Our boy Duke was called “Reno” when we adopted him from you in October 2007. He had mange, was quite underweight, and a total space cadet. I kept referring to him as a “blonde,” yes, I am blondish, so I can say that. I guess he was a space cadet because he had been loose for so long that he was used to bounding around the fields with no constraints, no focus, no demands. Hmmm, I could live like that!

A few months of treatment and he was up to weight (working on a couple of extra pounds actually,) and all his fur had grown back in. Now he has a magnificent, thick, shiny rust coat that is the envy of all the other Golden’s in the ‘hood! He is an incredibly smart dog – just took having something to focus on to make a turn around. Duke knows all his basic canine commands and jumps thru hoops, plays dead, crawls, begs, high five’s, shakes, etc. Think he will be good at agility some day! Duke parties with his friends when he goes to doggy day care once a week for a full day of playtime – he plays HARD all day and still wants to go for a walk in the evening – I claim mom privilege that day and can skip walking if I want to!

Despite the energy that is there if needed, he can be a complete vegetable in the morning and loves to lie in the sun and toast for hours in the morning. Duke is just the sweetest guy, loves to play with my son and his teen friends, loves to meet and greet in the cul-de-sac with the other dogs and all the humans. He has, just this weekend, discovered the joy of being on the boat and swimming in the river! Wasn’t totally thrilled at first, but had a ball after about 3 minutes! Thank you Lost Dog for working with us to find a new dog after a tenuous experience with our prior pup!

Dear Lost Dog,

6 1/2 years ago I walked into a Petco and met Nemo, a 90 pound 6 year old Swiss Mountain Dog mix who badly needed a home again. My life hasn't been the same since and all for the better. Nemo is now a 12 1/2 year old dog who got his Canine Good Citizenship and Therapy Dog International certificate at the age of almost 12. He will be competing in the next 6 months in his first Rally competition. Everyone who meets him falls in love with him because of his big personality, heart and soulful eyes and of course because he likes to turn upside down and get a belly rub wherever he is. When I first got him I had limited mobility and he adapted his walk to my gait and he often acted as an unofficial service animal. I couldn't have asked for a better companion and am so grateful to Lost Dog for saving dogs like Nemo who make a wonderful addition to any family but often need more time than a shelter can give them to find the right person. I got such wonderful support from Lost Dog during my adoption all those years ago that set Nemo and I up for success.

Thank you for changing my life!

Brittany,

Just wanted to give you an update on Checkers (renamed Maggie). She is doing really great! She and Lola get along really well and are slowly claiming every soft surface in the house for their frequent naps! She's still not 100% sure she completely trusts us, but she gets more cuddly each day. I attached some pictures of her and Lola (who we also got from Lost Dog almost 3 years ago).

Anyways, just thought you might like to see how she is doing!

Five years ago I adopted Watson from LDCRF - or should I say, he and I adopted each other. He's doing well and a joy.

We adopted Clifford (AKA Dusty) from Fairfax almost two years ago. He was shy but immediately warmed up to us and is wonderful with our two children ages 4 and 3. Clifford loves to run, go for walks, play, and hide his bones. He also enjoys trips to the Adirondacks where he can run and go swimming. Clifford has really come a long way and we are so happy and grateful to have him as a member of our family. Thank you so much for helping us find Clifford and helping him to find his forever home.

Hi Lost Dog!!

Just wanted to update you on Henry (aka Ellis) I adopted Henry back in October at the falls chuch petsmart and it has been a wonderful 7 months!! He is about 10 months old now and loves to cuddle more than any dog I've ever known! He is still quite the bundle of energy. He loves every person he meets. Henry loves his roomate Lucy (my roomate's chocolate lab); she is just the love of his life.

His favorite things are long walks, belly rubs, sunbathing, the dog park, hogging the couch and visiting his grandparents at their lake house....you would think he owned the place. We haven't quite convinced him to go swimming but we'll work on it this summer! It was rough, but Henry is now housetrained and we are working on commands. He sits, stays, comes and just learned to shake. He's still being crated when we're gone since he just seems to love eating most things, especially pants and pens, but doesnt seem to mind his crate luckily. We are going to start obedience classes in a few weeks....wish us luck!!!

Thanks again lost dog for everything you do, I love my little man!!

Message from Amy:

Well, I'd just like to tell everyone at Lost Dog and Cat Rescue that I love my new home and my new humans, because they really love me too. We're a perfect match and I especially love my new pink collar!

Much love and doggie kisses,

Amy

Dear Lost Dog Rescue, I am writing on to update you on my wonderful dog, Otis. It has been two years since I found Otis through Lost Dog Rescue. Then he was a scrappy little dog named Carlos. A lot has changed in two years! We have moved several times, but Otis has adjusted very well to all his new surroundings. Each time we have moved he has made new puppy friends in the neighborhood (which in turn has helped me make some new friends as well!). Otis has also become a very well behaved dog. When I got him two years ago, he was a handful and pretty poor doggie etiquette. We have worked very hard hard with him and he knows far more commands than I ever thought he would be able to learn. His favorite trick is giving high fives to all the kids that come up to him. He catches on to new tricks all the time, too! So who knows what will be around the corner. He has also calmed down quite a bit when meeting and greeting other dogs, and I believe that is because he spends some time at doggie day care and is part of a local flyball team.

Speaking of Flyball, Otis has made great progress since I wrote you last. He was in his first tournament over Memorial Day weekend and earned his FD (flyball dog - 20 points) and his FDX (Flyball dog excellent - 100 point) titles. He L-O-V-E-S flyball and thinks there is nothing better to do in his free time! We have been working with the Beltway Bandits flyball team for a year and a half and finally all that practice paid off! Hopefully he will earn his FDCh title within the next few tournaments. Otis is the best dog I have ever owned!! He is so friendly and happy go lucky! He is always happy to see us when we get home, which makes coming home so rewarding. He is truly enjoying his forever home and is spoiled rotten. I am sending along a picture of him posing with his flyball title ribbons. Thank you so much for giving Otis to me, he is a wonderfully entertaining little dog!

Loki (aka Mushu) is a pure bred Shiba Inu that we adopted from LDCR at the Falls Church Pet Smart in 2006. He is AWESOME! Having researched the breed, we expected him to be more aloof, but he has surprised everyone because he is a total people dog. He is a little territorial with other dogs, but with people he is a total lap dog often draping himself over guests if they sit down. He loves to cuddle and sleep late. The photo is from a pet friendly hotel with a "heavenly bed" that he didn't want to leave. He loves to play fetch and soccer, and picked up the trick of reaching for your hand with his paw to get a pet from his cousin Thor, a rescued Siberian Husky. We can't thank LDCR enough for rescuing Loki for us!

It has been over a year since Oliver (formerly Oscar) joined our family. He is, of course, very handsome and very smart. [insert Oliver_Face.jpg] He is respectful of his big sister Michelle (age 11) and has become the best of buddies with his big (20lb!) brother Rupert, another LDCRF cat. Oliver and Rupert frequently wrestle all over the house and Oliver usually wins.

Most of all, Oliver has developed an absolute fascination with water. He can often be found in sinks, shower stalls, and bathtubs, searching for that elusive drip. Toilets with open lids are not safe, either. In fact, I am fairly certain that, if he could, Oliver would marry kitchen sink faucet

Oliver does have a bit of a temper and will make his displeasure known when we have "spa day" (nail trimmings). Otherwise, he's the relaxed and happy and supremely confident cat that Michelle and Rupert and I adore.

Thank you, Lost Dog and especially Oliver's foster mother Dottie! He is just what we needed to complete our family.

We adopted Maggie almost a month ago in Fairfax. Originally we were only going to foster her, however when we arrived at the event, a number of families were interested in her. We were crushed! The kids were SO upset. My husband and I looked at each other (as if to say are we REALLY ready for this) and said, "We want her!" Thank you, Lost Dog, for taking such great care of Maggie (aka Beatrice) for us until we could be her forever home. Maggie has been such a blessed addition to our family. She is exactly the kind of dog that we always dreamed of having, but never thought we would have. She is so wonderful with the kids (Michael - 9 and Morgan - 6) and is ever so patient with them.

I knew the connection that Maggie and I had right off the bat. She follows me around everywhere! At first, she was really hesitant with Miguel and Michael (I'm thinking some past issues with men), but they both worked with her and loved her up! Maggie now willingly accepts love and affection from ALL of us!

Her favorite activity is sleeping on her comfortable doggie bed and getting those tummy rubs. She walks fine on a leash..UNTIL we meet another dog or she sees a bird! Birds are definitely her trigger!!! We are still in the process of potty training her! We are making progress!!! I'm SO thankful that she came crate trained!! We only had one accident in there (and that was the first night with her).

We have taken her to the dog park in Reston twice. She walks around sniffing everything and totally ignoring the other dogs UNTIL a beagle comes into the park. She absolutely goes WILD with excitement. I laugh every time I see it happen. I had no idea how FAST she ran!!! Those little legs are funny to see moving like the wind! Needless to say we are considering adopting another beagle friend for our loving Maggie.

THANK YOU SO MUCH for having the facilities that you do for lost animals. I will always rescue a dog! It has been the best experience for our family!!!

Rachel wanted a kitty so bad and we must have looked at 100 before I saw little Stuey's fluffy mug and his outstretched baby paw reaching for my glasses. We adopted him that very night (August 2006) and he has been with us almost two years now. Stuart (AKA Rocky) has flourished with Rachel as his mommy and he loves it when Grandma (me) sings "In the Jungle". For some strange reason he is also captivated by Neil Young (the early days). He just sits like a royal cat with his ears held high and listen's to every note. We love Stuart and he picked us even though I saw him first. We were so happy with Lost Dog & Cat that I have them as a "Featured Rescue Group" on our Company Website. Check Out More Stuey pics at our Website: http://home.earthlink.net/~okmememe/

We adopted Flash in May of 2007 and we love him so much! In the beginning, he was a bit skittish around men and loud noises. Now, he is much more comfortable with his home and is a wonderful dog with a sweet, easy-going temperament.

I sometimes wonder why anyone would have ever given Flash up in the past...but, I'm so glad he's with us today. Thank you LDCR for taking care of Flash and helping us find him. Here is a picture of Flash on the deck and also one taken around Christmas 2007.

Hi LDCR! We adopted Abby (aka Hillary) back in 2006 and have adored her ever since! She has been such a great addition to our family and we love her to death! Our other dogs love her as much as we do and the three of them are inseparable. Thank you again for everything!

Greetings

Thanks so much