Adoption Stories
Here are just a few of our thousands of success stories.
It is all thanks to people like you who extend your hearts and homes to animals in need.
Abby (formerly Blue)
Abby is still doing really well. She is the highlight of our empty nester lives! She is very sweet and loving and she LOVES to be outside. We installed an underground fence so she can roam the yard(1 acre) and loves it. She has grown quite a bit since we adopted her. She is almost 50 lbs now!
Ace
Hi mama – Boy, has life been a little less crazy since the 4th! I’ve enjoyed an easy life. I’ve been getting lots of treats for staying and sitting and being close by (not on my belly). So fun! The summer has been fun. Man, these kids are a riot. I play all day outside, and, then they want help with bed time (see pic). I don’t mind all the hard work though because I have so many fun toys. My favorite are my kong or tennis balls (see pic). I got a chuck it and have so much fun chasing my ball! Oh, and I even found a fun toy that the kids had before they met me – a stuffed dog! (see pic). It looks just like me (I think it was fate because it’s been in the toy chest for at least 2 years)! It’s fun to cuddle with, though I admit I did try to eat it’s nose (and stuffing came out). No one was mad at me for that! But, in my defense, I am an angel with the kids (they give me treats ALL the time), so I deserve it. Well, hope you are having a fun summer. Love – Ace
Annie
Hi, my partner Katie and I recently adopted a wonderful dog, Annie, a brittany spaniel mix about three weeks ago. We had been looking for a calm, older dog that would be great with my partner’s two ten year old male cats (she adopted them when they were six). Katie struck gold when she found her on petfinder.com on the day they put her profile on the website. When Sara, Annie’s foster mom, brought her over to our house it was love at first sight. She is the sweetest, nicest dog and the cats didn’t think she was all that bad either! She joined our family a couple weeks later and we have never been happier. She is around five years old, but you would think she was a puppy the way she loves to roll in the snow and fling flakes into the air with her nose. She loves to be pet and she checks in with us regularly to make sure we aren’t getting into trouble. We are so happy with our latest addition to our family and we wanted to thank H.E.L.P. for making it possible.
Alice and Anna
I just want to thank HELP for introducing us to our girls. Attached is a picture of Alice and Annie (they used to be named Jade and Taffy when we adopted them from HELP). They have lived with us for almost 2 years now and we love having them as part of our family.
Bandit FKA Hawkeye
Hi There!! It’s me Bandit!! I am doing extremely well with my new and forever family!! I got adopted by this great family on September 28, 2012. I know its been two years since then but my family has been busy. I have a nice, big backyard to run around in along with that on nice days my family takes me for walks yet I can’t help the fact to spot squirrels on our walks, I want to chase them but I’m able to do that in my own backyard. I am still lovey dovey yet my family has tendencies to spoil me rotten!! For Christmas I got a medium sized pet bed but I also like to sleep in my family’s bed with them at night when it’s too cold to be in my own bed. Also I am a major ladies dog; I got two girlfriends and a friend who is my mom’s parents dog and whenever I go to get my nails done or to the vet I cant help but to give the ladies free kisses. I also have gained over 25 lbs so now I am 50 lbs in weight in which is good for a size for a dog. Plus I am happy to add that my family pampers, spoils and loves me like mad in which I cant help but to return the affection. I have taken the note of being very protective of my home as well. Everything is going great for me and my forever family I cant express enough on how much they love me and I feel the same way.
From,
Bandit Linhart & FamilyBrutus
Hi, My name is Brutus. I am a beautiful and sweet Pitbull. I was found in an abandoned house with my mom and 7 siblings when I was around 4 to 6 weeks old. My siblings and I were rescued by H.E.L.P. (sadly some guy claimed my mom). As soon as my foster mom saw me she got scared and took me to the vet. I was really weak and skinny. I was also much smaller than a typical runt. My siblings were between 4 and 5 pounds and I was only 1.3 pounds. I was full of worms and my temperature was 10 to 12 degrees lower than normal. My head looked like a light bulb, my eyes were protruding and my ribs, spine and hipbones were sticking out. I had a big wormy tummy though which made me look like a hippopotamus. I was also having trouble holding up my head and I wobbled badly when I tried to walk. The vet thought it was possible that I had water on the brain because of the shape of my head and that I could have a liver shunt. They told my mom not to blame herself if I died. Well let me say I’m happy my mom is as stubborn as I am. She took me home and stuck me in a scarf and carried me around with her all day and let me snuggle up to her on her pillow at night. She woke up every hour with me the first couple nights as I had horrible diarrhea. She would take me potty and make sure I got more water so I wouldn’t become dehydrated. I also gave her some trouble when it came to eating. I was just too weak to care much about it, but when she boiled me chicken livers, hearts and rice I couldn’t say no. She feed me tiny meals many times day and night.
I was 1.3 pounds with crooked feet at 5 weeks, at about 12 weeks I weighed a whopping 14.5 pounds. My mom could not give me up so she decided to adopt me. That made me happy, I have 3 other dogs to play with and cats to chase as well. What more could a now healthy and happy pup want. I am now 16 weeks old and weight 25 pounds. I would like to thank all the people that gave me a chance to live and thrive. Everyone is so important in rescue. From the animal control officer who found me, the shelter that took me in, to the HELP coordinator that made the arrangements and the transporter who got me to my foster mom. I know it isn’t easy for all these people, but pups like my siblings and me owe them our lives. If we could talk we would say thank you to all involved. If it were not for all of you I most certainly would have died in that empty house, and my siblings might have also died or ended up in the street unwanted and never knowing the love and warmth of a real family.Buddy (formerly Theodore)
Here is a picture Buddy (Theodore). He is doing great! Recently, he graduated from puppy class successfully learning to sit, shake and a few other commands. Buddy is truly living the good life with our family. He has lots of time to play in the yard or lounge around. He lives only 4 houses from his brother, Charlie. They have play time at Charlie’s until they can hardly move. It seems as if he may not get much bigger, which would be perfect. He still gets into everything and we constantly remind ourselves he’s still a puppy! We are so happy we found him and couldn’t imagine life without him!
Thanks,
The Phillips family
Charlie (formerly Bricker)
Hi everyone, You all saw a picture of Charlie (formerly Bricker) that Michelle sent. I thought I’d attach another and tell you a bit about his personality. He sounds a lot like his siblings in that he’s very laid back for a puppy. He has his puppy moments but for the most part, he’s a sleeper! In fact, in the new picture I attached, we were packing for a trip so we were up late and he was so tired that he finally gave up on us, went into his crate on his own and curled up for a good night’s sleep! He’s a big boy, 45 pounds and growing fast. He LOVES to play soccer, he falls over the ball in the yard, but would pick that over a tennis ball any day. And when we throw the tennis ball, he likes to have 2 at a time and he tries to carry both in his mouth!! Both of the pictures attached were taken in the last 2 weeks. Thanks for sending your pics of his siblings! The Anderson Family
Chesney (formerly Puddles)
Chesney is 44 lbs and holding. He is 12.5 months old and the world is his playmate. He loves the water, car rides (long and short), plane rides and boat rides. He just loves to be with people. He is spoiled rotten and loves it.
Ann and Bernie Weber
Cheyenne
We adopted Cheyenne ( Star and her sister was Twinkle) from HELP on July 8, 2008 and couldn’t be happier. She has brought so much love and happiness to our home. We have had several people tell us she acts like a human. She nods her head when you are talking to her, loves to give hugs and just loves when mommy rubs a special spot on her belly ( she will only let mommy rub there).
She taps on the door when she wants in and is a very stubborn eater. And for some reason just loves Minnie mouse toys. Carries a Minnie mouse around with her.She is my little buddy and follows me everywhere so happy to have her in our home!!
Cora
I wanted to give you a quick update on Cora. First, she has been an awesome addition to our family. Her and Sloane **love** playing and running in the snow! She has gone to doggy daycare twice now, and comes home absolutely exhausted. She was spayed in mid-Novemember and we finished her Puppy Obedience class last week! She did great and is sooooo smart. We’re thinking about getting her involved in some agility courses because she is so smart and springy
Cosmo/Matilda Rose
Here is Cosmo (formally Rocky- Pam Gust was the foster mom) and Matilda Rose (formally Rose- Carly & Mary were the foster moms)
We are so blessed to have adopted both of these sweet animals. We first adopted Cosmo when he was just a pup. He was one of Annie’s puppies and we loved him right from the beginning. Cosmo is now a little more than 2 1/2 years old and is just adorable. We recently added sweet Matilda to our family. She is 7 months old now and loves her brother Cosmo!!!! As you can see from the picture they are best buds!
The other animals in the family welcome and adore both Cosmo and Matilda. The two of them bring so much joy to our family and we are so blessed to have them. A BIG thank you to the H.E.L.P. organization.Fondly,
The Scimeca FamilyDutchy
Dutchy was a little 8 week old lost, feral kitten with two badly infected eyes and ears, when H.E.L.P. took over. Her ears were cleaned up, and after several operations, her sight was restored in one eye. At that same time, for some reason, it entered my mind that I wanted a one-eyed kitten. It only took two of Dutchy’s head bumps and her incredible purr for me to know I had found “my little love.” Thank you H.E.L.P. for keeping her safe.
Farley
My boyfriend and I adopted our cat, now named Farley, a little over four years ago from H.E.L.P. Farley was part of a larger litter, but due to his shyness, he was the only one not adopted. His foster family was very friendly and assured us that Farley had a lot of love to give after becoming just a little comfortable. Farley is truly one of the most loving, sweet cats that we have ever been around and is a huge source of happiness to our family. We are extremely thankful to have him in our life and appreciate all the work your organization is doing to find homes for wonderful animals like Farley.
Thanks,
Amy V.
George
Hi Kristy, I just wanted to send you a quick note and a cute picture to let you know how happy we are with our George. We adopted him from you in November and although the first few weeks were a little rough with him getting over some separation issues, he has blossomed into just the most wonderful little dog. He adjusted to the cats (as you can see in the picture) and with a little home training has overcome his fearfulness. He just needed to know we will always come back. He figured that out pretty quick and is just the perfect gentleman while I’m gone. As he has become calm and secure his funny little personality has really begun to shine. He is a smart little guy and so much fun to have around. I couldn’t imagine life without him now. I thought you would enjoy knowing How happy we are with our adoption. Thank you for all your good work! Kris Connors
Gladys
Just wanted to send you an update on our new little girl. Gladys is settling in well. Such a joy and amusement for us. She is so friendly, loving, and playful. She sleeps on our bed every night and, in the morning, she hunts for her favorite stuffed mouse and brings it to us with cheery “chirps.” She has starting sleeping on my lap quite a bit lately. Perfect for these cold days!
Judy & Russ P.Hannah and Hester (formerly Ashley and Travis)
These are two of Lily’s puppies who we adopted; Hester and Hannah. They are both adorable, healthy, happy, busy, puppies! Hester weighs approximately 25 lbs. and Hannah approximately 26 lbs. They brighten our days and they keep me/us busy! We enjoy them and love them so much!
Thank you so much,
Lisa and family
Hunter
On Sept 2, 2012, Hunter passed over the Rainbow Bridge at about 15 years old. He was such a sweet and gentle soul. I rescued him from HELP in 2001 when he was about 3 (after his second visit to HELP). I went to his foster home in North Aurora. His foster mom called and said she just gave him a bath so he would be presentable. I walked thru the door and there was this pile of kids, dogs, and toys. I will never understand why he was twice in the shelter. He did steal 2 loaves of bread off the counter and got in the garbage – but that was my fault and I quickly learned that. No more problems.
On the way home that day, I promised him he was home for good and he would never ever have to worry again – I would love him till the end. Best move I ever made. I had just lost my dog Bo 2 months prior and was going thru a divorce. We were instantly bonded and he saved me. Near the end of his life, I was able to repay him for all he had done for me.
I do not remember his foster mom’s name. I promised to send updates to her but lost her email address. I wish I could reach out to her to tell her what an incredible dog he turned out to be, but I’m sure she already knew that. If she is still a foster mom perhaps she will read this. I should have written long ago – my how time flies!
He was the finest trail dog I have ever been around. We shared thousands of miles on the trail. Everyone who ever met him fell in love with him. People thought he was a puppy most of his life.
Thank you all for what you do.
David Harkness
Rockford, ILJax
Dayna adopted Jax from the PetsMart adoption facility in Geneva. Jax was fostered by Lindsey Winter.
I just wanted to let you know that Jax is doing great and has already become an important member of our family. Just yesterday, I saw my 8 year old female cat licking Jax on the head and they were playing tag a little bit after that and by last night, they were laying about an inch from each other on the couch.
I knew the minute that I met Jax that he was special. I just wanted to thank you for taking such great care of him until I was able to meet him and bring him home.
Josie
This is our girl Josie who was lucky enough to have been rescued by H.E.L.P.
She became part of our pack on 4/2/10 and is a smart and confident little girl who enjoys life whether she is zooming around the backyard or chillin’ on the couch with us. She has earned her Canine Good Citizen along with an Advance Trick Dog title. She has recently started to compete in agility trials and has done quite well . Josie is a great sister to our pug Kiya. Her free spirit has brought us such joy. I said in the beginning that she was the lucky one. Really it was us that were lucky! Thank you and Liz and everyone at H.E.L.P. for doing what you do by bringing these Special Angels into our lives.
The Orlowski family
Kingston
Kingston will be one year old on November 13th. He has grown from an adorable little puppy into a great family companion. He loves to cuddle and play and learn new tricks. He likes to play at his best friend Nyla’s house or take trips to the dog park. In the summer he splashed around in his pool, and in the winter he galloped around dipping his nose in the snow. He definitely has a playful personality, but still plays the protector role as well. He barks at everyone that comes by… Until they pet him, then they are his new best friend.
Kingston Oreo Ziegler has been a great addition to our family!
Lily
We adopted Lily as soon as she weaned her puppies, and they didn’t need her any more. She had five puppies that were all adopted out. We would love to find out how they are doing and even get some pictures of them. I am sending some pics of Lily and her adopted brother Sparky. In some of the pics she is wearing a “thunder shirt” that helps her with fears and anxieties. She is quite shy and fearful of lots of things.
Tim Klimowski
Maeve
Hi, I’m Clare! I would love to see how the other dogs in her litter are doing! That would be great!! Here is an update on how she is doing! And I gave you a couple pictures because I couldn’t decided on one! Also feel free to share it or post it! I would love people to know!
This is Maeve. She is named named after a female Irish pirate queen! We adopted her in late June when she was around 8 weeks old and have loved her ever since! So is around 9 months old! She is hyper, excited about everything, and loves to play! We got lucky because she never got into chewing shoes or much of anything that is on the floor, although she loves eating paper! She and our other dog Riley (13 years old) get along great! They love playing and running around together! She absolutely loves Bully Sticks and will do anything for one! She loves to cuddle! And when she wants to, she will just sit on the floor in front of you begging to let her up to cuddle!
The family loves her! Even my sister who was against getting another dog! She definitely a member of our family! We take her practically everywhere with us! And we take so many pictures! She is very photogenic! I even used a picture I took for Photography class and it was everyone’s favorite (the black an white below). She does this adorable thing where when she is so excited to see someone, she can’t stand and she just lays down! Wagging her tail like crazy!! None of us can imagine our lives without this seeing this cute face everyday! We love our Maeve!!Molly (formerly Scout)
She is doing really well. We love her to pieces. She is very energetic, loving, and super intelligent….sometimes too smart..LOL! She gets to visit with my mom a couple times a week and she has 3 dogs. They all love and accept her now and she has so much fun there. They all wrestle, play, and run in my mom’s yard. Molly also loves the water. We often find her ducking her head and feet in her water bowl. I am thinking of taking her somewhere she can swim for recreational purposes. I am sure she will probably love the snow too when it comes. She is growing by the day and is about 25lbs now. We had to buy her a new bed, collar, and i just purchased her a seatbelt for the car. She is definately our little princess and makes me so happy when i come home from work. She is always at the door waiting to shower me with kisses. Her spay surgery is scheduled for Tues-Oct 1st. I am a little nervous because i know its a big surgery and she is my baby. We are having it done at Bloomingdale Vet Clinic..and they seem very nice so far. I have tons of pics on my phone. I will send them to you shortly.
Molly (formerly Scout)
Here are some recent pics of our baby girl Molly aka.. Scout. I am so happy I got to take her home. It was love at first sight. She loves to cuddle and give kisses galore but can also show u some of that spunk and intelligence when she wants to that keeps us on our toes. Molly has definately enhanced and added so much happiness to our lives. She is well worth the work and time it takes to properly care for a puppy. Thank you for rescuing her!
Sincerely
GinaMurph
Murphy is doing well. He definitely makes our household much crazier, but we’re glad to have him. We have an electric fence which he mastered very quickly! He loves playing chase with our other dog in the back yard, and watching all the comings and goings of the neighborhood in the front yard. He is attending “puppy school” at PetSmart and will graduate this Wednesday. He is very smart and is learning commands well. He is scheduled to be neutered on Nov. 19th.
Nacho
Hi, I am Becky’s co-worker at St. Charles Veterinary Clinic. She said you were interested Nacho’s story. Well, I always make a point to say hello to the Help kitties while they are in the clinic. They need love and attention. Well I saw the big orange guy come and thought that I would say hello. He plopped himself on the floor and rolled over for a pet purring like crazy. I was amazed how easily he adjusted in the clinic and loved anyone who gave him the slightest bit of attention. I knew he needed a home and I thought this would be a great first cat for us. So I brought my boyfriend in the meet him fully knowing I would get the thumbs up to adopt him. A week later he was in my car heading home. He had no problem adjusting to the new environment. He loves all the toys, huts and scratching posts that he has and is making full use of them all. The thing he gets the most use out of is the couch. That is by far his favorite place to be, actually his favorite place is on my lap while I am on the couch. My little purr monster runs and jumps on me as soon as he sees me sit down. I couldn’t ask for a better addition to our family. I expect many full and happy years with Nacho!
Noodles
We also adopted Noodles in May 2010 after he recovered from a broken leg. He has brought so much joy into our home (and a good amount of stress as well, haha) and we are constantly laughing at the things he loves to do. Watching him play with his toys and entertain himself is hilarious. He also loves to play outside with other dogs at the dog park, pond, wherever, but he is definitely a people-doggie because he always wants to be where we are. Most days, he’d rather be inside with us than outside alone. He loves to snuggle and often tries to climb into our laps, despite his ginormous size. We too think he’s a Great Dane/black Lab mix because most people actually ask us if he’s full Great Dane. A little bigger than I was expecting (we were told he was mixed with terrier!), but now we couldn’t imagine life without him. His size has helped him acquire some nicknames like horsey, the beast and monster. He actually only weighs about 75 lbs, but is very tall and lean. We recently moved down to Champaign and bought a house, so Noodles is loving having a yard of his own finally.
Thanks to everyone for sharing! This was very fun!
Kody and Katie Carr
Pauley (formerly Milo)
We just wanted to let you know Pauley is doing great and we adore him! Hope you can open these pictures and see him doing his thing (sleeping, mostly!) He is also very busy carrying his toys around the house, and learning to play “chase me” with Jasper. He is patient with our old girl Shirley when she hogs the wet food, too!
We appreciate all you do for the HELP kitties, and Thank You for fixing us up with Pauley!
Take care,
Tom & Annie Johnson
Pepper
Sent some new photo’s of Pepper. She is doing great and really has hunting in her. Our vet thinks she is part pointer and something to make her small maybe rat terrier. We are head over heals in love with her but it would be hard for anyone not to be for she is so good and just loves everyone and everything. We feel so lucky that she has entered into our lives. Thank you to help for making this happen!!!
Polly
Ruth: We are so happy with Polly. She sure is a real doll.
From the beginning she always was a real lover and that had to come from your loving care of animals.
She has become “queen” of the house and our property. She loves everyone who passes by, is so loving and friendly and people just love her when they meet her. She will never be a guard dog for us (but I think she will protect us if it comes down to that!) but we have Oscar for our guard dog and he is protective of her. She has calmed down so much I am amazed at that, too. She still has separation anxiety when one of us are away as she wants us all together all of the time but she feels we are family and need to do everything together. And I mean everything! When she goes to the bathroom it has to be a family affair – we call it – where we all have to go outside with her. It’s so funny.
But the love she gives is just astounding and she has learned to “talk” to Gary which is comical.
She just brings us so much joy and I feel grateful you were the one who originally cared for her and raised her until we were able to adopt her. I just thought you should know that and to keep up the terrific job and love you have for animals. You are one in a million who truly knows how to love those rescued animals.
Love, YurriQuincy
Shortly after getting Cleo, we received the May 2000 H.E.L.P. Newsletter. The “poster-child” for the month was a black and white male named Quincy. He was 2 1/2 at the time with a long and not so happy story including a couple of failed adoptions and some health concerns. We visited him at his foster home and decided to adopt him, too. It took what seemed like forever for him to really feel at home. He would look at us like he wanted attention but was reluctant to sit on a lap or be on the couch or bed. One day, he jumped on my lap when I was sitting at the desk. He settled in, began purring and we’ve been buddies ever since. Today, he’s our door greeter – anytime there is knock at the door, he’s right there to see what’s happening. Quincy begins meowing as soon as he sees one of our friends in particular and follows her everywhere around the house. She has a similar appearance as Quincy’s foster mom (Sue). Sue cared for Quincy when he was a sick kitten and nursed him back to health. We believe Quincy thinks our friend is Sue. Everyone says he’s the most handsome cat they’ve ever seen. Who are we to argue?
We live in Dallas, Texas now. Both Quincy and Cleo are healthy, doing well and are joined by two cats we rescued here in Texas. Thank you HELP, we don’t know what we would do without them.
Brian & Laura (Frost) Houts
Update on Quincy: He has just celebrated his 18th birthday in 2016! Thank you Brian and Laura for giving him such a great life!Reba
Hope Horton is doing well! I can’t even tell you how happy we are to have Reba. She is the most affectionate dog I’ve ever known and I can’t get over how well she listens. And I think Joey would be lost without her – they are such good buddies!!
Thanks!
Rebel
Rebel (formerly known as Jackson Elliott), is a cute, fun-loving puppy with an exciting personality. He was one of 12 from the Aussie/Lab liter that was born in March 2012.
He loves chasing birds, watching air planes, and chews on every stick he finds. Rebel loves getting attention and will lay “wheels up” so you can rub his belly.
His favorite spots to lay are anywhere on the cool tile, on the bottom of the coffee table (though he is getting a little too big to fit now), on a vent, or just in your lap!
He is always full of energy and is currently in puppy class. He likes to go on walks, ride in the car (especially to get a puppy cone at DQ) and to eat!!!
He is currently 4 months old and weighs about 30 pounds. Rebel is a great addition to our family and we can’t imagine life without him. Thank you HELP!
The Stone-Vilim family
Reggie and Drew
We adopted 2 puppies Easter 2010 who are 2 of the most spoiled rotten dogs in town. So glad we took 2, not sure what 1 would do without the other.
The Varga family
Riley
One day we decided to take our 10 month old Golden Retriever Ginger to Bark Park in Batavia so she could go swimming and socialize with other dogs. Upon being there we met Charlene from H.E.L.P. I told her my story (with tears in my eyes) of having lost 2 older Golden Retrievers to cancer within 10 months of each other, my heart had been broken and I grieved every day. Ginger had been brought up with our golden retriever Dakota and when he passed away at home it even affected her. I so believe dogs grieve. Charlene had mentioned that puppies were being rescued the next day. She emailed me pictures of the puppies and moms of which were so malnourished. Thank goodness they were rescued! The puppy who was chosen for us had worms and was taken care of by a foster mom. I was counting down the days till we could have our first meeting with our future puppy. I named him Riley because in Irish it means courageous. When we saw him at his foster moms house, he was so frail and the look in his eyes said please just love and care for me. It was another couple of weeks till the worms were cleared up, then it was time for Riley to meet Ginger. Ginger immediately wanted to play when she saw him, thus Riley came to his forever home with us that day!! Riley loves to go for walks, explore and chase chipmunks near our pond, he is so compassionate, gentle and loving, and has filled our home with so much happiness! I recently took Riley to Marion Joy to see my mom in rehab, he got a lot of attention from the staff members! So, I am thinking he would make a great therapy dog someday! Thank you to Charlene and his foster mom Molly for letting us adopt Riley.
Roo (formerly Taffy)
Roo is doing great. She loves to cuddle up with us, go for walks and run around. She gets so excited to see other dogs and loves playing with them. Especially my parent’s 90 lb Lab. She likes to hang out in the kiddie pool and swim. She also loves to sit on chairs so she is up higher and closer to you! She even loves playing with cats too! She listens well and doesn’t bark a lot and is walking great on the leash and is 99.9% potty trained!! She is about 20 lbs now! I am very lucky to have found Roo. She is a great dog and loves to just play around! I love my puppy!! Thanks HELP!
-Amber
Ruby
We adopted Ruby last August, 2011. She is a Lab/Pit mix. HELP is a phenomenal organization and Ruby has been a blessing to our family.
The Kaukes
St. Charles, ILRufus
Just wanted to give you an update on our sweet Rufus. He just graduated from the Petsmart obedience class yesterday and he has really evolved into a perfect dog. He never barks, other than one quick yelp to let us know when he wants to come inside. He is great on walks, especially when he settles down after the first couple blocks, and has been jogging with me a couple times a week, too. He is absurdly tolerant of my daughter’s pokes and shrieks and other mischief a 15 month old gets into (like crawling into his crate and demanding he “come!” over & over). I could go on forever about what a wonderful dog he is. Everyone asks how we lucked out with such a perfect dog from a shelter, and we feel so grateful.
Anyway, I’m attaching a really cute picture I took the other day, and his graduation “diploma”. Hope you & your dog babies are doing well! (written to Ruth Ann who fostered Rufus)
Marilee
Sammy
I’ve had Sammy for about 2 years now and he’s the best dog! He goes everywhere I go and has become my best friend! He’s amazing with my family and friends and is the happiest dog I’ve ever seen!
Sarah
Scamp
Just wanted to drop you a line to thank you again for bringing us Scamp and to give an update. I can’t imagine life without him . he is an awesome dog, so full of personality. I am attaching a picture I got of him today enjoying his favorite hobby, running top speed down the toboggan hill near our house. He loves toys, sleeping and bacon. On a sadder note, beginning in July of this year , he has had 3 seizures. Very scary and sad, but he has pulled thru each okay after an hour or so. The vet said to make him comfortable in a dark quiet room, and that seems to work. I’m kind of curious if his brother has had a similar episode. I will try to forward this message to them. Overall though, life is pretty good for Scamp, we also have a Boxer named Jake and they are best buddies.
Thanks again, JimScruffy
Scruffy is awesome. He will probably trick or treat with our family as dracula. We are working on his cape.
He has a secondary residence with his name on it but he preferrs to spend all his time in his climate controlled primary residence on his overstuffed sofa watchig the big screen tv. He has us all trained to fetch treats, hold him and pick him up.
We love our Scruffy.
GeriSebastian
My husband and I adopted Sebastian to be a buddy for our other cat, Zoey. However, he has very quickly stolen our hearts and become our little buddy! His absolute favorite thing to do is cuddle and as soon as my husband or I walk through the door, he runs to the couch and waits for cuddle time. When he does cuddle, he has to get as close to our faces as possibly and his purr sounds like a little freight train. When he’s not cuddling, he’s playing! He is constantly walking around the house with a toy mouse in his mouth and will throw it up in the air and chase it for hours. Sebastian and Zoey are quickly becoming playful buddies, and my husband and I could not has asked for a better kitten to bring into our little family!
-The Harvey Family
Shelby
HI, my husband and I just adopted a puppy (Shelby), about 4 months ago from your shelter. She was staying with the perfect foster parents that did such a great job training and loving her. SHe is now the friendliest, sweetest little girl and brings us endless joy ! We have your shelter to thank for bringing her into our lives. Thanks so much and keep up the great work you do!!
Laura, Mike, and Shelby 🙂
Simon
I just wanted to let you know that Simon is such a lucky dog to be here with us in his forever home. He is so happy and so loved!! He loves to cuddle and he truly loves his home and us too. The whole neighborhood (people and their dogs) have welcomed him and say how cute he is and they all love him and he loves them too! He met a dog his age and the play as he also plays with other dogs too. He has a wonderful life here!! We love him and he loves us! I really believe he came into our lives for a reason. We noticed him limping sometimes and had a full set of x-rays done. He has Panosteitis in his shoulder and it should resolve itself in time. He also has Hip Dysplasia. The vet said dogs can live for years and years and years with it. He is being treated with a supplement and baby aspirin if needed. I guess this just gives us a reason to love him and spoil him more. If he was originally abandoned we now understand why! But he now has us to take care of him! We are all lucky…
Simon
Is Simon at home here or what!? This pic is just too funny! We had Simon to the vet last night
My Mom passed away about 4:00 this morning, she went peacefully and is at peace now. The next few days will be hectic but we have Simon to come home to. I truly feel he was meant to be here with us for a reason! We love him!
I will keep in touch.
Linda
Simon (formerly Johnny)
Thank you so much for sending the adorable pictures! Simon is slowing coming out of his shell. We’ve taken him to the bark park in Batavia twice which has helped. He really is a dog’s dog and just loves to wrestle and bite all the big dogs playing there. There were 3 rescue dog siblings that are Shepherd/Pit Bull mixes, and Simon just loved them. He tried to leave with them when they left!
He is still pretty docile around the house, but in many ways, that is a good thing. My husband and I do obedience training with him at night after the kids go to bed, and he is catching on quickly! Only one poop in the house in a week, so happy with that as well. He is very gentle and agreeable with all the kids that come and go here. He is not a runner/bolter at all… if the lease comes out of our hands, we can easily catch up to him. The next focus is on walking him. Right now he is all over the place when we walk him! So we will be trying to walk him in the evenings to teach him to stay on one side. 🙂 He simply loves playing with rope toys and plush toys. The boys have had fun running with him and taking him out to do his business. He is settling in well. 🙂
I’m sure we will be checking your listings in a year or so to get him a buddy after he is trained and adjusted to life in our house. 🙂
Kerry
Skipper
We adopted Skipper from you about 2 days before Christmas this past year. He is a gem! Can’t imagine life without him. He took to our other dog, Bo, immediately and they have been BFF’s ever since. He has a wonderful life and is spoiled rotten – he deserves every bit of it tho because he spoils us with his love and happiness. He is happy and healthy and is such a joy to have!! We have been told from a breeder that he is a Treeing Walker Coonhound. He is a handsome guy if I do say so myself!! 🙂
The Allen family
Sonja
Soon after we lost our loving dog, Feather, an adopted dog from HELP, we welcomed Sonja to our family. She is a 9 year old, Beagle mix, full of energy with such a loving personality. We enjoy Sonja very much. She really is a sweet dog. She gets along with everyone in our house, very relaxed. Our three children enjoy Sonja, and she lets the children play with her. Since we moved to Rockford, we started adopting senior dogs into our family. Sonja is our 4th senior dog. It has been wonderful experience for our family to have senior dogs around us. If you are wondering about adopting a senior dog, we highly recommend you to consider giving him/ her a home. Based on our experience, we feel that senior dogs are more mature in personality, calmer, but still have lots of energy to share. It is interesting and fun to deal with each dog’s established personality and develop a new relationship. We are very happy with Sonja and we are very happy that Sonja is now a good friend of our other senior dog, Tank. It was truly a perfect match!
Thank you again for all you do. It is so important for us to give a second, or a third chance for senior dogs who are waiting a permanent home!
Sophie
This is Sophie. We adopted her last July. She has truly been a blessing for our family. She loves to do everything with us and I mean everything!!!
We took her to South Carolina on vacation a week after we adopted her. She loved the ocean and playing in the sand. She was part of the Breast Cancer walk in October, she enjoyed her first Halloween and Christmas. She is a cuddle bugs’ she makes her rounds to all the bedrooms so she can have a time to cuddle. She loves to play tug of war with her toys! She purrs like a cat when you pet her ears.
When we were ready to adopt, we did not want a female dog nor did we want a pit bull mix. It is so true when they say that you don’t pick your dog, they pick you.
We thank you for the opportunity to adopt our little Sophie. We cannot imagine our family without her!Suki (AKA Madeline)
She watches TV with us, loves to sit on our lap, and is nice and calm at night. During the day she is a ball of energy. She loves to run thru the snow! She runs and hops like a deer. She has investigated every inch of our yard. She’s even chased a bunny and jumped into a snow bank, which she needed to be rescued from. Lol What a character she is.
We’ve taught her how to sit and stay. We need a little more work on the ‘stay’ but for 10 days, I’d say she’s doing wonderfully! She can also shake hands now. Such a smart little thing. She loves to wear clothes and will even wear booties on her feet without complaining when it’s really cold outside.
Thank you, thank you for helping to make Suki ours. She is in her forever home now and we will love her forever & ever!!!
Sully
I wanted to thank you again for making it possible for us to
adopt Sully.
There was such a pull at my heart when I saw his picture.
And I had never been on your sight, it just happened to come up and he just
happened to be in Illinois where the tournament was and he LOVES lime
green. All the stars were aligned I guess for this to happen. But thank you for the opportunity to give Sully his forever home.Taffy
I am contacting HELP to let you know that, Taffy, one of our 3 cats from you had to be put to sleep this past Monday, 6/2016. We adopted her and her Sister back in the fall of 2006. They had only been in Maura’s foster home and after she died, HELP had to find homes for all her animals. Well, I “accidentally” ran into Taffy & Sissy on display at Petsmart one weekend. After about 3 weeks, 3-4 more visits back to Petsmart to play with them, and working extensively with Marcia, HELP’s President I was able to convince my wife that we needed to adopt them. The past 10 years with Taffy have been so precious. Losing her has broken our hearts, but kidney disease came on aggressively and took her from us. HELP will forever have a very special place in our hearts and if/when we ever decide to adopt another cat it will be from you. Right now we still have our 3 cats; one, Aslan from a shelter in Champagne, and the other two, Sissy & Skippy, from HELP. But I wanted to honor Taffy on HELP’s web site since she would never have become our cat without you. Thanks for all you volunteers do for the cats and dogs. It’s priceless and greatly appreciated even 10 years later.
HELP: Thank you James & Christine, our sympathies go out to you on your loss of Taffy.Teemo (AKA Davey)
Teemo was found in a cage way to small for him on the back of a truck near an abandoned home (assumed to be his old one). He was fostered for a bit, but his foster family had to make changes and move, and he wasn’t allowed to come with. My friend worked at a clinic he came into, and she was worried if he didn’t find a home soon he would see an untimely death. I fell in love with him the moment I started interacting with him. He now runs my apartment, he’s super curious and gets into everything, and neither one of us could be happier!
Tori (formerly Pearl)
Tori (her name was Pearl when we adopted her) is doing very well. She’s happiest when she can go to the dog park where she can run like the wind and play with the other dogs. She loves us (her family), too, and especially enjoys playing soccer in the backyard with our 15-yr-old son. She’s a great dog and friend–she goes just about everywhere with us in the car. When we go for walks, many passersby comment on her sleek, strong physique and shiny coat. In fact, one of our friends calls her “Elizabeth Taylor.”
Thanks for all you do, HELP!
Jodi Stapleton
Tucker (formerly Dexter)
Tucker (aka Dexter) is a very sweet boy, who eats and eats, but does gain any weight. He has plenty of energy to spare and loves playing with his “sister” Tilly.
The Broderick family
Wilson
Jethro is so sweet with Wilson, plays with him when he’s out. He plays 3 times a day for a couple of hrs. I’m home a lot so it’s easy. He never complains going back in the crate…mostly just naps or observes. Phoebe & McGee are better each day. Poor McGee never saw a little kitten before & isn’t sure what it is. He is rarely hissing now & they have played paws through the crate. Just a matter of time. The dogs are enamored with him & he knows how to be with them. Just a joy to watch! He’s such a loving, confident little man thanks to you.
Tonna?