Sassy (aka Tanzie), settled into her new home within around one hour of arriving!

The couch was scratched, the kitchen bench was walked across but most importantly, she figured out which lap was the most comfortable and where the litter tray is. Sassy has brought much laughter to my flat - often when I am scolding her I stop halfway and laugh, because she is so terribly cheeky. She is not fussed about visitors, and has even made herself at home in the neighbour's flat (unbeknownst to me!). An absolute delight, I only wish I had a bigger home to take in more adult cats.

Thought you might like to see a picture of two very happy girls running and playing along the beach at Flinders last Saturday.

We have called Lexus Pippa and we just love her to pieces. She is such a funny little girl and so affectionate. She adores her big sister and Holly has been rejuvenated by her puppy antics. They both just collapse at the end of each day so I get nice cuddles. P has discovered her rabbit and bird chasing gene and loves to run. She spends a lot of her day in with me however and is quiet and well behaved in the house although she has sent a few cushions to God! Our Vet was very taken with her and told us we are 'very lucky' to have such a cute little girl.
I am going to bring her to the Shelter for some Underdog classes. Glad to see that someone took little Hugo. I hope he is as loved and cherished as he deserves to be.
Best Wishes as always to you and your wonderful Shelter colleagues.

Thought you might enjoy some shots of 'Zeb' not quite 5 months old, but growing rapidly, plays hard & sleeps hard & enjoying life to the max & has settled in well with farm life. Hope you are well & happy.

Take care Cheers Brenda

Last time I wrote was September and we had had Colin for only a few weeks. He is now very much part of our family. Him and Frank are best friends and he has discovered a new skill of swimming. He was scared of the water when we first took him to the river, but he saw how much fun Frank was having so he bravely went in and found he didn't know how to swim very well then tried to hitch a ride on other dogs backs, most weren't too happy about having an extra 50kg to carry.

He now swims very well and has no fear of water; he is even happy to jump off a 2 meter high rock at a local swimming hole, however this did result in a trip to the vet and a few stiches so we discourage it. Wherever we take him he gets a lot of attention (and loves it), but I always laugh when people ask if he is a hunting dog (you get that living in the country) because he wouldn't hurt a fly! He wishes he was a lap dog sometimes and if you are sitting on the floor he will try and climb on. Thanks for giving us the most wonderful, loving and entertaining dog. He's great! I have attached some photos to make you laugh.

Hi all at AAPS,

Romy, Sam and Zahli (and of course Shaun and I), would like to wish all the staff and volunteers and all the animals a Merry Christmas and a hopefully Happier (re-homed) New Year.

From Iris, Shaun and the "Kids"

Wishing you all a very Merry Xmas. A big Thankyou for helping us complete our family this Christmas, with the adoption of MOZIE. We love him. He is a beautiful dog who is so affectionate and loving, and he makes us smile everyday with his individual caring nature. He loves living by the beach and has settled into our home like he has always been here. Once again Happy Christmas and Happy New Year.

Regards , Greg and Mozie xxxxxx

We came in during the late part of February this year and adopted Shadow, I know that it is hard for you to remember all the beautiful dogs and cats that come through the AAPS, but he is a gorgeous 2 YO Golden Labrador who had been surrendered. We took him home to Eltham and we thought that you might like to hear how he is going.

He loves being with us, you can just tell, he is always so happy to see us and loves to sit with us and cuddle up. He has settled in quite well, he had been concerned about meeting new people at first, even our first meeting was stressful for him, but now as long as we are with him, he is more than happy to get to know anyone who comes to visit, except children, he still doesn't seem that happy with them (but then, it had in his write-up that he was probably best to stay with adults rather than children). I have the bonus of being at home a lot as I work for myself and he loves this fact, obviously, he gets to spend much of the day with me, and gets very excited when my partner Shaan comes home from work.

He loves going for walks, especially past the place that has a sheep and a goat, even after all this time, he still looks at them as though they are something completely new, and if they are not there, you can almost see the disappointment in his little face. He has us wrapped around his little claw, we melt with all the different looks that he gives us, especially when we have to go out, he gives us this look that breaks our hearts. The neighbours love him too... he is a good boy on the barking front, really only does it when he feels that we are being threatened by something, and he loves talking to the 2 dogs next door through the fence.

He even loves going to the kennel in Yarrambat that is his holiday destination when we go away, which is not often mainly because we don't like being away from our animals... but he loves running around on the farm-like place where the kennel is.

We are blessed to have such a wonderful dog and we are very happy that we could give him a home. He is all that we wanted in a dog and more.

He is actually our second animal from AAPS, we also got a black and white DSH from you 3 years ago and she is the most gorgeous little thing, got a wonderful little personality all of her own. She has gone from being a very quiet and unsure kitten to being a very talkative little thing who just loves being with us.

We look forward to our next visit in a year or so, we are building a place in the Yarra Valley and it will be a great opportunity to get another dog to keep Shadow company and to keep him on his toes. I feel that we'll end up coming to you as we have had so much success with the animals that we have adopted so far.

Anyway, I have attached a few of pics of Shadow and Kitten for you to see. We thought that it might be nice for you to see how ex residents are going in life.

All I can say is keep up the good work. Cheers, Kerry

I just wanted to send you an update on Ripley the kelpie who I adopted this time last year. He is a gorgeous boy and he has settled into our home perfectly. Ripley loves our two Burmese cats and is always following them around when he is inside – although he loves them, the cats are not as keen on him and are quick to tell him to keep his distance. Ripley doesn’t get the message though and he clearly thinks that one day he will win them over with his eagerness and enthusiasm!
Despite being a working dog, Ripley is a big sook. He hates the rain and sleeps inside every night. He gets plenty of exercise and loves to fetch a tennis ball. Although he is full of kelpie energy, Ripley also has his quiet moments and his gentle nature means he gets plenty of cuddles and back rubs. He loves nothing more than to be with us and we usually take him everywhere.
My husband and I both adore Ripley and I’m so glad that you allowed us to adopt him. I think he’s perfect!

Have a lovely christmas. Laura Creamer

Hi this is Buttons formerly called Chester. He was adopted in October. He has settled in very well with my other male cat. They have become good friends.

Thanks to everyone from Margaret.

We thought we'd write and let you know how Diva (now called Molly) has been doing since we adopted her about 2 months ago. Well she's well and truly made herself part of the household. Even with her own beds in the bedroom and lounge she still tries to take all the room on the sofa, or wedge herself between us in bed. That usually doesn't last long though as she takes up all the room and snores too!

She loves to chew things and gets through new toys in no time, but thankfully the sofa's still intact and we've just lost the odd shoe and pillow! She absolutely loves her walks on the beach and at the park where she can play with other dogs. She's also discovered swimming and can't wait to get off the lead to jump in the sea! She loves company and will follow us around all day if possible, but does disappear into the garden at night to chase possums. She does have a bit of a naughty streak but we think she'll grow out of it, and are going to start doggy school in the new year. You may remember that she'd actually been adopted and then returned and returned already the day before we took her. Well, we're glad she was as we love her!

I thought I'd drop you a line and a couple of pictures to show you how Biba (Bibi) is going. She's a wonderful, funny dog and is a total joy to live with - she was housetrained within a day or so and she gets on very well with our other two beagles. When we got her she was really shy and quite scared of people - particularly workmen and people in beanies/hoodies or reflective jackets (who knows why but it's probably not a happy story) but now she is fine with people and will sit happily with us at a café on a busy street with no problems - this, for a beagle, is amazing! She is also super affectionate and as you can see she's particularly fond of John!

Lucky was the most beautiful-natured dog when we met him. He got on well with Winnie the Pooh my jack russ, our daughter and myself. I was nervous because he pee'd on everything in the "meeting pen" (over 20 leg lifts!) and I could see that my home might smell of dog wee all the time . . . not to mention possible urination on baby toys - or even the baby!

We took Lucky home on Saturday . . .

He settled in a couple of hours and no more pee! He came inside on Sunday and was very well behaved. He even asked to go out when he needed to relieve himself. We are hanging out to bath him next weekend after his sutures come out. Despite being a bit smelly, he is lovable, excitable, gentle and so very sweet. My hubby thinks he'll fit in fine with the 2 best girl's in his life . . .

I came into the shelter a couple of months ago looking for an older, smaller dog and instead took home a baby Wolfhound X!!

You were so thoughtful when I came into the shelter and made me feel that you understood my reasons for wanting a dog. Your care and attention made the whole process so much more meaningful than simply going in to 'find a dog'. I really want to thank you for picking out Millie and suggesting that I meet her.

After hearing her story of being dumped in the overnight bin, and then when I met her, having her clamber up and rest her head on my shoulder, I was absolutely in love with this long-legged, scrawny pup with the long face. And she hasn't disappointed. Millie has a gorgeous temperament; she is very gentle and loving. She spends most of her time either asleep, being a shadow to myself or my husband, or snuggling up for cuddles. Unlike most puppies, she hasn't taken to chewing the furniture - the worst that's happened is that her toy lamb didn't last the distance but became a selection of choice cuts strewn around the house!

I've found out that Millie isn't a Wolfhound X after all, but rather a Staghound (Deerhound/Greyhound X). Not that it matters; she's given us so much already through affection, exercise (walking along the Puffing Billy track) and even making friends. Through wanting to find out more about Millie, I've befriended a local Deerhound breeder who has been really helpful in giving me information on looking after Millie (who gets to visit her distant cousins regularly). Millie has also excelled at dog training which has introduced us to a whole new group of dog-loving friends. In fact, I can't speak highly enough of the care and attention that the trainers at Alpha Dog bring to their training (www.alphadogtraining.com.au) It's proved to be a great way for Millie and I to get to know each other and form a strong relationship.

Millie is now the proud tenant of a big dog run in the back yard complete with a corrugated roofed kennel (it's so big that it looks more like an extension to the house!) a big bed and a dog futon! From this lovely pad, she spends the day watching the cockatoos, rosellas and parrots flying above in the eucalypts. She can also keep an eye on us in the house to make sure we behave ourselves before she comes in for a gourmet meal, much love and fussing, then a big sleep in a warm bed. Not a bad improvement on the charity bin!

I hope you enjoy the couple of photos that I've attached, especially the Christmassy photo!!! I, along with Millie, want to send you and your colleagues (and all of the animals waiting for homes) best wishes for a happy Christmas and a New Year full of love and new homes.

I thought I would drop you a quick e-mail to let you know who the girls are going.

They both have settled in really well and love their new life. They both have lost their nervousness and Poppet now charges around the house like a whirlwind and Missy jumps up and down when she is really excited. They love their doggy brothers Ben and Mully who have taken to them like they have always been part of the family. They go for regular walks along the beach and to the leash free park in Mount Eliza and are making new doggy friends every day. Poppet loves to meet other dogs and is very friendly with everyone. Missy is a bit shyer but as dogs she meets are at least twice the size of her I am not surprised she gives them a wide berth until she is sure of them.

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