Tag Archive for: Adoption Stories

Miles Adoption!

The first time I met Miles was in March, 2013, during my spring break from college. We instantly bonded as he purred and kneaded my lap. He had been surrendered to the AAC because one of his owners was allergic to cats. I thought he was the most adorable, social, talkative cat I’d ever met and was surprised at the length of time he’d been at the AAC because he was so friendly. Luckily, when I returned to Jackson in the summer of 2013, Miles was still at the AAC and I adopted him.

Miles lived in a cage for most of the first 7 years of his life but now he has two homes with room to explore and hunt outside. He spends most of his time in Austin but escapes to Jackson when the heat becomes unbearable. He enjoys having owners who are suckers and feed him multiple snacks throughout the day. He is a very successful hunter with his jaws and paws, catching many lizards, voles and mice. All his teeth except one were extracted when he was at the AAC due to Stage 5 gum disease. However his one tooth is more than adequate for maintaining his healthy figure.

We are so grateful to the AAC for rescuing so many wonderful animals like Miles, restoring their health, and helping them find loving owners.

Lumpy Love

Early summer of last year I was casually looking at Petfinder (mostly for dogs) and favorited Lumpy because her pic + name made her seem so pitiful. In January, thanks to my neighbor, I found out Lumpy was STILL at the shelter. My heart broke a little bit and even though I wasn’t looking for a cat at all at the time, I just knew I had to go get her.

The AAC told me Lumpy came from Star Valley very sick and sad… she had to have most of her teeth removed and got completely shaved because she had stopped grooming herself. She was listed as a senior + special needs, and she is very skittish, so she remained at the AAC for a very long time.

Today, Lumpy is thriving! She has completely come out of her shell and even though she will always be skittish towards strangers, she is so loving, affectionate and playful with the ones she loves. Her first week at home she mostly hid under the bed, but now she prowls around the whole house and loves sleeping on our bellies. She has never bitten our scratched anyone, not even the vet who stuck a thermometer up her bum (!!)

I am just so, so thankful that the AAC rescued her, nursed her back to health, and believed in her. The experience of adopting an animal who has been through a lot has been so meaningful.

I urge you to consider the shelter animals that have been overlooked (check the upstairs room at the AAC!) If you are a gentle soul with a calm home, a very skittish animal might absolutely thrive with you. A lot of animals are just introverted and need a chill, stable environment to become their best selves. Thanks AAC for giving Lumps a second chance and making me into a crazy cat lady!

Adoption is the only way to go!

We have adopted two dogs and four cats from AAC over the years. Six critters that have been such important parts of our lives! We know for sure that adopted animals give back many times the love they receive. Please think adoption!

Dakota, Our Joy in Giving

The story we’ve heard about Dakota is that she was born under a deck in the dead of winter. When we watch her frolic in the snow, we know why she feels right at home burrowing in a snow bank, even though she seems equally as comfortable in the middle of our bed every night! When she licks the dew off the grass in the morning, we are reminded of her survivor spirit, but also how lucky we are to have her. We gave her a home, but she’s brought us more joy than we ever could have expected.

A little love makes a big difference not only for those who receive but those who give — and from our first phone call, we’ve felt part of a special group that understands how meaningful it is to shelter an animal. Dakota is the wonderful dog she is because of the many individuals who fostered her before she landed with us — we are so lucky to have her and grateful for the Animal Adoption Center that rescued her.

Photo Credit: Peter Lobozzo

Living the “Spud” Life!

Hi…..my new name is Mocha Latte and I want to thank all my friends at AAC who helped me.  My forever home is just over the border in what my Mom calls Idaho (Victor). I have a large home to explore and lots of toys and a couple adoring Aunties. Busy learning the house rules but, still like to sneak up on the counter when left alone and have also been known to enjoy a sip or two from the toilet.  Life is so good…and I’m finally happy!

Scooby Wins The Lottery

My childhood nickname was Scoob. In the spring of 2014 my husband David and I bought what we dubbed “The Scooby Van”, the perfect road-trip vehicle. Then in mid-March of that year we lost Travis, our 17-year-old border collie, the love of our lives. But by August, our hearts had healed just enough to think about adopting again. I went to AAC’s website one morning and there he was. The photo was labeled “Scooby”.  He was the cutest puppy I had ever seen. Once I convinced my husband to take a quick glance on the website, from his desk that busy Monday morning, I heard dead air on the other end of the line, then, “Oh yeauh.  Go get him”. We knew it was meant to be and by the end of that day Scooby had loaded up into the van and he was headed home with us to Victor!

The story goes that Doc Heather had gone to the Wind River Reservation to rescue some puppies and out from under a trailer popped a skittish, tri-colored puppy, no other siblings, just Scooby. Heather asked, “Hey, can I take him too?” Thankfully for us all, the answer was yes and after a stint with a foster family, he was ready for adoption. (I’ve never found out who fostered him but if you are reading this, thank you from the bottom of our hearts for the love you gave him in those first weeks!)

Scooby had the biggest paws we had ever seen and needless to say, he grew and grew and grew, finally settling on 75lbs.  He was curious but always quite cautious. Whether from his first weeks under that trailer or inherent in his genes, his go-to emotion is fear. He could have so easily turned into a bad dog, a fighter, a biter.  But gradually he began to trust us and after some puppy training and lots of lovin’ he has turned into the perfect, sweetest, best doofus ever!

I work from home so he is my constant companion.  He has great neighborhood friends to wrestle with and he goes for lots of walks in the woods. He sleeps on the bed with us each night and never worries about where to get his next meal. But what he loves most of all is when we are all loaded up in the van, just the 3 of us and we are off for another one of our van adventures.  He’s chased the seagulls in the surf on the Pacific coast and swum in the Columbia River Gorge. He’s camped in Moab and hiked in Glacier.  And he’s even been on a ferry to Chelan, WA. He’s always ready to see the van doors swing open and to hear those words, “Load up!”

Thanks to AAC, our hearts are healed and Scooby, well, he won the lottery!

Best Buddies

Our new kitten Queso has taken a shine to our pit bull.  Every morning when the dog jumps into bed the kitten seizes her opportunity to attack his wagging tail.  He lets her chomp his tail for awhile before wrestling with her.  The 70lb pit bull plays with the 3lb kitten as if they were both puppies.  He dances and jumps around her as she swats at him.  They both seem to love it and keep coming back for more. To see the gentleness in my dog that has gotten into many dog fights is truly heart warming.  Now that Queso is around they get to hang out together when I go away to work.  I got the kitten for my own comfort, which has been great because she is such a loving and friendly cat.  However the real winner here is my dog who has found his best buddy in a little kitten.

Squash Settling In!

Squash here, just checking in! I am loving my new home! I get to hike so much and go for walks everyday!  I am losing my squishy weight and even get to jump up with my human on the hammock now! I get chew toys, peanut butter ( but I feel like they are giving me the diet stuff!], and toys galore!

My new sister Clover has finally adapted to my shenanigans and I have taught her that 6 am is breakfast time! Why does everyone wanna sleep longer?!

Ronnie’s New Family!

Jared and I are happy to say our family is complete when we adopted Ronnie. We go on walks on the Snake River as well as hanging out in the lakes as much as possible. Although Ronnie isn’t much of a swimmer and/or a hiker we still manage to keep him on his paws :). Ronnie is such a lover to say the least, cuddling is one of his best quality’s. Ronnie is adapting to our family and friends well, he is famous for his sweet smile! We are so excited to spend the many years he has with him!

Tate’s Weight Loss Journey

Hi.  My name is Tate, but most of you probably know me by my former name, Ms. Potato.

You could say that I am a girl with a bit of a past as I entered “the system” after being seized during a SWAT raid on my house in Idaho.  I was taken to the Idaho Falls shelter where I did some time in gen pop before I was transported to the AAC in Jackson.

During my intake session the AAC staff took me over to medical next door at Jackson Animal Hospital where I was deemed to be morbidly obese, weighing in at 77 lbs.  I took some offense to that characterization and the way they talked about me as if I wasn’t in the room, but the next thing I knew, I was placed on something called a “diet” and only fed a mere two times a day.  While the food I was given wasn’t bad, I can’t say that it was good either; it tasted like sadness, like a salad without Ranch dressing.

It was during my intake that I was given the name Ms. Potato as nobody could quite sort what breed of dog I was and it was said, again – like I wasn’t in the room – that I looked like a Russet potato with legs.  Haha, really funny.

My time at the AAC was comfortable, except for my hunger pains.  The AAC staff took good care of me during the day, giving me lots of pets, but, sadly, not many snacks.  Lots of nice people came by the shelter and would take me on walks around town wearing the “Orange is the New Black” “Adopt Me” vest that, frankly, did little for my figure.

I looked forward to every evening and the weekends when I got to go stay at my halfway house with my foster mom Kelly. She was the best.  She would take me on walks with her dog Ella and when she wasn’t at home, Ella and I would cuddle on Kelly’s bed.  The best thing about Kelly’s place was when she would move my favorite chair next to the window so I could lay on it and keep watch over the neighborhood.

During these two months there was a kid who was always at the shelter and I could tell that she was way into me.  She would give me lots of pets and an occasional treat when the guards weren’t looking.  I knew I was her favorite when she swabbed my mouth for a DNA test so that the question about my breed could finally be put to rest.  (By the way, I’m 50% Chinese Shar-Pei, 37.5% Airedale Terrier, with a 12.5% air of mystery.)

This kid was super persistent with her mom, trying to talk her into letting the kid spring me from this joint.  I spent one weekend with them as my fosters during which I was on my very best behavior.  A couple of weeks later I went to stay with them again and I laid it on thick with the mom, showing her my charming personality and how hilariously cute I am.  I made myself right at home, dozing belly-up in front of their fireplace.

Sure enough, my plan with the kid worked like a charm and the next week we were all back at the AAC getting my parole papers.  It was my best day!  After leaving the shelter they took me to get my very own collar and a tag.  I was no longer a homeless dog.

From that moment on, my name became Tate.

I like my new home.  In addition to the kid, there is a bigger kid who lets me sleep in her room, and I now have 4 dog siblings.  At first there were some adjustment issues with my dog sister Jessie.  Just like most tall, skinny, beautiful girls, she is a little crazy, but the other dogs advised me that if I just let Jessie think she is in charge (even though we all ignore her and do what we want), everything would be cool. They were right.

I love my new siblings even if I don’t look like them.  They are all hounds and have long hound dog ears.  Alas, my ears are tiny; as a side-by-side comparison showed, they are smaller than a Dorito.  Mmmmm….Doritos….I love Doritos.  Initially I was afraid that the body shaming over my ear size would continue forever and I looked into getting some ear extensions, but my new family has embraced me with all of my unique proportions – small ears and nubbin tail included!

My new family has kept me on a diet, and although the flavor of the food has improved, the quantity has not.  They frequently make jokes about how I ate too much Taco Bell back when I lived in “the crack house.” They also tell me that I need to keep working on my fitness and they take me on lots of walks.  My new mom has said they will even try me out on some hikes, but only in the shade and not during the heat of the day because apparently I don’t have the most efficient cooling system.

I enjoy running around in my fenced yard with my new brothers and sisters and I am an ever-vigilant watch dog patrolling the perimeter, protecting everyone from any free roaming ungulates that dare to approach MY house.  I have worked out a deal with my new parents: in the winter they dig paths through the snow for me and in the summer I dig holes in the yard (along with one of my brothers) for them.  I see it as a win-win.

While I don’t love being on a diet, my rations have slowly increased and when the kid took me for my weigh-in this week, I was down to a svelte 48.6 lbs!  I feel so much better and have so much more energy than when I first moved to Jackson.  I hate looking back at the old pictures of myself.  I am proud to say that I am no longer a Russet potato, but now I am more of a fingerling.

If you see me on the streets, feel free to call me the Real Slim Tatey.