...As Written By Our Adopters
"Jackson is the most gentle, loving dog with the sweetest personality ever. My granddaughter has taught him to jump rope with her and when they can't find a rope they pretend to have one and Jackson will jump and jump and jump. He loves treats and can sit and stay and most of all he loves to snuggle. He is just WONDERFUL, WONDERFUL, WONDERFUL!! We are so grateful he was rescued and came to live with us...we love him!"
L. Hudson and family, FL.
"We flew out from Ohio to work at DAWGS in June of 2008 where we met Diane, Mark, and all of the other wonderful people who care for the dogs. We took Kilo, the sweetest little Am Staff, back to the hotel each night. He was such a joy but we already had three dogs waiting back home. We worried about him all summer so we finally called Diane to see if we could adopt him. In September, we packed up Sadie, our alpha dog, to drive the 1250 miles and see if she would let us bring him home. The meeting was uneventful so home he came. We have fit him in with the rest of the pack and we love him as much as he loves us. We have returned to DAWGS with Kilo each fall since our initial trip to help with the dogs and work on special projects. Any visitors to your web site that would like to make a difference should consider a trip to help out at the shelter. They have so many really wonderful dogs like Kilo that just need to find a family to love them. " The Praters, Kettering, OH.
“Wolf was adopted for our son Matthew. Matthew had his fifth birthday while his PaPa was in the hospital dying. Wolf has made all the difference for Matthew and we love him.” J. Ryan and family, Friona, TX.
“Thank you so much for our two boys. We love them very much.” C. Taff, Johnson, KS.
“Our story started sometime ago. We felt we need a dog because dogs add so much to families, especially when children are involved. We began our search through breeders and then our son, Aaron, 14 months, had surgery in August so we had plenty of medical bills and were in no position to pay a huge amount for a puppy. We decided we could continue to wait because it didn’t seem to be the right timing and neither of us make quick decisions. One morning we watched Regis and Kelly and they were promoting adopting for the holidays. I looked on line at over a thousand dogs until I was able to narrow it down to five. Fortunately all of the other dogs had been adopted and the only shelter that contacted me back was DAWGS. They told me about Tobin and how he was wonderful. We were also impressed that kids did the volunteer work and Tobin liked kids. We traveled from Odessa to Amarillo to meet him. We could see he was anxious in the midst of all the chaos as the dogs entered, but was very calm. I reached through the pen to pet him and without looking at me he scooted closer so I could continue to scratch his back. Without further delay we adopted him. We changed his name to Caleb, which means “Faithful dog” in Hebrew. We have been so very blessed. He has begun to see us as his family. He minds well and is in training classes at Petsmart. He loves his toys especially his blue knotted rope. The thing my heart cherishes most is the way Aaron and Caleb have taken to each other. We couldn’t ask for anything more, he is perfect and we love him.” M. Willingham and family, Odessa, TX.
“Claire Bear loves her new home. She is a wonderful dog and I could not imagine life without her. I am so glad she adopted me as her mommy!” S. Scott, Amarillo, TX.
“Buddy was a handful at first…we were his third chance at a family. Now he is a great dog and has found his permanent home!” J. Snider, Amarillo, TX.
“Marley is a happy, happy dog. He has fun playing with our two year old lab named Freddie. He is just what our Freddie needed and we couldn’t have made a better choice.” A. Chandler, Amarillo, TX.
“Samantha is great. She has grown so much and eats a bunch! My boys love her and so do all the neighborhood kids (when she doesn’t jump on them!). She loves all the kids and has been a wonderful addition to our family.” A. Bradley, Naz, TX.
“Lucy has a lot of fun playing with her brother, Diego, who is a Chihuahua. Her favorite thing is to chase Diego around the living room and cuddling with people on the couch, even though she is getting so big! Apparently Lucy likes baseball caps (she likes to chew them) and we have remedied that concern with lots of bones which she reluctantly shares with Diego. Lucy has definitely found her place in our home and in our hearts!” L. Barrett, Amarillo, TX.
“Sadie is a great addition to our family. Our four year old daughter was so happy when we brought her home. Our other dog, Daisy, was also very happy with the new addition. Daisy is a rescued puppy we got for our daughter’s first birthday, when she was only six weeks old. We have learned from Sadie and Daisy that adopted dogs have so much more love to give. We will always adopt and never buy another dog! Sadie is loved very much and loves to be loved on…she is such a cuddler!” L. Beagle, Stinnett, TX.
“Maddie is a sweet and lovable girl. She is such a great dog that when we leave town our neighbors ask if they can take care of her! She sleeps with their three year old on a special floor mattress. At home, Maddie has her own bed in our bedroom but always sleeps on the recliner or couch during the day….she is spoiled rotten! She goes on daily walks and loves to swim in mountain lakes. Maddie is good with our cats, our Newf and people. She becomes everyone’s instant favorite, everyone loves MADDIE! We are so happy to have her as an addition to our family.” A. Rogers, Borger, TX.
“I was desperately looking for a german shepherd after my 15 year old died suddenly. Your staff was so kind—she cried while I cried and understood how hard it was. Alexa is a beautiful girl! I still can not understand why someone left her to die! At Christmas we celebrated with lots of new toys and treats. She plays with her brother (also adopted) and is a joy to be with! She has hip dysplasia, food allergies and a little bit of separation anxiety. But who’s perfect?? There are diets and medications to help and she is doing great. She is a beautiful, smart girl who got a second chance and is greatly loved!” M. Henderson, Borger, TX.
“We went to DAWGS hoping to adopt a Dalmatian (as we had recently lost our precious girl). We were told they only had a black lab that was part Dalmatian. We asked to see him and as we passed the pens all the dogs barked a welcome with bright eyes and wagging tails hoping we would take one of them home with us. When we came to Jonny’s pen we saw a black, forlorn dog sitting at the back of the pen. When called to the front of the pen, his head was down and his tail was done. His eyes were glazed. We petted him but got no response. We asked what was wrong with him. We were told he had been there for four months and his brother had past away and he had stopped eating. He was so sad. Our hearts went out to him and we said we would take him home. Everyone was so happy for him. Now, one year later, his coat is shiny, his tail never stops wagging and his eyes are alert and he is ready to go. He now has a chocolate lab his size to play with and is so full of life. We love him!” D. Short, Channing, TX.
“When we adopted Charlotte (Charlie) she didn’t know how to run. She would get tangled up when she tried and had to stop frequently for rests. Her legs were too long for her body! Now she has free reign over our 70 acres and has a friend, Jenny, to race against. She is super fast and also likes to race with our donkeys.” Name withheld.
“Bear has been a very loving dog. He takes care of our cats and goes everywhere we go. When we are sick, he stays right there with us. He is just a little spoiled and loved a lot.” B. Claybrook, Channing, TX.
“Jax was a timid and shy puppy who has grown into a wonderful, loving and playful dog. He can always make us laugh. He loves to play fetch, especially with a soccer ball. He also loves going on walks, jumping into the pool and cuddling on the couch!” K. Key, Albany, TX.
“Gunner is such a special boy. It took us a couple of weeks to get him out of his shell, but now he is very active and loving. We enjoy him so much.” S. Martin, Silverton, TX.
“Sandi is so special. We love her so much and she gets along great with our other animals. We are so glad that we adopted her. She is such a wonderful addition to our family.” A. Sharon, Amarillo, TX.
“We are so blessed to have adopted Maggie. She is the sweetest dog! My daughter has become very attached to her and she has really brightened the lives of our entire family.” S. Worrell, Amarillo, TX.
“Sadie-Sue is PERFECT!! We love her so much!” D. Zimmerman, Guymon, OK.
“Sarah is our seven year old granddaughter and she is in love with her Jack Russell Terrier, Max. They play in the yard together and she laughs so hard when he starts jumping up and down after her hand. Max and Sarah are just alike, they love people and they love to run and to play. Max is perfect for our family.” Connie and Jerrod, Texline, TX. “Bo is awesome…love him like crazy!!” L. and M. Ruzowski, Amarillo, TX.
“Copper has completed our family. He is so much companionship for Nola, our other dog. We now realize if you have one dog you need another for a friend. They love each other and we love them.” C. Sheets, Texhoma, OK.
“Sydney is a wonderful and very loving companion. Tow months after we adopted her, we adopted a german shepherd, Nash. They get along perfectly and we couldn’t be happier! Sydney is such a loving dog; we couldn’t imagine life without her and Nash. This is definitely their forever home!” K. Esher, Colorado Springs, CO.
“We love Indiana. She is such a big part of our family!” N. Deal, Amarillo, TX.
The Happy Tail Of Goldie
Goldie, a little golden retriever mix puppy, was found three weeks ago wandering in the middle of a busy street. She looked at us with those big, brown eyes and we immediately stopped and whisked her into the car, just as a truck whizzed by. She acknowledged our help with sweet kisses and settled in for the ride to the shelter. She had lots of fleas and ticks, but otherwise was very healthy and adorable.A Wells Fargo representative contacted us about getting a credit card machine for adoptions/donations and, in the course of the conversation, asked if we had any cute puppies (do we have cute puppies!?!). We immediately sent her a photo of Goldie and, when she came to see her (and bring us the machine), she and her husband fell in love with her at first sight. We do love happing endings and wish all our dogs and cats could be so lucky!
Happy Tails For Buddy and Jerry
On Sunday, a vintage United States Marine Corps plane flew into the Dalhart Airport from Houston, armed with doggie treats, bandannas and doggie beds for two of the great dogs from DAWGS. Skip, his wife Sally, and flying friend Jim, had decided to help transport Buddy to the wonderful home of Jerome and Bertie. Along the way, Skip and Sally adopted Jerry for their own home. The two dogs, both beautiful golden retrievers, came from different beginnings and have been at the shelter for a long time. They are both now in loving homes in Houston, TX.
Buddy was one of the first dogs to come to the shelter, in March of 2003. He was adopted during the summer to a local family and became a hero. An early article written in the Dalhart Texan tells his story….”Buddy had never known what it was like to have a family-- to belong to someone. He had grown up at the animal rescue and was no longer a cute, cuddly puppy. He was less likely to find a home, but fate had other plans. One afternoon someone picked Buddy out of the crowd and loaded him into a car. He watched his kennel mates disappear in the distance. Buddy’s new home was in the country and his mistress, Margaret, was a quiet, soft spoken lady in her seventies. Her family had decided that she needed a companion, but she was less than thrilled to see the dog. She put the dog in her large back yard and set out food and water. For his part, Buddy thought he had died and gone to heaven. He loved the grass and would run the length of the yard before zipping back the other direction. When he soon became bored with this game he looked for other distractions. Margaret came home one afternoon to find her garden hose in shreds. The crime was repeated the next day. She was so angry, she called the animal rescue, intent upon taking him back. At the urging of her family she opened the gate to her yard, encouraging him to go with her and gave him another chance. That was all Buddy needed. The place became his. He never strayed or ran away, and when Margaret would go outside to do her gardening, Buddy always went with her. He liked the sound of her voice when she talked to him. She brought him a couple of toys and he stopped chewing up her hoses. They became best friends. One evening Margaret was finishing up some chores in her back yard when she noticed some trash behind the air conditioning unit. When she bent down to pick it up, she lost her balance and fell, somehow wedging her head between the unit and the brick of the house. She fell at an awkward angle and could not get hold of anything to right herself. Immediately Buddy sprang into action. He ran to the front door and began to bark furiously. Margaret’s husband, Ben, went to the door because it was so unusual for Buddy to bark. The dog loved everyone. As he stepped out onto the porch, Buddy began to spin around, still barking. Then he trotted to the end of the porch, looking back over his shoulder at Ben. Seeing that Ben had not followed him, Buddy ran back to Ben and barked again before once more trotting across the porch. This time he kept going, toward the back yard and Ben followed. Ben found his wife and helped her back into the house. She turned out to be fine and Buddy turned out to be the hero.”
After a while, Margaret decided she wanted a pond and was worried that Buddy would disturb the wildlife. In December 2004, she brought Buddy back to DAWGS. She reminded us of Buddy saving her life and what a great dog he was. As she drove away, Buddy watched with sad eyes, not understanding what had gone wrong but seemingly happy to be back. He quickly settled in and became best friends with his roommate, Maddie.
A wonderful couple, Jerome and Bertie, had been following the shelter progress and were ardent supporters. One day they read the story about Buddy on the DAWGS website (www.dawgsntexas.com) and decided they wanted to give him a home. They had lost their beloved golden retriever, Beau, a few years before and wanted to find someone else to be part of their lives. For months and months, they worried on how to get Buddy to Houston.
Weather was always an obstacle, either too cold or too hot to ride in the cargo compartment of a commercial flight, and the drive was too far. Then in April they came out to see Buddy. It was the second visit and Buddy was so happy to see them again. While they were here, they found Jerry, another beautiful golden retriever. Jerry had come to the shelter in December of 2006. A gorgeous boy that loves people and loves to chase after the ball, or the birds, or the waving grass….he just loves life. Jerome and Bertie were torn as they had promised Buddy a home but they were so impressed with Jerry and knew they couldn't take both. When they got back to Houston, Jerome shared the tale of the two golden retrievers with his doctor, a fellow animal lover. Within a few weeks, plans were made to fly a private plane to Dalhart and deliver the two boys to Houston. Jerry was going to go to a Golden Retriever Rescue and Buddy was headed to Jerome's and Bertie's.
When the plane arrived, the boys were ready for their grand adventure. Skip and Sally fell in love with Jerry when they saw him and decided, on the spot, they would take him home with them. Both boys waited patiently to board and when the time came they eagerly climbed up the stairs and into their roomy spots for the flight.
The flight was uneventful as if Buddy and Jerry had always flown. Jerome and Bertie were waiting for them at the airport and it was a tearful, dogs yapping, tail wagging greeting. The boys were happy and safely transported to a new beginning: a new home and new life in Houston.
