As an independent, nonprofit humane agency which receives no government funding, and being reliant on service fees and donations, we are especially pleased and touched when our friends include a note about their experiences with an adopted APL animal and the wonderful life that guardianship has brought to both human and animal alike!

Coco - the water loving German Shepherd

Hello!  I adopted Coco, a beautiful German Shepherd, from you guys this past spring and wanted to send an update.  When she first came home, she didn't like the car, didn't seem to understand stairs and needed to put on some weight.  After a bit of coaxing, she conquered the stairs...then kept running to the top and sitting with her chest out letting me know she was incredibly proud of herself.  She also LOVES riding in the car.  I bought her a dog hammock for the back seat so she can grip on to something, but she loves sticking her head out the window and looking around.  She is also at a nice, healthy weight for her size and exercises often. 

Her best friend is my (almost) 6 year old niece...they love to run outside and play.  Her absolute favorite activity is chasing water from the hose...I have never had a German Shepherd that loves water so much (or at all!).  It's also a great way to exercise her in between runs. 

She's working on 'playing nice with other dogs'...it's a slow process, but she's learning.  She's my girl and I'm happy to have her in my family. :) 

Thanks for all you do,
Bec

PS.  Trying to get her to sit still long enough to take a picture is quite a feat!!  She'd rather be playing.

Cali (aka Kitty) - a "Cheese Curl" greeting

My husband and I adopted Kitty (now Cali) last June. She is a wonderful dog- we honestly can't believe how lucky we are. Cali is a sweet, smart, quirky dog with wonderful house manners. She absolutely loves going for walks, we walked 4 miles today. Over the past winter she couldn't wait to go hiking in the snow. She greets us at the door every time we come home with the "cheese curl" where she bends her body and wags her tail like crazy. She has learned all sorts of tricks and will do them all in a row just to earn a treat! Cali loves being outside in our backyard, she lays on the deck and patrols for squirrels and chipmunks. She also likes to wiggle around in the grass (and snow) on her back. We love her like a child. This is our first dog and we had no idea the amount love and joy that she would bring to our lives.

The staff did a wonderful job matching up our personalities. Cali is a strong willed dog, but after we made adjustments to our behavior and taught her a few rules, she is became a very well mannered dog. Cali even gets along with our new kitten just fine!

Thank you again,
Lisa and Nik Shah

Ace - He’s definitely the Ace of our Hearts!

We adopted Ace around Valentine’s day. We fell in love with this handsome boy when we saw his picture on the APL website. We wanted an orange cat, and Ace seemed to have just the look we were after.

When I heard his story — that he was dumped in a crate behind an apartment building along with another cat, it ripped my heart out. The other cat, Abel, got adopted and Ace was apparently very attached to him. So Ace was put in the playroom with other cats. I needed a cat that would get along with another cat since we had one at home, so I was confident Ace would be a good match for us.

He was easily integrated into our home and he has a new friend, Hobo. Hobo is much larger than Ace (who is actually a lot smaller than I thought he was from his picture) and can intimidate him when he wants to. The good news is that that doesn’t happen with more than a stare, and it doesn’t happen often.

Ace is enjoying our yard, the ducks, geese and birds, and all the sights, sounds, and especially the smells, of the great outdoors (he has a cat door and can come and go as he wants…when we give him permission!). Whenever Ace goes outside, Hobo goes out too and seems to watch over him. When Ace got too close to our neighbor’s fence where there are dogs, Hobo rounded him up and made him come back inside.

Ace is energetic, playful, curious, quirky, and a voracious eater. But most of all, he’s healthy and happy and we are all just as happy that he has come to live with us! He’s definitely the Ace of our Hearts!

Thanks to everyone at the Cleveland APL for the work you do to provide shelter and find homes for all the animals. They deserve everything you give them and you deserve the best the world has to offer for the compassion and care you give them.

Sasha (aka Candy) A belly rub is all it took!

A little over a year ago my husband and I were walking through Beachwood mall when we saw Sasha (you called her Candy). We had no plans on bringing home another dog that day but we are so happy we did! When she looked at us and rolled over for us to rub her belly we knew she would be a great addition to our family.

Sasha is now a pampered pooch who loves to run around with her new 'sister' Sadie. She is even wonderful with our cat Maxwell. We are outnumbered by our pets but could not be happier!

She has even been with us to our cabin in Michigan a couple of times already and enjoys wading in the water and going for walks in the woods. Thank you so much for rescuing her... now she will never be abandoned again.

Laura and Jason Rose

Charlie (aka Mister) Much loved and dearly missed

I want to thank you for providing my wife and I 4 ½ wonderful years with our boxer “Mister”, who we renamed “Charlie” after we adopted him from you on August 21, 2006.  We lived in Pickerington, Ohio at the time and have since moved to Orlando.  Of course Charlie came with us and just loved the warmer weather.  Charlie was full of zest and life and quickly became our best friend and companion.  He was like a child to us.

Unfortunately, Charlie passed away on February 15, 2011 of heart failure.  Although we knew he was old, his heart condition was undetected until the day before he passed.  We think he lived to be 11-12 years old.  We were so blessed to have found him in your shelter 4 ½ years ago and gave him a loving, friendly, and comfortable “forever home” during his golden years.  Thank you for providing us a true companion and friend.  His presence will be missed, but his memory will live on forever in our hearts.

Kevin D. Wilkes

Chloe - the best choice

We adopted a 2 month old german shepherd/ collie mix in May 2010 and wanted to share our wonderful story of our Chloe.

We always knew we wanted a puppy as soon as we bought our first home. So we took a drive down to the APL to look for an addition to our new family. We looked at some different dogs, but as soon as they brought Chloe into the room, we fell in love. Chloe was very timid when we first brought her home, but she was and still is a very fast learner! She mastered the stairs in just a few days and knew how to sit within a week. She was potty trained within two weeks and her best trick is knowing how to "speak" on command. She gives both paws and lays down very well.

Chloe loves to cuddle with mommy and daddy and regularly sleeps upside down with all paws in the air! She is a great watch dog and protects us always.

Chloe has brought us so much joy and love; we couldn't have imagined getting a better dog.

The APL was the best choice for us! Chloe is very thankful as well, we just know it. 

Steven, Katherine & Chloe

Ollie aka Mattix- Guess Who's Coming to Dinner

I just wanted to write to thank you for all that you do.  Because of the APL, I have three wonderful kitties that have become my little sidekicks.  The most recent addition, Oliver ("Ollie") was entirely unplanned and perhaps that much more special. 

On Christmas Eve of last year, I stopped by a local pet shop for more kitty gifts.  I had adopted two APL full grown cats that year (Isadora and Baby), and wanted to pick up a couple of extra things before I went to my parents for Christmas dinner. As soon as I walked in the door, the clerk asked me if I needed help. I said, no, and she pointed out that they had two APL cats.  Before I could say anything, she proceeded to say, "We have a one year old and an eight year old. The eight year old has been here for awhile, and he's real sweet."  That did it.  I had to see him.

As soon as I approached Mattix's cage, he stood up, looked at me, and pushed his pink nose through the mesh.  When I opened the gate, he fell into my arms and just purred. Within twenty seconds, I heard myself say, "I'll take him."  It just felt right. And so there it was- literally a case of "guess who's coming to dinner." While I was in line, I learned that he had a tooth condition, but it didn't matter. 

I later learned that the APL rescued Mattix/Ollie after he had been stranded on the roof of an abandoned car dealership for at least four of five days. His records reflected that he was 7 pounds (he's 14 pounds now), and had many mats and needed to have teeth pulled.  Today, he's the life of the party- a consumate love bug who takes pride in cleaning everyone who gets close enough to his head, and a constant chirping conversationalist. He greets me at the door every night when I return home from work, and keeps at me when I hit the snooze button on the alarm in the morning. Unfortunately, I had to have all of his teeth removed due to his medical condition, but it hasn't slowed him down.  I just call him "Gummy Bear"- he's perfect.

Keep up the great work-
Jen West

Lucky aka Monkey is a great big sister

I wanted to tell you how Lucky has been doing.  We adopted Lucky, formerly "Monkey" in January of 2006.  She was a scared, sad girl that had not been taken care of by her former owner.  We walked up and down looking into every kennel but we just kept going back to her.  We brought her home to Medina that day and never looked back.  She is the best dog and she brings a smile to our face everyday.  Two years ago we adopted another coonhound named Lucy.  She was rescued from an Amish puppymill and had no clue how to be a dog.  She learned everything she knows from her "big sister" Lucky and they are inseparable!!  She is all hound dog but also LOVES to fish.  This is a picture of her last summer on our annual trip to N. Carolina to visit her "Grandparents".  And a picture of her with her "sister" Lucy relaxing on the couch.  Thank you APL staff and volunteers for all that you do for the animals in Cleveland!

Joey aka Everything is an Adventure

APL,

I just wanted to write you a quick note to keep you up to date on an animal we adopted from you!

My husband and I adopted Joey a little over a year ago and our lives have not been the same since! He is a bundle of energy who is always up for anything. As my father-in-law describes him, "to Joey everything is an adventure, even going to the Vet!” My siblings both have dogs that Joey loves to visit and play with for hours. As much as he loves those visits, his favorite things to do are go for walks and ride in the car with the windows down...while trying to bite the moving air outside the car.  Although he loves to be outside doing things, he is always ready and willing to cuddle and take a nap with someone on the couch. Joey is a constant source of entertainment for us and has brought so much joy into our lives!

Natalie and Brett Mitchell

Midnight - Most Loyal and Loving

It’s been three years since I adopted Midnight from you and I wanted to drop you a note to let you know how very happy we are!

I wasn’t sure I was quite ready to adopt again after our longtime fur-kid, Lucy Brown passed away, but after I met Midnight – I couldn’t sleep knowing such a sweet girl was at the shelter. She was a ‘senior’ (7 ½ years young) with periodontal disease too.  Since I was used to special pets, I knew such things wouldn’t be a problem for us. What made her even more special was that she had been part of one of your Humane Investigations.

In the three years since we adopted her, she’s been diagnosed with Kidney disease & High BP (she’s doing very well on her meds) and all but a couple of her teeth have been removed (she hasn’t missed a beat either – she’s gained over 4 pounds!) She’s the most loyal and loving girl and eagerly reminds me daily how happy she is to be a part of our family. We love her so much!

Thank you for rescuing Midnight from that life she had, and giving her a chance at the good life with us!

Keep up the good work!

-Jules Russell, Lakewood

Fanz aka Trouble aka Boswawa

My name used to be Franz a long time ago.  Last June, a big, scary dog found me curled up on a porch, skinny, scared, and starved. The people with the big scary dog brought me some boiled chicken and rice, but every time I ate, just a little bit, I got sick. I only weighed about 5 lbs. They thought I was dying, so they called the City Kennels to come and get me to see if they could help. But those people kept thinking about me, and called the Kennels the next day to see if I was okay. I had already been transferred to the APL where I got the name Franz. The people called and called about me, and found out I could be adopted because I was feeling better after some good care and food at the APL. The day after my picture was put on the APL's website, the lady with the big scary dog came down to adopt me. At this time I only weighed 7-1/2 lbs., but I felt better and wasn't so scared of everything any more.  I love my new house and I love to cuddle with my Mom and Dad. I get lots of love, good food, walks, and have lots of toys to play with. I think I even like my new name, "Trouble".

My nickname is Boswawa, because I'm Boston Terrier and chihuahua, and that big, scary dog I told you about is an Australian Shepherd named Foster. He's not so scary now, 'cause he's my big brother and my best friend!

Thanks APL, for keeping me there 'til my new Mom and Dad could find me.
Oh yeah...I'm a whopping 14 lbs. now!

-Trouble

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