These are letters & photos from some of our rescued dogs and their new homes:

From Sergeant's New Family
Hi There!!!


It's me Sergeant!!! I'm pictured here with my two new sisters. Babe is in the middle and Buffy is on the other end. I really got my sergeant stripes... my human dad gave me his own real ones right from the army, so now I'm official. Life here is great, I have a whole new family to play with, and a yard to run in. Thanks everybody for helping me find my new home.. you guys are the best!

Love,
Sergeant

PS From Sergeant's mom - he's a happy addition to the family, loving sweet, and full of energy - We fell in love with him the moment we saw him - Thank you so much

From Tom and Debbie
To Our Friends at German Shepherd Rescue,
We just wanted to let you know that Abby(Alice-A) and Teddy(Tribal) are doing quite well. They love each other and love to play together alot. Tribal is adjusting very well to our two cats. These two dogs were definitly sent from heaven. They are great in the house. We can't say enough about them. We would just like to say Thank-you again.

From Beth
Caesar is doing terrific in his new home with his new pals Cleopatra (mix) Buck (Beagle) and Cain (Greyhound). He is very smart and a quick study! In over two weeks, we have only had one "accident" in the house which is fabulous for a brand new member of our family. He has not been crated at all, so this is particularly incredible! His skin allergy is totally under control, and he seems very comfortable with his yard and home and people and dogs. He is lounging on my office floor right next to me at this moment! He is such a loving and playful dog. We are thrilled to have him as part of our family. Caesar and Cleopatra have become even closer "pals" since my last update. This is great since Buck and Cain have always been such big pals. We're glad Cleo has a really close buddy now in Caesar. Caesar is just as beautiful on the inside as he is on the outside! His favorite yard toy is the Jollyball and his favorite inside toys are the kind that squeak.

From Ellen
We feel so lucky to have two wonderful dogs from German Shepherd Rescue. We have had Heidi (4) almost a year now and Refund (5 ½) almost 6 months. Heidi continues to be very loyal and obedient. Although initially very shy, she continues to gain confidence and is very comfortable with our three young children and all their friends. Also, Heidi has adjusted well to Refund. She is most interested in pleasing us and strengthening the bind with our family. Refund has been a welcome addition to our home especially once he learned some of our house rules. (No sleeping on the bed or couch and no stealing food from the kids!) Heidi actually helped in the training process by blocking the couch, although I think the rules might change when we are away. We are working on Refund’s confidence with men and strangers. We also continue to monitor his ear infection problems. His favorite love is his tennis ball and earning treats. As I train for the Avon Breast Cancer Three Day Walk in June, 2002, Heidi and Refund serve as my companions and guardians walking on the Fox River trails. We could not say the word, "Family" without including them. Thank you, German Shepherd Rescue.

From Suzanne
Tasha is the love of our lives. She is funny, playful, and has developed the game of "kitchen soccer" when I'm cooking. She bounces a tennis ball in the kitchen and waits "defensively" for me to kick it back to her.

From Craig
Sheema, who was our beloved German Shepherd, had to be put to sleep back in December 2001. This was very hard on us and I thank all of you for your support and the friendship that you have all shown us. Sheema will never be replaced, but I cannot thank you enough with helping us find a new member to our family, Shotsy, who has bonded with us very well I could not have asked for a better friend. Again, I want to say Thank you so very much. I will help spread the word about GSR and others like Orphans of the Storm I think it is man's responsibility to help all of God's creatures.

From Karen
Gretchen and Barron have settled in quite nicely in their new home and they are sporting healthy appetites! We entertained quite a bit over the Christmas and New Year holidays and everyone commented on what good, well-behaved dogs they are. Of course, they did not see them in action when the squirrels cross their paths! All training is forgotten during those moments. I just wanted to let you know we are doing fine. Fred and I are thoroughly enjoying our new family members.

From Paul
Kaiser is doing very well and is getting along great with my other dogs and the cats. He really loves to go for rides in the truck and has lots of fun on the farm.

From Annette
I would like to thank Mary Jane and German Shepherd Rescue for bringing me together with Ceasar. He is the BEST friend I could ever have. He is a perfectly mannered gentleman and brings joy to my life everyday. Ceasar’s favorite things are swimming and fetching. He has the best of both worlds when I throw his ball into the lake and he can retrieve it. He dives in off the pier, actually goes under water, to swim laps with me. My husband and I love him dearly, and we couldn't ask for a more sweet and devoted boy.

From Keith
Hi, it's been awhile since I updated you on Mactavich (Mac). He is doing incredible well - his hip so far after almost two years is like new - you would never know. Dr. Hammer did a GREAT JOB! Mac is healthy, playful and a big LOVE!! He has become so incredibly affectionate to us, the neighbors and his buddy, Henry. Mac is about 110-115 pounds and in GREAT SHAPE. Watching him run around the yard is a beautiful sight. Henry is the neighbor dog - and at first we were scared to death to put them together. They adopted Henry also from a rescue group so they had no history. When the dogs would get close (on leashes) you would swear that they were going to kill each other, teeth-growls, the works. After month of that I finally decided as neighbors we have to let them work it out. We figured they would either fight or become buddies and we had to find out. We let them go and for 5-10 minutes it was up for grabs - but they had to test each other out. After that - BEST FRIENDS. Now all Mac has to do is hear their door latch open and h e is at the door barking to go see Henry. We even have sleep overs now where Henry comes over and actually shares a bed with Mac. They share bones, toys, etc. It is adorable to see. It has helped Mac become more social to other dogs. WE LOVE OUR MAC!

From Steve
Buddy I is doing great. In May we entered a walk-a-thon to raise money for P.A.W.S Animal Shelter. We raised $200 to help future dogs and cats find good homes. Thanks again to German Shepherd Rescue, Marianne, Marcy & Stephanie for my new BEST FRIEND, "BUDDY"!

From Tim
Daisy is doing great. We have been enjoying her very much. We have been able to break her of many bad habits and teach her good ones. She also graduated from a beginner's course in dog obedience. Daisy-01 impressed the instructor so much, she thought we could eventually go into obedience competition and talked me into signing up Daisy for the next class, the pre-novice class. I've also thought about taking her through agility just for fun. She seems to have no lasting fear of anything and often jumps onto, into, or over many things. As far as her health, she is also doing fine. She has maintained her weight well and may have even added a needed pound. She has been a lot of fun and a lot of laughs. We truly enjoy having her around and enjoy seeing the progress she makes every month in becoming a successful part of our family.

From Sandra
Gretchen is very intelligent and loves to play. She has a great deal of energy so I make sure she gets plenty of exercise each day, AM & PM. We chase balls, sticks, Kongs, soft Frisbees and a soccer ball. She has taught Cody (Brody) to play also and he is enjoying himself as he copies her activities. He's bouncing around like a pup. Roger has really taken to Gretchen 2. She cozies up to him every evening. Her coat is looking much better and she has gained a few needed pounds. Cody of course is my pal. He goes everywhere with me. Cody has been diagnosed with discoid lupus erythematosis. He is being treated with niacinamide and tetracycline. He's not bad now and I don't want to see it worsen. He will probably need this treatment for the rest of his life. Gretchen appears healthy and happy. We're training her to stop nipping and are making good progress on that. Both Cody & Gretchen are a joy to have around. We're all having a great time!!