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Benji was in loving home until he snapped at one of the young children in the house. I, in the meantime, was on wish list looking for a Westie, when I received a call from Little Shelter saying a Westie was available.

Well it's been 5 1/2 years, I'm happy to say that Benji has been the most loving, gentle, smart and happiest friend that I could imagine. I have a large extended family with children and he has never once snapped at any of them, in fact they all look forward to seeing Benji more than me when they visit.

Benji is so full of life and adjusted to our home in just a few days. As you can see by his picture, Benji is also a "party animal!"

I encourage anyone who is looking for a companion to visit Little Shelter and check them out for yourselves, I couldn't imagine my life with Benji and I'm glad I don't have to.

When Tommy was first let out of his carrier in his new home, he spent only 15 minutes scoping out the house. After seeing that everything met his approval, he went over to his new owner and rubbed against her leg. He just stayed in her lap for the rest of the afternoon.

Tommy is very well behaved in his new home. He seems to already know all the rules and he acts as if he always lived in his new home.

Actually, Suzy doesn't like Hunter very much, because Hunter likes to play too much. But she stood next to him long enough to snap this picture.

I wanted to thank you for all the help your staff has given to Ray and I during the first few months after adopting Hunter.

There were some incidences during our period of adjustment that were at times difficult, but your staff always helped with training tips, and in general to help keep things in perspective.

I've come to realize that Hunter is a very good dog. We work with him daily on helping him to experience new people and places so that he may be an ideal dog.

He loves to play with other dogs. Since having Hunter, we have made friends with other people in our neighborhood who also have dogs, so he gets to play with his "pack" at least a few times a week, and we take him to a large field every night to go running.

Thanks again for everything.

We adopted Asia in September 2000 from Little Shelter. She was very nervous at first, but she started to blossom very quickly. She was especially hesitant around her new dad, Brian, but, as time went by, she became more and more comfortable around him and her new mom, Anne Marie.

Asia gained her confidence with the help of her canine sister, Autumn. Asia and her lab mix sister became inseparable. The affection they have for each other continues to this day. They go everywhere together and play constantly. Asia loves her whole family, which also includes a feline sister and a feline brother. She even gives her feline sister kisses sometimes.

Asia enjoys cuddling and will cuddle any chance she gets. She cuddles on the couch, cuddles on the bed, or cuddles on the floor. Asia is very tolerant of her canine sister, who is always barking in her face during play or licking Asia's teeth clean.

We decided to give Asia the middle name of Blossom since she has blossomed in to a beautiful, lovable girl. I know that Asia is so happy being part of our family -- her nightmares of the past are long forgotten.

Thank you Little Shelter for giving us our Asia Blossom!

Asia Before

"Asia gained her confidence with the help of her canine sister, Autumn"

Asia After

"We decided to give Asia the middle name of Blossom since she has blossomed in to a beautiful, lovable girl."

My mommy and daddy love me very much. They take me on lots of car rides, to the beach, and let me sleep on their big comfy bed at night. I am so excited to see my mommy when she comes home from work at Little Shelter that I try to kiss her to death. I look so funny though as I often go in the wrong direction when trying to jump up on her. I also live with my sister Casey, a terrier mix dog, and my brother Dundee, a kitty. Casey and I did not get along too well at first. We are fine now but I don't think we will ever be best friends. I sometimes play with Dundee though. He likes to run and jump right over the top of me.

Charlie Brown was 10 years old when he was brought to us, and he was completely blind. He spent 3 months living in "the house" before he was finally adopted.

Here he is in his new home proving that a "special needs" dog can also be a "special giving" dog.

I soon discovered the reason -- this kitten was totally blind and relied on her senses of smell, touch and hearing to explore her surroundings. She had been abandoned outside an office building and someone had brought her to Little Shelter. I went home that night and couldn't get her out of my mind. With several cats of my own, I must admit I wasn't looking for another; I rescue & socialize cats that are abandoned at my co-op complex (unfortunately, some people think nothing of moving out and leaving their pets behind). Since most of the cats I rescue were feral or un-socialized, I was concerned how it would be to introduce a blind kitten in to the mix. However, I also knew that with a lot of love and patience these same cats have become extremely happy and affectionate and generally tolerant of one another.

Afraid that no one would adopt this kitten because of her special needs, I told my long suffering, yet patient, husband about her and about my fear that she would never find a loving home because she was blind. It didn't take too much convincing before he knew that we needed to add this little sweetie to our family. Initially, I kept her in a cage so she could gradually get used to us, the other cats and the house. Slowly, I started letting her out to explore and she banged and bumped into things until she had a "map" in her mind of the room layouts. And I'm sure she was the source of amusement and amazement to my other cats. They couldn't understand a 'clumsy' cat -- after all, cats are always so graceful and usually very embarrassed when they miss a jump or maybe fall off a window ledge while dozing. Honey, however, bumped into and tripped over everything -- it was the only way she could learn about her new home -- and she didn't seem to care if she looked clumsy or not.

Honey is now over a year old but still very small -- about the size of a four-month old kitten. This is most likely due to inbreeding, which also caused her eye problems. An eye specialist diagnosed her with a congenital problem called 'eyelid agenesis' where the eyelid doesn't form properly. Medication would keep her pain free, but there was no way to fix her eyesight. This news disappointed me a little, but when I look at Honey and how well she has adapted to her surroundings, I realize that she doesn't miss what she never had and she is willing to "take on the world" no matter what the challenges. She may be small in stature but she is large in spirit. Nothing fazes her and she has no hesitation in tackling the other cats and pinning them down -- all 4 pounds of her! One of the cats she wrestles with weighs about 13 pounds! He usually winds up on his back crying 'uncle'. Honey is so well adjusted that people who visit can hardly believe she is blind. She now navigates around with only the occasional mishap. When she encounters another cat she often jumps over them to avoid them. She doesn't feel comfortable running fast but she typically leaps like a gazelle in a circle or rears up like a horse when playing. Her hearing is especially keen and when she plays with "Track Ball" -- an open circular tube with a ball inside that goes around and around -- she pounces on the ball with deadly accuracy.

I am constantly amazed at how well animals adapt to situations. We could all learn a lesson from them. I certainly would recommend adopting a 'special needs' animal such as Honey; seeing her conquer life's challenges has been an inspiration. My favorite time of day is when I watch TV and she climbs in to my lap purring and giving me kisses. There's nothing better.

Giles was adopted once, only to have his chance at a forever home revoked, because the owner didn't like it when he mouthed her hand. So he went back to the shelter.

I have been told that when people would come to look at the dogs, one of the workers would run into his kennel and play with him, to show everybody how lovable he is. Still, day after day would pass and he was passed up again and again.

It wasn't until August of 1999 when he finally got his shot at a new home. My dog Phoenix had passed away 10 months earlier from liver disease. She was my everything and the day she died, something inside of me died too. I was absolutely devastated.

As the months wore on, I knew that I had to get another dog. Not to replace my beloved girl, but to fill the hole in my heart that was left when she crossed the rainbow bridge. So the time finally came when I went to the shelter to bring home a dog.

As we entered the kennels, there was a dog in the first cage that came running in with a toy in his mouth. He was tall, lanky and had big ears. I was told that he had been in the shelter almost all of his 8 months and that no one seemed to want to adopt him. That really touched me and after we had looked at all the others, I said that I would like to see him again. I fell in love with him instantly. He was well behaved and friendly and most importantly, he was good with cats (we have three). I was allowed to bring Giles home that day and my husband and I quickly ran to Petco to get him toys, treats and other doggie things.

The first few months were difficult. Giles was terrified of my husband, and men in general. He suffered from intense separation anxiety and destroyed two love seats, his bed, a comforter and soiled the den. During crate training, I would have to come home and give him a bath every night because he would go to the bathroom in the cage and lay in it. But I refused to give up on him. I knew that it was because of his love for me that made him act that way, and I loved him too much to ever give him up.

When we were together he was always perfect. Slowly, he began to improve. I took him to training and he was in the top of the class. He is extremely intelligent. He began to trust my husband, and though he still doesn't let Chris hug him, Giles loves him.

Giles is still wary of men, but is getting better and will now sniff their hands. He absolutely adores the cats and is best buds with one of them named Beavis. Also, he no longer has separation anxiety, though he would still be pleased as punch to have me with him at all times.

And he accomplished what was most important. He has entered my heart and has firmly imbedded himself there. I truly feel that Phoenix sent him to me as her last gift of love. I don't feel that it is a coincidence that the gestation time and the age of Giles was ten months combined, and Phoenix had left me ten months before. Giles and I were meant to be together. No one else could love him like I do.

And it is only fitting that the lanky, big eared dog who nobody wanted, grew up to be a sleek, gorgeous, black and white beauty that gets regular compliments and questions about what kind of dog he is and where I got him. That is his happy ending. A regular fairy tale.

"He had been in the shelter almost all of his 8 months and no one seemed to want to adopt him"

"The lanky, big eared dog who nobody wanted, grew up to be a sleek, gorgeous, black and white beauty"

"He accomplished what was most important. He has entered my heart and has firmly imbedded himself there."

William

Little Shelter saves thousands of homeless animals every year and it seems that many come and go so fast. The ones that stay a little longer tend to become favorites of volunteers and staff. So starts the story of Little William. He & his littermates were in a struggle for their lives when they were born at Little Shelter. The mother was brought in pregnant, ill and starving and the kittens were born malnourished and sick. Despite Little Shelter's loving care and medical attention, William was the only one to survive. Sadly, he was born with a cyst behind one eye that hampered normal development and he was left with a misshaped eyelid and no sight in the eye.

William's story is proof that each and every animal desperately needs their own loving home and is a testament to the lifesaving work that Little Shelter is doing everyday.

"Little William" is now "Big William" with a family that dearly loves him and can't imagine life without him.

We worked hard and long to find out why Spencer was losing hair in spots and had rashes on his body. After running some tests we found out that Spencer was basically allergic to everything.