Happy Endings

Our viewers, adopters, staff and volunteers enjoy seeing photos and letters about adoption animals that provide a glimpse into their lives in their new homes.

If you would like to send a photo of your animal
companion(s) along with a some text, please include your contact information, names of the pet(s)/people in the photos, adoption date, and age(s) of your animal(s).

Email: Adoption Desk
Mail:
Adoption Alumni
The Marin Humane Society
171 Bel Marin Keys Blvd
Novato, CA 94949

Otis

Last August, we adopted 9 week old "Viper" from the litter of puppies that had been brought down from Lake County. While his sister and brother each had a number of holds, little Viper had no interested parties. My boyfriend and I quickly changed our mind about wanting a girl, read his wrap sheet of a profile, and decided that if anyone could turn this anti social, insecure little puppy around, it would be in our tiny house with our three gregarious cats on the 80 acre horse ranch we manage in West Marin. By the time we made it home from the humane society with a crate in one hand, puppy in the other, his name was changed to Otis.

A year later we could not be more happy with what we think is our lab/pit mix. Through your wonderful training classes, a lot of exercise, consistency, and love, Otis is our ideal dog. At 65 lbs, sleek, and shorthaired he's perfect for our active lifestyle; he works in the barn with me each day, goes on hikes, runs, hits up the local dog parks, LOVES children, is polite of the horses is a cherished member of our family and a favorite at the vets office. The cats routinely keep him in line and in return he opens the door for them to go out and hunt mice each morning. He has the energy to keep up with us, but appreciates laying in the sun and sleeping in on a rainy day. Through plenty of outings and interactions, he is now a polite greeter, confident leash walker, and capable in most any situation. I am working towards nursing school, and have plans to turn this mellow guy into a therapy dog so that he can visit patients with me in hospital.

Thank you Thank you for your services, your excellent training classes (we love Patty, Anni, and Jane!), and for providing us with such a wonderful companion!

The Mulligan Family

Puck

Boy, did I score! When my parents first met me at MHS, most of my hair was missing and, according to my scratch sheet, I'd been neglected by my first owners. Thanks to my wonderful foster mom, I'd become much more social and won my new parents over right away.

Now I live in a huge house, stock full of toys and treats, yummy regular meals, and get lots and lots of attention. They spoil me a little, but I'm still learning my manners. So far, I've learned sit and down, sit pretty, and wait. Now we're working on come, but it's difficult to pay attention, what with all the great things going on around me. I start school next week.

Every morning, I walk for an hour with my new neighborhood dog buddies; Mom also plays fetch and tug-a-war with me; and I often get an afternoon walk when we all have the time. At night, I curl up in my fleece bed tucked up in a blanket and sleep soundly the whole night through. Mom even bought me a sweater for the coming winter mornings!

Best part is, I also have a vacation home at the Russian River. Going there makes me feel relaxed and in my element, like a real dog should. My hair is growing and I'm more and more confident with each day, because I know someone will take care of me right.

Thank you MHS for helping me find my way home!

Puck

Claire & Robin Williams

I just wanted to write and let you know that after adopting our two rabbits, Claire and Robin Williams, from you in February 2008, they have settled very happily into our family and home. We've loved getting to know them and having the chance to see what smart, interesting creatures they are.

Claire likes to stick to her "rabbit zone," but she is thrilled when she gets to have some supervised outdoor exercise pen time, and she'll race around her pen leaping into the air. Robin, on the other hand, loves exploring the indoors and immediately upon moving in with us, he claimed my bed as his own, perching himself grandly on my favorite spot to make sure we understood who the new boss in the house is.

Thank you for helping us find the right companion animals for our family, and thank you for the valuable work you do for our community.

Sincerely,
The Sobrato Family

Elsie

I can't believe how lucky I was to get such a great dog. She's already been to almost all of the major dog parks in San Francisco. She loves the other dogs and especially likes to chase after the ones fetching balls or playing chase. Her recall is really good and she never strays very far from me. Sometimes I like to hide behind a tree when she's not looking. When I call her she immediately comes to find me and then she starts biting at my legs as if she's telling me not to do that again.

Besides all the exercise I've been taking her with me almost everywhere I go. We saw a jazz band at a cafe, we went to a party last week and I take her to watch me play soccer on Sundays. She is a very calm and well-behaved dog no matter where we are. When we're at home she mostly sleeps on my, I mean our, sofa. Even when I have company my friends can't believe how quiet she is. She absolutely LOVES my upstairs neighbors two schnauzers.

As far as her separation anxiety, I don't think it's as severe as was stated on her profile sheet. I've been doing practices with her and when I leave I listen by the door to hear her cry for about 10 seconds and then she goes back to her spot on the sofa. So far I have been letting her adjust to her new life and haven't left her alone for more than 30-60 minutes at a time but I will be gradually be increasing the duration. I'm sure she will do fine. With a little more training I think I'm on my way to having the perfect dog!

Thanks,
Doug & Elsie

Maui & Merlot

When my Mom moved to her new home two years ago, we only had a fish. Our home was incomplete. All I wanted for Christmas was a pet to make our home complete. After Christmas, my mother and I started looking on the website for the Marin Humane Society for a cat. The minute we saw Maui and Merlot's pictures, we were excited to see them. Then the moment we saw them, we knew we would be a good family for them. But we were going away for New Years weekend and we had to call in every day for 5 days hoping they were still available for adoption. When the Humane Society opened for the first time in 2008, we were waiting in the parking lot for the doors to open. Luckily Maui and Merlot were still there and just a few hours later, they were in their new home. When they got home, Maui found a safe spot under the bed but Merlot was very happy and explored right away. Today they both explore the house and find new spots for naps every day. They both like to be brushed and love lots of attention which my Mom and I love to give them. Thank you for rescuing Maui and Merlot. They make our home complete.

Carly Baxter  (age 11)

Maui and Merlot were adopted on January 2 - the first adoption of 2008!

Hannah
(aka Hannah Banana, Hannah Montana)

The Kellys would like to thank the Marin Humane Society for taking such good care of me. But honestly, I am happy to be with the Kelly family! Santa heard me, this was the best Christmas ever, and I am the luckiest dog alive! 

Hannah was adopted by the Kelly family on December 23, 2007.

Hannah has lots to say about her new family. Read her entire story here!

 

Lucille (formely Trish)

Hi Guys. I just wanted to check in with you this New Year and let you know I'm so very happy and healthy and loving life with my Novato Family. This Valentine's Day will be my two year anniversary since my rescue and adoption but it feels like I've always been here. We are a perfect fit together. I love: fruit, sleeping with my kids, jumping into the spa with my parents, laps and daydreaming in the sunshine with my cats. Here's a picture my mom sent of me on my Dad's lap. Sending you all love and best wishes for 2008. May all your adoption animals find their Forever Families soon and be as fortunate as I have been.

Fondly,
Lucille Hammond (AKA Trish)
Novato, CA

Jennie (formerly Callie)

I adopted Callie - a 5-year-old female tabby whose name is now Jennie - in August. She asked me to write to thank you again for all your kindness and to let you know she's the happy master of her new home. (Well, of course she didn't ask, but we pet people pretend.)

The Baim Family

Faux (formerly Firecracker)

Three months ago, my girlfriend Sylvia and I came to the Marin Humane Society as we often did on the weekends. We were looking for a small companion dog that we could take with us on walks, trips to the beach, and so forth. On this particular Sunday, we met a dog named Firecracker.

We understood from Firecracker's cautious biography that he may be a little wild, but we asked to take him on a walk anyway. When we did, he was absolutely as wild and unmanageable as we were told he would be. He would bark at other dogs, pull as hard as he could on the leash, and basically he couldn't care less about the person holding the other end. Even still, I don't know how to explain it, but as we walked him around I could FEEL Firecracker's potential. I remarked to Sylvia "This is a good dog, he just needs to grow".

Upon returning the dog, he was handed  off to another couple. The man was so enthusiastic about the dog, he even had a new name for him. Russell.
Sylvia and I weren't ready to make a decision, so we sadly left, sure that Firecracker AKA Russell was adoption history.

The following Tuesday we were looking at the Humane Society's website and saw the handsome Firecracker was still listed on the adoption page. I
called, and sure enough, Firecracker was still there. I asked for the dog to be held, and the following day Sylvia and I came to spend more time with him. After two hours, we finally decided that with her experience with dogs, and my having had a few myself, we were willing to adopt Firecracker and try it out. We figured, even if he was a terror, he was
absolutely too adorable to resist.

After a painless adoption process, we were ready to bring our new family member home. We bought him all the right care products, and some toys. We
even gave him a new name: Faux (Fox).

Fast forward three months. Sylvia and I could not be any happier than we are now. Faux is a blessing for us. He has changed so much since we first met him. He is incredibly obedient and he is friendly and loving to his very core.

We followed all the advice in the complimentary training guide, and coupled with Sylvia's ability with dogs, Faux can sit, lay down, roll over, play dead, shake hands, stand up, give a high-five, speak on command, and even crawl on his stomach. He is completely house trained and alerts us verbally when he needs to walk.

We take him to the dog park almost daily, where he is very popular with dogs and guardians alike. He plays perfectly with all kinds and sizes of dogs. He has lost some of his long coat, but some people still recognize him as Firecracker, even if he doesn't respond to the name.

Faux has played gently with a 2 year old boy for hours (on many different occasions), and isn't afraid of anything anymore!

Again, I want to tell you how wonderful this dog is, and how much happiness he has brought us. We truly believe this dog was meant for us and we were meant for him. I appreciate so much the job you do at the Marin Humane Society, and believe it is your professionalism and excellence that fatefully brought the three of us together.

Sylvia & Tony

Tina Turner (formerly Alexus)

Howdy, Marin Humane Society! First off, let me say one of my dogs came from there, and she's the best! Somehow she wound up there from San Jacinto Mexico, and I'm really glad I found her.

When I saw her, I loved the way she moved, so I decided to call her "Tina" (after Tina Turner!). You might remember her because when I adopted her (August 2005), she was getting over a bout with mange, and y'all were skeptical as to whether a few patches of fur on her neck would ever grow back. You'll be happy to know that not only did they all grow back, but her fur is practically puppy-soft! And you'll also be happy to know that she is absolutely thriving - she's very fit, she's a great swimmer, she loves to play fetch and go for long walks (she's great on the leash), her teeth are beautiful and she's very well-mannered. And she's a great leader to my other dogs as well! She's my girl!

Bryan Adams

Mister and Cutie

Hi! My name is Mister. I'm the handsome blue budgie. My girlfriend is the beautiful white budgie, Cutie. We met at MHS and have been together since June 2007.

In July, this lady Pat came in and looked at us. Suzanne Gollin told her that she should adopt us. We knew Suzanne would find us the right place to live because she is an amazing MHS employee!

Within a couple of hours, Pat took us to her home where at first we huddled together and were very quiet. Pat gave us fresh food, seeds, pellets and lots of toys! She plays, sings and talks to us, too!

I know that Pat loves us. Cutie is still cautious, but I let Pat rub my tummy every morning before she goes to work. In the evening, Pat lets Cutie and me out of our little “home” into her big home. We play in front of the mirrors and on the window sills. I love to perch on Pat’s shoulder and rub my neck up against her neck. That's how I show that I trust and love her. One day, I will let her hold me – I’m thinking about it! Cutie will be OK someday, too, and she will trust Pat. We are happy that MHS found us a loving home!

Submitted by Pat Fair