Adoptions Gallery

[These are the stories of our adopted Shelties in their new homes.
See additional portraits in the Forever Home Album and the Before and After page.]

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"Animals are such agreeable friends--they ask no questions; they pass no criticisms."
~ George Eliot

	EB (formerly Owen ) -- Fall 2002. EB had been roaming in the cold and rain, hiding and bedding down in palm leaves on the west side since Thanksgiving. Neighbors fed him, made a bed for him, went to the Internet to search for rescue help, and called us. He was a thin, scared little boy, but we were able to capture him. EB is S/W, very beautiful, and about 12-18mo. Fortunately, despite his ordeal, EB was healthy and only needed bad dewclaws removed. We held EB to make sure his owners were not looking for him, and his foster home worked on his obedience and training. Once he trusted our folks, he was glad to snuggle and seems very relieved to be rescued and very sweet; he especially loves children. However, he has a strong herding instinct so we made sure he was placed into an experienced home. EB has been adopted by one of our terrific foster moms, Linda, is developing well in her loving care, and has a rescued greyhound sister in Swan along with a parade of foster siblings he shows the ropes to. He recently attended the Highland Games and and was right at home helping to advertise our rescue booth.
	ELI (formerly Chris) -- Born 12/1/03. Eli is a sweet little male, one of Spring's four pups. Like her other pups, he is whip smart, learned obedience & house training very quickly, and is a joy to work with. He came to the Highland Games and spring picnic and had a wonderful time reuniting with his mom, Spring, and his first foster mom and and dad who took care of the pups from birth to 6 weeks and weaning. He greets everyone he meets with overwhelming joy ("where have you been: I haven't seen you in years"), loves to cuddle, and was obliged at the Games where his feet didn't touch the ground except to race off to another greeting and treat. Both Chris and his sibling Nicki (now Peyton) were adopted together and live near Austin with mom, dad, and two brothers for lots of love and play time. The boys have such sweet, outgoing personalities that their family is having them trained and certified as service dogs to visit hospitals and nursing homes.
	ELLIE -- From League City Shelter, gorgeous 8-10yo white-factored Sable girl; was very dirty and heavily matted when she first came into our program. Ellie tested HW+ and had to go through the treatment. She also had hookworms, a urinary tract infection, and an ear infection which we treated as well. She is now recovered and doing beautifully. She gets along well with resident Shelties; loves to be brushed. Ellie is very gentle and loves to cuddle, putting her paw in her human's lap for snuggle time signal; she's also extremely alert and active for a lady of a 'certain age.'  Her new mom describes her as a delightful 'pip.'
	EMMA 2 -- Summer 2004. From LaPorte Shelter, Emma is 3-4yo SW, who came into the program underweight and a bit worried about what was happening to her. She had apparently been in a back yard most her life: her coat was dry, thin, and matted. She developed a mild URI, which we treated, and she recovered nicely. Emma came to the dog show on her way to the clinic, and, though shy, was very sweet to everyone who met her and started relaxing, which was quite an accomplishment for such a dramatic change in her life. In foster care, she did beautifully: loves kids and other dogs. Her coat is coming in beautifully, and she is gaining needed weight. Emma was joyously adopted, knew she was going home and was so grateful; she has delighted her family with her devotion and great disposition.
	EMMA LOUISA. Spring 2003. Found in Willowbrook area; signs were posted for several days with no response. Finder called us, and we brought Louisa into the program. She is about 15" but was extremely obese at 53# when she first came into the program, possibly free-fed all her life. Her doctor estimates she is about 6yo; her teeth have moderate tartar but look good otherwise. She was horribly matted and filthy; hadn't been bathed in a very long time. She also had hookworms and was covered in fleas; so we suspect she was confined to a back yard all her life with little care, and possibly finally escaped, looking for help. She was treated for the hooks and fleas; shaved after her bath because the mats were so bad. Shaving revealed the extent of her obesity and a bad hot spot which was treated and is now healed. After we had her vaccinated and blood work done, we discovered she is hypothyroid, so she is now on medication for that. But also, she tested high-level positive for HW disease, which she had probably had all her life. We did a split treatment to take her through the process more easily (injections spaced over a month) while also gradually taking the weight off with special diet as the obesity compromised her even further. Due to the obesity and heartworms, she had great difficulty breathing in the early going, but with treatment and weight loss, she now breathes normally. At first, Lou didn't appear to understand she is allowed indoors, but she was delighted and didn't want to go back 'out there' in the heat again. Despite all she's been through, Lou is very beautiful: perfectly tipped ears, almost a full white collar, thick coat -- this is a classic Mahogany S/W Sheltie who is becoming gorgeous. Louisa is very sweet and easy going; kind with both humans and other pets; very intelligent and quick to respond. She had complications post HW treatment from congestion build-up and was on special medications to ease the fluid retention. She also had some problems with incontinence, but medication resolved that as well. Louisa now weighs 32#, needs to lose a bit more for her height. She is far more alert and agile, trotting through the house where before she did not want to leave her bed. Once she was feeling better, we took her for her first major outing to PetSmart to pick out Christmas toys: she had a wonderful time meeting other dogs and greeting customers and store employees, accepting treats, and freely giving kisses. She was delighted with her trip and gave us still more indications of how happy she is to be joining the exciting world ahead of her. Louisa is now well, medically cleared after her long journey: she recovered from a respiratory infection, the last remnant of the fluid retention; had her teeth cleaned; and was spayed. During the surgery, the doctors discovered she had apparently had numerous litters of puppies, so she was probably used as a breeder dog for many years, neglected and allowed to become ill while also taking care of puppies. But after months of crisis care, this special, brave little girl is now healthy, happy, energetic, and loving: she went home with her adoring new mom on Valentine's Day and is already settled in with her mom and Sheltie Sibling, Abby. They sleep with Mom at night, and Louisa is exploring her new digs, especially the strange treadmill that fascinates her.
	FLINT -- Spring 2003. Gorgeous 3.5yo bi-black, who was an OR along with his half-sister, Wendy, from Missouri City. When he first came into the program, Flint was very obese and sluggish; on a strict diet and walking program, he has lost 12 pounds, which has increased his energy level. He can now run, jump, and spin with ease. Flint is a very smart boy, but he is also funny: he watches sports on TV, literally watches the games and encourages his favorite teams (he especially likes golf and basketball). Flint also is fascinated by light patterns from the sun's reflection through a window onto the ceiling or from a flashlight; he will happily chase the light, cock his head when it disappears, and try to find it. In addition to being entertaining, Flint is a gentleman: he loves his favorite beach towel and is careful to take his rawhide chew to his spot, never setting it down on the carpet. Flint is sweet, loves people, and is very affectionate; in foster care he became an exuberant, active, happy boy, devoted to his foster family and happily sleeping in their bedroom -- of course on his beloved beach towel. The match was so perfect that they all fell in love: Flint has been adopted by his foster family and is enjoying frequent car trips to visit his adoring extended family and friends.
	GABBY (formerly Sarah) -- Fall 2001. Renamed Gabriella Ariana--Gabby--by her new owner, she was found wandering alone in Clear Lake City, 6yo sable/white small female; very tiny and underweight but now just fine in her loving home. Although she was fortunately negative for HW, the doctor discovered when he spayed her that she was pregnant. In addition to the neglect, Gabby may also have been abused as she was very scared, leery of human hands, though that eased with a lot of TLC, and she is now a cuddler.  Gabby needed a quiet home, and that is just what happened for her when her family spotted her on our web site. She is enjoying great nutrition for her weight gain, daily walks, and cuddles on the sofa while watching TV with her devoted mom. She came to the picnic decked out in new bandana; both she and her mom wreathed in smiles. They are two sweet ladies bonded for their future together.
	GABRIEL -- Winter 2001. From LaPorte, about 6yo, Shaded S/W. Gabriel has a full collar, slightly tipped ears, and pencil blaze. He shakes hands; is very sweet, good-humored (he does Sheltie Spins), and gentlemanly. However, Gabe was quite ill: he was seriously malnourished, suffering from anemia, dehydration, whip and hook worms. He was also HW+, but handled the treatments well. The finder rescued him at work where he had been severely kicked by someone there but did not run, only looking at the abuser sadly. The finders literally saved Gabe's life; if he'd been out there alone much longer, he would have died. He welcomed coming into rescue and was tenderly cared for in our foster home. His foster mom took him to her child's school where Gabe gravitated toward children, especially those with handicaps. He had a special affinity for them and was touchingly gentle and kind. After he was well, Gabe was adopted by HSS members, Rachael and John, who are also foster parents. Gabe has become a happy, healthy Sheltie in his loving home. Unfortunately, he lost his best friend, Benny, now on the Bridge page; but he has two new Sheltie brothers, Sox and Skye.
	GAELEN -- Fall 2001. From Kingwood, 4yo spayed S/W OR in excellent health and well trained. She has had two levels of obedience training. She is used to sleeping in the family's bedroom, is a bit afraid of storms as are many dogs, and will spend them under the bed. Gaelen is protective of her family, but responds warmly when she determines the 'stranger' is okay. Since she was an only dog, she had to learn to socialize with other Shelties in foster care; she quickly enjoyed chase and tug-o-war and has been a delightful Sheltie in our program. Gaelen has been adopted by a loving family, and they are enjoying her beautiful companionship and frequent walks together. She now has a Sheltie sibling in Joey, and they just celebrated Christmas together with their loving family.
	GRAHAM (Formerly Kelly) Winter 2004 -- From the SPCA, this handsome S/W boy is 3-4yo. He tested HW+ and successfully completed a split treatment because he had some nausea after the first injection. He had a bit of a scrape on his nose from some previous encounter, which healed nicely, but also had a suspicious growth on his leg we had excised and sent for lab results; happily, it came back negative. In foster care, Graham is friendly, sweet, and affectionate, fine with other dogs and with kitties. His foster mom reports he is especially good with the kids and loves foster dad. He 'talks' for treats and to go outside; is always smiling, wants to be very close to his humans: to Graham, heaven is a person who pets him and tells him what a good boy he is. He sleeps under his humans' bed, knows 'sit' and 'shake': raises his paw alllll the way above his head. Graham was fostered by his adoptive family, who are thrilled with their new family companion and gave him his handsome new name.
	GRETA -- Spring 2001. From Texas City; 5yo sable merle OR. Greta was used in a breeder's program for most of her life until she came into the program, but has developed into a wonderful companion Sheltie, well-behaved and gentle, super sweet and affectionate and loves children. Greta's new family fell in love with her at the 2001 Houston Dog Show. She now has a loving family with a Sheltie sibling.  Reports from mom are that she relaxed and settled into the family with great success.
	GWEN -- Summer 2004. Gwen is from Montgomery County Animal Shelter: she is about 5-6yo, golden sable, who came into the program with a dry, thin coat possibly from being kept outside previously and conjunctivitis. She was a bit sad and confused at first, but responded beautifully to treatment and TLC. She did well in foster care, holds her own with the resident dogs, and likes her humans, especially her foster dad. Gwen is now adopted and living the life she deserves in a loving home.
	GUS -- Spring 2001. Now a 3yo Tri, Gus came into the program a healthy and sassy year-old pup, despite a nickel-size scar on his right cheek, possibly from an injury or burn, and the fact his family turned him into Montgomery Shelter, alleging problems with him. He was traumatized by being put in the shelter, but we got him out immediately, and he responded warmly to all rescuers. Not only does Gus not snap at anyone, but he is sweet and friendly; loves to cuddle and is excellent at playing fetch and tug-o-war, which he will initiate. At the clinic and PetSmart, he greeted people, including children, with gentleness. Gus gets along with other dogs, freely gives Sheltie kisses, and is obviously delighted to be in his new home. This is a charming youngster whose family are completely in love with and devoted to him, frequently taking him on road trips and bringing him to the picnics.

Before Adoption, all HSS Shelties are spayed or neutered, vaccinated, and treated for initial ailments as possible within the scope of our rescue program.