Celebrating American Heroes, DHA's 21st Annual Walk for the Animals, took place on Sunday, October 2, 2011 at Banning Park in Wilmington, DE and the festivities carried on in spite of the rain. It was great to see so many smiling (and furry!) faces turn out to support the animals at Delaware Humane Association, and we hope everyone had a great time! Thank you to our staff and volunteers for all your hard work and enthusiasm, and to our sponsors and vendors for making this a fun event for the 400+ participants. We would also like to congratulate and thank our top fundraisers for the Walk. We appreciate your support!

We adopted our dog Riley (or as you know him Fred) as a puppy on Mothers Day 2011.  Our adoption experience went smoothly and was very informative. Riley was 2 months old when we got him.  He has been the PERFECT addition to our family. 

My husband wanted a running partner and I wanted a cuddle partner, and he is both.  He is the sweetest, loves everyone he meets!  He is now coming up on being 6 months old and he can sit, shake, lay down, roll over, stay when told, leave and take things when told, is bell trained to go outside, and walks  mostly politely on a leash.  We have 2 young daughters and he is perfect with them.  He even takes commands from them, and is quick to check on them to make sure they are ok when they cry. 

We love Riley so much and are so happy he is part of our family!

Lori

Frisky, a 15 pound Torby (a mixture of Tortoiseshell and Brown Tabby) with a white smudge on her nose, white paws, and pretty green eyes, was born in June 1995. She came to the DHA as an owner surrender in early 2004 when she was about 8 years old, with a middle-grade heart murmur.

Frisky was adopted and returned several times through the middle of 2008, including being abandoned by one adopter and reclaimed by DHA thanks to her microchip and the Delaware SPCA. Over the next three years, she spent various amounts of time in several different DHA foster homes to give her a break from shelter life while she waited patiently to find an adopter who would give her a true "forever home", but all in all she lived at DHA for over 1,300 days. Over the years, staff and volunteers at DHA became very fond of Frisky.

Sadly, she passed away on the morning of August 13, 2011,  just a few months past her 16th birthday. We are consoled by the fact that she spent the last few weeks of her life in hospice care with a DHA foster parent, who made her last days ones full of love, peace, and comfort. Her foster parent shared, "Frisky died lying in her favorite spot, the sun shining on her body, the birds singing their song as she was surrounded by love."

Nathan is an older cat who came to us with a chronic respiratory condition that causes watery eyes and occasional flare ups. We placed him in a DHA foster home so he could get the extra care he needed while waiting to be adopted. As it turns out, his foster mom fell in love with him, and his foster home became a forever home.

"Nathan is doing quite well. He's walking around acting like he owns the place...just like his 4 brothers :) He's not the biggest fan of his newly acquired siblings, but they seem to understand this and they leave him alone; when he gets sick of them he simply goes to another room to be alone. He's the sweetest boy, and he loves to cuddle with me and be around people. He follows me around like a little puppy, and when I say "It's bedtime, Nathan, let's go!" he runs to the bedroom ahead of me, looking back at me to make sure I'm following him, and then he settles onto the bed right next to my head. When I call him for his medicine, he goes right to the kitchen and takes it like a trooper...mostly because he gets treats afterward, and he looooves his treats :) His symptoms are better now that he's on some good meds, and he'll be having dental surgery in March. He's a bit of a mess, but he's MY mess, and I'm fixing him right up. We adore each other, so it was the perfect match!" — Nikki, March 2010

These fantastic photos, taken by Katie Faulkner of FurrButts Photography in March 2011, really bring out the green in his eyes and capture his purr-sonality. As you can see, Nathan is still doing great in his new home, and we couldn't be happier. Great job, Nikki!

Lily (calico, formerly known as Janie) and Belle (tortoiseshell, formerly known as Sheeba) are doing very well! They've adjusted to their new home and are even taking naps together in the sun. They play a lot, which was a surprise to me, and are both very good with the children we've had as visitors. I took them to my vet and they both got clean bills of health; in fact, he suggested taking Lily off of her medicine and monitoring her to try to get a better sense of what might be causing her congestion—so far (it's been about a week), she's doing fine. I've attached some pictures for you (the counter is at the vet's not in my kitchen!). Many thanks, again, for bringing us together!  – Cheryl

Danny came to DHA as a young kitten with his sister Julia after they were found as strays. After being adopted and returned due to allergies about a year later, he was adopted again in late October 2010.

Danny (we often call him Danny Boy) is adjusting to his new home. It is hard to believe that he has not lived with us since he was a kitten. He was very nervous the first day. After that, it was like he was an instant member of our family. He discovers new spots to curl up in and finds new spots for watching birds every day. He loved Christmas – the tree, the presents, the ribbons and all the little decorations made great toys. He spends his days curled up in in a cozy chair or his favorite sink bowl. He spends his nights going from bed to bed, spreading the love. As soon as he hears me creeping out of bed in the morning he comes running and follows me around like a puppy until we walk out the door. We are so lucky to have such a sweet kitty in our lives. It was just what we needed!!! Many thanks for helping us make the right pick for our family.

Best Wishes,

Stacey

Hello and Happy New Year! It seems the days have flown by with the holidays coming and going with a blink of an eye.  Munchkin (formerly known as Gemma at DHA) has made herself a member of our family very quickly. She is feisty but loves to cuddle and is so affectionate.

Bingo, who we adopted last year, is adjusting and although  wary of the puppy's energy level, has stepped it up and is more active than he was before. We are working on his weight management so this is good! Munchkin loves to eat everything she finds. Her puppy habits are new to us and we are working on teaching her good habits. Bingo was older when we adopted him and came trained! She is smart and learning fast!

We are so happy to have her in our home. Both Bingo and Munchkin have given us so much happiness and have been great additions to our family. Thank you for all you do to help all the wonderful animals that come through the Delaware Humane Association.  We would never consider any alternative other than a rescue!   – Kathy

Winkie came to DHA in early November 2010, when he was approximately two years old. He arrived from another shelter, where he ended up after being found as a stray. However, this cute, playful little guy didn't have to wait long to find a wonderful new home!

I wanted to thank you for taking good care of me before I went to my new home last November.I have three brothers, Goober, Poo, and Fat Albert (he is a cat). I love to sleep on the big bed and snuggle with my new parents. I was given my own Christmas gift and have a big fenced in yard to play in. Attached is a picture of me on Christmas night with my new toy.

I am a Delaware Humane Association success story!

Winkie

Porkchop, who was adopted from DHA in March 2010, is a finalist in the Shelter Fan Photo Contest! This shy guy has come out of his shell in his new home and now he's really rolling in clover! Please vote for him every day through October 18th. If he wins the Grand Prize, DHA will receive a $2,000 grant from The Animal Rescue Site

Click Porkchop's photo below to view his entry and vote, and please pass the word around! While you're over on The Animal Rescue Site, please also vote for DHA in the Holiday Shelter Challenge.  

Porkchop, a male Border Collie/Australian Shepherd mix, was born in May 2009 and came to DHA when he was around eight months old after his person moved to an apartment that did not allow pets. Porkchop was very shy with strangers, and needed a home with a patient person who would give him time to learn to be trusting of people and come his shell. He found just such a home about a month later and we're happy to report that he's doing great!

To see the photo captions, just view the slideshow in fullscreen mode and click the Show Info link, or view it on Flickr.