Pierre, previously known as Lowell, has been our baby for since Nov. of 07.  He was a little bundle of fur, but as you can see, he is huge now.  We get compliments on him all the time because of his unusual markings and bright white fur, and his ability to do a howling bark, it is a howl, but in a low barking sound, it is really funny, and his alone, I have never heard a dog do that before.  He is the best dog I have ever had.  He started as an early Christmas gift for my oldest daughter but he is now the family dog, and my son, pictured with him, will argue you down that he is his dog.  His favorite snack is pig ears and home made dog treats, made of cow liver and shaped like cookies.  He is spoiled rotten, but he gives more love and attention then you could imagine.  Including letting the cat kneed dough on his stomach and then sleep on him!!!  I will try to get a picture of that (she was adopted locally and all of our furry family members are fixed).  I just wanted you to know our happy tails, and we will keep you posted as the years pass.  Also, we have a 14 year old dog and when she passes we will definately look first to you guys to adopt a new family member.

3 kids, 2 dogs and 2 cats

Simba showed up at the college here as a stray.  A kind hearted young man asked if we would take her since he could not keep her in his dorm.  Here’s a picture of Simba shortly after she arrived:

Here’s what Simba’s new Dad has to say:

Simba is doing fine. We all have really taken to her. My son especially. She is his most favorite cat that he has ever had. Having a cat in the house has taken some getting used to but we are doing well. My son claims that Simba is CRAZY. Maybe because she is given to fits of unbridaled energy in the early evening!  Anyway I have included some photo’s of her in her domain. Hope you enjoy them.

Rocco came to us with his mom from a horrible man who used to do terrible things to his dogs and their puppies – rather than just get them fixed..  The puppies were almost feril – scared to death of everything, everyone and would tremble when you held them.  Luckily, with the help of a few kind hearted people, the pups were quickly socialized and all found great homes.  Here is what Rocco’s new mom has to say about him:

Here is a couple of pictures of “Rocco” aka “Lasher” the puppy we
adopted from Cookeville last Christmas.  He is still a housedog
(despite his 80lbs) and his spoiled rotten!  We hope to be able to
bring him by Petco this Christmas.

Hello!  I thought we would send an update on Lasher, the Siberian mix
we adopted from you in November of 2007.  He is now a very permanent
member of our family.  Tipping the scales at 80 lbs he is a very big
boy.  We call him our “perpetual 2-year-old” as it seems he will never
outgrow the toddler stage.  We agree that we have never seen a dog
with so much personality.  I have attached some pictures.  A couple
are of Lash swimming in the lake and in our pool.  The other one is
how I caught him on our couch (which he is not allowed on) asleep one
morning.  The final picture is of him and our newest family member.
She joined us in February and Lasher has been wonderful with her.
Lasher goes everywhere with us he can (he has serious separation
anxiety) and we are hoping to get to take him to the ocean for the
first time this summer.  He is definitely a “Daddy’s Boy”.  We get
comments on him all of the time.  He actually caused a wreck one day
while he was on a run and the driver was watching Lasher and
rear-ended the car in front of him.  Many mistake him for a
full-blooded Siberian.  He loves all people and all creatures and he
has too much energy for most.  He plays with other dogs until they can
barely move and he is still ready to play some more.  He has a best
friend that lives next door and they play outside every weekend
together.  He is very smart and knows many commands but unfortunately
only performs them when it suits him.  We would like to thank you for
allowing us to adopt him.  He is our comedian and life wouldn’t be the
same without our big boy!

The woman who found Nancy was like a lot of people in rural Tennessee – they lived in a county with no animal control, no animal shelter – 11 counties in our region alone are in the same situation.  So what do you do when a stray shows up on your doorstep?  Before, she would have brought the dog to the vet to have it euthanized.  But a family member suggested she contact us.  Here is Patsy then:

Here is what Patsy’s new mom has to say about this girl:

These are just a few pics of Patsy that I’ve taken over the last few months.  She has turned out to be a very big girl.  She is still very sweet and submissive, but due to her size she has emerged as the leader among my other dogs.  Not because she has the personality for it, but all she has to do is lean on them and she’s so hefty they have no choice but to do her will, lol.  The consensus at this time is that she is not half red heeler half corgie as we originaly thought, but half red heeler half basset hound.  And I have to say that her shape, her bark and her red eyes seem to support that.

She is a real sweety.  She is content in whatever situation she is put in.  She is gentle and playful and very loving.  After all this time she has melded into our family quite well and she seems to be very happy with us.  Most of the dogs I’ve had have always seemed to come to me with some type of nervous condition due to past experiences and I must say that it is nice to have one that is content to say in the middle of my kitchen floor and be content just watching everyone’s comings and goings.  The only stipulation being that we step over her and not expect her to move out of the way, lol.

Leopold showed up in Crossville as a stray.  The woman who found him was so fearful that her dogs would kill him, she emailed us immediately for assistance.  This was Leopold then:

Here’s what Grace’s family says:  Thank you for the card you sent us. Grace is doing very well. She is a real sweet cat. She has grown so much since we had met. She has also gained a few pounds. we are still so glad that we found her. She loves to play with our other cat Pretty. They get along so well. Every morning Grace and Pretty are up and running all over the house. Now that christmas is on the way, we had just put up our christmas tree and she is loveing it. she has a thing for pulling the bulbs off the tree and pushing them around. Well, here are some recent picture of grace. One of the pictures is Grace and Pretty together. Pretty is the furry one.

Happy Holiday and Merry Christmas From Grace and Family!

Jordy was found abandoned on a golf course in Crossville, TN.  She held out for the family that she chose – and luckily they chose her too!  Here’s Jordy when she first came to us:

Here’s what Jordy’s new family has to say:

We just wanted to email you and say hello, and tell you we were thinking of you. We moved out to Knoxville to be closer to some of our family. Jordy LOVES it out here. She has a big yard, a doggie door that she just runs in and out of constantly, and a very good friend named Bailey. Her favorite new thing is the dog park, where she is the hit of the park, you know little miss social!!

We wanted to tell you that we appreciate all that you do with AARF, and let you know once again what an amazing thing it is that you do. Jordy has made such a difference in our life. We love her so much. She is a huge part of our little family, and we can’t remember what our life was without her anymore. Thank you once again for all you do. Jordy wanted to send you a picture (she can’t use the computer well so I’ll do it), and we’ll send some really cute ones around Halloween (she’s going to a doggie costume contest as a flapper!!). We hope all is well with you and all your doggies!!

Baxter was dumped at our Vet’s office – one look and we all fell in love with him…as did a family in Connecticut who were our first long distance adopters!  Here’s what they have to say:

Well, Baxter has been home for one full week now. He’s doing extremely well, really likes his new home and has fallen into a good daily routine. He is my companion during the day when kids and hubby are away. It’s taken a few days for him to show his personality, but he’s barking now at strangers (instead of cowering) and racing around the house in a puppy frenzy. The kids love it and of course him!  Baxter will soon have a fenced in yard. Until then, we’re taking him out side on a lead every three hours, which seems his limit during the days. He is crated at night and sleeps well throughout the night. He’s also my companion on my morning walk, and knows how to behave on a lead (I was really impressed by this!)

Thank you for everything. We’re a happy family – consider us for a reference if anyone asks for one!

Belle came to us after she, her mom, and her siblings were dumped on the side of the road in a box.  This was Belle then:

Here’s what Belle’s new family has to say:

We just wanted to let you know that Belle is adjusting very well in her new home.    She loves our older cat, Glorfy.  She is much more energetic than he is, but he is very patient and loving with her.  She even jumps on his back and rides him like a pony.  It has been several years since we have had a kitten in the house and Belle is reminding us of all the cute and funny things that a kitten does.

Artie came to us at two weeks old with his mom – Mama Wiggle Butts – who was our first rescue dog!!  This was Artie then:

This is what Artie’s new family has to say about him:

These pictures are Artie At Christmas when he had to get a hair cut due to his dry skin…. his coat has grown back and looks great!  Thank you again for letting us adopt Artie, we don’t know what we would do without the lil’ guy!