Dear Denver Dumb Friends League,

In June of 2002, I adopted ‘Guido’ from your Quebec Street location.  At the time, he was a 37 lb 6 mos old ‘German Shephard/Lab’ mix whose last owners brought him back after he was too much too take care of.   The front desk clerk warned me that ‘Guido’ was terrified of cars and got extremely car sick.

‘Guido’ was renamed ‘Freedom’ and 6 ½ years later is now an 80 lb, car loving, tail-wagging, squirrel chasing, healthy dog.  We relocated to Gardiner, MT, on the boundary of Yellowstone National Park, several years ago and now have hundreds of acres of Forest Service land around us to play in.  At our house, he has his own personal doggie door, a deck to sun himself on, and a little fenced in yard.  Freedom now craves to go anywhere with us in the car, because now he knows there’s a good chance the car might take us to our favorite play spot.  When we take the five minute drive to this spot in the mountains, Freedom runs as hard as he can, chases a few pick up trucks as they are hauling firewood away, splashes in the streams, rolls in the dirt (in that order) and barks at as many squirrels as possible.  If dogs can smile, Freedom has the biggest grin a dog could have. 

I’m sure all dog owners think their dog is the best, but Freedom to us, is sincerely the best dog in the world.  He is extremely smart and even when he is off leash with a million distractions around him, he instantly stops when asked to.  He always waits around a corner and looks back to make sure we are close behind him.  Even though he may look like a mean, tough Rottweiler (aka Shephard/Lab), he is the sweetest dog who just wants to be loved.  His favorite word is ‘walk’ and his favorite toy is a beat up, stuffed cow that used to ‘moo.’  We really try on a daily basis to make his life as happy as possible, because that is what he does for us.

I recently married a wonderful man near our favorite play spot in the mountains.  When Bill first asked me out two years ago, he left a note on my doorstep addressed to Freedom.  In the letter, he invited Freedom to a trail near the Yellowstone River and that his owner should come along also.  Freedom waits by our door every day now for Bill to come home after work.  On August 2, 2008, Freedom, with his bow tie on, stood next to Bill and I, as we said our wedding vows.

I know you probably get a lot of letters so this one may be no different than the rest.  But we really want to say thank you first and foremost for keeping Freedom for almost two months after his first owners returned him.  There are a lot of shelters out there who just aren’t able to do that.  Freedom is part of our family and always will be.

Sincerely,
Heather Campagna Kisthart and Bill Kisthart

Dear Dumb Friends League,
My sister and I stopped into the shelter in February and fell in love with my then 10-month old doggy, then named Sarah, from the moment I approached her cage and she started bouncing around all over the place.  We took her home that day and she has been a perfect addition to the family.  She's the most loving dog I've ever seen and she loves attention.  I wonder if she didn't get held much as a puppy because anytime she sees someone sitting down, she goes and climbs onto the person's lap!  She also loves to be carried like a baby, despite her being far larger than one.  She'll always be mine and my family's baby!  She was very easy to potty train and is great about letting me know when she wants out.  Every morning at, or just around, 6AM, she hops onto my bed to stomp on my face!  I ask her if she wants to go outside and she bolts to the door.  Because of all of her crazy cuteness, I ended up changing her name to Saraw, so it's like Sarah + awww (like cute).  Her middle name is also Palin.  Saraw's been the perfect doggy for us:  she's cute, she's loving, she loves to play, and she's easy to train.  We all love our big baby Saraw Palin! Thank You,
Mike Cooper

Hi there,
I adopted honey at the Dumb Friends League almost a year ago. At the time Honey was a three year old female shepherd lab mix. She had been abused and was very shy, and did not like to be around other male or female people. I took one look at her and realized that I needed her as much as she needed me. I spent two hours in one of the adoption rooms sitting on the floor, petting her, loving her and pulling her closer to me. At first, she did not want anything to do with me or anyone else. After two hours, she "let me" pet her. She never growled or seemed bothered, but she really could have cared less if I was there or not.

After taking her home, she hardly ate anything. She was scared of me and everything around her. She had a few problems adjusting. She tore some blinds off my windows, Urinated on my carpet many times over. I ended up buying a carpet shampooer.

I took good loving care of her. I took time off work to be her friend and make her my partner and part of my family.

Now almost a year later, we are hardly away from each other, except for the time that I am at work. If I would take her to work with me I would. She is very loving, very well behaved, and knows some tricks. I believe that she has had some kind of law enforcement training considering some of the ways that she does some things. She does not like gun fire of any kind or 4th of July celebrations. She is a very quiet and loving companion that I am very proud to have her as my family member.

Sincerely,
Ron
Happy Dad

Last February, my husband and I were planning on adopting a little sister for our Brussels Griffon, Harvey.  Harvey was a grumpy 5-year-old that we had rescued the year before, and he spent most of his time sleeping and looking at us funny when we tried to play with him.  We thought a companion might bring him out of his shell.

I went to the DFL website everyday for almost threeweeks and looked at pictures, but we had our hearts set on a small, female dog- and those dogs seemed to be adopted as soon as they were posted. I did come to notice, however, that one dog’s picture was never taken down.  She was a 2-year-old terrier named Eileen, and she only had one eye.  She had been hit by a car and was brought to the shelter after her eye and hip had been removed.  Each day I visited the site I’d hoped she had found a good home- and each day her picture was still there.

We decided to go to the shelter one day after work, and I was secretly hoping I wouldn’t see Eileen.  When we got there, however, Eileen was in her pen, wagging her tail and jumping.  I knelt down in front of her pen, looked into her sweet face, and she licked the glass.  I knew she had to come home with us.

Eileen has been one of the greatest additions to our family.  She is so sweet and lovable, and never seems to run out of kisses. She burrows under the covers with us every night, and she sometimes gets so excited to see us that she chases her tiny tail.  Not only that, but she has brought out a side in Harvey we never thought existed.  These two dogs play and run together, and Harvey follows her everywhere. Neither will go to sleep unless the other is near, and they insist on sleeping in the same bed (even though it’s a tight fit).

I often say that Eileen was waiting for us to come get her, and that her picture stayed on the site for so long because she was meant to be a part of our family. I awake every single day to a kiss and a thumping little tail, and am so grateful to have found her.

Thank you for keeping her safe so that we could bring her home.
Jessica

To the Dumb Friends League family,
Earlier this year in February, my daughter, husband and I were ready to visit the shelter to see if we could find a new addition to our family. We have been aching for a dog for years! While walking around all the kennels a beautiful little cocker spaniel jumped up against the window and stared at us as we walked by. My husband knew immediately this was our dog.

Teddy was a 3 year old purebred American Cocker Spaniel and is now the sweetest, happiest, most spoiled dog you will ever meet. I am not sure why his family gave him away, but secretly I am ecstatic they did because he is truly our best friend.

Although he is supposed to sleep on his doggy bed which is right next to our bed, he always manages to sneak onto our bed after he is sure we are fast asleep. He is very very clever, and who can say no to such a face? Thank you so much for the opportunity you have given this family.  Teddy has been renamed Banksy, and is quite possibly the world’s most perfect dog.