- We just recently adopted a beautiful dog from the shelter and we wanted to express our extreme gratitute for the services you provided to her as well as the many, many other 'unwanted' animals in Montgomery County.  Unfortunately, most of the time all of the hard work and resources that are put into helping these animals goes unnoticed.  While we do make contributions to help support the shelter, we also wanted to send a quick note to personally thank you for all of the love and care that you give to these animals while they are waiting for their new homes.  "Katie" has been a wonderful addition to our family and we thank you for helping us come together!  :)  

- Thank you so much for picking me up and taking me to a safe place where I was comfortable until my parents came and found me!  You guys made my wish come true, so I wanted to make some wishes come true for some of my pals there!  Here's some gifts off your wish list to show you my appreciation!  Thank you again so much!

-I had always been against pets. My daughter being allergic to animals made it almost impossible to even consider despite her begs and pleas throughout the years.  I finally began to get curious about dog breeds that my accommodate her allergies and read that poodles are allergy friendly.  Not intending on actually getting her a pet, I began to see just how cute they really were.  Wanting my daughter to have some interaction with dogs (since she wanted one so bad), I began regular trips to the Animal Shelter for her to look and play with them if she wanted. It seemed to satisfy her urge for a dog, and she never asked to adopt one, nor did it make her sad to leave them.  I knew that our "perfect" dog would be very hard to find since I wanted a female adult dog, allergy friendly, good with kids, housebroken, calm, cute, curly dog, if any!  Then one night in October I had a very touching dream that brought me to tears and still makes me emotional to talk about so I won't get into the dream.  After that I had a sense of urgency to go to the shelter because I had strong feelings there was a dog there perfect for us.  I ignored the feelings for 3 days but they just got worse each day. On the third day October 5th, 2006, my daughter stayed home from school (rarely happens) and we went out to eat for lunch.  On our way home just before passing the exit needed for the shelter, I asked my daughter if she wanted to pass by the shelter. She was excited and eager, so I got off the exit and we arrived at the shelter about noon.  We scanned the dogs as she threw dog biscuits in certain cages and gave them a pat.  Our last isle we went down is where we found Millie.  We walked up to the cage and my daughter asked right away if she could get her out, and I agreed since I was thinking the same thing. We didn't usually get dogs out of the cages, but there was something about Millie we couldn't resist.  We got her out and took her into the doorway to play with her.  We didn't want to leave, but eventually had to put her back in the cage, and as we walked away we could hear her wine. My daughter was sad for the first time leaving a animal behind and so was I.  We went straight to the front desk and asked to adopt Millie. I have never seen my daughter so happy and excited in her life. She was beside herself.  We went through the adoption process and took her home.  Millie is a Cocker Spaniel mix, and I have been told she is mixed with Poodle (as desired). She is fully house broken and very obedient, and is my daughters best friend and shadow.  Millie adjusted to our home from the very first day, and I have to say, my husband was not happy when he came home from work and there was a DOG!  He insisted we take her back first thing in the morning (as suspected), but by then they were inseparable (as suspected).  Later after calling the shelter back to find about her limp, I was informed Millie was returned 3 different times, and was adoptable and should have been euthanized. She luckily slipped through the cracks and has found a good home!  I also found out Millie had been waiting in the shelter for 3 days (as many days as I was "fighting" that unexplainable feeling). It has been almost 4 months since adopting Millie and we can't imagine not having her around.  I have never met a sweeter dog in my life. She has a wonderful personality.  She has the run of the house, even when we are gone, and we have never had a problem with chewing or anything else. Millie has a limp, and arthritis in her front right leg, but to us, she is worth every penny we will put into her care.  We do have the feeling she was mistreated in her previous home due to her reactions to certain things, but in time she will learn to trust us 100%.  Thank you so much for Millie, we will enjoy her for many, many years to come.  I will be attending your volunteer orientation in March in hopes I can help find dogs like "Millie" good homes too!