From the Side of theRoad........

First I have to thank with all my heart Joy Weatt for taking Beau (Trooper) in and nursing him back to health.
I had been to the Petsmart adoption one Saturday and walked in and made eye contact with this skinny,sad looking black and white pitbull mix. I feel in love with him at first look. I went straight home and filled out the paper work and Beau was in my home ASAP. After nursing him further back to health..Beau turned into a beautiful and strong babydoll...I had already adopted a female pit/boxer earlier in the year and the two of them are in love. Beau now has a wonderful life with Breezy. Everynight Beau sleeps beside in the bed and he has a moan when you hug him that is priceless.

Thanks to everyone who helped Beau receive a chance at life and I am forever grateful and thankful that someone did not turn their head when they saw him.

I love and worship my two Pit babies and they have brought me to tears with their love for each other...THANK YOU!!!!

Jeff Wingate

Hello from the Rosinki-Morgan family! Took some great pics of Lola today with her brother Spanky. She LOVES the fireplace, we joke she is tanning her belly. She is doing very well, still likes to go after cats but we are working on it. She is our special girl, we love her dearly.

It's hard to believe it's been 8 years that we've been lucky enough to have our dog Payton in our lives. It all started out one December evening when we decided to "look into" getting a puppy. We spend an hour or two on Petfinder.com and finally came across a litter of pups appropriately named after Santa's Reindeer. We saw "Prancer" and fell in love! We brought him home a couple days later . . . renaming him Payton (after Walter Payton). He has been such a blessing . . . we cannot imagine our lives without him. Thank you so much Petfinder and Animal Adoption League for taking the time to help animals find a home. Although it's been 8 years . . . you have no idea how many special relationships you've helped build through your kind hearts and hard work.

Thanks!
Kristi & Jason

Nicholas (1st grade) - child of the family who adopted AAL kittens, Jazz & JayJay - sent us some great pictures he drew of the day the kittens came home.

Forrest - A New Home in New Hampshire

Hello everyone at AAL,

I want to begin by telling you how happy we are with our newest family member, Forrest. I've been adopting boxers for over 19 years and he is truly an amazing dog with a wonderful temperament. While Forrest's story of abandonment is all too common, the care and love he received afterwards by the volunteer network at AAL is what made this dog the magnificent pet he's become today.

Forrest was found on the side of the road suffering from mange and emaciated. Most of his hair had fallen out and he was close to starvation. Although Forrest was in this terrible state, the volunteers at AAL knew his spirit wasn't broken. Recognizing that Forrest's condition required special treatment and care he was brought to a wonderful AAL volunteer named Martha, who specializes in dogs with serious health conditions. Only with her love, kindness and devotion was he able make a full recovery. Once Forrest had recovered the remarkable folks at AAL began the tireless search to find him a Forever Home.

The decision was made to send Forrest on the Cloud 9 Rescue Flight to Manchester NH where his chances of being adopted were much greater. Kylie Troy of the AAL made the arrangements, and Forrest was flown to Manchester with a group of dogs waiting to meet their new families. We picked up Forrest on August 8th and have been loving him ever since.

The time, effort, and dedication of these volunteers is nothing short of remarkable. The extraordinary group of people at the AAL, the Manchester Animal Shelter, and other shelters across the country perform miracles like this on a daily basis and very rarely receive the recognition they deserve. The time, money, and resources that are required to give these dogs a second chance is extensive, but the end result is heartwarming.

I wish I could personally thank the dozen or more people that helped to give our family this amazing dog. Their efforts are noble, their dedication is commendable, and their love for these an
imals is awe inspiring. Our family is forever grateful for the ability to give Forrest a place he can finally call home.

Thank you again for giving these dogs the second chance they deserve.

All our best,

The Rondeau Family (Paul, Diane, Colby, Sarah, and Forrest)

No Longer Sleeping in a Flower Pot . . .

Hi all...I don't think I ever let the "group" know that Henry is in his new forever home.

(Henry is the 1+ year old blond tabby who was left when my neighbors moved. He had been living outside his entire life and wasn't neutered, up to date... nothing. His previous "caretatkers" fed him Dean and DeLucca wild salmon and roasted chicken, but wouldn't let him in the house. The house looked like it belonged on the OPRAH show as an example of someone who can't throw anything out. He slept in a flower pot with a heating pad.
He was neutered under the grant and Crossroads donated all of his testing and vaccines.

I knew when I left him with Jeff Brindle, a massage therapist in Indian Land (he saw my desperate plea on Facebook for a temp. foster home for the summer) that he was probably never going to leave. Large lovely home, run of the house, lots of bare floor space to play with his favorite toy, golf balls, HUGE windows looking out onto a large yard and woods so he could watch the birds, no kids or other animals to bug him (although Henry likes dogs) and someone who is home a lot. A truly super cat. We probably would have kept him but couldn't take him to Canada with the other 2 cats and large dog because he was an escape artist and would have been eaten by coyotes.

I received a call in late July asking if I would consider letting Jeff adopt him because they love him so much and Henry seemed so "Happy"! Of course, I said yes! He has really landed in the lap of luxury.

Let's hear it for Henry! A happy ending! Yay! Marg

My Little Angel

On April 26th 2010 I came home from the grocery store to find my dog Chloe of 14 years, dead on her bed. I knew something was wrong when I saw how she was laying. She looked as if she had just fallen onto bed. She must have struggled to make it there; a place of comfort. I immediately started begging her to wake up; for God to let her live. Just the day before on our walk I noticed how happy and unusually spunky she was acting. Now she was gone. I wonder if she knew it was her last walk. I grieved for days and weeks. Putting up her bed and cleaning up all her doggie things was so hard. I found peace in knowing she had a happy life with me in the country and had lots of love in her life. I also believe her spirit is still with me even though I can't see her.

A month when by and I had been cleaning the house all day. It was spotless, quiet and lonely. I thought, "maybe I'll just look and see what dogs are available for adoption on Petfinder". I was just looking through pictures. Then I saw her, she looks just like my Chloe, I couldn't believe it. I filled out the application and sent it in. Within minutes Brenda Arnold called me. She was two hours away. But I had to talk to my husband first. Of course, he said, "do whatever you want to". He always says that. So I called Brenda back and told her I was coming to get Angel. I didn't know it at the time but Angel didn't really like people right away and was very shy. But when she saw me she ran past Tim, her "Daddy" at the time and jumped right into my arms. It was like she already knew me and that I was going to be coming to get her.

She is sure a perfect fit for me. We get along great, I know she was meant for me. And even though my Chloe is in Heaven, God made sure to send me another Angel. I've learned and understand the circle of life now.