MIA

It was a regular Tuesday afternoon in February; I got to GIHS to volunteer as my usual routine and the first thing I saw was an admission for a beautiful girl Chihuahua. I fell in love with her right away, but found out she had owners and was just lost. 

On Thursday I saw she was still there and wondered why…apparently she didn’t have a home anymore…I felt sad but I knew in my heart she was meant for me.

I wanted to adopt a Chihuahua for a long time now, I currently had one at home and wanted a sister for her. I talked to my husband and after he saw how much I was attached to her (I had taken pictures of her with me with my cell phone) he accepted to go and meet her with our dog. He somehow knew that meeting her meant taking her home with us.

Mia and Isis are inseparable, at first Mia didn’t know how to play with dogs or with toys. She couldn’t run because she had a luxating patella, for which she had surgery, and now she runs very fast, she loves the beach, they play all day, they love chasing each other around the house, she has learned everything watching Isis.

Mia loves everybody she meets; she is a very friendly happy go lucky dog. Every time we come home she is so happy to see us she greets you with an open mouth all the way that her expression is like a smile! This is the only time she makes this expression. It’s really cute. 

It’s beautiful to see Mia and Isis so happy together. She is part of this family and we are so happy she found us! 

-Adriana Martinez

PUFF

A week before Hurricane Ike hit, I adopted a older shih-tzu.  He was the only dog in the small dog area that wasn't going crazy when I walked in.  He just looked so sad and lonely, but was really calm.  I adopted him that day and took him home that week.  I renamed him Puff, since his coat was so fluffy.  We have been best buddies for almost two years now.  He is super friendly, loves to run around, and is super cute. 

CHLOE

I met my dog on my first day of volunteering at the animal shelter. She was one of the staff favorites, and was also so much calmer than all the other puppies. I did not want to make any rash decisions about adopting a dog, but I was quite drawn to her mellow in-crate demeanor, and her wrinkled shar pei face.

I looked her up on Petfinder when I got home to ask my now-fiance if he would like to meet her.

He fell in love with her big feet and stopped at the shelter a few days later to take her for a brief walk. He said we should bring her home, and I was inclined to agree. Fortunately Betsey was still available for adoption even though someone else had expressed interest in her.  I was thrilled to adopt my first dog and looked forward to the joys and challenges of raising a puppy.

We renamed her Chloe, and she turned out to be a big sweetheart. At first she was afraid of going up and down stairs, and she was tricky to housebreak. Luckily patience and consistency paid off and she no longer has accidents, and can be trusted in other people's homes as well. She is very intelligent and learns new tricks easily. Unfortunately she has hound-like tendencies and wants to smell everything on walks. We are still working on her on-leash walking. Off-leash she is fairly good, and she loves swimming at the beach and chasing birds. She loves to roll around in dead things and mud as well.

She is a very friendly dog, and we will probably need to get her a playmate at some point, but in the meantime she is the best tag-along dog that we take almost everywhere we go. Shelter dogs are amazing when given the opportunity to show their true colors.

LADY

I adopted Lady from GIHS in Dec 2007 and she is doing great! Here is a picture of her at the Aeros hockey game at the Toyota Center earlier this month. She had a blast meeting all the other dogs and people. She gets along with everybody.  I got a second dog last August (Colonel) and they are best buds. Lady really loves Milkbones by the way. :)

PEANUT

Your sign that says "your new best friend is waiting inside" couldn't be any more true. I adopted Peanut about a year and a half ago and he is the light of my life. Peanut brings a smile to everyone's face and I couldn't imagine my life without him. He truly is my best friend. Thank you GIHS!

PARKER

A few months ago I was recovering from major surgery and was forced to spend several weeks at home. It was a very lonely time since my husband and I had just recently put our pet cat Lily to sleep. In an effort to cheer me up, my husband said, “lets go out to the Humane Society and look at the kittens and cat. Maybe there will be one there that you'll like.” So, off we went, determined to only “look.” Well, no sooner did we walk in the door than I knew that we would not be going home empty handed that day. Of course, we could have taken them all home with us.

I didn't want this to be “my” decision or one that my husband put up with simply because I was sick. I told John that he should choose, I would love anyone of them. After a short time, he picked out a little 3 month old male Siamese kitten with bright blue eyes that kept trying to squeeze out the bars of his cage. John said, “I like this one.” A boy cat! I had never had a boy cat! Only girl cats! But, if that's what John wanted I was all for it. Plus, he was incredibly cute.

So, home we went. Little boy cat safely in his cat carrier (yes, we had taken ours “just in case”). Within the hour we had named him Parker and started to get to know each other. Never could I have believed how quickly we both came to love this little bundle of energy. I couldn't believe how loving this little male cat was and how much he enjoyed sleeping in my lap. He played for hours, slept heartily and nuzzled and purred to beat the band. No more prejudice against boy cats!

Although Parker has been with us only a short four months, but I can't imagine our lives without him. He loves to play, loves to drink water out of the bathroom faucet, runs full speed to meet you when you come in the door and loves for my husband to carry him around the house upside down. Now, if I could just get him to stay off the kitchen counters! "

Click Here to tell us about the "Happy Home" of your adopted pet from The Galveston Island Humane Society!