HSSI Adoptions Gallery -- R

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 H-J K L M N-O P-Q S T U-Z

"The great pleasure of a dog is that you may make a fool of yourself with him
and not only will he not scold you, but he will make a fool of himself too."
~ Samuel Butler

	RANGER -- Summer 1999. Houston Sheltie Sanctuary received several calls from concerned staff members at a church in the Champions area. A little Sheltie boy had been abandoned and was foraging for meals near their property. For weeks, all efforts of the staff at the Church and of HSS members to entice this youngster into rescue were foiled by his expertise and savvy, so that he quickly became known as the elusive 'Church Sheltie.' Both the church employees and HSS rescuers left food, water, and even a trap, all of which the Church Sheltie deftly used or avoided, allowing only fleeting glimpses of himself as he melted into the nearby woods. Finally, HSS member Marti decided that the Church Sheltie was going to be saved. Marti is a runner--it turned out she was an even better runner than our boy was--and she literally ran this boy down until he decided the better part of valor was to listen to Marti and allow her to help him. Marti and her husband named this sweet boy RANGER, got his medical problems taken care of, including surgery for his hip, and adopted him into his forever home. No more melting into the woods for this Sheltie, who is adored in a family of his very own, won for him by the quiet determination and love of this special rescue mom.
	REBA -- Spring 2001. OR from Sealy, Reba came into the program with her rescued brother, Dante. The finders had rescued her from a highway, where she had been hit by a car. They did not have the money to treat her, and the injury healed badly as Reba was confined to the back yard. We took her into the program, did orthopedic surgery and post-op care for several weeks. In the mean time, her new mom, shown here with her beloved girl at one of our picnics, fell in love with Reba's picture and was drawn to her story. Marcia came to the spring picnic to meet her and followed her progress step by step, eventually taking over the foster care from our veteran, Vickey. Reba is now healed, extremely happy, and totally devoted to her mom, as her mom is to her. Marcia is now volunteering with HSS and doing foster work for us.
	REESE -- Beautiful S/W 4 1/2yo OR from Baytown; family didn't have enough time for him. He was formerly named Buddy, but we changed that as he's a handsome boy who deserves a new name. His foster family adores him: this boy is smart, sweet, funny, and loves to play. He is starting to do spins, play with toys, and flip over on his back for tummy rubs. Reese gets along great with his Sheltie foster sisters, but they did have to let him know that they are in charge and are to be revered, which he now understands. This terrific boy is simply wonderful and is now enjoying his loving new home. He was adopted by Tristan's family shortly after they lost him, and he is giving them and Annie-Ginger the comfort they need as they give him the home he deserves.
	REGGIE -- Winter 2003. Adorable, happy 4yo Golden Sable who came into the program as an OR from the Heights. They took good care of him as he is very healthy. Reggie is a very sweet boy, eternally smiling, gets along with other dogs and resident kitty; loves to play tug-o-war with people and dogs. His new mom, Laura, is delighted with how wonderful he is. He goes everywhere with her, and she is absolutely thrilled with her new best pal, pronouncing him the best dog she has ever had. Reggie has made great friends with the family's horse and enjoys going to shows. He especially likes hanging out with his horse companion: they walk along side by side while the horse gently blows on Reggie's fur.
	REVA -- Spring 2002. From Montgomery County shelter, Reva is a tiny 7-8yo blue merle female. She is missing one rear foot that looks to be recently amputated. She got around well but was a bit off balance with it, and needed more surgery. Someone may have been using her for breeding as she had recently had puppies: we have now had three tiny blue merles from this area. Reva came into our program covered in fleas and, unfortunately, tested HW+; she also had a mammary tumor. We had a mastectomy done for the tumor; fortunately, the biopsy was negative for cancer. Reva successfully completed HW treatment with no side effects; surgery for her leg also went well. Her foster home adores her as Reva is an angel. At first she was very timid, but by Easter weekend, she was enjoying all the company and was especially interested in a visiting toddler. This sweet girl is a honey who who has been happily adopted by relatives of Melissa, her foster mom.
	REX (formerly "Huntsville Harry") -- Spring 2000. This beautiful mahogany sable two-year-old boy was found in Huntsville Animal Shelter by a volunteer with Collie rescue, who transported him to HSS for care after we got him released from the shelter, where he had languished for a couple of weeks with no one claiming him. Harry was HW+, showed signs of physical abuse, and had had no training in his previous life. After rehab. and fostering, he became a delightful, gorgeous, perfectly behaved boy we affectionately nick-named "Huntsville Harry." He was adopted by a family who had recently lost their 12-year-old Sheltie and re-named their new boy Rex. He is cherished by his loving family, who were delighted to get this boy who is perfect for a family that wanted a larger Sheltie. They come to the picnics together and give us frequent reports on our big, beautiful boy who becomes more gorgeous every year, loves to listen to his mom play piano (his favorite song is "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes'), and sleeps contentedly with his dad's slipper.
	REX 2 -- Spring 2002. 4yo S/W OR from Round Rock. He was overweight by 20 pounds; had been shaved by the previous owner for the summer, but his coat has grown in beautifully. Other than the obesity, he came into the program in good health. Rex was fostered by active volunteers for HSS and adopted by their family. They all worked hard to help him continue losing weight and getting fit. Rex is now living in a St. Paul suburb. He came into the program weighing 76 lbs.; on Jan. 1 he weighed 50 when adopted to his new family. He is now a beautiful, "fat-free" dog under 40 lbs. He goes on walks with his girls three times a day. He loves sledding; they even bought him snow booties so his paws wouldn't ice. He is working in obedience at a St. Paul dog obedience school and will be entering obedience trials. Rex is very happy and loved to the maximus--but now he is a minimus Rex.
	RICKEY -- Fall 2001. Beautiful 2yo S/W from Alvin Shelter, Rickey came into the program healthy, though underweight, and very sweet. He was allegedly afraid of and defensive around small children, which is why he was turned into the shelter; however, several times his foster mom took him around children, and he was both playful and gentle with kids. He exhibits a happy personality, getting along with both other dogs and with cats; loves to play with toys and fetch a tennis ball. In a Sheltie home, his true personality came out; he's a complete angel who quickly learned obedience commands. Rickey has proven to be one of our most adorable Shelties, who has been joyfully adopted by his family. He has mom and 12yo brother, who are looking forward to working Rickey in obedience and agility.
	RINGO -- ["Speedy Gonzalez"] Summer 2005 is an OR due to family move out of state. He is a 7yo mahogany S/W. He had whips, ear infection, UTI, was HW+ and had to go through the treatment, which he completed successfully. He was a little nervous at first, but warmed up nicely in foster care. Here is his foster mom's report: "Ringo is the sweetest little boy! He is very cuddly and gives lots of kisses. He will jump in my lap and cuddle up to me like a little baby, and bury his head in my chest or against my arm. He runs faster than any sheltie I’ve seen. He can make it across the width of my yard, which is pretty large, in just a few leaps. He runs like a gazelle, or like a rabbit, leaping most of the way. He goes around the yard so fast, I can’t keep up with where he is! When I feed him in the morning, he follows me to where I keep the food, then on the way to his eating place, he leaps up into my easy chair, and then over the arm of the chair to come to eat. It’s like his own little obstacle course! He will chase a toy when thrown, but only to bark at it. He never brings them back. He is a little angel. He likes baby talk and a calm, reassuring voice. And of course, lots of hugs. He will make a wonderful companion for someone who wants a very sweet little dog full of love and kisses. And he is absolutely beautiful, with a precious, petite face, and a gorgeous dark sable coat." Ringo had a bit of residual cough but is recovered now. He had not been housetrained or learned basic obedience, but his foster mom and adoptive mom have worked patiently with him. He isn't crazy about the crate during his training but does accept it. His delighted new mom reports he is an adorable boy who is having a great time playing with his new Sheltie brother, Prince, who has been invigorated by having Ringo as his playmate.
	ROCKEY -- [renamed Mitya] This gorgeous boy is 3-4yo, S/W. He had a skin staph infection and had been loaded with flea dirt; the staph infection improved dramatically on medication and Missing Link; new coat now coming in. Rocky gets along well with other dogs; is kind to kitties. All three "Rita Dogs" had kids in their previous lives and love them. Rocky is totally focused on his human; wants to be close and get lots of cuddles; a sweet, loving, funny, playful boy. Because he was so matted, he had to be shaved, but his coat came back in over the winter. He loves to cuddle on the sofa and sleep close to his human in the big bed at night--with his own pillow. He pats, spins, and wriggles with joy these days, but he does still startle at loud sounds, though he is easily reassured that the hurricane isn't going to terrify him again, and is getting braver. He is very smart and loves praise: did well in his house training, quickly learned basic obedience. Rocky is a love bug: he must be close to his human and needed a home that welcomes him on the sofa, in the bed, and by his human's side so he can adore his beloved master or mistress. He found that home along with his new sister, Annabelle, in his new San Antonio family.
	ROSIE -- (Formerly Shellie) -- Winter 2002. Delightful 3yo Golden S/W female. This girl was found in the Tomball/Spring area. Finder kept her several weeks and put up signs. No response, and there were no ads for her. We brought her in the program, and she tested very healthy. Rosie is very friendly and outgoing and will be a wonderful companion. She was fostered and then adopted by a family who are delighted with this sweet, pretty girl.
	ROXIE -- Spring 2004. Adorable 2yo S/W girl; found in Houston and turned into CAP, who called us because she was HW+. Roxie was also covered in fleas and ticks; was painfully underweight at 15" and only 16#; with the poor coat and skin of a Sheltie who has HW disease and is otherwise neglected as well. But in foster care she's also turned out to be friendly with other dogs, sweet to kids, eager to please; starting to prance and talk a bit; wants to be close to her humans but taking things one day at time. She's doing very well with both her crate and house training. After her successful recovery, Roxie was adopted by a family who is thrilled with her, and she is now forever home in Austin.
	RUDY (formerly Jasper)--Spring 2002. Gorgeous, 5yo S/W OR. He is gentle, house trained, well cared for by the previous home, and very sweet. Rudy especially likes women and focuses on a particular human to adore. He is a talker who alerts to doorbells and vacuum cleaners. When his human comes home, he likes to tell her everything that happened during the day. He loves cuddling and brushing. Rudy has been adopted by an HSS Member and now lives a pampered life in his loving mom's home.
	RUDY 2 -- Dec 2003. Rudy is one of the four pups Spring gave birth to. He was adopted by his adoring mom in Feb.

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