Happy Holidays to all of my human and animal friends at Little Shelter! You may remember me as Snowplow. My family, who adopted me from Little Shelter a little over 3 years ago (hi Olga!), changed my name to Snowy. They didn't know why I was called Snowplow until the first time it snowed. I put my nose to the ground and ran that way, clearing the path in front of me!

I have a big yard to run around in, but I like best to be where my family is - usually in the den. This picture of me is when I'm in my usual pose, paws crossed in front of me. Of course, I love my walks! I get 2 a day. My family can't say the word without my getting so excited, so they call it a "klaw" until they are ready to take me (as if I don't know what they are talking about!).

I'm very calm and get along with all other animals (even the jack russell next door, though he can drive me crazy!). My family also includes a 9-year-old boy, and I love to be petted I am so easygoing that people joke that if a robber ever broke in, I would show him where the jewelry was!

I hope you are all doing well and that all of my friends soon find homes. I am having a great life here, and I thank you for giving me that opportunity.

Woof,
Snowy .

Hi all at little shelter,

As I am rushing around buying Christmas presents for everyone, I thought I should show you some pictures of Buzz and Thor. They are our presents everyday.

Thank you so much!
Laurie L

Dear Little Shelter,

How can my family ever thank you?  Our beautiful, smart, and loving dog Angel is just that, an angel.  We adopted her 2 years ago after reading her horrible story in Newsday.  She is the sweetest, most caring dog anyone could ever be lucky enough to have.

I am a sixth grade teacher in E.Setauket, and because of my love for Angel and Little Shelter, every year we sell cat and dog treat bags to raise money for Little Shelter.

With so much horror and violence in the world it is amazing to actually meet people like the people at Little Shelter.  You were a heaven sent to Angel and our family.

We Love You,
The D Family
Brigit, Eric, Gareth, and Angel

The Ladies (Lucy and Ethel)

Don't know if you remember the two German Shepherds you picked up on the parkway in July 2002, but I wanted you to know how well theyāre doing. We renamed them Lucy and Ethel, but usually refer to them collectively as ćthe Ladiesä.

Ethelās GI issues have been remedied. After much work, she finally weighs as much as her sister. Lucy is a lot less fearful (at home at least) and has even become playful with us. Weāve all bonded beautifully÷they hardly run away anymore! ( :

They are spoiled, adored--and lots of fun. We moved to the Chicago suburbs last Spring and joke about how ćstressfulä it all was for them.

Wishing you the best for the holidays,
Lisa and Adam
Lucy and Ethel

Thank you for pairing us up with the sweetest cat ever.

Respectfully,
NG

Here is a picture of puppy D from your 3.09 litter that we adopted at your Adopt-a-Thon on August 23rd. She is now 4 months and as you can see quite the size!!! She is great -- so sweet and lovable.

Here she is playing with my 5-year old in the yard as my husband tried to rake leaves!!!

Hello from Lucy's pup Maggie,

Hope you all have a Great Thanksgiving and thank you. I'm a Lucky dog.

Maggie G.
adopted 12/2002

Hi All!

I thought you might enjoy this photo I caught of Jesse (FKA Hissy, adopted in April 2003). Her favorite game is ćStringä.

I guess she just couldnāt help letting us know how much she loves us!

We love our Jesse!!! Keep up the good work!!!

To the Staff at the Little Shelter:

We've been meaning to get in touch with you ever since we brought Ralph into our home. I can't believe it is two years already. Ralph has made himself at home, we love him so much! Nine months after we got Ralph we had another addition added to the family, our son Jack. Ralph and Jack are the best of buddies. They play together all the time and are inseparable. Ralph is so good with Jack, we couldn't have asked for a better dog. He has such a loving nature about him, I call him or gentle giant.

Ralph is a best friend to the whole family and we are so lucky to have found him!

Sincerely,

Kerri, Brett & Jack D.

Hi, All:

These are the photos we took of Sparky last weekend in our yard. We renamed him Moose. He is doing very well with the rest of the pack. We walk 2 miles every morning and he has lost 5 pounds already. He is so delicious; I want to eat him up.

Thanks again for this beautiful boy.

L and BH

Hello Little Shelter Folks ö

Here are three shots of ćMistreated Madam Crystalä.  The top and lower right shots were taken in the RV Coach during our winter in Florida.  I was advised upon adoption that she was somewhat ćreservedä.  I am glad of that because I would have trouble handling her if she were any less ćreservedä.  She was the pet of the entire campground.  The lower left shot was taken in the kitchen of our home in Connecticut.

Thanks for everything.  She is one great animal.  I do not understand her being at the Shelter for so long nor how anyone could return her after adoption.  My great Fortune.

Best to all and Thanks Again 

Jasper

I hope you remember me ö Iām Jasper and I spent a few months at the shelter after being found behind a deli with some feral cats. I wanted to let you know that Iām doing quite well in my new home out here in Selden.

My new mother, Joan, wanted you to hear her story about how I cane into her life ö itās a pretty good one.

For thirteen years Joan had a brown female tabby named Isabel. Isabel was sick on and off for a very long time with chronic urinary problems. There were many close calls when it looked like Isabel would succumb to her illnesses, but she always seemed to pull through in the end, and so life would go on for the two of them. Besides her health problems, Isabel had a very disagreeable personality. No one but Joan could go near her. She hissed, spit, and growled at anyone who approached her. A trip to the vet was an adventure. One vet even asked Joan why she kept such a mean cat. What a dumb question! Joan loved Isabel with all her heart and soul. She understood how much extra love and patience a cat like her needed, and Joan had no problems showering Izzy with that kind of attention.

In Isabelās twelfth year, she developed a serious thyroid problem. Medication helped for awhile, but then she began to lose an exorbitant amount of weight. There were many trips to the vet, and the prognosis did not look good. By this time, Isabel had stopped using her litter box, but Joan did not give up on her. Sadly, the next trip to the vet revealed the worst news ö Izzy had developed diabetes. She was extremely sick and dying. What Joan had been afraid of for months became a reality ö should she prolong Isabelās agony or should she let her go? After a consultation with the vet, Joan knew what she had to do. It was time to relieve Isabel of all her suffering and let her move on to another place. Isabel was put to sleep in a painless way, but the sadness for Joan was just overwhelming. Never did she think that she could have another pet!

Two and half years after Isabelās death, Joan decided to visit the Little Shelter website ö just to take a peek at the available cats. What a surprise she got when she saw how many cats were in need of good homes. One thing was certain though, no brown tabby cats for Joan. It would be too painful of a reminder of Isabel. Instead, Jo and decided that sheād look for a black and white cat ö nothing even closely resembling Izzy. And there were plenty of black and white cats available.

Just after Christmas, Joan got up the courage to finally visit the Shelter. She thought that sheād just take a look at what cats were available, but brought along a cat carrier just in case she found a cat she liked. When she arrived at the Shelter, she was overwhelmed to see the number of cats available for adoption ö about three hundred in all. She wasnāt sure where to look or what to do. On thing was certain, she moved very quickly past any brown tabby cats.

After almost an hour, Joan still hadnāt found the perfect cat. One cat she thought sheād take home had been at the Shelter for several years and was used to other cats. The Shelter personnel said that if that one was selected, then it was in the catās best interest to take another cat too. Joan wasnāt ready for that! Finally one of the girls suggested that she take a look at a young cat named Jasper. I was caged because I was depressed ö not at all happy with so many other cats walking about the place. A caged cat? That certainly made Joan a little suspicious, and when Joan inquired where I was, the young girl pointed to a cage that she had walked past at least four times because it held a BROWN TABBY! So she protested a bit when the girl brought her over to me, but politely agreed to at least take a look at me. I was cowering in the rear corner of my cage ö obviously quite distressed ö but I did move in Joanās direction when she approached the front of my cage. The Shelter employee suggested that Joan take me out of my cage to pet me. A little hesitation on Joanās part, but then she figured, what the heck!

What happened next was the beginning of our love story. I started to purr and Joan felt her heart melt. I go real close to Joan and my puzzing (as she calls it) got real loud ö just like a little motorboat. She knew at that moment that I was the one. I was going home with her to Selden.

The past several months have been wonderful for both of us. I donātā know whoās happier ö her or me! Wherever Joan is so am I. She takes great care of me ö toys, catnip, great food, and lots and lots of love.

Does Joan ever think of Isabel? Every single day, but she truly believes that Isabel had a part in sending me to her. Now thatās a love story!

Sincerely,
  
    Jasper