August 2013
Attached is a picture of Sierra Hyslop with Susie the dog. Sierra is the Granddaughter of Judy Hyslop, who lives in New Jersey and visits the KPFL shelter every summer. Sierra had loved and cared for Susie when she was visiting the shelter in 2012 and when she came back this summer she wanted to see Susie again. Susie was adopted by Patrick and Kris Hanley and has a wonderful home in Troy. The Hanleys invited Sierra to visit Susie. Sierra and Susie had a great reunion. Susie is another story of love and a successful adoption.
Judy
March 26, 2013
Subject: Roscoe aka Frank
Hi There!
I just wanted to give you another update on Roscoe (aka Frank) who we adopted from you last year. Here are a couple of shots of him. He is such a goof and a ham! He is constantly making us laugh with his silly antics. He goes everywhere with my husband who just adores him. And as you can see, he and Roo (our other rescue baby) are a truly a bonded pair. They are both enrolled in the Adventure Dog class through our trainer· that starts next week where we will work on the commands he learned in his other classes, but in a park atmosphere where· there will be a lot of distractions. We go to a different park each week and I know he will love it, especially since Roo will be going too. I just wanted to send you an update and let you know how wonderful he is doing. Thank you all so much for everything you do to save these animals.
Laura
February 21, 2013
Hi there! It's been almost a year since we adopted Rook from KPFL. Time sure flies! Just thought we would send you an update on how he's doing.
Rook is the Associate Guard Dog and Pedestrian Alert Specialist. My pitbull girl Loki has trained him well - together they guard the house, garage and yard during the work day. He also keeps her company which I believe has helped reduce her seizures some. Not to mention he follows her around like a rock star which fits right in with her self-image of pit bull princess. LOL!
He and my work dog (Nolan, golden retriever, bomb sniffer) have not fought once - not so much as a snarl - and are often (passively) competitive for treats and attention from Loki or myself. They have both adjusted well to having two boy-dogs in the house with no further marking issues that plagued us for the first couple months.
Rook has gotten along with all dogs he has met. He is great on leash and off leash and especially enjoys hiking at Blue Mountain where he has assumed the Official Greeter of All Hiking Dogs role. He does have to be leashed whenever joggers or mountain biker with dogs go by as he tries to help the person by herding the dog away from them - much to the consternation of the running dog.
Rook has thrived on his raw food diet and is even a bit hefty now (more summer activity should remedy this I hope, for him AND for me). He takes an enzyme/probiotic/longevity powder and a joint mobility powder too. All in all he bounces around like a puppy now, jumping up, hiking, running and spinning around in circles. At 12+ years old he runs circles around Loki (7) and Nolan (6). And now he even sits occasionally which his hips didn't seem able to handle initially. His meaty bone treats have given him shiny wolf teeth and no more bad breath.
As you might notice from the photos Rook is now a shorter haired dog. He was constantly panting and drinking gallons of water each day. Initially, I suspected Cushings or CHF and we ran the gamut of medical tests - all of which turned out just fine.
He would come inside (only 60 degrees indoors) and within 30 minutes go outside to cool off. He wanted so badly to be inside with everyone but was just too hot. We spent last summer sleeping in the basement so he would be more comfortable. In the end I thought clipping his (long, beautiful) coat down was worth a shot and Voila! it worked. As long as we keep it fairly short he seems comfortable.
He is still anxious about car rides but handles them well, especially if the other dogs are along. He has a couple of stuffed animal toys that he attacks and shakes laying around the yard.
On a fun note, last winter Seize the Deal had a discount on DNA testing for dogs and I had Rook's done. Fully half (to the great-grandparent level) was Corgi !!!! The other half was half lab, half dachsund! I would have lost my paycheck as those are some of the last breeds I would have guessed. After talking with an Army friend who has had Corgi's all her life, I can see numerous Corgi traits in him, but WOW - didn't expect that from the test.
Anyway, I know you are busy, but I just wanted to say how wonderful Rook has been for our family. He is the sweetest, most attentive, greatest dog ever and we feel very blessed to have found him.
Thanks for all the work you do! Take care - Jennifer
November 3
I just wanted to let everyone know that I adopted "Bob" last week. He is the kindest, best behaved, most loving dog I have ever had. He is between 7-8 years old and so well trained. He, my cat (Pepper) and I all take walks together in the woods. They even sleep together. I really don't know who rescued who. I love this dog and he loves me. Thank you Kootenia pets for Life and also the former owners for raising such a great dog. We are all very happy here.
Bill
Happy Adoption Stories
Please send your adoption photos and stories and we will put them on line. We love hearing from you.
December 2013 - Note from Emily
This is Nonja, she has been in her forever home for about 10 years....we adopted her from Kootenai Pets and I just wanted to share her Christmas picture this year.
December 2013
Things are going well for Scooby (far right) as he is settling into his routine at his new home and mastering the doggie door.
January 10, 2014
Just a note to say life is good for Beau and Bella in New Mexico. They are siblings we adopted as kittens.
Deena
Saturday, November 22, 2014
Hello,
Thank you for rescuing Winston; he's a special boy. He is a well loved dog and I think he's enjoying life on the West coast. We spend weekends on the mountains hiking and he's taken to wilderness tracking like a proper hunting hound. Eight months together and he is now learning to walk off leash. However it took some hard training (mostly on his new people) to get to this point. I think most of the delay in learning is due to his breed, which I think is a full mix coonhound.
I would love to know Winston's history as a rescue. Was he trained to hunt or was his parents hunters? Why was such a sweety given up? Any information would help. We've met other rescue coonhounds in Vancouver and he loves them. He's smaller than most hounds and Catahoulas, but he makes up for it with some crazy speed- no dog, not even border collies- can catch him while he's playing at the dog park.
I've attached some pictures from today's hike.
Best Regards Winston's New Family
January 2, 2015
We’ve been a cat family since 1980, but when our 2nd cat died in 2009, we decided to take a break. We were gone a lot and didn’t feel it would be fair to a new cat. At Thanksgiving, I realized we’d actually be staying put for 4 months and we decided to open our home and hearts to another cat. We had been encouraged by our daughter and friends to consider adopting litter-mates. I researched the pros and cons on the internet and talked my husband into 2 kittens!! Ours are not litter-mates, but what we call cage-mates. Only about 3 weeks different in age, they “roomed†together at KPFL. It’s so fun to watch them play and to hear the thunder of kitty feet as they charge around the house! They are also great snugglers and very affectionate!! They are good buddies and have been a delightful addition to our household!!
Susie
May 2015
Dozier has the look of love and it is reciprocated right back at her. The Caspersons couldn't be happier with Dozier. Their floor mat reads "A Shelter Rescued Our Home"
Dozier came to the Shelter because her young owner had allowed her to have pups and the landlord said the dogs had to go. She was spayed and up to date on her shots when she was adopted.
photos by Kim Annis
January 2016
Carol McAllister is shown holding Dolly, a puppy that was recently at KPFL.
We're happy to tell you that Dolly now has a forever home and couldn't be happier.
Please come out to the Shelter and find a special pet that will enrich your life.
May 2016
Ty was at our shelter for quite a while, and just found a home a couple of months ago. He needed a biopsy, and then surgery on some benign tumors. His adopted family has gotten the surgery done and Ty is happy, much healthier, sllimed down a bit, has an improved coat with the healthy lifestyle he now has. He has found a wonderful home and is fitting into the family perfectly. He likes the water, and now that his stitches are healed he will be able to enjoy it more. He also is having a great time riding in the car.
June 7, 2016
Thought you guys might like another update on our sweet little Gizmo.
She's unbelievable! Honestly this little girl is SO special. Not sure how she's 1/2 dog, but it sure makes us giggle lots. She follows us around quite often, she sometimes will do the little head tilt just like a dog when we're talking to her & she doesn't understand us, she runs to greet us when we wake or is already at our door, she lets Jonah give her belly rubs, she smells absolutely everything, & most surprising is that she can be trained. I've got our little princess trained that she isn't allowed in the laundry room so she'll sit or lay right at the doorway & simply watch. WAY too cute! I've attached a photo of that for ya.
I'm happy to report she is officially a cat now... She started going outside in little bits near the end of March but is now out there as often as she can & has brought us 5 mice recently! Yay! Never thought I'd be happy about that but it is super cute!!! Each time she brings them in right at her door threshold like gifts for us. Such a cutie. Always gets a bunch of treats for that!
The second we get anywhere near the bathtub she meows & hops in eager for us to turn the tap on. Running water is definitely one of her favourite things. It's really funny to watch because she tilts her head so that the stream hits her jawline & flows right to her mouth.
She still sleeps with Jonah every night but has figured out how to open his dresser drawers to go tuck in there sometimes. The 1st time she did it we couldn't find her for a very long time (see attached video of our goofball).
She's WAY more cuddly now & will even stop right in front of us to be picked up for a snuggle.
Thanks again for her! What a treat she is!!!!
Katherine, Jason & Jonah
June 23, 2016
Hi everyone – just thought I would send some pictures of the before and after (a while of training and patience) of our wonderful dog that we adopted from you back in October. The first picture he still seems a bit shy but in the next photo he so much a part of our family – and what a sense of humour this guy has – keeps us laughing (and he knows he’s being funny too). Dave and Bobby are best buds now (didn’t happen right away – seemed to have a fear of men but now the dog is great with everyone). Bobby loves fetching either his rope or ball and is the best at “hide & seek†– Bobby hides behind a curtain and then when commanded to – goes and finds his toy outside. It’s priceless!
Hope everyone is doing well – and we thank YOU every day as well!
Dave and Laura & Bobby too!
July 13, 2016
Hi, Just wanted to check in and let you know that Ty is doing great. He really is the most wonderful dog! I just can't believe he was at the shelter for so long and nobody claimed him. He enjoys our daily walks and has a favorite stuffed toy "Moosey" that he loves to carry around with him. And being a Lab, he loves to go swimming.
He is completely healed from surgery, all the hair has grown back so you can't even see any scars.
We're hoping to stop by for another visit sometime this summer and show him off!!
Thanks again for the great job all the volunteers do caring for the dogs and keeping things running.
See you soon, Dawn
October 4, 2016
" Thank you so much for my wonderful Noz!! He has become apart of our family and fits in so wonderful! "
October 29,2016
Hello All, We wanted to update you on how Emma and Marigold are doing. We have had them 3 weeks now and they are adapting well and have learn our daily routine well, now greeting us at the door when we come home.
The ride home to Spokane Valley was actually pretty quiet. A few meows at the start then they settled in and slept a large portion of the trip. We let them loose in the guest bedroom set up with all their needs. They ventured out to the hallway that night and by the next day were carefully exploring.
Marigold was the first too really warm up to us, with Emma following her lead. Emma wants to be involved with whatever Marigold is doing with us. They are eating well, using the litter boxes without accident, playing with each other and us. They seem very happy and content.
Marigold is calm, mostly quiet, and interactive and inquisitive. Emma is an adventurer, a climber and quite vocal with many different sounds. We refer to them as Mischief and Mayhem! They play chase with each other, still sleep very close to each other and groom each other.
Emma will search for Marigold if she cannot find her, but Marigold does not seem to feel the need to search for Emma! Marigold seems to be the alpha cat i f there is such a thing!
They frequently jump on the bed to join us in the morning if we are not getting up fast enough for breakfast! Marigold loves to play with the fishing pole & feathers toy. Emma stalks squirrels thru the windows of our house. My family says they are already spoiled!
Hope all is well in Libby! Cathy and Art
December 7, 2016
Hello,
Thank-you for the work that you do. I adopted Chester from KPFL May of 2004, and he died October 28 2016. People like to say that they rescued shelter dogs. Chester rescued me, and when he died he left a hole in my heart big enough to drive through.
It was only recently that I was able to look at some of these pictures without crying. In the nearly 12 years we were a couple there were only a handful of days that we were not together. Before I retired I was an over-the-road truck driver and Chester was with me every mile of the way. He was a well-traveled dog and ended up visiting nearly 40 states and Canada.
I just wanted to say thank-you and let you know that what an incredible dog Chester was, and that he was a great ambassador for KPFL.
The work that you do is very important and I feel that there is a special place in the universe for shelter volunteers.
Thanks for letting me share some pictures of him.
Robert
