My husband and I adopted Ted, then known as Junior, 6 months ago. When we took him home he was a bit overweight and a bit weary of his surroundings. He has since come down to a healthy weight and is right at home with us. He loves going on walks and playing fetch with his rope and cricket ball. He has become such an important part of our family and can’t imagine life without him. He’s always so happy to see us when we get home (the photo is him jumping up after hearing my husband’s car in the driveway) and loves cuddling up to us on the couch at the end of a long day.
We would strongly recommend getting your new family member from the pound as they make it very easy to choose the right pet for you.
Thanks to everyone at the Keysborough Animal Shelter for helping us find and take home Ted.

Steve and Billie

We adopted Joe Cocker in May 2008, and since then he has been a very spoilt and well-loved member of our family. On adopting him, we were told that Joe was very timid. Well, this was only true for about one night, then his zany, mischievous and boisterous personality shone through. Joe is a real dag, he is always bouncing around the house wagging his tail and doing goofy things that make us laugh. When we got him, we were worried that he would try to pick fights with our cat, Elmo. But, from the moment they first met, Elmo has been keeping Joe in line! They are very funny together, seeing a huge cocker spaniel who bows down to a little ginger tabby cat is hilarious and shows what a gentle dog Joe is. Joe is very loving, he is always up for a cuddle or a walk and he loves to play fetch (even though he doesn’t know how to bring the ball back!) Joe adores morning cuddles and always sits at Melissa’s door waiting to be let in so he can snuggle up with her before breakfast! Our family is complete now that Joe Cocker is a part of it. Life wouldn’t be the same without him. Thankyou to everyone at the Keysborough Animal Shelter for giving us Joe, we love him very much!
From,
Bev, Melissa and Bec

We recently adopted Chachi (previously Rex) from you in March this year. He is such a gorgeous dog who has settled in really well, although not without trying our patience. In his first few nights in our home, he was very unsettled and soiled our carpet a few times, poor thing. We didn't realize the extent of his separation anxiety, and we left him at home for 4 hours alone, and he barked non stop and dug up our carpet to the cement trying to get under the door! We received multiple complaints from one of our neighbours, but we sent every one a letter with a photo of him on it (he is too cute to resist!) and most people have been kind and patient. In the end we bought him a crate and literally didn't leave him alone for 5 minutes! It took a long time, but after trying to build a routine for him, very regular exercise (he goes to the dog beach in brighton at least twice a week and the park every day) and making sure we were always around, Chachi built trust for us. After 4 months we finally could leave him for enough time to at least go out for dinner, then go for a short movie, and now we can leave him for about 5 hours when we go to work and uni and he's fine. No complaints for months and he seems relaxed! We were never going to give up on him because we knew it wasn't his fault and he is such an amazing dog that we could never give him back, no matter what he did! He loves his food and enjoys going crazy and running around the beach. He is the most loyal and affectionate dog I have ever seen and sneaks up on our bed in the morning for a cuddle. We planned a short getaway and couldn't not take Chachi, so we found a dog-friendly house in Daylesford and took him up for long walks in the forest and a quiet snuggle near the fire. Heres a photo of him playing with his kong. Thank-you so much for our adored family member!

We adopted 'Polar' and renamed him Harry and we couldn't love him more. The best thing about Harry is his personality. He is so friendly and just wants to be near you - we have to move his bed around the house as we change rooms because he wants to be where we are. He sits on the couch with us and watches Bondi Vet. He watches it so intently and turns his head when a dog barks or cat meows. He sits when asked, shakes hands for treats, stops to cross the road, brings the ball back and does not wee in the house or chew things up while we are at work! He does go to sleep on his bed on the floor next to us at night but we often find a little head popping up between us in the morning! He is very spoilt and loves visiting the pet shop to pick out his toys or having a bath and getting his hair blow-dried after.
Harry will sit on my stomach in the morning, waiting for me to get up so he can go for his walk. He is an excellent alarm clock! We take him to the park across the road from us every morning and he plays with Lola (a Schnauzer cross Poodle) and they chase the ball, share a stick and occasionally jump into the pond to have a chat to the ducks! Then at night we go for a good walk around our area. We have been really pleasantly surprised with how good he is during the day. We leave the radio on, set up his bed, put toys on the floor and give him a beef ear as we leave for work and he is so happy and content.
Harry has brought so much joy to us and we believe we are so lucky to have found the perfect dog for us. We can't imagine our life now without him.
Liz & Rex

Just a note to let you know how Donnie is going.
He has settled in well, he loves his walks, although he barks at other dogs,

I am trying a spray bottle of water to stop him just started with it hoping
that will stop him. He has also become a beach bum, he loves it and runs
around madly on the beach he even likes the water, he has been camping with
my son and the boys and he was good for them so they said he is allowed to
come again. he doesn't run off and comes back when you call him. He likes
the boat although he fell in a couple of days ago trying to get off to go
home, but he could swim well.
He has just started pulling clothes off the line and a bit of digging, he
won't play with anything other than a tennis ball.
He has put on a bit of weight too so he looks good. i have attached some
photos of him at home and on the beach.
Thank you for our new man.

This is a good news story in a very unusual way. It is an obituary. I came home from Keysborough Animal Shelter only 9 months ago with Apples, later to be called Happy Chappy. He was a Golden Oldie and I knew he had special needs and I also knew he had had a really rotten life. I was so determined to take him home and give him whatever was needed to make the rest of his life as wonderful as possible. Yesterday he died in my arms. I am still distraught. He was a wonderful friend and it just feels like 9 months was insufficient time to make up for the hard life he had somehow managed to survive. He took an instant liking to the high life! My other dogs just adopted him and we had a very successful blended family. My youngest dog, Mosquito, and Happy became my toddlers because they followed me everywhere (including the toilet). Happy had special spaces both in my home and my Mother's home that were his. At Mum's he just had to be in this box filled with old newspapers which sat on the left hand side of Mum's chair and when the pile of paper started banking up he still claimed his position and clambered up the pile to the top occasionally causing the whole pile to collapse. At my place he always, absolutely always, claimed the spot under the side table next to my chair. I will cry now not only because he has gone and I loved him so much but also because of the cruelty that dwelt in that little man's body that was inflicted by humans. It might have only been nine months we had together but I'll always remember and love my beautiful little 'Happy Chappy'. Oddly we had planned to take both Mum's dogs and mine to her church for the Blessing of the Animals and this was the day that Happy Chappy died. I choose to believe that there is a blessing in this that I'll eventually understand.

My name is Miley (mum kept my shelter name) and I came to live with my new forever family on September 11 2010. I have two other sisters Sophie and Sha-Mia . Simba the other cat suddenly died of illness so they wanted to replace her so Sha-Mia would have another cuddle buddy. Sha-Mia has now turned to Mum as a cuddle buddy. She tries to cuddle up to Sophie but she does not like it, so I may have a chance later on when she likes me more. I have two dog friends Bobby and Holly who both came from AAPS, and two rabbits Max (from AAPS) and Millie. I spend most of my day sleeping in Nathan’s or Erin’s room on the bed and sitting on the couch watching the television. I am well loved as I get lots of attention from the family. I have settled in well and think in a few weeks the other two cats will like me a bit better as mum said it took a little while for Sha-Mia to settle in when she came into the house. I have not explored out into the cat run as yet, but it’s looking very interesting and think I may do that soon. I want to thank everyone that looked after me at AAPS on my short stay there before going to my new forever home. Lots of love Miley xxx

Just a short update on our 2 beautiful siamese adoptees.
From us being afraid that 15 year old Sasha was going to eat Mai and our dog Betsy, the three have become inseparable.
We are all currently enjoying some outdoor sunshine(always supervised).
The girls love it - as do we.
Mai has thrived to the extent we had to put her on a diet, she is still a little scared occasionally, but this very rare.
She adores people and as much attention as she can get.
Sasha just expects our adoration as a given as any Princess would. Initially she ate little until I discovered she eats only chicken(dark meat only) or steak(preferably medium rare) and dry food to suppliment.
They sleep together and become vocal if they are not in sight of each other.
Sasha has an extensive vocabulary which, when we think we finally have it all interpreted, she adds some new words.
For example, we went to the beach house over night a couple of weeks ago and as they prefer to not travel in the car, we left them at home with my daughter coming in twice a day to feed and cuddle them. My daughter stayed for an hour each time. We took Betsy the dog with us.
When we arrived home, we were greeted as normal, but then were given a severe vocal dressing down by Sasha - Maybe these words shouldn't be translated.
Mai has decided that it is playtime at about 9 or 10 o'clock at night and tears around like a maniac- up and over and under and round. Sasha joins in the frivolity and it really is very funny to watch their antics.It is impossible to believe that Sasha is old, they act like kittens together.
I can't express how much joy they bring to our family and I can't remember what life was like without them.

Thank you, thank you, thank you,

With love from Mai, Sasha and their family,

I adopted Baxter in December 2009. He was called Copha at the shelter.

Let me start by saying this won't be the typical story of a sweet cat who fit right into the family, hahaha! This little terror is lucky he's adorable because he's been seriously hard work.

For the first 4 months he was an absolute nightmare, he was so hyperactive he would only sleep 15 minutes a day. He spent the rest of his day breaking and smashing things, attacking and chasing the dogs, biting me and climbing everything even though he knew he wasn't allowed to. He would raid the bin, and eat ANYTHING, lettuce, tomato, carrot, cucumber, capsicum!

All of a sudden, literally overnight, my monster cat changed, he started actually sleeping like a normal cat, he stopped climbing everything, he now refuses to eat anything other than his own dry food, he sleeps cuddled up to me almost every night on my pillow that he insists is his.

Despite his behaviour drastically improving, his favourite thing that he does because he knows he isn't allowed to, is stand up as tall as he can, put his nails on the wall and drag alllllll the way down to the floor, he watches me the entire time like "what are you going to do about it?"

I have never known such an arrogant, naughty cat in my life and yet I love him to pieces and I am so glad he's part of our family (or runs our family, either way).

Thank you for finding him for us AAPS!

Just a note to let you know how Lucky (known as Albert at the shelter) is going. Lucky came into our lives almost 3 months ago, and settled in straight away.  He has been suffering from arthritis, but with a combination of treatment and a whole lotta love, he is on a high!!! He is an absolute smart arse, loves the beach but has a tendency to swim into the horizon, goes to private swimming lessons (for his arthritis), and this has given him a new lease on life. We have recently celebrated his 11th birthday with a party! He is a part of our lives, constantly by our side wherever we go. Lucky is very spoilt and we can't imagine our lives without him. We love him so much, and we are so thankful to the Keysborough Animal Shelter for all their help during Lucky's adoption. 
Thank you,
Robert & Alice

Hello Everyone it Wilson here,

l still love my new home just look at me now….

Wilson Gray

I just felt compelled to send you an email to let you know that our boy Buddy (you named Scooby) is settling in wonderfully!

Just to remind you - Buddy and his sister Daisy, along with his mum Ruby and two other siblings were all surrendered to you at the same time.

As he is so timid, getting him to come into the house was quite an endeavour! I guess he had never been inside or even seen carpet before huh?
We tried all sorts of doggy treats but you'll never guess what is was that we used to lure him inside................prawn crackers!!!!

With lots of love and reassurance, the pup who had no skills whatsoever, can now site, drop, stay and come when called. He walks beautifully on the lead and loves to run and bounce with us at the park - oh yes, he BOUNCES. And boy oh boy does he love the heater. (And living with a cat and a rat has been an pretty interesting experience as well :) )

I hate so much that places like shelters exist but I am so glad at the same time that you do. We love him so much. Thank you for all the work that you do. Stuart &Cristy

Just a quick email to let you all know how Marvin is going. As you can see from a couple of the photos he has settled in really well.
We have found ourselves very blessed and loved to have such a wonderful dog. We have seen none of the problems you told us about.

He has fitted in really well with my 12 year old son who thinks he is just wonderful. We are socialising him and walking him, weather permitting
as much as possible. He has attached himself to me. ie won't let me out of his sight. (Mum where are you going I'm coming too.)

Nicky thank you so much for introduce him to us he has changed our lives so much. He is such a character. He knows how to sit. He is learning to
drop and leave when we don't want him to have something and he likes to play, we have tied a rope to our pergola with a knot on the end and he
loves to swing off it.

Nicky again thank you so much this has been a wonderful experience adopting that I have recomended it to friends. Marvin is now one of the family
and won't be going anywhere soon. We cannot imagine not having him in our lives.

So glad he came into your care so we could adopt him.

Just an update on Jack who I adopted from the Keysborough animal shelter about 2-3 months ago. He is an angel and has settled into our family really well. We had some dramas where someone stole jack from the garage one night luckily for me i saw him running out of someones house as i was driving about 3 blocks away from my home i picked him up and took him back home! He was very traumatised and spent the next 3 days hiding under the bbq and would only come to me no one else in my family. He has finally returned to his happy normal self and now sleeps inside at night to avoid any other incidents. He is a smoochy boy who loves to curl up on the couch and have cuddle time and enjoys spending time in grandads vege garden. Thankyou to everyone at the keysborough animal shelter for helping me choose the perfect pet. I didnt think i could love another cat again after I lost Diego (who i also adopted from Keysborough) But jack has been a blessing!

I'd like to tell you about Bonnie, a dear friend who has enriched our lives since we became a family in early October 2010. Bonnie had not had a fair go at life and she had been a long term resident at AAPS; now if the gods are kind she will be an even longer resident with us. This Golden Oldie Tortie has been better medication than any doctor can prescribe. I give thanks for her every time she climbs my shoulder whilst Ii sleep or on my daughter's head, depending on whose room she condescends to grace that night. She settled in straight away and she showed no sign of relocation stress and has even put on a little weight. She is my faithful alarm clock, who doesn't like getting up at 5.30 am to pay homage to the household goddess.
Did you know that cats snore?
We thought she was deaf but being an old lady of habbit she hears what she wants to hear....the fridge door opening, the prospect of dinner and so on. Thank you AAPS for giving us the love of our lives.

Kerry and Nadia and a big Meow from Bonnie

After the death of my favourite cat ever after 18 years of companionship, I thought I could never love a cat as much, but I was wrong! I could not possibly love my wonderful cat Molly more! My family decided on Christmas even 2007 to get me a cat for Christmas. However, we spent 2 hours examining each cat and being totally indecisive. Eventually one of the wonderful volunteers dragged Molly out from the TV cat bed she was sleeping in and recommended her. She is a perfect cat for us. She spent a short 1/2 hr under the table at home and then out slap bang into our family. For the first 6 months she was devoted to the task of looking after my terminally ill husband, which she did with utmost sincerity. Now, she is always there when we need her, helping me put the clothes on the line, lolling in bed while I'm reading a book, sitting by my daughter while she studies for exams, and hiding in the linen cupboard while we hunt desperately for her. When she is outside she stays in our yard, never straying, and loves cuddles and just being around each member of the family.

Thank you to the fantastic people at the Keysborough animal shelter, Molly has been wonderful, and I hope for many more years of her companionship.

I adopted Noah (a heeler X), then known as Banjo, 1 year ago. When I took him home he was a bit weary of his surroundings and my partner’s dog Gingi. A month later Noah had settle in and became best friends with Gingi. He loves going on walks, playing ball and dinner time. He has become such an important member of our household and I can’t imagine what it would be like without him. He always (with Gingi) greets me at the door when I get home from work and for some reason loves lying there and watching when my partner or I are washing the dishes. When I went to the Shelter a year ago I actually went there to look at another dog but when I saw Noah I knew he was the one. Adopting Noah was the best decision I ever made and I’m so glad he was in your care so I could adopt him. Thank you.

We've had Leon for a week today and I am just letting you know what a delight he has been. We have re-named him Max and he has settled in very well.

He stops jumping up when reminded and sits on command. He is really very much settled and relaxed and at the moment is on the floor, curled up and sleeping off his dinner. He's going for a walk later this evening. He has two long walks every day and he is very good on the lead although he is very frightened of big trucks and trains.

We are very happy that Max has found a home with us and we can't imagine life without him now. The next thing is to teach him to drop the ball so that we can throw it for him again!

The pictures are of Max in quiet mode because I thought that you may not have seen this very often.

All the best and thank you for your help when choosing Max.

Barbara

Just an update on our beautiful little girl Smokey. I got Smokey for my son who is suffering from depression and needed something to love and take care of who would love him in return. We came in to the shelter to look at a cat for him.
He had his heart set on a cat next door to Smokeys pen. Whilst he was looking at this other cat, Smokey was making herself known. I told my son he should take notice. The lovely lady helping us put away the first cat and opened Smokeys door. She walked straight up to my son, purring and dribbling. It was love at first sight.
We have had Smokey for about 5 months now. We all love her and pat her but the only person who she will climb up on is my son. we pick her up to put her on our laps and she will not stay there. As soon as my son comes in the room and sits down, she is straight up on his lap rubbing her face against his.
She is a very loving girl and a pleasure to have as part of our family.
Thank you for your services, I wish we could take all the animals home with us.

I have attached a photo of Smokey having a relax outside. She looks sleepy.

Sincerely, Sarah

I'm 12 and have taken home 2 heart warming cats that are both doing so incredibly well. I would like to talk more so about one of them and the story we have had with her.

'Shelley, our most wonderful cat we took home by I'd say 3 years or more.

She was dumped by her family when they moved and forgotten this shy little one. Her name was Jasper at the time but we renamed her 'Shelley' because her breed was tortise shell, we got Shelley from 'shell'.

I was at school when my mum and sister picked her up and once I arrived at home I saw her silently under my bed! Oh what joy I felt when I saw this shy cat. It took a while for her to settle in.

Now she is happy, meowing for food, and has fitted in! We have 2 other cats and all 3 of them are living the life. Without Keysborough Animal Shelter we wouldn't have her and life wouldn't be the same without our baby.'

THANKS KEYSBOROUGH ANIMAL SHELTER, KEEP UP THE WORK!

Brooke

We adopted Brandy almost 9 weeks ago. She is a beautiful little puppy that has filled the void after the loss of our beloved 12 year old Oscar who passed away earlier.
She has given us a lot of laughs (and a few sleepless nights), but has fitted in very well with our lifestyle. She is a very happy and healthy pup, who has just started puppy school with Underdog. A bit of guidance and love goes a long way, and we are very thankful to the Keysborough Animal Shelter!!

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