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.]

[Search Archives by Dogs' Names]

A   B   C   D   E-G  K   L   M   N-O   P-Q   R   S   T   U-Z

"Old dogs, like old shoes, are comfortable.
They might be a bit out of shape and a little worn around the edges, but they fit well."
~ Bonnie Wilcox

HALO -- Fall 2003. OR from Houston. She is a classic S/W, 3yo, coat close-cut by previous groomer. Unfortunately, this precious girl was also HW+ and had to go through the treatment, but she recovered beautifully. Halo has been adopted by the same family who adopted Spencer, and they are all thrilled to be a new family together.
HANNAH -- Spring 2003. Lovely 4-5yo S/W female from Harris County Animal Control; no one claimed her after the required three days, so she was released to rescue. Hannah has a great coat and gorgeous full white collar. She is on special diet to lose weight and is doing well. She came into the shelter filthy and covered in fleas; full of hook and whip worms. To add to her ailments, Hannah was also HW+. This dear girl had apparently been neglected and on her own a very long while. We had her in our clinic for a few days to stabilize her medical condition before beginning HW treatment. After some initial worries, she responded comfortably to the treatment. Her rescuer and doctor both say she's very sweet and gentle. Despite what she's been through, she is filled with love and appreciation, gratefully accepted the bath and brush out so she can be beautiful again. Her foster mom says she is now responding joyfully to her, is fine with the other dogs and the cat; is housetrained. She is also fine with the kids, but prefers to hang out with adults. After she was well, she had her teeth cleaned. She came to the dog show where her new mom saw her and adopted her the following week. Through her mom's love and devotion, "Hannah-Banana" has now come out of her shell and is the November Calendar Girl on the 2004 Astros Pet Calendar! She comes to all the picnics with her mom and is absolutely flourishing.
HEIDI -- Summer 2003. OR from Baton Rouge due to family illness; owner specifically wanted HSS to help her dog. Heidi is a 4yo, healthy SW female, though she has a bit of a limp from arthritis which we treat with glucosamine-condroitin compound. She also has seasonal allergies and needs a shot of cortisone to get through the itchies; should be fine during Fall and Winter. Heidi loves people and enjoys having her head scratched; gets along fine with other pets and with kids. Heidi came to the 5th Anniversary Picnic and had a wonderful time. She also met her new mom and went home with her. Heidi has already become a happy, playful, loving friend, and her mom is so grateful for her. Kaye wrote that "Heidi is bouncing around, wanting to play, following my every step and being the very best she could be. She is wonderful. She has slept by my bed every night, barks only if someone comes to the door or a very loud vehicle goes by. Did I say she is wonderful? Guess you could say she and I are a match. I look forward to going home everyday and she is there to meet me. Thanks so much for the opportunity to have a wonderful such a great dog to share her life with me."
HENRI -- Fall 2005 -- is a beautiful 6yo big boy -- about 50 pounds of pure lovin'.  Big ol' bear, down to his furry ol' feet. He is on a very low dose of thyroid medication, but as he loses weight, we are hopeful he can come off the medication. He is UTD, neutered, and HW-. Henri has been doing beautifully in foster care and was adopted by a loving Louisiana applicant who drove over for the anniversary picnic: he has gone back to live with his adoring new mom in his home state. His new mom writes, "Henri is every bit the Southern gentleman that I knew he would be.  I rode in the back seat with him so he wouldn't feel alone and I figured that we could do some bonding for the 5 1/2 hour trip.  He kept his head in my lap or on top of my hand the entire way.  We stopped to let him walk around and to feed him at his normal dinner time and he was ready to go.  When we got home, Sophie was so happy to see him.  I haven't decided if she thought he was Max, but at any rate, she was ready to play frisbee. Of course he was not too interested as he was busy checking the house out.  He is such a wonderful little man. Great manners, listens to commands, walks well on his leash, is not aggressive at all, did beautifully around the neighbor children (they greeted us when we got home, because they had haunted our house for Halloween, meaning we have to put the ghost in our window, enjoy the treats left, and then copy the letter, ghost, collect new treats and go happy haunting to another house in the neighborhood,)  Henri was just as calm as could be around all of the little ones.  They were all laughing and his tail was just wagging. I am so grateful and thankful that we were the fortunate ones to have found Henri.  He is going to fit like a glove with us. We enjoyed the picnic so much. There were so many beautiful Shelties and mixes there, I wish I could have brought more home.  I'll never understand how people can give up their best friends when all they ask for is love and caring. Thank you so much for approving our application and making an exception for Henri. He is now at his forever home."
HOLLY -- Summer 2001. From Harris County Animal Control, a 2yo S/W turned in by her owner, Holly was sick with hookworms and heartworms, and was very scared. Good with children and adults as well as other pets, she learned her place quickly and became a valued member of her foster family, HSS co-coordinator, Connie, et al., who adopted her. She handled herself beautifully at one of the dog shows and was a hit. She has settled in on her favorite place on the sofa and enjoys herding her family and is the delightful companion of her human and doggy siblings.  Holly now sleeps with her head on dad's tummy and spends days adoring her mom. 
HOLLY 2 -- Dec 1 2003.  Holly is one of Spring's pups, a precious little female with a very sweet personality, eager to play and learn. Like Spring's other pups, Holly is very bright, quickly learning how to sit, walk on leash, and enjoy her crate for sleeping. She's a great dog, a sweetheart who is a little doll; dances on her hind feet for attention and treats. She was adopted by one of our homes that had previously adopted Christie. Holly is enjoying her mom, dad, and Sheltie sister, Ginger, and having a wonderful life being cherished as she has been since the day she was born. Though she still enjoys her crate at night, her favorite spot for afternoon naps is on her mom and dad's bed. They all adore her, and she knows it: racing to greet everyone first thing in the morning; then racing off for breakfast and a day's adventures.

HOLLY 3 -- Summer 2005. Beautiful Holly with the gentle eyes is a 5yo, 16-17", 30#, spayed S/W from HCAC; former owners relinquished her to the shelter because they "had too many dogs." She is now UTD and tested HW-. However, Holly is suffering from an URI and a bit off her feed right now, but she is very sweet and loving and wants lots of cuddles as she works on feeling better. She cannot get close enough to her humans, and right now the attention she craves is the most important thing to her until she understand she is safe and not going to be discarded again. Update: Her foster mom says as she relaxes and feels better, Holly is now starting to play with her foster siblings, especially the regal Danny, and even chase and bark at the squirrels in the happy games. And the 2nd best sign (after falling for the handsome Danny) is to discover the Famous Pink Piggy at Auntie Jeany's house. This girl is feeling much better. She is also completely housetrained and has taken over the sofa for nighttime, sleeping comfortably through the night. Holly is well on her way. Her delighted new family writes, "We always have our afternoon hug and treat about this time of day. She has brought a very special joy to me. Can't imagine being without her now. We are so happy with her. She settled right in after a couple days. I think she finally believes that she has found her forever home. It's like she's been part of our home forever. At first she wouldn't bark or didn't seem to care much about what was going on around her. Even the sight of any number of squirrels on our walks didn't get her going but after about two days she started coming to life. Now she never meets a stranger, she expects everybody to stop and say hello and give her a good ear rub. As for other dogs or those pesky squirrel's she now lets them know who is the boss. We've taken her with us to Pet's Mart a few times and everyone she meets just say that they're in love. She could get a job as their official greeter I think. Even other dog owners will stop and say how pretty she is and after about one minute say they'd love to take her home. We tell people that's she's an HSS rescue and that we've only had her for little over two weeks. They are just amazed, even the people at her new Vet clinic thought we'd had her for years. We could not have selected a more perfect Sheltie. Holly is just the most loving and caring dog we could have ever hoped for. How anyone in their right minds could have abused or abandoned just a sweet creature is beyond us. Again thank you both for all do for these loving dogs and their very lucky new owners."
  HONEY -- Winter 2002. 1 1/2 - 2yo, S/W  female, Honey is extremely sweet, friendly, and outgoing; good with kids and other pets.  She is a complete love sponge that everyone falls in love with because she is so pretty and has a vibrant personality.  She was transported from a high kill shelter in Louisiana by a concerned rescuer, and we were called  to bring her into our program.  After fostering by one of our doctors, Honey moved right in with her new family, promptly hugging them around the neck and making herself at home.  They are totally in love with this beautiful girl. 
HOWDY -- (Formerly Sandy 2) Fall 2004. Sandy was an OR from San Saba, transported to us by our Austin contingent. She is about 4-5yo; a lovely S/W with nice white collar. She had burrs and stickers in her coat that were bothering her and got a spiffy grooming which made her feel much better. She is very sweet and loves to cuddle with her humans; she becomes very bonded to her favorite human and is a love sponge. Howdy is very well behaved, knows 'sit' and 'shake'; also enjoys her crate and blankey for her naps. She was adopted at our 6th anniversary picnic and has become the center of her mom and dad's life. She loves to greet them when they come home from work, herd them happily about the house, and flip over for tummy rubs. Her coat has filled in beautifully, and she is enjoying her new toys and daily walks in the neighborhood, where all the kids love to see and pet her.
HUNTER -- Summer 2001. From Conroe, Hunter is a gorgeous 2yo male tri, an owner relinquishment due to family health. He has a thick coat, beautiful markings with full collar, pencil blaze, and tipped ears. Though he had been an outdoor dog all his life, he is doing extremely well and learning fast. Though sweet and gentle, Hunter was very shy and skittish at first, but warmed up quickly. He likes adults and children; gets along with other pets. Hunter now has parents and siblings who are all delighted with this beautiful boy. They report that Hunter is doing great and no longer shy: he exercises with his mom every day; his coat is filling out, and he recently went on a spring break trip with his family.
ICE -- Spring 2005. Ice is a gorgeous 8mo double merle with 'ice-blue' eyes. He and his brother, Toby, were OR's the family wanted new homes for. Ice loves to play with both his humans and other dogs. He also loves to watch the dog shows on TV and bark at his favorites. He sleeps on the bed next to his dad. He is leash trained and behaves beautifully on walks. When people see him for the first time, their response has been that he is one of the most beautiful shelties they have ever seen. Since Ice is still a pup, when he is fully coated at 2-3yo, along with those stunning eyes, he will be breathtaking. Ice fit in so well with his foster home--and those naps with dad--that they all decided he was already home and adopted him.
INDIANA (formerly Trevor) -- Fall 2002. From Victoria Shelter; 1 1/2yo S/W male.  He had been brought in after many complaints about his running loose.  After waiting the requisite days, the shelter turned him into our program. Trevor was HW-, but he was seriously underweight, only 20# on his 15-16" frame, and his coat was terribly matted. He also had to be treated for hookworms, which he undoubtedly picked up from being neglected and allowed to run. Trevor is a very sweet, gentle boy; gets along with cats and loves to play chase and tug-o-war with other dogs. This beautiful boy has been adopted and re-named him Indiana, and his family recently sent new pictures along with a glowing report on how they all are enjoying one another. 
JAC -- Fall 2001. Found at San Jacinto College and named by the employees there after the college.  He had been a stray there for about two weeks before the folks could finally catch him. Jac came into the program as a sweet, playful, year-old bi-black. He tested positive for heartworms, but it was a mild case; he had treatments and suffered no side-effects.  He also had a severe flea allergy which we treated with medication and had him shaved to ease the care. Jac is great with older children (at least 8-10 because of his energy level) and other dogs. He is playful and acrobatic, also so affectionate that he will place his paws on his human's shoulders and literally hug. Jac loves to go for walks and struts very proudly. Jac has now has mom, dad, and Sheltie brother. They are all ecstatic and pronounce Jac a blessing in their lives. 
JACK -- Winter 2005. This gorgeous 3yo S/W boy was found in San Antonio and relinquished to our sister rescue org, Austin Sheltie Group, and we took care of his clinicals after which he was fostered in Austin. He was quickly adopted and is living a life of love and luxury in Austin.
JACK 2 -- Winter 2005. This handsome 2yo Blue Merle boy is an OR who was very well cared for. Jack is sweet, intelligent, gentle, yet very active: loves to play, gets along with other dogs and cats, and adores children. He was quickly adopted and now lives happily in Austin with mom, dad, two kids, and doggy siblings. The family works in agility and will be training Jack as well. He is the personal companion of the family's daughter, who will be training him with her mom's assistance.
JACKSON -- Spring 2002. An OR, handsome, 3yo Golden S/W, Jackson needed to lose weight as he was free-fed in the former home. He loves stuffed toys, car rides, walks, tug-o-war, and playing chase. Jackson has been adopted and after some initial settling in, he is definitely home. This boy is now happily enjoying his new dad. mom, and sister, Nikki on the left in the picture. 
JAKE 2 -- Spring 2003. Adorable OR from Pasadena. Jake is a 5yo red Sable with full collar. He tested HW+ and had to go through the treatments but handled with no side effects. Our rescuer and foster mom say he is a love bug: freely gives kisses and cuddles; enjoys tummy rubs. He loves kids; gets along fine with other dogs. Jake was adopted by a family who adored him from the web site and waited for him to be ready.
JAKE 3 -- Fall 2003.  Jake was found tied to the fence of a local Shelter. Concerned citizens let us know about his predicament, and the shelter kindly relinquished to us so Jake could be cared for in our program. Unfortunately, because he is smaller than most other dogs and so scared, but also was not neutered, apparently he lost a battle with some of the other male dogs, and Jake suffered grievous wounds which we had him on antibiotics for; they healed nicely with his foster mom's care. Jake is about 3yo, shaved when we took him in, but his coat is now coming in: he's a beautiful golden S/W. Unfortunately, Jake was also HW+, and had to go through the treatments, but he did so with no side effects. Jake came to the 5th Anniversary Picnic: he was thrilled to meet so many people and other dogs. Jake likes kids, gets along with kitties and other dogs; though he still postures with males, he loves the ladies. Jake was joyously adopted by his new home who took him to the groomer and then on to PetSmart for toys. He has kitty siblings along with new mom and dad; mom comes home for lunch every day to be with him. Jake is taking obedience classes and doing well: has a Sheltie girlfriend in the class, of course!  They have now joined our volunteer program; all enjoyed coming to the Highland Games, and made a beautiful portrait.
JAZZY (Formerly Jasmine) -- Spring 2001. From Texas City Shelter, Jazzy is about 5-6yo, a Golden S/W, but the coat, though full, was bleached out and dry; Jazzy was possibly kept out doors but also affected by heartworm disease. She is extremely sweet and loving, very alert and active, tail wagging constantly. She successfully completed heartworm treatment and has been adopted by a long-time loyal HSS friend, who took over her fostering and got her through some rough days during the heartworm treatment while also battling the 2001 Flood in Houston. Jazzy is now going on walks, chasing the squirrels in her new back yard, sleeping on her mom's bed, and herding the cats. 
JEN-JEN (formerly Tassie) -- Fall 2002. Cutie-pie 5mo S/W pup who came in from a shelter in Austin where she had been turned in by owners along with Wiley. She is very sweet and low-key. She wasn't in the program long before her new family snapped her right up, driving three hours in the rain to get her.  They had her write a little note to foster mom that she had done very well on the drive to her new home in the country and is flourishing in her family's loving care. Jen-Jen now sleeps in her new king size bed with mom and dad who, she assures us, give her kisses all the time.  We just got an update on Jen-Jen: she is now a full-size Sheltie girl, absolutely gorgeous, adored by everyone in her family; and she rules the house.
JENNA -- Spring 2003. A 5-6yo S/W from League City Shelter, Jenna came into the program healthy but scared.  She was very lucky though because her rescuer, veteran HSS volunteer, Dawn, also turned about to be her foster mom and then her forever mom. Jenna is an adorable little bundle of energy, affectionate and busy; fine with other pets; enjoys playing with her new sister. Jenna has been happily adopted by one of our long-time volunteers and she is delightedly enjoying her new home. Everyone did a group hug on adoption day.
JOEL (Renamed Joey) -- Summer 2002. Joel is a 3-4yo SW found running in Clear Lake where he had been seen by residents for several weeks. His kind rescuer finally was able to catch him and immediately called us. Joel was severely matted and was very underweight from not eating regularly for weeks. He also tested HW+ and had to go through treatments, but he weathered them fine. We had to shave him because the mats were so bad, but his coat came back in beautifully. Joel has a lovely face and sweet manner. He loves to play fetch and enjoys belly rubs and his blankie that his foster mom gave him. He likes to be covered in it when he sleeps. His foster mom says he is funny and adorable, that whenever anyone sneezes, Joel rushes over from wherever he is to put his paws on the person's lap and look into your eyes as if to say, "God bless you!"  He had a wonderful time at our recent anniversary picnic and was quite a hit. Joel has been happily adopted by his wonderful family who also adopted Gaelen, and is now enjoying the love of his forever home. In this Christmas picture, Joey's coat has literally 'exploded', and he is his gorgeous self.

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