Five More Head Home!

January has been a terrific month so far! In the last week alone, five wonderful and well-deserving critters found their forever homes.

Handsome Dusty, the dog who authored his own post here on the HEA blog back on Thanksgiving, has made AMAZING progress with his foster parents. So much so, in fact, that he was ready to go to a permanent home! And that would be with a neat lady named Carla, who lives in Oneida with one other dog. Dusty is already loving his new family and is getting spoiled - he had potato pancakes for breakfast on his first morning in his new home! (Dusty is the top picture here.)

Our gal Lisa (pictured 2nd from the top) had a great day last Saturday - a family from Oshkosh came out to visit and fell in love with this great dog. Her adoption paperwork was processed, and she was able to go home that same day. Now Lisa lives with her new mom Sara, her dad Dan, and their 5-year-old daughter Alicia. Alicia is homeschooled and is very excited to have Lisa as her new classmate!

Sweet, sweet Sally - a favorite of many HEA volunteers - got her happily ever after last week, too. Her new home is in Sturgeon Bay, where she resides with her mom Sarah, dad Greg, a doggie sister Pearl, and two cats. Sally loves them all...but ESPECIALLY the cats! Sarah reported, "Our cat Tullah came right up to her when Sally first walked in the door, and Sally gave her a huge kiss that made her fur stand up in all directions!" We weren't surprised to hear that, as Sally is definitely a lover of ALL creatures! You see Sally lying on the couch in her new home above.

But dogs weren't the only lucky ones this week - two cats made their way home, too! Kevin and his 6-year-old son, Elias, adopted both Randy (2nd to bottom picture) and Thomas the Tank (bottom picture). They live in Marion, so they didn't have to go too far from the Sanctuary to find a super family! Kevin and Elias already had one cat who was looking for some buddies. He'll definitely have that in these two boys!

Congrats to all these families and all these animals. We couldn't be happier for you!

2010: Kick-Started!

Yesterday, HEA held its first-ever Kick Start Meeting at the Ashwaubenon Community Center. We planned this meeting because we suspected many of our loyal volunteers and supporters might be interested in knowing more about where we came from, the year that was 2009, and where we hope to go in 2010 and beyond. And boy, were we right! About 65 folks came out in full force - and with yummy dishes to pass.

The enthusiasm and energy in the room was palpable from the moment folks started walking in the door, as friends of HEA chatted with each other and enjoyed getting to know more about the fellow animal lovers in the room. When the presentation began, everyone was extremely engaged and eager to hear what Sanctuary president Amanda Reitz, treasurer Lois Reitz and volunteer coordinator Erin Elliott had to share. The Q&A session wrapped up the day, with many fabulous queries and even more fabulous ideas for bringing the long-range vision for HEA into reality. (We'll be discussing many of them soon and will be in touch with next steps.)

If you missed the meeting (or just want to relive it!), be sure to check out our photo album of the day on Facebook and view our presentation slides, which you can find here. We did have sign up sheets out for the various events, regular volunteer opportunities and new monthly orientations available, but don't worry - if you'd like to participate in ANYTHING this year, just make sure you e-mail Erin Elliott (erinelliott@hotmail.com) and ask to be added to the Active Volunteer e-mail list. Then you'll be sure to get the scoop!

A most sincere thanks to all those who came out to share in this special day. With your help, 2010 is gonna be our best year yet!

2010: Off and running!

We may be only 13 days into the new year, but already it's been a busy one! First of all, we have to thank the volunteers who have come to the Sanctuary the first two weekends of the month. Thanks to them, we've made tremendous progress in our quest to remodel the dog rooms and hallway with new wall/door paint, new side panels and new flooring. And the dogs are thrilled!! They can't wait for us to finish. We'll get there - sooner rather than later.

Also, we're doing lots of prep work in advance of this Sunday's first annual HEA Kick-Start Meeting. If you haven't already heard, ALL friends and supporters of HEA are invited to this very special get-together, which will start at 11:30 a.m. and go until about 2. It's at the Ashwaubenon Community Center, 936 Anderson Drive. And it's not too late to RSVP - just contact our volunteer coordinator Erin Elliott at erinelliott@hotmail.com. Let her know what dish you'd like to pass, too - we have LOTS of yummy stuff to look forward to, as well as good company and GREAT info about our accomplishments in 2009 and all that's planned for 2010 (and beyond).

And of course, we've been busy sending lots of animals to their forever homes! The pictures at the top are just a few of them. The stories are below. Enjoy their happy tales! And we hope to see you on Sunday!

SNICKERS & TUX (the first two cats pictured at the top): These are two cats we've had for quite a while...only because they love each other so much that we could only send them home to a family who could take both. And they found that in Kris and Deb Larsen of Denmark. Their fun tribe includes 5 kids, 2 dogs and some birds - and word has it that the kitties LOVE to watch the parakeet and quickly learned to snuggle with the dogs. We're thrilled these guys are settling in so nicely in such a wonderful home.

REAGAN: A sweet kitty who was adopted by Craig and Lori of Green Bay, who lost their cat two months ago and were looking for a new baby to love. Reagan was a perfect choice as she LOVES to be loved. They will definitely give her the care she deserves.

WIGGY: This is a case of a foster home turning into a forever home! Natalie and Eric of Green Bay just couldn't give Wiggy up and are adding her to their brood. Wiggy now has kitty brothers and a human sister on the way!

GOLD BOY (the only dog pictured above): Terri and Anton of Waukesha lucked out when they brought this wonderful doggy home to share the house with his new doggy sister, Nelle. His new mom says that things are going well and that he's very eager to please - she's confident he'll learn and adapt quickly to his new home.

SHANIA: Another long distance adoption! This kitty went home with Erin Greene and her boyfriend Mitch, who live in Wisconsin Rapids. Erin already had a kitty at home named Casper, and Shania and Casper are already best of friends. Shania is less sure of Erin and Mitch's dog Koga, but we know Shania will learn how neat dogs can be after a while!

BOOMER (the big white kitty above): We're so happy to report that our big Boomer was able to go home to the family who originally adopted him a few years back. They had to return him to us after a short 8 months due to some life circumstances, but when life turned around, his family came right back for him! He was so happy to see his mom and brother again that you could hear him purring all the way across the room!

All these, plus, Nikita, Kipling, Tempo and Anya both found forever homes early in 2010, too! What a great start to a new year! Let's keep this momentum going!

A December to Remember!

First of all, we hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas and is looking forward to a terrific New Year's celebration this week. We know that the latest bunch of animals who headed home in time for the holidays are definitely feeling the magic of the season.

Since our last posting, eight cats and five dogs were adopted! You can see pictures and learn the tales of most of them by checking out our December adoptees photo album on our Facebook page or by clicking here. (Remember, you don't have to have a Facebook account just to see our page!) But since we don't have pictures of a few of the critters who went home, we thought we'd share their happy news here.

• Amos the dog went home to Green Bay with his new family - which includes a doggie brother named Blaze!
• LeAnn the kitten went home with Helen, who lives in Clintonville. LeAnn is Helen's only cat so we know she will be properly spoiled!
• Tweed the cat is now living in Green Bay with Marcia and her daughter Jennifer. Tweed will undoubtedly add entertainment to their lives, as well as the lives of Riley (their dog) and Phoebe and Ali (their other cats).
• Madison the cat went home on Christmas Eve day with a family who lives in Manawa. In fact, she was a Christmas surprise for two very unsuspecting children!

We also want to say thanks to the volunteers who took time out of their busy pre-holiday schedules to share part of last weekend with us. Those who volunteered at our second Photos with Santa Claws event helped us raise another $250 to care for the animals - and they introduced Tweed, Catarina and Kiara (who you'll find on Facebook) to their new families. And those who came out to the Sanctuary for dog/cat spa days helped us get the residents all ready for Christmas. Thank you all!

Home for the Holidays: December Adoption Update!

Wow, do we have lots of good news to share today! Lots of critters are getting ready to enjoy their first holiday season in their forever homes, thanks to the many adoptions we've had lately.

This past weekend alone, three dogs and one cat found their new families at our Photos with Santa Claws event at PetSmart. Shoppers who stopped by to get their pet's picture taken with Santa also had a chance to check out some of our cute critters. As a result, Apollo (the lovable American Staffordshire terrier pictured above), Brook & Fiona (the young black lab puppies) and Squeeky the cat all got scooped up! Plus, we raised $245 from our picture-taking efforts. Things went so well we're going back for more this upcoming weekend - so if you'd like to get YOUR pet's picture taken with Santa, stop by between 11-4 on either Saturday or Sunday. $5 from each picture goes to HEA. Plus, we'll have even MORE cuties there for adoption. Stop by - or volunteer, if you have time! We're definitely in need of more help, so e-mail Erin Elliott, our volunteer coordinator, at erinelliott@hotmail.com if you're interested.

But these four were just the most recent of our December adoptees. Be sure to check out the individual stories below and then go to our Facebook page to see pictures of all these lucky animals! You don't even have to have a Facebook account to see them - just click the link at the end of this post!

So first there was Rescue and Torti, who were with HEA for over a year. They're great cats, but they were waiting for the perfect home who would take both these guys (since they didn't want to be separated). Charlie and Jolee of Appleton provided that home. Now Rescue and Torti have two new humans and another cat to play with!

Ashley and Amaya went home to Suring with Cheryl and her teen daughters MacKenzie and Courtney. The threesome came to the Sanctuary to pick out two cats and after hours of debate, finally decided on these two sweethearsts. Ashley had first been adopted from us in 2008 but came back earlier this year because her parents divorced; Amaya was brought to HEA last summer as a stray and very feral kitty, but she is anything but feral now! She begs for attention and will jump on you to get it! Both girls will have a wonderful life with their new family.

Norm and Tara of Manawa saw our pretty Penny on Petfinder and came to get her straight away. They had recently lost a dog and were looking for a new, rescued companion to make their family whole again. Their dog, Edie, tagged along to meet Penny, and the girls got along famously! We hear Penny is already loving her new home - especially the couch and bed. She may be a tad spoiled, but she deserves it!

HEA volunteer Laurie knew that Lester the cat needed a little extra TLC, so she brought him home to foster him - and promptly fell in love. Since the rest of her cat tribe liked Lester, too, they decided to add him to the family permanently!

Magnolia went home to Julie and her daughter, who live in Green Bay. They are spending lots of time with her because she misses her kitty friends from HEA, but she's definitely settling in and is happy to finally be in a home after being in the PetSmart cubbies for two months.

Shep - the German shepherd mix now known as Tugger - moved in last month with HEA volunteer Kelly and her boyfriend. At first, it was just to give him a place to stay for the night after an adoption event. But they wouldn't bring him back! They considered fostering him, but within a week, they knew he was theirs forever. He even gets along great with Murray, Kelly's other dog. We're so happy for the whole clan!

We share some more detail on where Apollo, Brook, Fiona and Squeeky ended up in the Facebook photo album, too! So be sure to check it all out here! And we hope to see you this weekend at PetSmart!

We need dog food!

HEA is running low on dog food for our pooches again. When you're out holiday shopping, consider picking up some dog food (ANY brand/size is appreciated!) and dropping it off at any of these places:

- Animal Hospital of Ashwaubenon (1030 Willard Drive, Ashwaubenon)

- Animal House (3175 Voyager Drive, Green Bay)

- Happily Ever After (E5714 Bork Road, Marion, WI)

You could also bring it to PetSmart in Green Bay (across from Bay Park Square) next Saturday and Sunday between 11 a.m. - 4 p.m. when we're there for our Photos with Santa Claws fundraiser. Be sure to stop in with you pet to get his/her picture taken with Santa! $5 of each photo goes to HEA.

Adoption update!

It was definitely a happy Thanksgiving for three of HEA's critters that spent the holiday in their brand new homes with their brand new families!

Herbie, the adorable kitten pictured at the very top of this posting, went home the week before last. He was scooped up by a Green Bay family that had adopted from us before and wanted some more companionship for themselves and their first cat.

Last week, Bright Eyes was adopted by a very full household! This sweet kitten (pictured below Herbie) now lives in Algoma with Anne and Al, their four kids, a dog and two other cats. Here's the hard part: coming up with a new name for Bright Eyes that everyone in this large family agrees upon. Word has it that each of the kids has a different idea. Imagine that!! :)

Choco, a gorgeous dog we've had the pleasure of hosting for the last 13 months, found his forever home last week, too. His new parents are JoAnn and Tracy, who live in Appleton. Choco (renamed Moose) joins their family, which includes 3 cats and another dog. Moose is partially blind, due to cataracts, but that didn't stop his new family from seeing how special he is. JoAnn tells us that he's adapting amazingly well to his new surroundings.

While these are all terrific stories, Moose's story is especially exciting. It just goes to show that there is indeed a perfect home out there for EVERY animal - it's just a matter of waiting for the connection to be made!

Congrats to these lovable animals and their great new families!!