How are our AWSOM Angels doing in their new homes? Hear what their new families have to say...

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This is an up date on the dog I adopted from you last July 2012. His

name is BEN, formally Mellow. Well he certainly did not live up to the

name. He is a very active dog who doesn't seem to be slowing down

any time soon. It's like having a child again, I get furious when he destroys things and when he lays sleeping on the floor or when he comes over and puts his head on my lap looking at me with love in his eyes, I can't stay angry with him. He is beautiful, is now part of my family, and

has a place in my heart forever. As you can see he still has those beautiful eyes that drew me to him from the moment I saw him.

I was told he was a lab mix, but other than the color, I see no lab in him at all. His tongue has black on it so I imagine he has some Chow in him.

-Ben's lifetime mom

Awwww....look at Franklin.

This 9 month old boy just had his first vet visit and is doing great!

Franklin is deeply loved by his new family and loves to play with his daddy!

(Mouse over Franklin's picture to see another of him playing)

My husband and I adopted Cooper a little over five and a half years ago from your shelter.  Back then, he was just a tiny little pup, and was there with his brothers and sisters.  We never imagined we would be leaving that day with a forever friend, but when we drove home that day, our lives were forever changed.  Thank you so much for all you do, and for helping so many animals find forever homes!

Some background on the photos:  
Cooper 1: This is a younger pic of him.  

Cooper 2: This one shows off his spotted tongue.  I was so surprised when he yawned on the ride home from the shelter and saw black spots on his tongue; I thought something was wrong!  The shelter said he is a Chow-Chow/Shar Pei mix, so that explained the spots.  :)

Cooper 3: This is what he looks like now, all dressed up for Easter!

Thanks again for letting us give this guy a chance!

~Chris & Jennie

(mouse over Cooper's picture to see more)

TO THE AMAZING STAFF AT AWSOM:

2011 was a rough year: I lost my husband and both dogs.  Last February, I decided to adopt a cat, which would be company for me and my other cat, Jean-Gray.  I feel in love with Kal-El (formerly Chasz) from the moment I saw him.  He is a love bug, gentle, and great company.  He sleeps with me, sits on the tub, and follows me around the house.  Unlike his sister, Jean-Gray, he eats only cat food; no snacks for him.  About three months ago, I adopted his brother Jor-El from another shelter, who is great company for him when I go to work.  Although, they are two years apart, they get along great!  I can’t begin to thank you for all the work that you do and know that your shelter is greatly appreciated!

Kal-El’s family

(Mouse over Kal-El's picture to see another)

Bailey was adopted almost 2 years ago. She is amazing! Thank you for all the hard work you do!

- Allie

(Mouse over Bailey's picture to see another)

Just look at this happy boy. Remember Gizmo?

To the Amazing Staff at AWSOM,

I want to start off by first thanking you all for the great work you do in rescuing animals and finding them a forever home.  We are so happy to have Ty as part of our family.  He is such an amazing, lovable, playful dog I am so thankful we found him.  He is full of love and energy and has made himself right at home.  He enjoys playing catch at the doggie park (and has made lots of new friends), taking walks, and once he has burned his energy he makes himself quite comfortable on the couch :)   He recently started obedience classes and is doing very well and learning a lot.

Thank you for giving us the opportunity to make Ty a part of our family.  Please enjoy the pictures of him.

Please keep up the good work, your truly a group of special people!

Sincerely,

Ty's new family

Augie (formerly know as Diogi) has settled in real well.  He's turned out to be a great hiking companion and has been very responsive to training and learning commands.  Instead of charging over and through everything, making a mad dash for his food bowl, he has actually learned to "sit and stay" until we give him permission to come over and eat.   Progress - one step at a time - but those steps are adding up real quickly!  Thank you AWSOM for this great addition to our family.  No Christmas Cookies baked yet, but Augie got his homemade doggie biscuits made last night!

Submitted by Ann & Steve F.

I saw Reba (now Jayda) on your website when I was looking for a dog, she was so cute I drove 1.5 hours on July 4th to check her out.  I saw her right away laying down in a cage in the grass by the front door.  She was very submissive and would not come out of her cage, just layed on her back and looked up at me.  With a couple pupperoni's in hand she was willing to go for a trot, so I took a chance on her and am so happy I did.  She just turned one year and has made so much progress.  She loves people and wants to play fetch 24/7.  She is a ACD mix and has so much energy and always gets to go for a hike on the weekend.

(Mouse over Jayda's picture to see more)

I wanted to send an update on my kitten, Porter (originally Willow).  I started off as her foster mom in early September and I am proud to say that I failed miserably.  I knew very quickly that I could never let her go.  She was about 4 weeks when I first got her and was so skinny and sick and just wanted to sleep.  Now, she's a healthy, happy, three and a half month old kitten.  Constantly running and playing with other cats and dogs, she never fails to make me smile. She's my constant companion.  She sleeps with me every night under the blankets, sits on my desk (or computer) as I do homework and sits in the shower with me.  We even take trips to the bookstore together.  Every morning I am woken up with her purring in my ear, so every morning I wake up with a smile.  She truly is my angel.

I am so happy that there are places like AWSOM to take in and give all these animals a chance at a good life.  I wouldn't have my little buddy without AWSOM.  And I look forward to coming back and looking for her perfect playmate someday!

(Mouse over Porter's picture to see a few more)

We adopted Twinkie Saturday 11/24/12 and it was love at first site!!!!! We love her sooooooo much and don't know how we have ever lived without her!!!! She has truly brought joy into our life in only two days!!!! Love u Twinkie Grace!!!!!!

-Submitted by Twinkie's forever family

I adopted a yellow lab mix on July 3, 2012, and can't begin to tell you what a loving and wonderful dog I have acquired. he is also very beautiful.

His name is Ben (aka Mellow) and it seems like he has so much love to give, he just loves everyone. When I take him to Pet Smart for his weekly obedience training everyone makes a fuss over him and he just loves  every second of it.

He has destroyed many things in my home and I do get angry with him because some of them were expensive, he has also eaten many of my dinners, but we are working on all that. If I got through my stressful teenagers years, I can get through this too.

I believe with the proper training this wonderful pet would be the ideal therapy dog for children and seniors.

To sum it up, Ben is a very happy dog getting through his puppy hood, and making lots of friends along the way. I now he makes me very happy.

--- Submitted by Mary Ann T.

I decided to look on your website after sharing the story of finding my best friend (fanny who is now called LUCY). I thought this story will be a nice addition to the wonderful stories on the site. In march 2011, I was interning at the Loder home of East Stroudsburg. I was a senior and almost done with my 4 years at East Stroudsburg. One day leading up to my final days in Pennsylvania, unfortunately one of the seniors who attended the loder center, her dog tragically passed away. I looked online for nearby shelters in efforts to find her a new companion and came across AWSOM, and obviously rushed there right after work. As I was searching the shelter for a match for this elderly woman, I stumbled upon a little black lab mix puppy all alone in her cage. I fell in love immediately. I asked Bill, who was a volunteer there at the time if I could hold her. As he took her out, I couldn’t let her go. I knew I found my best friend, and I wasn’t even looking for her! I held her as I continued to browse the shelter for a puppy for my friend at the loder home. Unfortunately, I didn’t find a match. But here I was, a senior in college with a puppy I couldn’t let go of. I asked to fill out the adoption papers, not thinking I would actually qualify, and within the hour Lucy was mine! I have given Lucy the best home possible, spoiling her to death and sharing my life with her. Thank you AWSOM for giving me my best friend and partner in crime :)

PLEASE MOUSE OVER THE PICTURES ABOVE FOR MORE PICTURES OF LUCY!

Ben at 6 months old. I got him at 17 weeks and am so happy with him. He is such a gentle dog and loves people. Right now he does get himself into some mischief, which he most likely out grow. He will be starting obedience training next week. Thank you for the wonderful friend and companion.

CLICK HERE TO SEE AN ADORABLE PHOTO ALBUM OF BEN AT PLAY

My fiancé and I got Hines (Dino) about 3 months ago. He's the most docile/laid back cocker spaniel who has lost a lot of excess weight and gets along well with his feline siblings. And of course, he "suits up" in his Steelers jersey on game days.

(Mouse over the picture of Hines to see another)

Both the dog and cat in this video were adopted from AWSOM!

We are pleased to report that Chandler and Katie (Cookie) are doing well in their new homes.  We love them both!!!  Katie likes to lick grocery  bags, lounge about on her window perch, play with the laser spotter, and hang with her people.  She has a goofy, fun loving, off-beat personality.  Chandler is a bit more serious, but is very loving.  He seems to regard his new 'sister' as a bit of a fool.  Unfortunately, Chandy has been diagnosed with a common cat oral disease, Stomatitis.  We've been working with his vet at Creature Comforts to get him in good shape.  Regardless of his dental problems, he's put on a few pounds, and likes to sleep in bed, play with his special red toy mouse, and relax on the necks (!) of his peoples. Both cats are very happy and so are we!  I always tell them that we went to "AWSOM and got some awesome cats!!!"

Thanks AWSOM!!!!

Maria & Raymond

(Please mouse over the picture to see Katie)

I just wanted to thank you so much for such a wonderful experience at your shelter yesterday. We are the two guys who adopted Thor and Mystique (well those are the names we gave them..). We were there well past closing and we never felt rushed. The gentleman and lady who seemed to run the front office, I am so sorry I dont know their names, but I do think one of them was Kelly..were so beyond nice. They honestly seemed to care about every single animal in that shelter. They were kind, helpful and informative. Betty, the volunteer could not have been nicer. Our decision to adopt both dogs was hard, as we could not decide between the two, therefore we took them both. 

Thank you A.W.S.O.M! We adopted 18 yr Talli the cat on Saturday and she is now known as "Tillie". She walked out of the carrier and into our home, but more importantly into our heart. She is an old girl but full of life and personality! She is a hoot and LOVES, LOVES LOVES!!! attention and pets to her face and back. She is a blessing to us and I encourage anyone looking for a cat or dog to consider the older seniors. They need love and attention as well. She will live her 'retirement' years with my elderly Mom spoiling her and keeping her happy. Tillie will give the same to my Mom in return, she already started from the minute she arrived. Thank you again for all you do to save the animals. What what we do without such loving people in this world!

Jane. Now Mitzy Jane in her new home

Thought you would enjoy picture ;)

So far so good... Hank is fitting right in after his new big brother Moose let him know who was in charge :) he is learning something new every day from Moose; sit, come, we're working on stay and no accidents in the house, he goes to the door when he has to go out.  He has been out the woods for a walk every night since we got him. Thanks so much to you all at AWSOM for what you do!  I'll keep you posted on his progress.

Ps, I saw on the site Dolly was adopted too, great news!  I had anxiety that she must be missing him...

Thanks again,

Joe & Lori A.

Our handsome boy Max found his new Mommy today!

Just wanted to update everyone on BOSCO!!!  He is doing great and we love our new boy!!!  Thank you for a great pet and family member!! Sorry this took so long to finally get a photo!!!!

Yoda, now Brodie, is right at home on his new couch! Yay Brodie!!!

Remember our girl Raven? She is happy, loved and spoiled rotten! (Mouse over the image to see more pictures of this little lady)

Look at sweet boy DiCaprio going home with his forever family! They already love him to pieces!