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Our first group of Fairytail Endings are from Pets Unlimited staff members. Those
of us who work here are especially prone to falling in love with
animals as they arrive. We also know how much joy comes from
caring for adopted companions.
And here are the
some wonderful stories we've received
from people all over the Bay Area and beyond who
have adopted their best friends from the Pets Unlimited Shelter.
When you're finished looking at
these lucky pets' photos and reading their amazing stories, take a look
at the animals currently available in our shelter.
Your Fairytail Ending
awaits!
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Scarlet is
approximately 8 years old. We adopted her from Pets Unlimited 4
years ago. She came to Pets from the Sacramento shelter. She was
turned in there because her family was moving.
They said
her name was Poodle! When she was there, she was found in a pen
with 2 larger dogs. She was hiding in the corner, and apparently
they had been aggressive with her. She was slated to be
euthanized because the Sacramento shelter staff said she was too
timid. It took about 2 days at Pets for her wonderful
personality to come out and for her to become comfortable in her
surroundings. When I saw this beautiful black and white dog
running and playing in the Pets Unlimited Shelter, I knew she
was the one for me!
Scarlet is a
wonderful part of our family. She has a human dad and mom, 2
human sisters, 2 feline sisters and 2 feline brothers. She loves
to spend time with us, particularly if she thinks she might get
a treat or two. She spends her evenings on the couch with her
dad, her head in his lap as he watches TV. I am so lucky to
have her accompany me to work each day. She rides in the car and
often rests her head on my shoulder as I drive. She visits her
human friends throughout the day, hoping to be rewarded with a
treat. She is a beautiful, sweet soul. We are so happy that she
joined our family.
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Missie
was an office cat – one of several animals who got surrendered
to the Shelter when the office closed. She waited patiently for
almost 2 years until we fell in love with her and brought her
home. We have only had her for a month but in that time she has
become queen of our house, watching the sunrise and all the
birds every morning from her perch by our big picture window.
She hadn’t been able to see outside for a very long time! She
spends a lot of the day curled up on the couch and loves to jump
after a string toy when we get home from work.
We have been together for 12 years and couldn’t
have imagined how wonderful it is to have Missie around to love,
pet, play with and watch. As she is about 7 years old now, we
wish we could have found her sooner! Her coat is beautiful in
the sunlight, black with brownish-red overtones and becoming
silkier every day as she relaxes into the fact that she now has
a forever home with 2 humans who she can truly call her own.
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Happy,
our black and white kitty came to Pets Unlimited via
Animal Care and Control approximately five years
ago. He was found as a kitten wandering the streets of
San Francisco with a few medical issues. He was brought
to Pets Unlimited during the time when we were
renovating the building, and all departments shared
space on the third floor of the building. He was
recuperating from his illness and ready to go up for
adoption when he contracted ringworm. Because of this
contagious condition, he was put in isolation for an
extended period. When I would walk by his cage he would
rub up against the bars to see me. He was obviously
lonely because ringworm takes so long to go away and an
animal has to be isolated while he has it. I would put
on gloves to pet him, and the bonding started. A few
months later when he was healthy, I took him home.
Five
years later, he is a loving, friendly and playful cat.
He is very verbal and has an extremely healthy appetite!
We found him a friend (a young male kitty) that was
feral who would hang around our front door to visit with
Happy. We “adopted” him also, named him Buddy (because
he is Happy’s friend), and the two of them are very
happy together.
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My husband
and I fostered Potter (a.k.a. Pottsky) for Pets Unlimited
when she was only four weeks old. She was so tiny that she
could fit into the palm of our hands. She had her
difficulties overcoming an upper respiratory infection which
led to the loss of her eye. However, she has made such
strides to overcoming her disability and has made it a point
to show everyone that our Rottweiler mix is indeed her best friend!
She does the “wiggle” dance whenever she sees our dog
approaching... it’s very cute! Pottsky brings such joy to
our family and we are very thankful to everyone at Pets who
helped her to overcome her illness!
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Ena
(short for Hyena) was adopted from Pets Unlimited back
in August of 2005. She is one of the friendliest and
most outgoing cats I have ever met. Ena greets every
guest who comes to our door and then will sit in their
laps until they threaten to take her home. Ena’s just
got so much personality it is fun to watch and analyze
her on a daily basis. Every time my husband goes to the
kitchen for breakfast – she’s right there waiting for a
scrap. When we’re making dinner she’ll try and steal a
piece of lettuce or any human food she can. She also
collaborates with our two dogs to try and get any
leftovers. Ena is such a joy and we are so very thankful
and happy she is a part of our lives!
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Clover was hit by a car and turned in to the
Sacramento shelter with a broken leg. She was about
six or seven months old at the time. The shelter did
not want to euthanize her, but they could not afford
to pay for the surgery she needed on her leg.
Fortunately, the Pets Unlimited Executive Director
and Shelter Administrator had recently paid a visit
to Sacramento, so when Sacramento called and said
they had a special dog that needed help, Pets agreed
to rescue her, even though money was very tight at
the time, and her surgery was expensive. So Clover
was in a downstairs hospital kennel with a broken
leg when I first met her. When I arrived at work
each morning, I walked by her kennel and saw her
lying in a cage, and I couldn’t take my eyes off
her. I opened the cage to say hi and give her a
kiss, (how could I not, I mean really, just look at
her), and she crawled into my lap and licked my
face.
When we brought her home and she behaved perfectly
and was kind to our older dog, Walter. My husband
loved her too. Clover makes us smile 100 times a
day. People tell me that they feel inspired by how
unaffected she is by her lost leg. I tend to forget
that she’s missing a leg, especially when I see her
running at the dog park, virtually able to keep up
with the greyhounds just retired from the track.
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I met her
the day after she was brought in to Pets Unlimited with
multiple fractures on both her front legs. It was love at
first sight. She liked me right away too. I knew that she
would have to be mine. Some parents bought her from a
breeder when she was just three months old and gave her to
their five year-old son. He proceeded to throw her in the
air and watch her fall to the floor. They came in to the
Pets Unlimited hospital when they realized she wasn't
walking, and wondered why. When they found out what was
wrong and how much it was going to cost, they said, "You
people keep her, we don't want her," and left. A close
contact at UC Davis looked at her X-rays and rebuilt her
legs.
She is the
absolute love of my life -- my daughter, in fact, because I
have no family left. She has brought nothing but pure love
and contentment to my life and I can't imagine not ever
having her around. Just wait until you meet her!
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Isobelle
was surrendered to Animal Care and Control with a broken
leg. They called the Pets Unlimited Shelter who then took
her in. The leg was badly broken and Dr. James wanted to
give her a chance to heal. Unfortunately, after a few months
of being in the cast, her leg had not healed and they had to
amputate. I got an opportunity to spend time with her as she
healed. I had been working nights, and assisted in her
treatments, hot compressing her surgery site which she had
irritated by grooming. She was pretty depressed and wasn't
eating well. I told my boyfriend about her. One night he
came in while I was working and met her. She hopped across
the floor, slipped, and fell into his lap. It was love at
first stumble! Since I was already smitten, we adopted her a
short time later.
Izzy is
very shy around other people and usually runs away if they
pursue her, but the minute you lay down in bed she snuggles
on your lap. She will even go so far as to dig at you in the
middle of the night (with her claws) to make you roll over
so she can sleep on you. She loves to sit in our windows,
chattering at the birds outside, or waiting for us to come
home and greets us through the window mouthing a meow.
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Baxter was surrendered by his owner with his front leg
fractured by a dog. We had been looking for a friend for
Izzy as we wanted a younger cat who she could play with.
We also hoped to find another tri-pod, so we decided to
wait until another one came through the Pets Unlimited
Shelter. My boyfriend had built ramps to help Izzy get
up on the bed and had made our home into a tri-pod
friendly place. When Baxter came in, he was under
six-months old and had a broken front leg. He was so
cute and tiny—I knew I had to take him home. After he
had his surgery and was all mended I had my boyfriend
come in to meet him. Baxter was a ball of energy. It
wasn't hard to decide to take him home after a few
lively visits.
Baxter is as crazy as any kitten I know. He eats
everything, much to our dismay. He steals lentils and
rice right off our plates!! Persimmon and squash are
fine treats if he can get a handle on them. He helps you
get to sleep by diving under the covers and biting your
toes and welcomes you home by wrestling your shoes. He
is curious and fearless (unfortunately he's not afraid
of feet. He attacks them instead.) When its time for him
to sleep he curls up between us and sleeps all night
with out moving! Both our cats bring us so much joy and
we love them so much!
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Hans So
Lo and Yoda came to Pets Unlimited from the Santa Clara
Humane Society. They were found by Animal
Care and Control, running in a field in the South Bay. I
first met them when they were in the Pets Unlimited
hospital in intensive care. Some of the shelter staff
came and in and told me that I had to come and see these
two little Chihuahuas that had just arrived.
They
were so little and cute and so sick. I knew I could make
a difference by taking them and getting them the medical
care they needed. These two are the love of my life.
They bring me joy daily when I see how happy and healthy
they are compared to how sick they once were. I know how
much joy I have brought to them when I see them run over
and pull out all their toys from the toy box and
everyday is play time.
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I was
working at the Pets Unlimited Front Desk, when a couple
walked through the door holding a silk sarong. Wrapped
inside of it, was a seven pound female pit bull puppy.
They began to tell us the story of how they were driving
along Highway 1, when suddenly; a car in front of them
dumped this beautiful puppy on the side of the road.
They pulled over immediately and scooped her up. The
woman wrapped her in the sarong and drove straight to
Pets Unlimited.
I had
been searching for a dog through various rescue
organizations at the time. Once I saw that sweet little
brown piggy face, I melted. I knew she had to be mine.
The couple who found the puppy didn't want to keep her,
but she did give her a name, and it was "Petunia". She
handed Petunia over to me and I took her to get checked
out by one of the veterinarians. Lucky for her, none of
her bones were broken and she only suffered a few
scratches.
Two
years have gone by and Petunia has grown into the
beautiful fun loving dog that she was meant to be. We
have become inseparable. She goes to work with me, we
take long walks around the city and she especially loves
it when we go to the beach on the weekend. I'm
constantly learning what it means to be a dog owner,
from training, obedience, fetching, tugging and my
favorite things, big kisses and late night snuggling.
What would I do without my sweet piggy bear Petunia?
I've always heard that pet owners do not actually choose
their pets, but that the pets choose their owners. If
this is true, I'm so glad Petunia helplessly wound up at
Pets Unlimited, so that she could choose me. I love you,
Petunia!
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Zoë was
on her last days at another shelter, so they called Pets
Unlimited to see if we had room for her. She was such a
sweet girl, but time had just run out. I was doing
treatments for the animal located below Zoë's cage and
she reached out and started playing with my hair. Then
every time I would go near her cage, she would stick her
paws out playfully to beg for a proper hello.
Zoë
picked me. She and I had bonded and she needed a home.
She needed our home. Zoë is the "boss" of the house now.
She reminds us of the essentials: Give your animals
plenty of food, treats, and a lot of love; let them sit
wherever they want; and don't yell at the TV. She also
likes to hide behind doorways to catch people and dogs
as they pass by.
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Tyler was
taken into our shelter with lots of issues. She came from
the Sacramento shelter, where she was starved and sick. All
her ribs showed and her left front leg wasn't working. Her
first surgery at Pets Unlimited was an intussusception (her
intestines were eating themselves). Once she survived this,
they waited to see if her leg would work itself out. It
didn't happen, so a private donation paid for her
amputation. Through all of this, she was very friendly and
always wanted belly rubs.
I had
always wanted a dog, but my wife wasn't sold. We had
fostered a few dogs, but none "stuck." Then I met Tyler, and
she picked me and my family. I went to take her for a walk
and she rolled over for belly rubs. Not too big, not too
small; engaging yet mellow; and cute, cute, cute! Who could
resist the three-legged dog that always wanted her belly
rubbed?
It's great
to get a huge hello every time we come home. Even if we
leave for 20 seconds to take out the garbage, Tyler is there
wagging her tail and showing us her belly when we come back
in. She is just super-excited to see us, and that feels
great! Tyler has helped us exercise more, and she is a great
reminder of overcoming obstacles. Despite her three legs,
she plays/runs/wrestles with the big dogs.
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Zander
came to Pets Unlimited during kitten season. He was
marked exotic and was severely cross-eyed. After we got
him home, we realized he was climbing onto the couch and
he never jumped. At five months, he was diagnosed with
hip dysplasia. With a daily Cosequin dose, though, he
can (and does!) jump on just about anything, including
the fish tank. My wife picked him out of a group of six.
He was so exotic looking and she loved his crossed eyes.
Zander
was so interactive in his cage. He had practically all
four limbs out between the bars screaming "Take me—I
want to be with you!" He is the most active member of
our family. His favorite toys include rolled up pieces
of paper and paper clips—anything that he can bat wildly
around the room. He is also the most independent. He
will only come and sit with you when all the other
animals have gone to bed. Then he will snuggle up and
remind us to treasure the slower moments.
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A
shared-backyard neighbor found Travis in the desert, brought
him home, and then abandoned him. He isn't technically a
Pets Unlimited dog, but he is part of our Pets Unlimited
family and because of his special circumstances, the shelter
took on his neuter and intake. A neighbor left him with
friends who were losing their home and couldn't care for
him. Because this was the second time Travis had been
abandoned, it took us a while to get him to trust us. He
didn't even want to go outside to potty without us. He was
definitely afraid that we would leave him in the backyard as
was usually the case before we adopted him.
Travis and
Tyler (see above) played in the back yard for several months
and we knew how much we liked his dependable nature. When
his previous owner left, he was an easy adoption.
Travis has
definitely come a long way in trusting us and showing us how
much he loves us. Any time we pull up to the house he’s in
the window waiting with his tail wagging. He’s a great
addition to our family and Tyler’s best friend.
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When I
saw “Rudy” that was his name in the shelter, he had just
arrived from the Santa Clara Humane Society and was about
three months old. He had Demodex, which caused him to loose
all of his hair. I just knew that we where meant to meet
each other. I fell in love with him and now he is three
years old and I renamed him “Elmo”. He looks like a black
stallion and is also as happy as can be.
Buttercup is Elmo’s sister and she came to Pets Unlimited
when she was only five weeks old. She was brought in by a
woman who could not keep her because she would lose her
apartment. So, I immediately said I would take her and give
her a good home. The lady was so delighted that she gave
Buttercup right over to me. Buttercup is now two years old
and her personality is as hot as a fire cracker. She and
Elmo are truly the loves of my life.
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Socks has been the
star of our family since we adopted him from Pet's Unlimited
in January, 2003. When he came to us his name was "Mojo" but
soon after arriving he turned into Socks. Socks has brought
us so much joy, we can't remember what we ever did before he
came into our lives. He loves running up and down the hall
and stairs and batting around anything that moves. Each
morning Socks is awakened by his own personal alarm clock -
the sound of the heater clicking on. His favorite thing in
the world, is sitting next to or underneath the heater duct
and enjoying his own personal sauna. On Sundays, Socks likes
to start his week off by relaxing on the couch and ripping
the New York Times to shreds. This is his favorite
publication to rip!
Socks is spoiled by
his Uncle who lives downstairs and always takes care of him
when we are out of town. He grandparents also love to come
visit him and bring him tons of treats and toys. His
grandfather is convinced he is the smartest cat that ever
walked the face of the earth. He loves having visitors and
always welcomes new friends by rolling over in front of them
and meowing until they get the hint and start rubbing his
belly.
Socks has a
girlfriend in Marin named Daisy. They are kind of "on
again/off again" sweethearts. Although they don't spend too
much time together, they enjoy writing each other Christmas
cards and meowing to each other on the phone.
We love Socks and
can't imagine how boring our lives would be without him! I
believe that Socks had been in the shelter for 6 or more
months when we adopted him. We are so grateful that you were
patient and let us find our cat!
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The exact date was December 12, 1996 — a
Thursday — but few remember the specifics of Baby’s
arrival. Even fewer know anything about this timid cat’s
origins, her early life, or what she experienced before she
was surrendered to the Pets Unlimited Animal Hospital &
Shelter nine years ago.
At the time, the shelter was located on the
main level of the building, and cats and dogs were housed in
individual cages and kennels. In 1999 Pets Unlimited
expanded, and the shelter was renovated and relocated
upstairs. The cats took up residence in two large community
rooms, free to roam about their surroundings as they
pleased. Since Pets Unlimited was committed to taking in as
many needy animals as possible, this spacious new facility
provided more opportunities to do just that.
However, for cats like Baby -- painfully shy
and distrusting of humans – this new, open environment meant
more exposure to unfamiliar sights and sounds. Each day
brought potential adopters hoping to take home a new pet.
But to Baby, these visitors were simply strangers, and she
retreated to the tops of play structures or hid in the
rafters when new people appeared.
To help ease the anxiety, Baby and some of
her skittish shelter-mates were given their own individual
runs. This allowed interactions with potential adopters to
be more closely monitored and provided a quieter, less
threatening environment for each cat. In addition, staff
members developed unique Behavior Enrichment programs that
promoted human interaction and helped instill in each cat a
sense of confidence. Over the next few months, staff and
volunteers noticed a stark difference – the cats began to
trust people. Each became less fearful, more affectionate,
and one by one they were all adopted.
All except Baby.
Many potential adopters initially gravitated
toward the black and white female with the sad eyes,
expressing puzzled disbelief she’d been so long overlooked.
But ultimately, they went on to choose other animals,
assuming there must be some reason why no one wanted Baby.
Until Jessica. The moment she met Baby, a bond was
established.
Baby’s first steps in her new home were
tentative. But after just a few days of Jessica’s loving
encouragement, Baby started creeping up to the windows to
gaze out at the birds. She began following her new
guardians from room to room, nuzzling her head against their
ankles. Pets Unlimited’s policy is to shelter animals
no matter how long it takes for them to become adopted, and
Baby’s story is a testament to that commitment. After nine
years there, Baby is truly a survivor. And now,
finally, she is home.
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I
wanted to give you really good news about Bubble and let you
know that everything is going great with her since her
adoption last Saturday. What is amazing is that she appears
to have come out of her shell. She is the most playful and
active cat that I have seen in a long time, often rolling
around on her back and wanting us to rub her all over. She
also was introduced to our male cat and the two of them get
along great.
On
Monday evening, she even got the door to "her" room open and
she explored our whole place and ended up sleeping in bed
with us and our male cat, so I don't think it is going to be
hard to integrate her into our daily routines.
Two
other things I wanted to tell you is that after about 48
hours, her diarrhea stopped and has not reoccurred and her
bobble walk has gone away. It appears as if she only
"bobbles" when she is nervous or entering a room for the
first time. Once she becomes comfortable, the bobble goes
away and she walks normally.
We are
very excited about having her in our family and we wanted to
thank you for taking care of her for the last 2 years. She
meows, chirps and talks to us all of the time, and we are
really surprised at how playful she is now that she is
outside of her Pets Unlimited home.
Thanks
again for everything. I just thought that you might want an
update since she is acting so non-shy.
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The "kids" are a joy and the "shy" little
girl Macaroni has turned out to be a little
ball of fire. She especially loves tearing
up and down the hallway and leaping the four
stairs between levels. When we got home last
Saturday, she was first and immediately out
of the box to explore and within an hour
both Skipper and Macaroni had the run of the
house (so much for my thought that we would
have to spend all of Saturday afternoon in a
single room while they acclimated). Within
30 minutes of getting him home, Skipper had
decided I was his and he followed me
everywhere, like a dog on a heel command.
Whenever I stopped walking, I got the
weave-in-and-out-of-the-legs routine. Last
night their romp together was so playful
that they managed to land on the television
cable and affect reception. Both are great
at bumping their heads into me when they
want attention and rubbing their
whiskers against my face when they want to
show affection and both figure they belong
in the bed with me at night. Skipper has
also taken to sitting on the sofa behind my
head when I watch television in the evening.
I guess you could say we've adopted each
other and have settled in for the long term.
Thanks so much for all the wonderful care
and attention you obviously paid these two
lovable and loving cats. Given their actions
and response to some voice commands, I think
they also had a loving home previously. We
are having a great time together.
P.S. They have managed to hide all of the
toys I had out for them.
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We got Mac (formally known as "Life") in
February 2004. Mac was abused before he came to Pets Unlimited
from Sacramento. The staff knew that Mac was one of a kind and
we think so too.
Thank you Pets Unlimited!
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Stanley is our Australian Cattle Dog; we
adopted him from Pets Unlimited in February 2003. He was a
stray in Sacramento, and he has some issues, mainly being
very fearful.
About a week after we got him, I found out I
was pregnant, and was very worried if he'd be OK with kids.
I had no reason to worry -- he's wonderful!
I know everyone says this, but in our case,
it's true: Stanley is the best dog in the whole world. He is
still nervous around strangers, which is common to the
breed, but with us, he's blossomed into a playful, happy,
smart dog who takes long daily walks around the neighborhood
and runs with my husband. He keeps the house on schedule,
letting us know when things aren't proceeding according to
plan. And he's absolutely terrific with our 2 1/2 year old -
they're best pals.
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From Stanley's mom (above):
Last year I wandered into the shelter again
just to browse, and saw Watson. He broke my heart with his
sad eyes and his howling bark. I sent some money to sponsor him. Then I got a newsletter a few
months later saying he was still available. I called my sister-in-law who had just lost her beloved Sparky to cancer, and although she
thought it was too early, she agreed to go see him. Well, that was that.
Watson is now happy in his forever home and he comes over
to the house to play with Stanley on occasion.
Thank you, Pets Unlimited, for bringing all this love
into our lives!
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Ten years ago I wanted to adopt two
kittens who would get along and stay close. (Several of
my friends' cat-couples had issues...) When I called
the Pets Unlimited Shelter, I was told there was one
pair of sibling kittens who were very close and that
would only be adopted out together. Well- those
kittens, at the time named Phoebe and Luigi (I changed
Phoebe's name to Fancy when we adopted her), have stayed
INCREDIBLY close all these years. They are the best,
most amazing cats in the world. They sleep in each
others' arms day and night and they are just as sweet
to me, my dog, Monkey (rescued from SF AC&C), and my two
small parrots (also rescues).
I want you all to know how loved and
cared for they are and how grateful we all are that you
took them in and had the good sense to keep them
together. I can't imagine them separated -- that would
have been a tragedy. They will ALWAYS be safe and well
and together. Thanks again and keep up the amazing
work!
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Hello to the Adoption Center
staff,
I wanted to write to thank
you all again for taking such wonderful care of
the two cats I adopted last fall, Bella
(formerly known as Cupcake) and Gus (the one
eyed little kitten at the time). They are both
happy and healthy. I adopted them about a month
apart, and although the first few weeks were a
bit rocky, they are now the best of friends.
They are both incredibly affectionate. Little
Gus has grown to be quite a big guy. His chronic
sinusitis seems to have largely resolved also!
I have attached some photos for
you to see. Thank you again.
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Sabrina Got Her Voice Back!
We adopted Sabrina from Pets
Unlimited on Jan. 27, 2004. I knew she was a 3-legged
cat when we adopted her but didn't realize she fell into
the special needs category. I was told she was with the
shelter for much of her life, though there had been 2
previous attempts at adoption. I looked at a lot of cats
to adopt at various shelters but Sabrina stood out
because she immediately came up and rubbed against my
leg - a most friendly gal!
It wasn't until
several months later that we realized why perhaps the
previous people returned her to the shelter. She likes to
pee on the floor, furniture, bed, etc to mark her territory.
We could never catch her in the act, but the smell certainly
told the story. I spent my first year trying to find ways to
cope with the smell of urine: constantly cleaning her litter
box, spraying with cat deterrent, covering our French
windows with Japanese paper so she wouldn't be freaked out
by feral cats, raccoons and skunks who visited our garden
at night, covering furniture with huge plastic covers from
U-Haul, buying several rug cleaning machines and finally the
best solution - covering furniture with incontinent sheets.
The latter was great because it not only absorbed urine, it
was easily washed. Now, she only occasionally
urinates inappropriately; usually when I am away overnight
and only my husband or a house sitter is home.
Other than the urine
problem, Sabrina is the most affectionate cat we've ever
had. She loves to jump on the back of my chair when I am
working on the computer so I can pull her around on my lap.
She sleeps between us in our bed and enjoys a rigorous game
of footsie every morning. She has an awkward walk but runs
as gracefully as a gazelle. She's an indoor cat because of
her condition but has the run of the house and enjoys
spending mornings in her favorite chair and afternoons in
the study with me.
One of the things I
noted when we brought Sabrina home was that she was a silent
cat. Not a single meow or yowl out of her. That made me sad,
as our previous cats were real talkers. I didn't think she
would speak to us at all until I returned from a trip to
Japan. When she came out of her hiding place and saw me, she
let out the tiniest little squeak. And ever since, she
squeaks when she wants my attention. It's more of a mouse
voice but it's the prettiest voice in the world.
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We
adopted Buddy last year. At that time, he was just so
scared and frightened of everything -- including his new
family.
On a
number of occasions I had to go out into our backyard
and bring him in because he was hiding under a bush.
Training was definitely needed so he could see other
dogs as well as understand what he needed to do to fit
in. He needed some work on his confidence as he would
walk on a leash crouched and tail between his legs.
After a
year of work, he walks head up, tail high and is a real
joy. He came into my life at a time when I really
needed a "buddy" and I could really feel his anxiety
like my own. I think we made a big difference for each
other. We spend many hours together throughout the day,
and take three mile walks each night. He really is a
gem for me and my family, that's why we changed his name
from Abe at the shelter, to Buddy.... He's also the
reason I'm volunteering at Pets Unlimited...
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From 2003 to 2005 I was a volunteer dog walker
and socializer at Pets Unlimited where I met
wonderful dogs and the dedicated people who
cared for them.
Eden was at the shelter for about 6 months and
during that time I walked her several times a
week. It's funny to think how I would go to the
shelter at lunch time hoping someone else had
already taken her out, since she was such a
handful! Well, I started taking her home on
weekends, so she could burn off some energy
playing with my dogs, and when my older dog
passed away I decided that when the time was
right I would adopt the dog that was "the one"
for me, but I promised Eden that I would not
adopt another dog until she found her forever
home! Well, I'm sure Eden already knew what I
hadn't figured out: that her forever home was
with me. And that's where she's been for the
past 3 years, sweet and playful and keeping my
12 year old shepherd young.
Joshua was a bit of a mess when he came into the
shelter at Pets Unlimited from Santa Clara where
he was found as a stray. Frightfully thin, half
bald, with watery red eyes, afraid of going out,
and constantly begging anyone and everyone to
carry him around. Once he got a little healthier
he was adopted, but soon brought back to Pets
Unlimited because the cat who lived in his new
home wanted to beat him up!
Well the same thing happened as with Eden, I
started fostering him overnight and on weekends
- you'd think I would learn. He's been with me
for two years now and knows just when to join in
and when to get out of the way when the big ones
are playing. He's quite the sun worshiper too.
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Enclosed is a picture of
Petey (black and white) and Cherry (tan) having fun in
the Russian River near Guerneville last summer.
We brought Cherry home
from Pets Unlimited animal shelter in April, 2005. She
was so great that we went back onto the website and
found Bo who we eventually named Petey when we brought
him home in October, 2005.
I don’t know if you
remember but Cherry would barely stand up, much less
willingly go on a walk when she first arrived there and
Petey was showing too much rib cage from lack of
nutrition and had sores on his bottom. This picture
shows how much they’ve changed since then.
As you can see, they get
along great and are virtually inseparable. Thank you so
much for helping them before we brought them into our
lives!
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I am sooo glad that I found
Phantom at your center. He and I have been together
for about a week now and we are working out great.
The adoption counselor said that
it might take 1 or 2 weeks for him to settle in but
it only took 1 or 2 minutes for him to realize that
he was home now and that his life just started when
he jumped "out of the box" and into a new world.
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We
adopted "Chester", about 3 years ago and named him
"Charlie". I found him at Pets Unlimited after he'd been
there for a few months having been rescued from a San
Jose shelter.
We had lost our 17 year old Siamese mix, "Maxwell", 4
years earlier and were finally ready to adopt a new cat.
We started looking at kittens and quickly realized we
didn't want to go through that process again so we
looked at older cats. Charlie was 1 1/2 yrs old when we
adopted him -- still as playful and adaptable as a
kitten but without the total rambunctiousness. He looked
thin and scraggly but after a bath and gaining a few
pounds he became a beautiful, proud boy.
It only took about 3 weeks until he was totally home at
last. My husband and I adore him and include him in all
our activities. We are boaters and we take Charlie along
in our runabout and cruising boat. In fact, he just
returned from 2 months aboard our boat in British
Columbia cruising the Gulf Islands. He has adapted
beautifully and is leash and harness trained! He really
dazzles the truckers and dog owners at the rest stops
when we walk him during our drives up to B.C. It's quite
a sight!
Thanks for our precious gift and all the care you give
the needy cats and dogs -- our best friends.
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I first discovered
Pets Unlimited in 2003, when I was exploring the
neighborhood. I hadn't had a cat in 20 years, and
hadn't realized how much I missed it until I came
across your facility. Soon I was visiting and
socializing on a regular basis, keeping an eye out
for that special cat that I connected to. My first
cat had been a lovely grey male (almost like a
Russian Blue), and little did I know that I had a
real affinity for grey cats!
Sophie had been at
Pets Unlimited less than 2 weeks when I met her one
day. About a year old, apparently she was caught as
a stray in Golden Gate Park. Though she was a little
thin (maybe she had a hard time catching food in the
park?), she was perfect for me. I loved that she was
very affectionate and purred like crazy. I named her
Smudge (like a newspaper smudge), after her grey and
cream color and wavy markings. We got along right
away, and she made herself "queen of the house" as
soon as I took her home. I built her a multi-story
"kitty condo" climbing structure (based on plans I
found on the Internet), created a large "window
seat" that she loves to watch passersby from, and
got her lots of toys.
I continued to
visit Pets Unlimited very regularly, just to chat
with the staff and socialize with the cats. One day
I fell in love with an incredibly friendly 4-month
old grey-and-white "tuxedo" kitten named Queenie.
She had a fantastic outgoing, affectionate and
playful personality ... and had this adorable habit
of climbing up to rub noses with me. Though I was
drawn to her, I wasn't seriously considering getting
a second cat. I had been advised that Smudge should
probably be an "only cat", and besides, I didn't
think I could handle bringing a kitten into the
household. Another couple had already applied to
adopt the kitten, so I wished her a happy life.
But on a return
visit a week or two later, Queenie was back at the
shelter! Apparently the couple that adopted her
thought they could take her on a trip to Hawaii with
them! To make a long story short, she was sent from
San Francisco International back to Pets Unlimited
in a cardboard box in a taxi. After much discussion
with one of the Pets Unlimited staff, I decided to
adopt Coco (my new name for her, inspired by a
recent trip to Italy and my favorite flavor of
gelato). I introduced her very slowly to Smudge, and
over time they developed into close friends. They
adore each other, playing and wrestling and chasing
each other around the house at all hours.
I feel very lucky
to have these two wonderful additions to my family,
and to continue to be able to visit Pets Unlimited
on a regular basis. Thank you for bringing these two
blessings into my life!
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Ever since I adopted
Macintosh in June 2004 she has brought such joy to my life.
She was 6 years old at the time and had already been through
the adoption/return process a few times. It took a while for
us to get to know each other, but now, she is my constant
companion at home. She follows me around from room to room
and always is up for some attention or extra food. I love
her to bits and thank the shelter for this great gift.
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Moo was
taken in by Pets Unlimited, a stray kitten found in the
street who was about 7 weeks old and weighing less than 2
pounds. She was skinny and sick. It was suspected that she
had a virus that is contagious to other cats so it was
important for her to have short term foster care outside the
shelter where she could recuperate and where she would not
risk infecting other kitties. I was the lucky one chosen to
foster her. Pets Unlimited sent her home with a hobo pack
full of food and hot water bottles and instructions to give
her lots of TLC.
In no time, Moo bonded with my little dog (yes, I did say
dog), Fang, a Shih Tzu I rescued last year. Fang had her own
share of health problems so the two of them nursed one
another back to health. Naps together gradually became
wrestling matches and games of fetch (Fang has been only too
happy to share her toys with her new sister). Our hallway
has become a raceway as both have grown healthy and strong
together. It comes as no surprise that Moo recently became a
permanent member of the family, sweet and lovely and growing
like a weed. Thank you all at Pets Unlimited for helping Moo
find her way to us and for giving Fang a new friend.
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I
met Sadie in May of 2006 when I asked which dog had
been at Pets Unlimited the longest. She'd been
passed over for 6 months and seemed not particularly
interested in me at first. But I saw how much she
loved her people, the wonderful staff and volunteers
who came by to greet her. They consistently sang her
praises as the calm and friendly dog they'd show off
at public events, so we went on the first of a
series of walks and I began to fall in love. As she
realized that I was not just another in a long line
of passers-by, she warmed up and showed me her true,
affectionate and fun-loving personality.
After taking her home, she really blossomed. She is
sweet and eager to please, and aside from a couple
of incidents where sticks of butter mysteriously
disappeared from the kitchen counter, has been the
easiest dog I've ever owned. She still doesn't
understand why the cat doesn't want to play but she
thoroughly enjoys her frequent trips to Pt. Isabel,
the Ohlone dog park, and the Tilden Park trails
where the other dogs are happy to oblige in a good
romp. When people meet her now, they can't imagine
how such a sweet pup was left on the shelf so long,
which reminds me that many wonderful and loving dogs
are just waiting for the chance to shine in a
"forever" home. I certainly can't imagine life
without my Sadie Girl!
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Porghi came to us through the volunteer work we did at Pets Unlimited
at Thanksgiving 2002. We had the time to give him a
Thanksgiving he really loved around our Chihuahua house. At the time we had 4
Chihuahuas and a lot of love from Porghi. It
was one big happy family. So when Christmas came around the corner on my birthday, I decided that after seeing him there for
a year, he needed a home. He was the gift of life to my partner Bill and me. At 11 years old, he was like a puppy and so
happy to have a home. Now that my birthday has rolled around again, he finally gave up the ghost to congestive heart failure. Last night
on Dec. 22, 2006, he passed on to his place in the sun. What he left was a lot of love and some of the greatest times we've had.
In Loving Memory To the Dog that Could, Should and will go on in our hearts forever....
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A
number of years ago I was the lucky person who won a
lottery for a dog your shelter saved. "Sandy" was a
victim of being used as pit bull bait in the
Hunter's Point area during the late 90's. Your group
saved her. I was working at KRON at the time and
began visiting Sandy there at your facility as she
was recovering. When the time came, a lottery of the
prospective owners was held and I was fortunate
enough to have "won."
I
am writing to let you know that Sandy is great and
happy and healthy. I now work for ESPN, in
Connecticut, and have found out that Sandy loves the
snow! I've attached some pictures, just in case
anyone is interested in seeing how she has turned
out. Pets Unlimited did a wonderful job with her.
You'd never know she had been through the trauma she
survived.
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Please meet Heidi, the best dog in the world. My
family traveled to San Francisco in 1954 from the
Central Valley after my Dad heard about you on the
radio. He wanted to find the perfect pet for us
kids, ages 2-7, but had reservations about German
Shepherds at the time.
Not
that we were affected by television mind you, but he
actually had a Collie in mind. (And yes I had a
brother named Tim...)
He
was shown this beautiful dog and asked if we could
walk her. She immediately went goofy over us kids
and that sealed my Dad's decision.
Our
trip home across the Bay Bridge was christened by
our new dog barfing all over the back seat. Poor
baby never got over her motion sickness but she went
with us each year to Tahoe for vacation. As the
pictures shows even our cats adored Heidi.
Thank you again for giving us the dog that still
sets the standard for the MANY pets who have
followed in our lives. Those eight years with her
will never be forgotten.
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Austin and Vegas are doing quite well in their new home in Sausalito. It took them all of about 12 hours to get over their initial shock to the new surroundings and become comfortable
... and now they run the joint! Austin is very energetic and curious and will follow you meowing (squeaking) while you walk around the house. Vegas, although
a bit more reserved, has become the love bug we knew was inside of him and spends the days either curled up sleeping in our bed, meowing and begging to be brushed, or scoffing at his brother.
We can't imagine the two of them apart and we feel so special and honored to have them in our home. Thanks for trusting in us and we will keep in touch with their progress.
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Calvin and Naomi have been growing like weeds! They're adorable and keep me laughing all the time. It's great that they're together, they play all the time and have quite complementary personalities.
Thank you so much for working with me to adopt them!
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Valentine’s Day came a day
late for us in 2007, but we couldn’t have been happier. On
February 15 we adopted a five-month-old boy kitten from Pets
Unlimited. We named him Xiao Bao, which means, in Mandarin,
“Little Treasure.”
Xiao Bao got off to a rough start
in life. He fell from the window of a fourth-floor apartment in
San Francisco’s Tenderloin district–and fell not once but
twice. The second fall smashed his hip and left leg and his
owner brought him to Pets Unlimited; unfortunately he was not in
a position to pay for all the medical treatment. Because the
shelter is run solely by generous donations made by individuals,
Pets Unlimited was able save his life and bring Xiao Ba | |
