Kodiak

Dear Heartland Humane Society,

We adopted Kodiak, a 3 year old Siberian Husky mix on November 29 (the Saturday after Thanksgiving). We took a bunch of pictures and wanted to share some with you.

He is certainly a joy and as wonderful addition to our family!

The first picture is of Kodiak getting a drinking under the watchful eye of the matriarch of the family, Yukon. As you can see, there is a carpeted ramp leading up to the dog door making it very easy for the "kids" to get in and out.

The second picture is of all four dogs. Of course there is Kodiak in the background at the water dish with Yukon looking on, the all white Siberian in the front (with his tail to the camera!) is Sitka, and the dog between Sitka and Yukon is Juneau.

The third picture was taken the next day when it snowed. (Kodiak is on the left and Sitka is on the right) All the dogs love being in the snow and these two "brothers" were in heaven!

Warmest regards,
Scott and Cindy Schultz

Dreamsicle/Gaby Rose

Hi Angie,

Just thought I would send you my first photo of Dreamsicle. I call her Gaby Rose. She looks like a little rose. She is the best little cat and is working in well with the other cats but still finds a good closet to nap in my oldest son's room. I have two males 4 and 14, Gus and Bobcat and one female, Emma the same colors as Dream.

I have her set up with your own water, food, and toys. I think she likes it here. She has a baby meow. Thanks so much for saving her and her kittens. You all have a very good heart at Heartland Humane Society. If any of my friends are looking for a good animal I will recommend you.

Take care and I will have some more photos ready soon.

Teri

Dixie

Picture of Dixie on Halloween. Sorry about the quality of the photo, but it was taken with a cell phone camera.
Spoiled little princess.

Lexi/Mary Kate

Dear Karen,
I just wanted to let you know that Lexi is doing well. We are so happy to
have her! She's such a sweet & loving little girl. I've attached a few photos
of her so you can see how she's grown. Thank you for all you do for the animals
you help. They are given a 2nd chance because of wonderful people like you.
Sincerely,
Tiffany Pearce & family

Princess Peach

Hi Angie, Family & Friends of Princess Peach,Thanks for providing me with a very lovable perfect addition to my household.On Oct 15 she got her Rabies and laser declaw. The next day she was ready to play.My big boy male black kitty adopted in 1997 (I had to look at his record) is acceptingher pretty good, he finds her very interesting and will just walk away if she annoys him.so here are some pictures...she also goes by the name of "Chloe". Sincerely,Audrey Matranga

Venice & Precious

Hi Angie, just wanted to let you know that Venice is doing really good and has just fitted into our family perfect. Attached is a picture of Venice and Precious both happy in their forever home.

Have a great day,
Melba Galyean

NOTE: Precious is also a Heartland cat whom Melba adopted last year. Both cats came in with litters of kittens and we really love seeing our moms get such great homes!

Porter & Babydoll

Hi Karen!They are doing wonderfully! Baby Doll is still scared of everything, but she is warming up to me now. Porter is such a lover, he's trying hard to win her over! I've attached a couple of pics, they are both loving the living room window. :)

Thank you!

Erin

HHS NOTE: Thanks again Erin for adopting two special needs cats and giving them a loving home. Both of these guys are FIV+ and it's so nice to see them getting to live a normal life and picking the best places for a cat nap!

Ben/Murphy

Hi, my name is Murphy. I am the white dog in the picture. The black dog is my sister Phoebe, who is also a rescue dog. My family adopted me when I was just 12 weeks old in August 2006. When they brought me home I knew I was just going to love it there. At first my sister was not too fond of me, but we are best friends now. I am simply irresistible so she eventually gave me a chance. We are inseparable, well, only because I follow her around everywhere. She has taught me how to chase bunnies in the backyard. Actually, I don’t really chase the bunnies I just think it is fun to chase her when she goes after the bunnies. I love to snuggle with my mom, dad and sister when I am tired. I am very affectionate and I am always happy. My family says I am very funny too. I like to think I am just an all around good guy! My family is so good to me I wouldn’t trade them for all the doggie biscuits and walks in the world. Thank you to Heartland for finding me my forever home!

Sincerely,

Murphy Walter

Teddy/Bear

Karen -

You may not recognize my picture but you used to call me Bear. (I am the Big One) My Mom adopted me from Heartland about 8 years ago. Even though you told my Mom, that I would only get to be about 40 lbs; and I tip the scales at 90 lbs; she loves me anyway. I can look really mean and Bark REAL loud but all my Mom’s friends call me “The Gentle Giant”. We moved to 3 acres in New Melle 3 ½ years ago and my parents installed an electric fence. I get to roam my yard and chase squirrels, deer and birds, when I am not lounging. (When my Mom isn’t looking I sleep on the couch, but she yells if she catches me) My Mom brought home my little sister; Tobie, from the Humane Society 3 years ago. Dad was REALLY mad but he got over it pretty quick and now she is Daddy’s spoiled little girl. Even though we look like “the odd couple”, we are pretty much inseparable. It is fun having a little sister. I let her think she is in charge of me. Dad won’t let my Mom go near pet adoption centers anymore. My ‘human older sisters” both have babies now and I give them lot’s and lots of love and kisses. They don’t mind too much.


Well, I just thought I would let you know how I was doing, since you were so nice to me as my foster mom. I will never forget you.


Love Teddy (as in Bear)

Dasher & Kendall/Nabisco

Hello Heartland! Do you remember us? We lived with the foster mom's about 4 years ago. We wanted to send you pictures so that you could see that we are really cute and still happy. We currently live in a little house in South County and we have a HUGE fenced in back yard now! We just wanted to say thanks for all you guys did for us.

Love,
Kendal Marie, Dasher P, and Jamie Wilson

Melvin/Buddy

Thank you to Heartland, from the bottom of my heart for saving my dear boy, Buddy.

I have a female lab that’ has known nothing but love, from birth and we wanted a friend for her.

I had been scouring the various rescue agencies looking for that “one that spoke to my heart” when I came across this beautiful yellow Labrador , then called ‘Melvin’ on Heartland’s site. I immediately contacted Donna, via the website, and we got to meet Buddy at Bark in the Park the following week. I knew that very day that he was the dog for me, and he and Gracie got along perfectly. I could not believe that someone would dump such a beautiful, loving and pure bred Labrador retriever!

He was a little shy at first, due to his experiences prior to coming to Heartland, but after a few weeks of adjusting to his new home, he blossomed.

Buddy’s favorite activities are taking long walks, playing water fetch, laying in his momma’s bed with Gracie and being with his family.

He truly is a ‘Best Friend’ and I can’t thank Heartland enough for rescuing him, and allowing me to bring him into my family.

If anyone ever tells you that rescue dogs are ‘rejects’, DON’T LISTEN! Rescue’s have even more love to give you, because of that fact, and I fully believe that they KNOW that they have been given a second chance, and they will give you more love than you can ever imagine! I now have a friend for life that’s made my little pack complete!

( Although if I had my way, I’d probably rescue every dog that I see )…….. Thank you again to the wonderful Heartland Family for making this possible for Buddy and me, and so many others.

Angie French

Whitney

Whitney was a Heartland rescue that was heartworm positive. A quite and calm environment is most helpful to a full recovery and Whitney was lucky enough to be fostered by a lovely lady at a retirement center, Gambrill Gardens. After about three months of treatment Whitney was fully recovered and was adopted by a former Gambrill employee, Mae Hudson. Whitney was a Christmas present for her husband Earl and we are very happy that things have gone so well. What a perfect match, please read on!

Earl and I are very happy to welcome Whitney into our family. She is so sweet, quiet and loving. She has trained us to her daily routine and we just love that. We wish to thank Cheri Lynch for finding Whitney for us and Frances Price for fostering Whitney before we adopted her. Also we appreciate Frances baby sitting for us when we go out of town. Whitney says hi to all her friends at Gambrill Gardens and she will see you again soon.
Mae Hudson

Nigel/Gallant

Angie,

I just wanted to drop a quick email to thank you for allowing us to adopt Nigel (formerly known as Gallant) back in Febuary of 2007. He has been a great addition to the household - he is a perfect dog. The moment we got him to the house - he knew he was home. He did a quick sniff around the house and promptly climbed into the love seat which is now 'his spot'. He will even use the throw pillows as his own.

He loves everyone, and will greet them at the door. He can be a little hesitant with men, but is perfect once he meets them. Even his veterinarian loves him.

We have discovered a cute trick he has developed. We bought him a few toys that have squeakers in them over the last year. He immediately will try to find the squeaker by hiting it with his nose! He does it to get us to play with him as well. He brings the toy over, drops it, squeaks it using his nose, and challenges us to chase him around the house.

Again, I want to thank you for choosing us to be his 'forever family'. He is a wonderful dog and we spoil him rotten as you can see in the pictures .

Attached are a few pictures that were taken over the last year.

Thank you,
Jason Preis

Max & Tessa

Hello Friends and Family,

I know some of you no longer live in this area, but I thought you might still have some friends or family in this area that you could forward this email to. I am writing this email to let you all know about Heartland Humane Society. A wonderful organization I found about 14 months ago. After I had to put my Spooky to sleep, I was desperate to find a couple of kitties to help fill the void. I searched online for local facilities and found Heartland. They are a local humane society that works through the PetsMart on Hwy. K in O'Fallon, Missouri, but the majority of their animals are fostered in private homes. I was put in touch with a wonderful woman named Cheri, who invited me to her home to see the kitties she had for adoption. I have to tell you how impressed I was with her fostering. These kitties had the best set up I had ever seen. Their own rooms, toys galore, chairs and kitty condos at every window, and much much more. You could tell these were not just fosters to Cheri, these were her babies. There were many to choose from, but I instinctively knew which two I wanted. I adopted Max and Tessa, a pair of siblings.

As expected I had a few questions at first. Cheri was always happy to answer my emails and phone calls. And fourteen months later she is still happy to offer advise or just chat about the kitties whenever we get the chance or have the need. And Max and Tessa are doing very great! I do not know of many organizations that offer that kind of service. In the past 14 months, I have brought animals to Heartland that needed homes (and they all have found wonderful homes), I have donated carts full of items they are in constant need of, and I have tried to spread the word about them. That's why I am sending this email, to spread the word. If you are ever looking for a pet, please check them out. You will find animals that have been well cared for and for very reasonable adoption fees. The next time I am looking for a pet, they are the only place I will call! Check out their website and see for yourself! http://heartlandhumanemo.homestead.com/

Thanks! Jodi

p.s. I attached two photos of Max & Tessa, one from when I first adopted them and a very recent pic.

p.s.s. Don't forget to forward this to anyone you think might be interested!

Ginger & Abby/French Fry & Chicken Nugget

Hi Angie, (I attached 2 pictures, hopefully they'll get thru)
I thought I'd give you an update on Ginger (calico) and Abby (the tabby). They are still movement shy, but they are making real progress. Ginger is letting me pet her a lot more now. Abby is still shy, but she's coming closer and takes canned food from me w/out a problem. They are happy and content, so I'm not concerned at all. I told them that I would get them a larger kitty bed, but they gave me a look that said 'why? This on is perfect.' Sharing is obviously not a problem. Ginger looks to be the same size as when I brought them home, but Abby seems to be taller. She is long and lean, with very long legs, but her eyes are still perfectly round. She's really quite elegant when she sits up and wraps her long tail around her legs - until she sees a toy and she off and playing and all the elegance is gone. Ha! They are very playful little girls, and they seems to really enjoy squeaky toys. They also like the purr pad that you made for them. One, or both, of them naps on it every day.
I'm working on a few more purr pads; I'll leave them at PetSmart in the next week or so. I'm using up scrap yarn that way, so some of the color combinations might get a little interesting, but the kitties won't mind. I’m glad to put all my extra yarn to good use.
Take care - and thanks for all that you do for kitties who need you!
Shannon

Lennon & McCartney/Natalia & Carlos

Hi Cheri!

Both kittens are doing well, both at 7 pounds now. Macca is a sweet angel and Lennon is a little character! They both bring me "gifts" in bed. Lennon brings me sparkly balls and Macca brings me catnip mice. Macca especially likes to carry toys around, so I bought a lovely blue boa toy for her, complete with pink feathers and Lennon fell in love with it! He snatched it right up and wouldn't give Macca a chance to play with it! Sadly, it didn't last long. There were pink feathers and bits of blue boa scattered about the house a week or two later. One day, I'll have to buy him another one.

Anyway, a few more pics!!!

All the best,
Lisa Wagner

K.B. aka Sammy

My boyfriend and I adopted K.B. (a.k.a Sammy) at the end of September 2007. I was a little worried about bringing in another male cat with two other male cats in the home, but it turned out just fine.
We picked him out of a litter of four kittens. They were all cute and playful, but K. B. stole my boyfriend’s heart by being the first one to climb all over him. K.B never seemed scared when we brought him home or when he met the other two cats.
K.B. is a very affectionate cat that loves to have his belly rubbed. He likes to chase the laser pointer and the pointer on the computer screen. We made it through Christmas without him knocking over the Christmas tree after many attempts to climb it. K.B. has been a great addition to our happy cat family.
Thank you!
Lori

Cricket & Kringle

Hi, Lori Our family adopted a doggy & kitty on Feb. 23. Cricket came home with us, and so did a boy kitty named Kringle. Our new family settled in very quickly, and everybody is so happy! We wanted to send some photos so everyone can see how they're doing together. I don't have an email address for Jeana - she was Kringle's foster mom, I believe. If you have a way to forward the photos to her, we would love that! Cricket likes to be the center of attention and LOVES massages. She sleeps in our son's room - still in her pop-up-tent-style crate for awhile - but he loves it! She wants the kitty to play tug of war SO bad - so far he'll only do it with us, though. The one photo of Cricket by herself was actually taken after she'd been asleep for about 10 minutes...too funny!

Kringle likes being the lion of his kingdom. He likes to play chase with his doggy and run after tennis balls with her. He talks to us all the time and is VERY good at letting us know exactly what he's wanting! We have a plush St. Louis Blues throw blanket that has become his favorite since his first night with us. If he gets near it, he buries his face in it and kneads until he falls asleep. Thank You ALL for ALL You Do - These 2 animals were someone's precious babies before they came to Heartland. They are SO well behaved, and have WONDERFUL personalities!

Sincerely, and with Full Hearts,

Ron, Cristy, Kyle (dad, mom, and son), Cricket, and Kringle Follis

Polaris/Monty

Cheri,

I am attaching several pictures of Monty. I don't know how clear they will be, as I am new to scanning. He is a WILD cat tonight...running, leaping off of the furniture, getting into everything. He is so much fun and so sweet. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to have him in my life. You have done, and continue to do great things in this world.

Many Blessings,

Julie

Phoebe

Hello,
I wanted to give you an update on Phoebe. She is put on some weight about 10 pounds worth :) We adopted her on Dec 1, 2007. She is so wonderful. My son and her are best buds :) and Ellie (our other dog) truly love each other. I have attached some photos if you would like to post them. I am so thankful we were able to adopt her. Thank you so much!
Christina Reece

Maisy

Gina,

I’m not sure if you remember my husband Don and me, but we adopted Maisy, a black lab/rottweiler mix you fostered, almost one year ago today. I just wanted to tell you and the Heartland Humane Society how grateful we are that Maisy is our lives. I can’t imagine her not being a part of our family.

Maisy is doing great. She loves chasing the squirrels in our yard and taking long walks. Her favorite toy is actually a soccer ball. She kicks it around the yard and enjoys playing goalie. And although she is definitely a ball of energy, she is also my favorite cuddle buddy and gives kisses without reserve.

I’ve included a picture of Maisy taken this past summer. Thanks again for bringing us Maisy. It’s been a wonderful year and I look forward to many, many more. And when we are ready to adopt a friend for Maisy, Heartland will be the first people we will go to for help.

Best regards,

Kate Christopher

Colt - Gizmo

This is Gizmo (He was one of the Revolver Kittens-Colt). I Got him early in June '07 and now he is growing to be a big strong boy!When I went to Pets Mart I heard a little kitty yelling at the top of his lungs for some one to pick him up and play with him. So I picked him up and just never put him back down. He recently learned that he can jump from the floor into the freezer. He had always loved to get into the refrigerator and the pantry, and now he is very proud of himself that he can jump into the freezer. He is the sweetest little boy ever. He loves to sit in my window sill and watch the cars go by. When he was younger he tried to follow them past the window, and couldn't figure out why they kept disappearing. But I think he has accepted the cars disappearing and not just enjoys watching everything outside. He also loves to watch animal planet. Every time I turn it on he sits in front of the television and just watches the dogs and cats. As soon as I turn the channel he either yells at me or walk off. He is still very playful, he especially loves any toys that have feathers. I have a toy that is a fishing pole with feather on the end of the elastic string and I have to hide it when we are done playing or else he destroys them from playing so much. He has learned my hiding spot for the toy so he will sit on top of the dresser that it is in and paw at the drawer to open it to get the toy. When he's not pawing at the dresser you can probably find him sleeping in a shoe box (One of his favorite spots). He loves to sleep, but what kitty doesn't? Thank you guys so much for helping out the Revolver kitties, I wouldn't know what to do if I didn't have Gizmo~! Terra Pizzo

Fred & BamBam

Note: the second picture was their website picture with all of the littermates - we also get regular updates on Pebbles, the white one.

Hi Angie!I just wanted to drop a note and let you know how Fred (Alex) and Bam-Bam (Logan) are doing. They are the loves of my life, such crazy little tikes. This winter, a squirrel has been teasing Logan, even running up the screen of the slider, he's a chirper when excited. They are so different in temperment and color, you wouldn't be able to tell them as brothers except for the promient chin they both sport. Thank you again for all you do!Erin Dick

Smiley

Smiley, now known as Callie, was adopted by our family in April 07. Her old caretaker before she was adopted by us was Gina. Callie is doing great and enjoying life with all the new dog friends she has made. Her two favorite buddies are Tramp and Calyx, who she plays with almost everyday. Other than playing with friends, she loves all her millions of toys. Here are some pictures of her now.

Dot & Dash

GinaIt has been awhile since I updated you on Dot and Dash. I finally got a picture of them that you might be interested in and it is attached. If you want to use it in your newsletter that is fine. They usually get in their cutest poses when I can't get to my camera!Dot and Dash have settled in quite well here. Even though they still won't let me pick them up, they love to cuddle with me in my recliner or in bed. I love to watch them play together and they both have developed quite the personalities. Each of them have "volunteered" for "jobs" in the house. Dash waits patiently in the morning when I am showering and as soon as I get out of the shower, he immediately begins licking the shower curtain and wall dry! While he is doing that, Dot is methodically cleaning off the top of my sink making certain that all small items like earrings, coins, hairpins, etc., are safely tucked away under the bathroom rug. She also monitors my insulin injections by making sure I take the top off the syringe and give it to her! When I originally decided to get a pet, a friend told me to search on the websites for animals who needed to be adopted. At first I was hesitant to do this but when I went to Heartland's website and saw all of the animals that were waiting for homes I almost couldn't decide which one. Then one day I saw Dot and Dash and I immediately fell in love with their pictures, although it was a couple of months before I was able to actually make my move. They have added so much joy to my home and I cannot imagine being without them. Thank you, Heartland for taking them in and to Gina for being such a wonderful foster mom!Marsha Bagby

Ernie

They always told me that you will end up adopting your first foster pet, but I didn't believe them. Of course, that was until Ernie came into my life. Initially, I was somewhat hesitant about fostering for HHS because I wasn't sure that I would be able to give the animal up and like any good pet mom, I also worried how my own kitties would handle it. Angie worked her magic though and reeled me in as a new foster. My first foster kitties were 2 male littermates - Robbie and Ernie. They were trapped on a farm in Lincoln County and were very young when they came to live with me. Immediately, I knew that Robbie, the cute gray tabby with the pink nose would be the outgoing, playful one that would attract all of the attention. His brother on the other hand was a pretty pathetic looking scrawny black kitten that needed some good food and a lot of TLC to bring him out of his shell. Since I only wanted to foster 1-2 kitties at a time, we figured that it would be best if I worked with the more shy and timid cats that needed a bit more one-on-one time. After a couple of months of being at my house and becoming a lot more socialized towards humans, the boys were finally ready to go to Petsmart. Of course everyone ooh'd and ahh'd over Robbie because he was so friendly and cute, but poor Ernie cowered in the back of the cage, afraid of the chaotic action around him. That kind of behavior doesn't bode well for a black cat since they tend to be overlooked because of their color. Unfortunately, people don't always get to see a cat/dog's true personality at Petsmart because it can be quite intimidating and overwhelming for the animal (understandably). Within a few weeks, Robbie found his forever home and left poor Ernie alone and without his best buddy. After several months of lugging poor Ernie to Petsmart, a place that he least wanted to be, my husband finally asked me why I kept taking him up there? I asked him what he meant and he simply replied, "You know that you love that cat and can't stand the idea of giving him up, so why don't we keep him?". Needless to say, I was shocked because my husband told me from the very beginning that fostering did NOT mean keeping them, but I could tell that he was just as smitten with the big guy (and boy did he grow big during those months) as I was. So now, a year and a half later,, Ernie (aka - Ernest, Ernesto, Fuzzy Monkey, and Chubbles) continues to be a constant source of entertainment and unconditional love for us, and as you can see by his picture, he has become quite a handsome (and photogenic) boy! We cannot imagine life without him, or the other felines that own us, and are so happy that we found him. In addition, I cannot say enough about Heartland Humane Society and the highly dedicated, incredibly caring volunteers that make the mission of saving animals truly possible. Thank you for letting me become a part of your wonderful organization and for bringing Ernie into our lives!!!
Sincerely, Julie Bauman

Mo - Montana

Thought I would send you a couple of pictures of Mo. Now that he has been with us for almost 4 months, I can't imagine living without him.

It took some adjustment time on our part...going from a elderly 40 lb dog to a youthful 100 lb 3year old dog. We had several episodes of "counter surfing", once involving a full deep fryer being pulled to the floor (cold, thank goodness!). But once Mo trained us, there has been no looking back.

This weekend, Mo got to meet his "cousins". My parents' dog and my sister's dog. They had so much fun running around the yard and playing and sniffing! By the end of the day they were all wiped out!

Just want to say thank you for introducing me to my best friend that Saturday at PetsMart. He's a laid back, couch potato. but he is also my protector, my comfortor, and my comic relief. He keeps me company when my husband is out of town on business and he keeps me warm on those cold winter evenings (he thinks he's a lap dog!).

Thank you so much for introducing us.

Susan Perry, Tim Perry, and Mo.