We love to hear how all of our furry friends are doing. Do you have a Homeward Bound dog that you love and cherish? If so, please send your success story (and pictures if possible) to Nicci at nicci.lee@hotmail.com so we can post them on our blog.
She brightened my life each day
I wanted to say thank you for rescuing my pup Bella (formerly Corrina) so that I was able to adopt her. I adopted Bella (aka Corrina) from you in September 2003. She brightened my life each day for the last 9+ years and was an awesome lil’ sis to my 1st pup Blazer. I have never met a dog that was so incredibly sweet, bursting with love, enthusiastic about life, and that gave real hugs (jumped up to put paw on each shoulder & nuzzled your neck).
My heart started to break the week before Xmas when her face swelled up out of the blue. We took her to the vet, only to eventually discover that she had Malignant Melanoma in the roof of her mouth and it had already spread to her lymph nodes. We fought along side her for 2 1/2 months, treating the abscesses caused by the tumor and eventually removing her left eye to relief her of the pain & pressure the tumor was putting on it as it grew. My baby girl Bella continued to wag her tail & shower us with love until Tuesday, March 5th. She was off Sunday & when i took her in Monday the vets told me she wasn’t breathing as well anymore. I took her home to spoil her & love on her for as long as I could & give my step-son a chance to say goodbye to his little bud. Bella went downhill fast that night, unable to lay down without struggling to breath.
I did the hardest thing I ever had to do & let her go Tuesday afternoon. My heart is shattered without the love & snuggles I enjoyed every day from my baby girl. This is a picture of her from 2009 when I had my 1st son. She is sorely missed by all of my kids and most so by me. I’d give anything to have one more Bella Hug right now!
Thank you for saving her & bringing her into my life. I don’t know if I would have made it through the last 9 1/2 years without her by my side….
Sharon


In Memory of McEnroe
1/18/2013Hi Homeward Bound folks. 11 years ago we adopted a black lab from your organization-(Bellows, renamed McEnroe by our family). We just lost him today and it made us reflect on what a gift and privilege it was to love him and have him in our life. His life had started hard, born in a pound and not adopted because he was one of so many black lab mixed puppies that come into pounds every year. We have been and are especially today thankful for the work your organization does to unite loving families with lovable dogs. Our lives were profoundly enriched by McEnroe and we will look to you for another dog when we are ready… The Styve Family

Love this dog!
Hi! Here is a updated picture of Jaspar! We seriously love this dog more
then you know!!! He is sooooo snuggly and adores our kids
his hair
is coming in very nicely and enjoys the groomer
We sure enjoy him
being in our family

Success Reels
We adore all of the success stories that our adopters send to us. They mean so much to us and validate the reason that we “do” Rescue by opening our hearts and homes to dogs that were unwanted and serve as a bridge between their former lives and their new lives. We are particularly excited about these five stories that, thanks to the generous donation of time and talent by Thomas Strand, we get to share with you in video format. We hope that you enjoy them as much as we do.
Murphy and Ringer
Murphy + Ringer from Thomas Strand on Vimeo.
Sky and Balto
Sky + Balto from Thomas Strand on Vimeo.
Mason
Mason from Thomas Strand on Vimeo.
Sugar Belle
Sugar Belle-Vimeo 1080p from Thomas Strand on Vimeo.
Sasha
Sasha from Thomas Strand on Vimeo.
A Loyal Guardian
(This is one of the most bittersweet Success Stories we at HB have received on on of our alums. Thank you to the Rice Family for sharing it with us.)
A short time after we invited him into our home, I would hear him get up at 2 a.m. every night. I followed him once without him knowing. ..
He walked down the stairs very quietly and walked to every door where he paused and looked. Checking carefully, he would look out the windows into the yard. He would then climb back up the stairs to my son’s room… There he would pause checking to be sure that everything was where it was suppose to be. A slow walk across the hall would bring him to my daughters room, where he inspected the room, checking carefully that the little girl sleeping there was where she was supposed to be. Finally he would step quietly back to our room where he would go to my wife’s side of the bed and check. He would lean in close, to be very sure, because she was his favorite. I, now lying in bed pretending sleep, would sense him on my side of the bed. After a short time he would lean close and give me a lick in the face. The only salute a dog can do. “All present and accounted for sir!!!!” He would silently report.
Cheddar has done this every night for most of his life. Eventually I got him to stop waking me up… at 2 am, but he made his rounds every night. He wanted to be sure his pack was safe. He belonged and he was loved. He had a job. He did the best a dog can do.
He is in his final days now. The spark has gone out of his eyes and he can no longer make his rounds because his bones hurt and he is not steady on his feet. I will try the prednisone one more time, to see if he can come back. But I am not going to let him suffer. It is hard to think that 10 years ago someone threw him away. Someone thought he was junk.
Such a loyal guardian… Such a kind soul…
I don’t know if you rememeber Cheddar, just thought you would like to know that we are going to have to say goodbye to Cheddar shortly there are no words for how much we will miss him.



She became queen of the castle!
Millie (formally known as Suzy) came into my life on a snowy weekend in 2007. She was shy, skinny and recovering from being treated for heartworm. It took her a while to adjust to her new life and routine, but once she settled in she became queen of the castle! She is such a sweetheart! She loves to walk, eat treats and hunt chipmunks at the cabin. Friends and family call her her Velcro because she likes to be right next to her people all the time. Millie is truthfully the best dog EVER!
Double the love!
“She has a HUGE personality- is silly, loveable and even non-dog people seem to take to her.”
Just a quick update for you on Phoebe who was named Feebee when we were lucky enough to find her at Homeward Bound. Phoebe’s story was not as sad as many of your rescue friends are, but she was surrendered as an 8 month old pup by a family who had a toddler and the combination was just not working out so well.
Phoebe is now 5 and she is the perfect match for our household. She has a HUGE personality- is silly, loveable and even non-dog people seem to take to her. She is the frequent photo subject for us- You can see how photogenic she is.
Love the update to the web site- keep up the good work. Phoebe is friends with two other dogs who also came from your rescue- We appreciate the labor of love and work you all do.
In gratitude,
Jennifer
(adopted Memorial Weekend 2007)
“We hope she’s happy as she looks because we couldn’t be happier to have her with us!”
We adopted Delia (formerly Dusky) from Homeward Bound in August 2008.
She had been up for adoption for a very long time because she was
already a senior and has a very quiet nature. (Why do people always
want the bouncy, boisterous puppies? Don’t they know they can be just
as wired at 2 AM as they were at 2 PM?!)
We quickly learned that she would try to become invisible in chaotic
situations (like pet adoption events or anywhere with children) but
her sweet, intelligent personality would shine in a calm, quiet home
with a soft bed. Also, she needed extensive dental work leaving her
with only fourteen teeth but completely pain-free. That and treatment
for her arthritis have helped her relax and enjoy a life of good food,
good friends, car rides and shoulder massages.
We hope she’s happy as she looks because we couldn’t be happier to
have her with us.
Melinda, James and Malcolm (the cute puppy)
A Wonderful Addition
I just wanted to tell you how thrilled we are with Easy! She is laying at my feet now all tuckered out from a long walk. She has already made friends with all our neighbors and their dogs and has even had her first “play date” with one of them. Thank you for rescuing her as she is a wonderful addition to our family!
Warmly,
Ann
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