We lost our dog and special friend, Sinbad, in April, 2003.  Since then, I kept trying to convince myself that I didn’t want another dog.  I just didn’t want to go through the pain of losing another wonderful friend like I did when the time came for my Sinbad.  I think I still grieve for him to this day.  Every week my husband would mention getting another dog at least once. Then one Friday afternoon in April, 2008, my husband and I went to lunch.  On the way home, my husband, Jim, stopped without warning at the Cuyahoga County Kennel off of Canal Road in Valley View, Ohio.  Of course, I went inside with him.  I knew as soon as I walked through the door, that we’d be leaving with a new family member. I walked through the kennel observing and petting the many wonderful dogs that stared, barked, and yearned for someone to take them home.  As it always happens when I go to a shelter, I started to cry.  I would just love for all of them to find a good home.  There was one dog that caught my eye as soon as I entered the area.  I went up to him and he just stared and wanted to be touched and loved.  We made eye contact and I knew he was the one, but decided to continue walking through and mingling with the rest of the homeless dogs thinking that it was just my imagination that pulled me close to that one. I was wrong.  I went back and knew without a doubt that he would be the new member of our family.  His name is Shiloh and he’s about 4 years old.  I felt an older dog would be perfect for both me and my husband.  Jim fell in love with him immediately too.  He was well trained and we knew that at one time someone must’ve loved him very much.   We have 5 cats at home and suspected there would probably be a major conflict as soon as Shiloh would come inside the house.  We prepared ourselves accordingly.   We were surprisingly wrong!  The cats took to him within hours and a couple of them went and rubbed up against him immediately.  Shiloh got along with the cats as if he lived there for years.  Amazing!   He’s been with us several months now and I can’t imagine being without him.  What a blessing he has been.  Our house is just generally happier now.  Our cats our more content and we are so grateful for our very special gift of Shiloh. -Celine & Jim

It was the end of summer in 2005 when Daisy found us at the kennel.  It was definitely love at first site and we couldn’t wait to add her to our family.  The first time that I saw Daisy, she was very little, scrawny, and shy.  A few months had passed, and my grandmother (Grams) had stopped by to see Daisy.  She loved how Daisy was showing off in front of her and immediately christened her “Daisy Mae”.  I truly believe from that day on, Daisy Mae was ‘born’.  Her walk was a little taller, her appetite grew, and she liked to ‘talk’ to us … a lot!  We have an older dog named Sandie and she quickly developed motherly skills.  She taught Daisy Mae how to stay in bed when the family eats at the table.  As soon as we sit down to eat, Daisy Mae knows to stay quiet in her bed, but within a certain time limit she is “asking” to be excused. We all try not to pay any attention to her, but, it’s pretty hard to ignore that cute face.  But the cutest thing that she does is when she eats outside. She picks up her bowl and walks to the other side of the yard and dumps her bowl over.  Every time she does that, we all stop and watch her in awe. We’ve become more relaxed now that we have Daisy Mae.  She roams around the yard without a leash and we don’t hesitate that she’ll runaway (but when she does, she is always by her sisters side!!).  Daisy Mae loves to get her belly rubbed and loves to “sun bathe”.  She helps her momma out in the kitchen by eating the left over food that is ‘accidentally’ dropped onto the floor.   Sometimes Daisy Mae is a little thief and will steal her sister’s bone.  Daisy is definitely bossy and loves attention.  Everything has to be about her and it definitely is.   We are truly blessed to have her in our home and in our hearts.  We smile every time her name is brought up and all the stories that we tell.  She keeps us laughing everyday (even when we are in a bad mood).  There aren’t enough words to describe how precious and caring our little Daisy Mae is, but we are grateful that she brings sunshine into everyone’s life (even Sandie’s).

Upon the completion of our new home in March of 2005 my father had promised my son a Golden Retriever puppy as a house warming gift.  I was raised with Goldens and have always thought that it was the only breed I’d ever want.  As we began searching for breeders in the area I also started thinking about all of the dogs in kennels that needed homes.  I started visiting the kennels in Lorain county, admittedly to ease my conscience prior to getting a new puppy.  None of the dogs I saw seemed right, there was just no connection with any of them for my son and I.  While out with my sister a month or so later she mentioned the APL in Cleveland so we headed over, again coming out empty handed.  As we were headed back home she remembered hearing about your kennel, but neither of us knew where it was.  A few phone calls later and we were on our way.  We were surprised and saddened at how many dogs were there.  We started with the puppy room and moved on to the older dogs. Row after row of dogs and nothing seemed right.  About half way through we split up to see the rest more quickly.  I was on the last row, when I heard my sister’s “aaawwwww” one row over.  She called me and once I rounded the corner nothing in my life has been the same!  There sat “the girls”, shoulder to shoulder, pretty as a picture, as if they’d just been waiting for me to get there.  They were about 6 months old, black lab/border collie mix, and I was told they were found running by the Rocky River dog park.  We took them both back to a viewing room and it was obvious that they had been partially trained by someone, since they knew some basic commands and it was also very clear that they were very attached to each other.  I was told that I couldn’t adopt both dogs at once, so I circumvented your rules by having my sister adopt one and I adopted the other!  (sorry! ;o)  While visiting them at the kennel my sister and I tried to come up with names for them.  Nothing seemed to fit until I said “Sadie” and she immediately turned and came running over.  We tried it a few more times and it was clear that it had either been her name or she wanted it to be!  Bailey wasn’t at all interested in any name we threw at her, as long as she was in your lap you could call her anything you’d like!  Once we got them home they immediately wrapped us around their paws so much so that the systematic destruction of the couch, chairs, coffee table, pillows, comforters, and just about anything else that could be un-stuffed, didn’t really bother us a bit!  We caught on that they were going to need to be crated when we weren’t home for a while and once we began that there were minimal problems.  They learned to be potty trained after a couple months of trying and picked up verbal commands and hand signals very quickly.  Sadie is clearly the dominant one of the two and likes to think she’s the brave one protecting her sister and now the rest of the family.  Bailey is content to let her think that until it’s time to go to the vet and Sadie yelps like you're killing her, usually before she’s even touched, and Bailey takes it all like a champ!  The vet staff calls them “the bookends” and still has a hard time telling them apart!  In the past three years these two have made our house their own.  I’m glad to say that they’ve mellowed with age and are able to be left with the run of the house while we’re gone without risk to our property!  We couldn’t imagine life without these two and have become complete converts to the idea of rescuing a “mutt” in favor of purchasing a pure bred.   So much so that when a friend’s Golden Retriever got out and came home in the family way we adopted the girl’s new brother – Murphy!  Half Golden and apparently half Great Dane, Murph is a 76lb 8 month old giving his sisters a run for their money.  I’m very grateful for all that you do for the animals that come under your care.  Hopefully more and more people will spay and neuter their pets to avoid so many unwanted animals.  With a dog in nearly every possible shape, size and temperament hopefully more people will make the kennels in our area their first stop for a pet!  I’ve attached a photo of Sadie & Bailey relaxing on their couch. (Sadie’s on the left, Bailey on the right) Hopefully we’ll see them in print!  Again, thanks so much for everything you do! Sadie, Bailey & Murphy’s mom!

We adopted Lola from the Cuyahoga County Animal Shelter in March of 2007. Sadly, our 12 year old dog passed away in February of 2007 leaving her 1 1/2 year old companion dog alone. Our son was born in December of 2006 and we had concerns of adding a new dog to the family with an infant in the home.   However, I saw Lola's photograph on the shelter's website and was instantly smitten! I went to the shelter at closing time after confirming by phone with Greg Willey that she was still there. I was able to visit with her for close to an hour to get to know her.   The next day we loaded up the family including our then 3 month old son and our dog Baron to see how Lola would interact with Baron and baby Ian. During the visit, the shelter staff was very kind and informative. They were objective and thorough in answering our questions when determining whether Lola was going to be a good fit for our family.   Thankfully, Lola and Baron hit it off. They love going to the metropark together where she wears her backpack while hiking in the woods and on the trails. Lola also loves playing at the Lakewood Dog Park and at Inn The Doghouse with other dogs.   Perhaps most important is the bond that Lola has formed with our son Ian. She truly has a kind soul. When he was an infant and was crying, she would immediately go to him to see that he was okay. They are now inseparable. Ian constantly hangs on Lola and snuggles with her. She has never been aggressive toward him or anyone. She even allows him into her "safe spaces" of her crate and her dog bed. Ian loves to spend weekend mornings with Lola on her dog bed watching cartoons!   We went to the shelter seeking a replacement companion dog and left with our son's best friend. We look forward to them growing up together and plan to have Ian participate in 4-H with Lola when he is old enough.   Thank you to the shelter staff for their hard work and dedication. One last note, to the person or people who let Lola go (she was found underweight wandering the streets near the Shoreway)...your loss has been our lifelong gain.   The Morleys

This is Oliver (aka, "Winston"). He is a cockapoo and about 1 years old. I adopted him on April 16, 2008. My Mom and Dad fell in love the first time they met him. His brother, Mr. Peabody, easily accepted him as part of our family which was a concern for us when considering adopting another dog. Dad calls them "the boys". My nephew and some of his friends have been visiting from out of state and he loves the attention they give him. Oliver is smart as a whip and has house trained well. He is very active when he wants to be, but goes and lays down by himself to play quietly when he needs to be. He is so happy he likes to bounce all the time. Sometimes I think his name should be Tigger. Despite some physical health issues that had to be addressed, he never slows down. You hardly notice his little handicap. He is starting to learn obedience now. He always makes us smile and wants to be next to us cuddling all the time. He really enjoyed his first trip to a cabin in Hocking Hills for our family vacation.  If I had to write down all I hoped for in a pet, Oliver fits the bill to a tee. We are happy and blessed to have him as a part of our family. Thank you for bringing this special dog into our lives. I hope he lives to be 20! Sincerely, Denise

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