Hi everybody at AAPS! My name is Pancakes, and I was adopted from your shelter about a month ago. I was thrilled to go home and meet my big brother, Samwise, who was also adopted from the shelter back in November. Apparently our owners thought he needed some company, because they couldn't get people to bring around their dogs often enough (even though he sees Clover the maltese terrier every week!). Although Samwise really likes dogs, when they saw me they decided that I seemed playful enough to be up to the challenge!!! At the moment my favourite toys are springs (I am supposed to own 20 of them, but they always seem to end up under the couches), and Samwise's favourite toy is me! I love the floorboards we have at home; it makes a great noise when we chase each other from one end of the house to the other at 6am! My owners love it. Really they do.

My favourite place to sleep is wedged in between my two owners when they sleep at night, or failing that, as close to someone's face as I can get. I like poking my nose into the girl owner's ear when she sleeps. I like the echoing noise my purring makes. Samwise likes sleeping in his own bed, or his carry cage, which I think is just crazy. My big brother is very protective of me, and even cleans me when I get lazy. We have both been taught that if we come when our name is called, we get treats. We have also worked out that if we sit when we are told, or give a hug or kiss to our owners on the nose, we also get food. We both like this arrangement, and will bombard anyone sitting on the computer with kisses until we get the treats we want. Life is good. I am so happy that both Samwise and I were treated so well at AAPS. If it wasn't for the shelter, we wouldn't run this house the way we do today. Samwise hopes that maybe one day when the owners get a bigger house they might also get a dog from AAPS, but we will have to wait and see what happens. Thanks again for looking after both of us, and I hope you like the pictures we have sent! (Samwise is the charcoal tabby, and I'm the one with the ginger! Clover is the fluffball)

Love from Midnight Pancakes and Samwise Gamgee

Casey-Anne

Love Casey - Anne, Darryl, Lisa, Dylan and Joshua Jenkinson 

Sam

 This is Sam. When we went to the pound we knew he was the dog for us. He was the only one not jumping up and barking. He just sat down and slid his front paws underneath the wire gate so we could pat him. We took him home that day. That was eleven years ago.

Two children and three house moves later he is still with us. In our wildest dreams we could not imagine a better pet. He is incredibly intelligent and still learning new tricks at 13 years old. He has been sick only once in his life. He tolerates all sorts of animals including free range chooks and doesn't have a nasty bone in his body. He rarely misses out on a daily walk and so looks great for his age.

My husband's mum recently moved in with us and brought with her a little King Charles Cavalier named Jessie. The mismatched pair have become very close.

After reading others' stories of adoption I thought I would add ours in the hope that it would highlight the benefits of adopting a 'mutt' who looked really 'ordinary' compared to the pure breeds and cuties. There are always homes waiting for the latter. It's ironic because often the mutts are overlooked by potential owners when in fact they are frequently the dogs who will bring the greatest joy to any household. Every dog has something special about them, but it's not always visible, just like Sam.