Devo

Devo's Homecoming Day: October 15th

It was a difficult time for Devo. He was so nervous, and wanted to stay in his crate and he was so afraid. For Devo, it's been a series of baby steps. So for him, it was the idea that, "Hey look, he sniffed me! Did you see that? He touched me! He touched me!" Those were the biggest things, and for him, that was huge. Because he was kind-of living within himself.

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Profile: Devo

One word that best describes Devo...

Complicated.

How did you know Devo was the one?

Devo needed us. We don't pick our dogs - our dogs pick us. And we could tell that Devo needed us. And, you know, as time went on, we realized that we needed Devo because Devo taught us a lot about patience, and a lot about hope, and a lot about the power of love.

One thing you love most about Devo...

The thing I love most about Devo is when he shows affection, it's genuine - because it took him so long to be able to do it. When he enjoys something, it's genuine. When he comes up to you and wants to be petted, it's genuine. It's for no other reason than he wants to be loved. It's such a shift in his life to see him do that.

One remarkable skill Devo has...

Devo is the protector of the house - he protects us from squirrels. So Devo's remarkable skill is that he can dash from our back door and he can jump up two levels of planter boxes up the hill and be at the "squirrel area" in probably five seconds flat. He's a sprinter.

One rule Devo likes to break...

Devo is a "rules" dog - he's not the "break out" kind of dog. Occasionally he'll try to be a little bit dominant toward our "pack leader," Cedric, but it doesn't work for very long.

I know Devo loves me because...

He trusts me.

Devo fills me with hope because...

Hope was all we could do when he came. And if Devo can come from the place he was emotionally to the place he is today, then anything is possible.

Ellie & Arthur

Ellie's Homecoming Day: June 10th

I remember the night before, when we decided I was going to come back and adopt Ellie - I did feel like a kid before Christmas.

It's not like we didn't have animals at home, but I knew I was going to give Ellie a second chance - and she had been there so long. I went down in the morning and filled out all the paperwork - even though I am a volunteer at the shelter I had to go through the whole process and be interviewed to be sure we were going to be a good home.

I remember getting her out of the cage. I had been in the habit of walking her as a volunteer - but then you put the dog back in the cage. This time I was so delighted to be able to tell her, "You're not gonna go back in that kennel - you're coming home with us!" She seemed a little surprised when we went out to the car, but she leapt right in, and she walked right through our gate and our back door, sniffed everybody and they all sniffed her. She was right at home.

Arthur's Homecoming Day: Mid-October

My husband brought Arthur home from where he works; that's where he found him. My son Charles was there - he called me and said, "Mom, how many dogs do you have?" And I said, "Three." And he said, "How many cats do you have?" I said, "Two." Charles said, "Well, how about making that an even three and three?" They brought Arthur through the door - I saw this adorable, big-blue-eyed kitten in their arms. He hopped down and certainly made himself at home right away.

Profile: Ellie & Arthur

One word that best describes Ellie & Arthur...

Ellie: Serene

Arthur: Scamp

How did you know Ellie and Arthur were "the one"?

I had been walking Ellie for almost three months as a shelter volunteer. We weren't in the market for another animal in our home, but I knew she could be my "demo dog" - I teach humane education classes, and I knew she would be perfect around children. I just knew she would be a great example of the kind of love and calmness and loyalty you can get at a shelter.

I think my husband wanted to finally have a boy in the house, because Arthur is the only boy. I knew as soon as they brought Arthur in we were up to our quotas - three dogs and three cats.

One thing you love most about Ellie and Arthur...

Ellie: Her peacefulness

Arthur: His rambunctiousness

One remarkable skill Ellie and Arthur have...

Ellie: Ellie's skill is to go into any room and make friends with everybody.

Arthur: Leaping power - Arthur can leap six feet.

One rule Ellie and Arthur like to break...

Ellie: Ellie never breaks a rule.

Arthur: Arthur breaks all the rules - he likes to knock over flower vases and scratch the furniture and pounce on the cat that doesn't like him.

What is Ellie's favorite toy or game?

Ellie loves to spin - she'll spin around in circles and she knows that is what we do before we go for a walk.

What is Arthur's favorite toy or game?

Arthur loves his feather toy and he loves to pounce on the other cat.

What is Ellie's favorite place to hang out or sleep?

My reading room - Ellie likes to sleep there.

What is Arthur's favorite place to hang out or sleep?

Arthur has a favorite perch in front of a window. He likes to watch the birds.

Nicknames...

Ellie: Ellie-Bellie, because she's kind of round. The El-ser.

Arthur: Arturo. Big Boy.

Ellie and Arthur fill me with hope because...

Ellie fills me with hope because she is so patient and adaptable.

Arthur fills me with hope because I'm sure I'll have enough energy to keep up with him.

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Bernard

Bernard's Homecoming Day: December 27th-ish

It was pretty interesting, because we had our other cat. We brought Bernard in the house and we set him down and Bauer, our first cat, jumped backwards like, "What the heck is that thing?!" Then there was just lots of sniffing around and exploring. You could just kind of tell he'd never had that much space before and was very curious about everything. He was three or four months old.

Tell your pet's Homecoming Day story.

Profile: Bernard

One word that best describes Bernard...

Energetic. Very energetic.

How did you know Bernard was the one?

We went looking for a new cat - it was actually a present for my wife. She wanted an orange tabby but it didn't have to be that color if we just knew it was the right cat. We saw a cat online and went to the shelter to look at him. but he was already adopted. So out of curiosity, I kept looking around and then saw Bernard sitting there above this dog who was barking furiously. Bernard was just sitting there, as calm as can be, just looking at me. And I was like, "Oh, that's a cute little cat." So I picked him up - and he was the one.

One thing you love most about Bernard...

One thing I love most about Bernard is his meow. He's got the most pathetic quiet-sounding meow. It's kind of adorable, actually. He can't meow that loud. And besides that, his temperament. He's a very playful cat and very energetic.

What is Bernard's favorite toy or game?

Bernard's favorite game is wrestling with Bauer, our other cat.

What is Bernard's favorite place to hang out or sleep?

Bernard's favorite place to hang out is on our couch. It's up against a window. We've put this blanket between the cushion and the back of the couch and Bernard lays right in there and looks outside. He loves watching rabbits and dogs and stuff outside. We have a bird feeder kind of close outside the window, he loves sitting out there and watching the birds. It's probably his favorite place in the house.

I know Bernard loves me because...

When anybody comes home, he hears the garage door. He immediately goes and lays at the garage door and flops on his side and waits there for you to start petting his belly. That's how we know he misses us.

Bernard fills me with hope because...

Bernard fills me with hope because considering the rough life he had before - they found him living by a dumpster - and how happy he is now, it gives me hope that animals that are found can still be happy. They're not scarred for life.

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