone comments on her beautiful coat and her sweet face. She has lots of dog friends that she flies around chases with. Today she had two play dates with friends dogs that they chased and chased and tired themselves out.

Chris

Hi Heavenly Hearts Rescue,

We adopted Teddy the Pomeranian in December of 08.   He was in the area of 13 years old when we got him so that would make him around 15 now.   He is such an easy going guy and has been a hit where ever we take him.  I've never had a dog attract so much attention but he has such a cute face.  Most of his front teeth are missing.  I guess they were rotting and falling out so they had them removed at the shelter.  It doesn't seem to bother him a bit.   He putters around the house and sleeps where ever the kids are.  If they are in their room, there he is sleeping on the bed.  If I go in the basement to work out, he lays on the couch until I go upstairs. Gosh he just makes me smile when I see him.  He loves people and walks up very slowly to everyone and wags his tail.  He doesn't bark or bite or move fast.  It’s kind of like living with a 90 year old man.  He always looks lost and I don't think he can hear much of what we say but he is the cutest thing in the world and he is the easiest guy.  What a pumpkin.  Can't believe anyone would pass up on a guy like him.   He's a great pal and I can't picture our lives without him.    Would adopt an old man again. It definitely took him some time to get used to us but he has the life of luxury now. 

Just wanted to give you guys an update to let you know he's doing just fine.  I think he has a great life now and we sure are happy to have him.  Thanks a bunch for all you did for him until we got him here.

Gayle

Hi Heavenly Hearts,

It’s been a couple of weeks since I last wrote, so I thought I’d touch base again.  As you can see, Shelby is doing great and looking good!  Our daughter’s dog, Sadie, was here for a couple of days, it was the second time the dogs have been together so it took less time for them to get used to each other.  Luckily I had my camera in hand when Shelby decided to give Sadie a kiss!  The look on Sadie’s face is priceless!  Obviously, she was surprised!

We’ve finally found a toy that Shelby likes!  It’s one of those knot ropes disguised as a tiger.  She’ll usually toss him around a little, then chew on his head a little, then put her head on him to sleep.  She’s not real interested in the tennis balls yet, although she seems to enjoy watching me throw them and then watching me fetch them too :)

She’s such a good girl, such a sweetheart.  I know I keep saying it, but we still can’t believe how lucky we are!  The vet and his staff and the people at the pet food store love her ~ no one can believe she is a rescue.  I wish she could tell us her story.  We’ll never know, of course, but I like to think she wasn’t treated badly, and that whoever had her would be glad to know she’s safe and loved.

Hi Heavenly Hearts,

I am doing very well at my new home. I have a new bed, and I am learning to walk slowly on the tile floor. They have throw rugs all around like stepping stones. I will get the hang of it soon. I have new name. It is Lucky Penny and they call me Penny.

I love the two dogs in my home, too. I do my little lessons twice every day. The other two dogs follow me as I get treats if I do my lessons the right way. My lessons are only "heel" and "sit" for this week. I like it because I get undivided time with my Mom.  I get to go down to the field every day in the a.m. before it gets too hot. We all walk together. I walk four times around the field with my two sister dogs and I am very tired when I come up for a treat and go to nap in my nice large bed.

I am always excited to get fed and I do my little dance for all of them. They like it, and I like getting my food which I gulp down in record time.  

The grandchildren have come over to visit me two times. I love to get petted and I give kisses. They play with me and I even played ball. I'm a little rusty as I have been busy with my babies but I am doing just fine.  Don't worry about me as I am happy and well.

Love and kisses, 
Lucky Penny ....just "Penny"

Hi Heavenly Hearts,

Guess it's about time we wrote you with an update on BAX.  He's great!!!  You'd be so proud of him.  He loves everyone.  He knows all the neighbors and their dogs and sits quite nicely on his rug on the front porch every night for our evening retreat. He's made friends with Doug, the neighborhood cat who comes around for food every night.  He loves his backyard (although he just got skunked right in the face last week!). 

He went on his first vacation in June to the cabin for two weeks.  What a great bonding experience for all of us. He jumped right into the boat and from that point on we'd ask him "want to be a seadog?" and he'd get all excited until we took him out. 

He's great with the grandchildren although he has a difficult time deciphering kids toys from dog toys.  Oh well, last week Christopher wanted to sleep with Bax's piggy so I guess it evens out.  We recently bought a bike taxi for the baby and are trying to get him used to riding in it.  The lake walk is a little too far for him so we thought he could ride with us in the taxi.  (Still working on that!)  We went to training class and he did fairly well. But mostly he just wanted to play - zero attention span at the class! The last night of class a new Rottweiler pup joined and they had a great time.  

All in all he's been great.  A little adjustment for us after being without a dog for a year, but he has such a fun personality.  He makes funny puggle noises when he's trying to tell us something.  So glad we found him --- keep in touch!

Gail, Jerry and Baxter

Dear Heavenly Hearts,

My family & I wanted to send an update on Mikey, our tiny Beagle that we were lucky enough to adopt back in February. Mikey has made HUGE strides since becoming a member of our family. 

He is one of the sweetest dogs I've had the pleasure of knowing. He LOVES to give kisses. He'd lick your face for 10 minutes or more if you let him. His favorite part of the day is at 5:00 a.m. when I bring him into our bed & let him cuddle with us until we are forced to get up for the day. Car rides are also on the top of his "favorites" list. He loves to stick his head out of the window & let his ears fly in the wind. 

He's a great walker as long as his buddy Elmer is along. Our old guy Elmer is his security blanket for sure. He loves Elmer & practically sits on him when he gets scared from a loud noise or storm. 

We are so thankful to have found Mikey & have him in our lives. He is a wonderful dog.

Thank you, 
Jenny

Hi Heavenly Hearts,
Maggie and I feel so blessed to have found Ginger. She is so sweet and mellow and everyone that meets her says the same thing. She loves going for a walk and prefers cool weather. She also likes stalking rabbits in the backyard, but she realizes she can't catch them and doesn't run very far after them. I call her Black Lightning because she moves so fast it's like a black bolt of lightning....well not quite! She has received two invitations to friends' houses to meet other dogs and has done well with them.  She has become quite the watchdog. She likes to lay in the kitchen and look out over the backyard and cul de sac. When she sees someone walking or driving she lets you know about it. We've discovered she doesn't like thunderstorms and I have to keep her close to comfort her until they pass.....a small price to pay for all the love she gives us. I think we can throw away our alarm clock as every morning at 5:20 she is next to my side of the bed with her tail banging against it. Fortunately I'm an early riser. We look forward to spoiling her rotten!

Dave

Hi Everyone!

We adopted London who is now Brooklynn from your rescue after I had searched for a year for the perfect dog to join our family. I found your rescue through a Google search and clicked on many pictures and bios of the dogs at your rescue. One dog kept sticking in my head and heart:) Her name was London and something just told me to contact her foster mom and find out more about her. Upon talking to her foster mom, I found out her story and I knew she was the one for me. Since we lived about 90 miles away, we were trying to figure out how to do a home visit. Her foster mom drove all the way to Arlington WI to bring Brooklynn to visit us. Upon meeting Brooklynn, we knew we would try everything to welcome her into our home. We were chosen to give Brooklynn a home filled with love, activity and a big brother named Dakota.

Brooklyn’s days are spent getting hugged and kissed and going to doggy daycare for socialization with her brother Dakota and walks and dog training class. She is a very busy girl:)

Thank you for saving her life and giving her a second chance.

Dale, Tammy, Dakota and Brooklynn

Hello Heavenly Hearts,
We rescued our first beagle almost 11 years ago and I had been wanting a second for a long time. Periodically I would look online at petfinder and in December I came across Betsy. Her picture tugged at my heart, but it was her story that pushed us over the edge. She had lost a leg 2 months prior due to a hit and run driver. Because a stranger cared enough to stop and take her to a vet, and because that vet treated her (even without an owner to take responsibility) our furry family is now complete. Our older beagle, Pebbles, has adjusted nicely to having a sister around all the time and they are very attached to each other! We changed her name to Pumpkin and she has settled nicely into life with us. She is a definite couch dog and loves to snuggle, but also gets bursts of energy and loves taking walks and chasing rabbits! She has so much heart and amazes us with her easy acceptance of life with three legs. She falls down occasionally, but always picks herself back up and proceeds on about her way as if nothing happened. That’s a good inspiration for the rest of us. Of course, she is pampered quite a bit also and does not seem to mind that at all! Thank you to Heavenly Hearts Rescue for helping us find our baby! I am including a picture of our two girls together: Pebbles is black and white and Pumpkin has pumpkin coloring!

Pebbles' and Pumpkin's parents: Bill and Diana 

Heavenly Hearts,

I just wanted to write a letter to let you know how Peppy, Jax, is doing.  He is the best little dog.  He has two sisters that he loves very much. He loves going to the dog park. People stop and ask about him all the time, they think he's a puppy. We are so happy we can give him a happy life, he deserves it.

Thanks for saving him so we can have him in our family.

Angie and Joe

Macie May recently celebrated her first birthday on March 17th.  We wanted to give an update on her from the Lucky Puppy group (she was Rosemary). Macie May is doing so well! She is happy, healthy, and loved very much. As you can see from the picture, she has grown up to be a very pretty little girl. She loves to play; she has regular playdates with her 'bff' Toby (a poodle mixed breed). Toby even got her a 'bff' tag that hangs on her collar. She loves being outside, running in the woods, playing in the creek, chasing squirrels. She is quite the cuddlebug, which we love. She will sit side by side with us on the couch and even sleeps with us on the bed. She is the little princess of the house and we love her so!

Thank you again for bringing her into our home and lives. If you hear from any of her siblings, please pass along their news to us. We would love to hear about any of them. From time to time, we get all the pictures out and look them over  :)

Diana (Macie May’s mom)

Hi Heavenly Hearts Rescue,

It has been one month since we adopted Louie aka "Gilley" and he is doing fabulous.  He loves to come for treats, sit, lie down, and shake hands. He thinks his people family is pretty cool, but he definitely LOVES his brother Inky. They wrestle, play chase, and snuggle everyday!  Louie has grown just a little bit and we are excited to see how big he will get.  Everyone asks what breed he is and we smile and ask for guesses each time.  We are very thankful for the volunteers at Heavenly Hearts and their efforts in rescuing so many dogs.  

Thanks,

Dusty, Kristin, Inky, and Louie

Hi Heavenly Hearts Rescue,

It has been 6 months since we rescued Philly (Cayenne). What a sweet, loving, fun and playful puppy. He rarely leaves your side and loves to give "kisses."  He is 8 months old now and weighs approximately 55 lbs. He loves people, car rides, long walks, and swimming in the lake. He especially likes going to Ruff and Ready Doggie Daycare every Thursday where he gets to play with dogs of all different breeds and sizes.  He gets compliments on his looks and "sweet" behavior wherever he goes. He must get that from his mommy (Sweetie).  We are looking forward to seeing how he adjusts to the winter snow. We have a feeling he will love it!

We would love to hear how his littermates are doing, as it was great to read about Sweetie in Happy Tails.  Philly has been a wonderful addition to our family and we couldn't imagine life without him!

Thanks Heavenly Hearts!
~John and Jessy

Just a note to let you know Foxy is WONDERFUL, We just love her to pieces. I think we've spoiled her some by letting her sleep with my oldest daughter and sometimes I find her in the living room arm chair (not ok) in the morning. She seems very happy, she is wagging her tail all the time. Our male orange tabby adores Foxy. I found him rubbing his chin on her legs and chest looking up at her with the most loving look! Foxy likes him, too. She has figured out how he likes to play and has learned to gently nudge him with her nose. They often play a hide and seek game that is very fun to watch. Foxy is so gentle with him, Sammie likes to play catch with her tail (it wags so much, such a temptation for him) when she's had enough she'll just turn to him and give a sign to stop.  We've worked on commands, sit, stay, come, down, the basics. She learned very quickly, but Foxy is selective of when she'll obey "come" and "stay." She continues to be uncomfortable with strangers, dogs, different environments, noises etc. I got the "Cautious Canine" book by Patricia McConnell and will start doing some outside/neighborhood training. We're also working on making sure we use the door bell anytime someone is coming into our house and announcing the visitor to Foxy. People are instructed to not look at her or touch her, but throw some treats to her. This seems to really help Foxy reduce her stress. She's becoming very comfortable with some of our regular visitors.  My friend has commented on how sweet, gentle, and quiet Foxy is. I can't imagine life without her.

Heavenly Hearts, 

I just wanted to send you a few pictures of Sophie.  She's doing great and we are so happy to have her as a member of our family.  She loves playing in the yard with Alex and Evan.  She especially loved playing in the leaf piles.  Her favorite spot in the house is our front living room soaking up the sun or sitting in the family room window watching for her best friend, Milo.  Milo is our neighbors dog and they love playing together, especially when we let them play in the same yard.

She has learned sit and down.  Next we are going to work on stay.  We're still working on leash manners.  She wants to follow her nose and not walk straight down the sidewalk.  Sophie also does not like the cold.  When it's cold outside she will only stay outside long enough to take care of business.  We'll send more pictures soon.

Hope you enjoy the pictures!

In Memory of Izzy (formerly Panda):  I'm so sorry to have to let you know that our beautiful dog Izzy passed away from kidney failure last Friday, there were only 3 days from disease  onset to her passing and it broke our hearts  and leaves an empty place in our home.

I wanted to tell you about our girl. We adopted Izzy 2 years ago from Heavenly Hearts Rescue and from the moment she came home she was a part of the family.  I want you all to know that Izzy was loved and could not have been a better friend to my husband and I and our other dog Rain (who is depressed as I write this).  Izzy was a gentle soul with a kind heart, She had a smile that was hers alone. She was a friend to both man and beast.  She loved to run at the County Grounds and we did so every night, Izzy was a mighty mouse hunter though she never caught her prize. She loved carrots and melon and the occasional slice of orange, she was not opposed to turkey.

In closing I wanted to thank you for the gift of this beautiful soul, we are better people for having known her even if for such a short time. She will be truly missed and as I write through the tears please know that she was loved very much.  She could not have been a better dog.

Please continue to encourage people to adopt an "experienced" dog, no one is more grateful or more faithful.  Her tail never stopped and she was joyful, it was impossible to have a bad day around Izzy.  Feel free to add Izzy to "Happy Tails," she was a joy and a blessing and everyone should know that.  If even one dog finds a forever home because of our beautiful girl then the story is worth it.  God Bless you all.   
~Gail S.

Hi. …my name is Penny, and they call me “Pretty” Penny sometimes.  (Can’t you see why?!)  I wanted to tell you that I feel SO good now that I have my forever home, and I wanted to tell you how I’m doing!  I have a yellow lab brother, Scout, that likes to rough-house with me, and I also have 3 kitty friends that can’t believe how sweet I am.  The kitties and I all sleep together at night.  I used to have separation anxiety, and now I’m doing great because my mom is home with me all day, and I’ve learned that even if mom and dad go away, they will always come back.  I am such a well behaved girl that I don’t ever have to go in one of those crate things anymore, which I am deathly afraid of.

My mom and dad tell me that they love me SO much, and think I am the best girl in the world.  Sometimes I think my name is lucky, because they keep saying how lucky they are to have me…..but actually, it goes both ways. 

Anyway, I am doing great, and hope that many other doggies will be rescued and find their forever home’s too.  Keep up the great work Heavenly Hearts Rescue.

Love,

Cate went to her new home in mid-October 2008, just as Heavenly Hearts was celebrating fifteen years in rescue.  Her family called recently to report that she is dearly loved in her new home.  She has settled into some routines that show she has important responsibilities around the house.  For example, when Tom takes an afternoon nap, Cate curls up close by in her dog bed.  Cate watches him the whole time he's sleeping and when Pat gives the signal that grandpa's naptime is over, Cate jumps up on Tom's pillow and starts licking his face until he wakes up.  Then she gets three dog biscuits for a treat.  She keeps Tom and Pat smiling with her dainty eating, her cute post-groomer hairdo, and her lap dog personality.  What a wonderful life Cate has with her new family.