This page is devoted to the stories of the animals and the people who have passed through the shelter. We love hearing how our animals have enriched your lives. If you have a shelter story you'd like to share, please e-mail us at vol4animals@yahoo.com

Hi. My family and I just wanted to give you an update on a little scrawny kitten that we adopted from you a few months back. Orbit (previously Xerox) whom is approx. 5 months old now, hasn’t stopped munching down on his kitten chow, and has now exceeded the size of our 10 year old Bengal cat! He has come around very well with being afraid of people & now sleeps on my head every night & plays with my children without running away. He is such a pleasure to have in our family, and we just wanted to thank you for him!

Sincerely, Melanie

When you adopt a shelter pet you help to save two lives:
the one you bring home and the one who takes its place.

Hello all!

I wanted to send over some pictures (attached) and an email and let you know how "No Nah", the white Alaskan Husky Mix has come along. 

First of all, let me say that I cannot thank you enough.  I feel the level of care provided to her at your facility was exceptional.  She is in great health and is such a wonderful dog.  I feel that your staff genuinely cared about her and she wasn't just another number to you.  I will always hold you high in respect and recommend you to other people looking to adopt/rescue an animal.

No Nah has been renamed to Persephone (Per-Seff-Oh-Knee).  Since Persephone has come home, she has been such a wonderful addition to the family.  She gets along great with my hyper and headstrong 2yr old Terrier Mix.  She is so calm and gentle, and just an absolute SWEETHEART!  She is fully housebroken and walks GREAT on the leash. She is my daily walking buddy (several daily walks, actually... she's spoiled!).  She's just SO HAPPY to be home, and she adjusted so quickly.  It's funny how that sweet thing's puppy side comes out when she plays games like "steal Daddy's socks", or gives me that look like "just wait until you're not looking at me Daddy!".

Once again, I can't thank you enough for the exceptional care you provided for Persephone before her journey to her new home with Daddy.  I wish you the warmest blessings and pray that peace be with you all.

Wishing you a happy and healthy New Year, Nick

Good Morning, Wendy-

I called Petco and asked them all of my questions; which he was able to answer and confirmed that Big Man was still available for adoption. He also was able to transfer me to a volunteer that took my information over the phone, along with approving my application. So, I immediately made the trip out to Petco.

I have to tell you how *Tremendously* loving and affectionate he is. From the moment we took him out of the carrier, he began purring, rubbing against me and laying on his back to have his tummy rubbed. So, he is doing *absolutely* wonderful today.

I cannot thank your agency enough for making the adoption process so quick and easy, not to mention letting me bring him home the same day. I assure you that we his in a loving home and that he will be well taken care of and cherished.

I truly appreciate everything and I am beyond grateful to you. So, thanks again!

-Lisa

Hi,

I just adopted an orange kitten on Christmas eve. I was asked to update you all so I wanted to let you know how he's doing so far.

He's a very happy boy! I renamed him Henry. He loves his new doggy siblings. He was found cuddling with one of my rabbits after the rabbit escaped his cage, so he has lots of friends.

He went to the vet and they agreed with the upper respiratory infection and told me to continue the antibiotic you have me. I got more drops for the ear mites and am continuing the lysine. They also agreed with the herpes virus in the eye and said the lysine would help that.

Thank you so much for my new friend and cuddle-monkey!! Hope is brother and sister find great homes!

Kelly

To the wonderful people at Volunteers for Animals. On 7/5/09 we adopted a cat from you at Petco. Her name was Jenny now Jenna, she is a Tortoiseshell Mane coon. Jenna has become a wonderful addition to our family and we love her very much. Thank you for introducing us.

Best wishes, The Popham family

Hi all!

Here I am finally able to enjoy some snow!! I just love to run, hop & leap through the snow.

In my picture, I am in position ready to chase my much loved and prized ball!! I don’t care how cold it is. My human family dresses for the weather & comes out to do a round of ball with me! One of my collie brothers joins in for a bit and tries to “herd” me when I run to catch the ball.

No matter what the season, I just love my home, my family (humans & canines) and life in general!

I couldn’t ask for more, and I will always have all of you at VFA to thank for that!

Caesar

This is just a short note to let you know about one of your success stories.  We adopted a Shepard/husky mix in September of 2010.  Her name was Diamond.  She lived at the Shelter for about 7 weeks.  She was about 8 months old and more than a little rough.  After living with her for a while we feel that she was left outside most of the time and mostly ignored.  Not abused, just ignored.  She also was not schooled at all. We figure we were her 4th home in her short 8 month life. We really liked her friendliness and felt that she really was a sweet dog.  Unfortunately she had 3 almost fatal problems.  The worst was her fear of being left alone.  Any time she was left alone she got so agitated she peed on the rug.  If we crated her she pooped in the cage and you can imagine what a mess that was.  Second, she manifests mostly husky behavior and she certainly liked to nip at whomever she was playing with, be it other dogs or people.  And finally, we could barely take her out for a walk because anytime she even saw another dog she lunged and went nuts.  In desperation we consulted with out vet who told us that if we could raise children, we could certainly raise a dog.  She suggested a prong collar which would afford us much greater control during a walk and obedience school.  Both wonderful suggestions.  Diamond is now called Cleo and she finished 3rd in her obedience class.  She is one smart puppy, just not always compliant.  She learned to sit at a perfect heel in about 2 minutes.  She still has  trouble though sitting in her bed and waiting for me to fix her meals.  She learns what she wants to learn exceptionally fast.  But I must tell you the best thing was our investment in an e-collar.  Two little jolts taught her that come means come. Now, we can let her be free and now she can run enough to tire herself out like a dog should be able to do.  We took her out to Oak Orchard one day last winter and Cleo was the happiest dog in the entire universe.  I don't think she had ever been allowed to run and run and run like that before.  Now, after a year and a bit, she realizes that we will come home again when we leave her.  Of course, she always looks forward to her bribe when we leave.  She now walks like a little angel most of the time and will even heel without a leash, well most of the time anyway.  We are still working on doing that with distractions.  And one 5 minute session in the backyard almost completely cured her of her nipping tendencies or at least taught her that "no bite" really means no bite.  My husband is thrilled with her because she will track game in the woods.  And she is certainly not gun shy.  I believe that she is much happier now that she feels secure in her home and understands the rules.  And we are pretty happy with the dog she is evolving into, a nice, well mannered playful dog.  Personally I thank you for being there and taking care of the animals until they can find a good home.  If any of the volunteers remember Diamond, tell them that she seems pretty happy now and has turned into a good mostly obedient dog.

Ellen

Hi Wendy,

I just wanted to send you an update on Ashton- now known as Stewart in our house!  He is making himself quite at home- we ended up taking him to our vet last weekend because he was still sneezing green snot everywhere after the 10 day antibiotic but he was seeming to be feeling better.  They gave us a different antibiotic to try and now he is doing quite well.  We were also surprised that the vet thought he was about 5 or 6 years old.  He has become much more active around the house but still likes a comfy lap to snuggle up on also.  He is great with the kids and has never tried to scratch or bite them- he is fun to watch and loves to play but, like I said, he also loves a good cuddle.  Thank you for helping us find a new kitty for our family!

Heather

Hi Shanna,

Everything has been going great with Cali. If I could only get her to stop chewing on the toilet paper she would be perfect. She and our other cat finally clicked, and they have been playing with each other all the time. When we return from work, we find them cuddled on the bed together. Cali's new favorite spot has become her cat bed in front of the living room window. A few months ago, I went to take a shower, and Cali jumped into the tub with me! She doesn't get into the tub anymore, but she does like sitting in between the shower curtains anytime someone takes a shower. After you get out, she hops in the tub, and plays with the water coming down the walls. My parents spoiled the cats at Christmas, and they've both been going crazy with the cat nip. A friend of mine got a new camera lens for Christmas, and she tested it out on Cali.

Here's a few of the pictures she took. Cali seemed kind of mesmerised by the camera.

Jill

Hello, we recently adopted Bella from you and I just wanted to send you an update on her. She has fit in very well with our family and is doing great. We have not noticed any problems with her separation anxiety issues that she had previously . She loves to sit on our laps and sleep in our bed with us at night. She loves car rides and playing outside. I can't thank you enough for letting us adopt her. Thank you Kevin

It's been almost 2 years since I adopted Jack from VFA and he is the best dog I could have ever hoped for! Here he is after a walk in the fresh snow, his favorite!

Lori

HANDS HELPING PAWS

Volunteers For Animals would like to take a moment to thank the many people in the community that help us find homes for the many cats and dogs that find their way into the Genesee County Animal Shelter. Without their kindness and support, our job would be more difficult.

The Daily News frequently prints "Post for the Paws" in the Saturday edition of the paper. It is always a large colorful ad that features a cat and a dog.

WBTA Radio regularly announces our events and special requests on the air and on their website as a community service.

The Genesee Valley Penny Saver has an "Adopt A Pet" page on their website and print page where we feature a cat or dog available for adoption.

Volunteers For Animals is now on Facebook. Come join us and help spread the word about getting shelter animals into great homes. We are just getting started and we need lots of friends!

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