Even More Happy Tails

from BARC adopters...

Some BARC animals spend months or even years at the shelter because they are shy, feisty or just seem to get overlooked. Yet they often make excellent pets when given a chance to thrive in a loving home.
Dear BARC - We wanted to thank you for connecting us with a wonderful cat. We adopted Bessie (aka Swat) about 10 months ago. She was a little shy and defensive at first, but she has since become a loving, affectionate pet. We were a little concerned when we adopted her, since she was about 7 years old and had been at the shelter for over 4 years. We weren't sure she'd ever really open up and let her guard down, but within a week she was completely at home. It's a true testament to how well you care for your animals that she could be so sweet and friendly after such a long time. Bessie loves food and sleep more than anything, but she also loves meeting new people (except the cable guy, for some reason). She spends a lot of time on Daddy's chest or on Mommy's lap. She takes excellent care of her family. We really love her and are truly blessed that she's come into our lives. Thank you so much, for bringing Bessie to us. - Maggie and David

Once upon a time there was a cute little fluff ball of a puppy. She must have been sweet and loving. But the people who took her home were neither. They hurt her and starved her and then abandoned her in the deep cold of December. For so many little ones this would be the end, but then the people of BARC Shelter found our poor starving little one whose bones showed more than skin and who was so sick that most would have given up hope. At BARC shelter they showed her that not all people are hurtful and unkind. They gave her hope and love along with much needed care.

Then, they allowed me to adopt her. After several visits to our Veterinarian, lots of love, patience and good food… our little Daisy (a.k.a. Sofi) has grown into a strong little girl dog who runs around the yard with great vigor and a smile on her face. She is affectionate, sweet, and loving. She is gaining confidence with strangers and is a major attraction when we walk at the park. She is dog friendly, child friendly, and loves to meet anyone who will take the time to say hello. She has come such a long way and has become part of our family. She had two little Miniature Poodle brothers who are much older than her and taught her many things. Then the older little Poodle, who has had cancer for several years, died suddenly. It was a tragic loss, but the sweet innocence and endless playfulness, of our little girl dog has helped us all to cope. She was there for hugs when I was so sad, and she stayed close to her other little brother Poodle in support. Our grief will be with us for some time, but to have this little love here to show us how wonderful life is, helps all of us.

Thank you BARCr for being there to reach out to those who desperately need a helping hand. You have saved so many lives, and I am not just speaking of all the little furry and feathered ones either. I fell in love with my little one after seeing a photo of her little face when a volunteer was walking her. I just had to adopt her and give her the love she needed. And, who could have known that she would return that favor with interest just when I needed her most. -- Nikki
PS - to see more of Daisy and her adventures, visit: her Flickr page.

Hi BARC! My husband and I adopted Pamina (formerly Margie) in early
2008. We both missed having pets in our lives and decided to volunteer in the cat loft to get some (hopefully mutually beneficial) feline companionship. We weren't planning to adopt right then,
but the first day we went, Pamina totally ensnared us. She kept chatting with us and poking her little paw out of the bars of the cage to touch us--we took her home that night. She's been the gem of our little family even since. After treating her bartonella (many thanks to Dr. Felton) she's been the picture of health (well, maybe a tad plump). Today, Pamina is very energetic, smart, playful, and happy in her new home. We recently got her a little sister to play with, and the two of them love rolling in catnip, grooming one another, chasing each other (and us) around the apartment, playing hide and seek, fetching their toy mice, and cuddling with each other and their humans. Thanks for saving our little friend so she could become a part of our lives! - Michelle

I adopted Mathilda (aka Melanie) from BARC Shelter in April 2004. She started out very uncertain, shy and reserved and it took about 6 months to get her settled.
Now that she feels safe and secure in her home, she has turned into the most loving and well-behaved dogs I have ever met. She is my best friend and a wonderful companion and she gets spoiled rotten. Her favorite toy is an Eeyore doll which she sleeps with every night, in her decked out red velvet bed. I am so grateful to the BARC Shelter for bringing Mathilda and I together. Thank you so much! You've changed our lives for the better. -- Best, Howard & Mathilda

My boyfriend and I are so thankful to all the people at BARC for our lovely kitty Motoquinha (know as Bear at BARC). His name means little motorcycle in Portuguese and he lives up to it! He runs around the apartment chasing feather toys and doing flips in the air and running after the balls we throw. He even brings them back to us, when he feels like it ... he's still a cat. He follows my boyfriend and I from room to room and always greets us at the door when we come home wanting to he held and talking to us to tell us about his day. We got a cat thinking that we would be able to leave it at home when we went away for weekends, but we always find ourselves bringing Motoquinha because he just loves exploring new places and we can't bear to be without him. You guys must have taken amazing care of him as he has always been so people friendly, not even hiding for a minute when we took him home, he just popped out of the box and explored his new home. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. Our kitty brings us so much love, laughter, and happiness! -- Christy and Arthur

Dear BARC: Just want to thank you for our two furry family members, Blondie and Jammie. We adopted them about two years ago.

They had been at BARC for TWO YEARS before we adopted them, but immediately fit into our household, fully housetrained, quiet, and well behaved. We are so grateful that you run a no-kill shelter or otherwise they would not have survived - from what we were told when we adopted, they were both in terrible shape when they were first placed at BARC, but you nursed them back to health.

Jammie has since gone blind, but still moves around the apartment well and looks forward to his walks - he has memorized the path around our neighborhood, and it is amazing to see how well he moves. Blondie is getting older, but still has the energy of a puppy and is extremely affectionate - she follows us from room to room, and is sweet and loving.

Thanks once again for bringing this pair into our lives. We would love for people to know that long-term placement at BARC does not mean that animals will not adapt well to home life!-- David G. & Andrew D.

Dear Barc Staff-- Just wanted to send a little update on Mr. Serg. It has been about 3 months, and Sergio has adjusted wonderfully to his new home. He follows me wherever I go, and hunts for items of mine to sleep with while I'm gone. One day I came home to find a pair of my underwear in his bed with him, he had gone through my laundry and brought out the underwear to sleep on. We called him "panty raider" for a while after that. I ended up giving him an old shirt of mine to avoid further panty thefts. On his papers it said that he was geriatric, and it makes us laugh now because he has so much energy. His tail is always wagging and he is constantly giving out his stinky trash breath kisses, it's nice to see him so happy. I really appreciate that you held him for us until we could find this house, we are so happy to have him, and I know he is glad that he has us. Thanks Again! -- Jess and Carmen

Hi BARC! I adopted Phil, the sweetest grey tiger cat in the world after visiting him while I was volunteering for a few weeks. I couldn't stand leaving him at the end of the day anymore and decided to take him with me. At the time he had some sensitive stomach problems, but he is now on a special diet, and his problems have cleared up. He is very sweet and healthy! He now acts like an overgrown kitten. He loves sleeping on his back to get his belly rubbed, and waking my boyfriend and I up in the morning with licks, "love bites", and head butts. He sleeps at the bottom of the bed at night, and loves to play with his older buddy Squeeky. We both just love him so much, he make us laugh all the time and has really changed from the sleepy quiet kitty hiding in kitty condos to a rambuctious goof ball we have in our home now. A friend of ours even called him a "hunk" the other day. It suits him perfectly! Thank you so much for Phil! I couldn't imagine home without him.-- Maggie, Matt, Squeeky, and Phil

Hi All--I just wanted to write in a quick update on Deelieah (formerly
Bandita). I adopted Deelieah from BARC back in October of 2007 and she couldn't be happier in her new home! Of course it took a lot of work to help Deelieah adjust, she wasn't the easiest to house train and we definitely spent some time in obedience classes after all of my shoes were destroyed. But all of our hard work was completely worth it and the benefit is that I have the cutest 50lb lapdog ever! She is so affectionate and adorable she just about charms the pants off of everyone she meets. Thanks to everyone at BARC for taking such good care of Deelieah when she was with you and for bringing the wonderful dog into my life! -- Kerri

We adopted Sprout (formerly known as Carly) two months ago, and are now the happiest family of three you can imagine. After spotting her at BARC, we took her on a walk and when we sat down, she put a paw on each of our knees, it was obviously meant to be! She has proven to be a wonderful dog. Though she was shy and timid at first, after only a week of love she became lots of fun to have around. She learned to walk nicely on a leash as well as several commands—our favorite is when we say "bang bang" and she plays dead. Her favorite thing to do is cuddle, and she is happiest when she's on your lap or curled next to you. She is so friendly and it has been great taking her out and about in the neighborhood and discovering all the dog friendly places in Brooklyn. People are always surprised to hear she's from a shelter, and we like to hope that meeting her will encourage others to adopt as well. Thank you for all your good work.—Jordan, Meredith & Sprout.

When we first came to BARC, we were charmed by the wide array of cute kittens giving their best come-hither mews. But the one who really got our attention was the chubby lump by the door. Despite the warnings of his feistiness and penchant for bites, we knew that he was the one for us. Ever since coming into our home in September, Meatballs (CATZILLA at BARC ) has been a chubby, snuggly, and bitey lump of joy. He sleeps with us at night, and greets us at the door when we arrive home from work. He's even starting to shed some pounds! Thanks to BARC for introducing our little fatso into our lives - we couldn't love him more!

We adopted ROCKY from BARC and could not be happier. He brings us love and laughter each and every day. I have always felt strongly about adopting pets from local shelters and after volunteering at BARC a couple of times, we fell in love with him. The very first day we walked him at BARC he made his way onto my boyfriend’s lap while we were sitting on the bench at the park. To this day he snuggles with his daddy on the sofa at night. He also enjoys sitting in the window watching over ‘his’ courtyard although it is shared by about 10+ other dogs. He loves playing catch with tennis balls and even retrieves them. We are eternally grateful to BARC for all they do to help these precious angels find loving and committed homes. Thank you again for giving us the best companion we could have wished for. --Amanda, Mike & Rocky

We adopted Lucy (known as Indigo at BARC) 4 months ago, and we’ve
enjoyed every minute since we got her. She has no problem showing her fun personality, has a ton of energy and greets us at the door when we come home. When she wants something – food, her latest favorite toy, her head scratched – she meows until she gets what she wants. She also has quite a few weird quirks, including preferring to sleep on hard surfaces, crawling completely under pieces of furniture, and playing her own version of tag, when she jumps at us, swats us and runs away. Everyone who visits falls in love with her at first sight! --- Eric and Alison

Hello BARC-ers! It's been almost 6 months since we brought Gracie - aka Princess - home and all is well. Gracie is very happy in her new home and we are so thankful to have her. She has lots of love to give, energy
to burn and we couldn't be happier. She loves going for long hikes, destroying stuffed animals, chasing cats, squirrels and chipmunks, and riding in the car. She's taken two sets of obedience classes and has continuously demonstrated her superior intelligence and love of learning. She even earned the "most improved dog" award in her last class! She's a good girl; we love her and can't imagine life without her. Thank you for all you do! Keep on fighting the good fight. All the best -- Sacha, Barry and Gracie

My boyfriend Marshall and I just moved to Brooklyn in the beginning of June and Marshall came complete with a large Great Dane female puppy, Liberty. At the time Liberty was 6 months old and we decided she needed a playmate. We went to BARC and checked out some dogs. We actually walked right past RALPH's crate - he was the first one as you came in - and didn't see him, he is all black and blended right in. Only after standing inside and looking around did I see his cute little panting face. He is a pitbull, chow chow, lab mix. RALPH is an interesting name for a dog, but once you see his face and spend five minutes with him, you understand that it is an absolutely perfect fit. He is somewhere between 1 and 2. I really don't think it's possible to have found a better dog. He is hands down, the most affectionate dog but he also listens incredibly well. While Liberty was already trained, and knew commands - RALPH took awhile to pick up on the actual words, but he knows body language and body motions. He loves to get up on his hind legs and get as close to you as he possibly can. If you say his name excitedly he goes nuts trying to get as much affection as he can. He is super friendly and loves everyone he meets. And he and Liberty are the best of friends. They lay together, lick each other's faces, and play tug of war everyday. RALPH walks right alongside us on walks and plays very well with any dog at any dog park. RALPH is my first dog and I could not have asked for a better one. He always stays at my side, especially if he can sense that I am sad or upset. And every morning when Marshall leaves for work, he climbs right up and sleeps with me. Every so often my boyfriend and I look at one another and wonder, who could ever give up such an amazing animal. We are never letting Ralph go, and he wouldn't want it any other way.--Mallorie

Dear BARC-Hendrix (previously known as RUDY) and I just wanted to thank you for bringing us together! Hendrix immediately adjusted to his new home. he enjoys sitting in my lap and sleeping by my side at night. I was told when he first arrived at BARC that he weighed 14 lbs and now weighs 21 lbs but you will be pleased to know that he and I have been running around a lot! His favorite toy is a balled up piece of tissue paper and he loves randomly breaking out into a sprint and running up and down the hallways. We are so happy, and thank you again! Best - Hendrix and Scarlet

Dear BARC --You may remember LUCILLE , the tiny orange cat who lived with you for six years. She had a lot of intestinal problems and was considered to be anti-social with both humans and other animals. When we left Brooklyn and felt we had enough room for Lucille (and the rest of our cat brood) we brought her to live with us in the Hudson Valley. That was in May 2003. Lucille's belly problems cleared up pretty quickly, but she didn't let us touch her for the first six months she lived here. She almost always stayed under a chair with a blanket draped over it, and we wondered daily if we'd done the right thing. Though we never saw it, we'd sometimes hear her running around playing when we and the other cats were elsewhere in the house. After considering us for six full months, Lucille started rubbing on our legs, and quickly became the social gal she is today, doing wild stunts with her toys, "boxing" her siblings, birdwatching and sunbathing, and even cuddling us lowly humans. She's very chatty, and sings and howls, too. Thank goodness beautiful, charismatic Lucille is part of our lesbian family!-- Love & mutts, Korn & Kara

Greetings Barc--It has been over 6 months since we adopted Mama. She is absolutely terrific. When we first found her at BARC we had no idea the level of affection she had, social personality and talkativeness (a good thing). She still has her sniffling problem but we are helping her with that to give her a very comfortable lifestyle. She is by my side virtually from the very moment I get home, rarely to leave, regularly talking to me and looking to me for ‘treats' of which it is hard to refuse her. Every day as I come home, she wants to go for a walk in the hallway. I taught her this with Simba, my other furry best friend who I had for 11 years and who just passed away last month. She loves to do that walk and will regularly beg for multiple walks during an evening or weekend day. Of course, I oblige.

So now, sadly, Mama is on her own, without Simba to play with. So maybe I will come by to BARC again to find her a new friend. But Mama loves to be where the people are. If I am sitting on the sofa with my girlfriend, Mama will run up and plop herself right in the middle of us. We both find that adorable. She even requires to be near us come sleep time and usually finds her favorite sleeping spot right above my head. She has made a real positive impact on my and my girlfriend’s life. And having her has helped me with the sudden and tragic loss of Simba. Mama is dearly loved.-- Tyler

I adopted PEPPER from BARC in November 2007 when she was just 2 months old and about 8-9 lbs. These were taken when she was 6 months old. She has to be close to 50 lbs now. We love her SO much. She goes to the park every weekend and has lots of friends there. Except for work, she comes with us everywhere we go. She loves car rides and is great with people and kids and just LOVES other dogs. Pepper and Casanova (my kitty) are getting along ok. Pepper gets so excited and wants to play, but does not realize that he is way smaller. I think eventually they will work it out. I also included a picture of her about a week or so after we took her home. She was so tiny. Hope everyone at BARC is doing great. -- Sharon

Dear BARC --here is Dewey, the tiger cat I adopted from BARC. At the shelter his name was HARRIS, short for the Bronx Harrison Avenue on which Animal Care and Control found him. Dewey is doing very well indeed in his new home. His favorite activities
include napping, eating, staring hungrily at pigeons out windows, waking people in early morning hours by intently gazing into eyes at a distance of one inch, opening all doors in the apartment (luckily, he's microchipped) and, having his chin rubbed. He's a doll. Thank you for saving him from the city shelter so that he could become a beloved member of our household. Sincerely -- Christine

It has been awhile since we had a dog in our lives since the passing of our Cocoa. I usually come to BARC to walk the dogs and fell in love with a Shi Tzu mix. I wanted to adopt her immediately but she was already spoken for. Then there was another dog and my family wanted to meet him but he was already adopted too. No one could have told me that we would have met by coincidence JOEY; the best new addition to our family who has captured our hearts so quickly in her forever home. When we were told that she was rejected by other potential adopters we could not believe it. How could you not love that face? Immediately upon meeting her we fell in love. She has adjusted well with our cat Mugsy. She is being spoiled with trips to the groomer and Petco to pick out her favorite bedding and toy. Her personality is playful and inquisitive even at six years old. She loves roaming our backyard and she runs circles around me on her daily walks to the big field a couple of blocks from my home. Joey has adapted to her new family so well that it seems as though her former years were spent with us. She is loving, friendly to everyone and catches the attention of even those passing by in their cars. Thank you BARC for giving us Joey and the great services you provide

We wasted too, too many hours searching the internet for the perfect purebred. Then, in May of 2007, we finally came to our senses and decided to check out the dogs available for adoption at BARC. Once inside, we immediately locked eyes with a handsome 11 month old who went by the name of CLARK. Trigger, as he is now known, is quite possibly the awesomest dog on the planet. Since his adoption, he's graduated from obedience class, enjoyed the sights on two long distance roadtrips, fallen in love with the parrot on Driggs, and broken the hearts of countless Williamsburg residents with his devastating good looks. He learns something new everyday and gives us just as much love as we give him. Thanks to everyone at BARC. We can't imagine our lives without him. - Nichol and Michael.
P.S. Keep up with Trigger's adventures.

My husband and I adopted JUMBO, whose new name is Gaetano (Guy). We just wanted to send BARC an update and let you know that he is doing well and he is very happy in his new home. We really can't believe that Guy was at the shelter for a year as he is the sweetest, most affectionate, and well-mannered dog. He's brought us nothing but happiness. He loves the backyard, his new bed, his weekly baths, and the family walk after dinner. We wanted to thank you for having such a wonderful shelter and send our love to all the dogs at BARC. Thanks again! -- Anna and Patrick

Hey BARC-I adopted Bee Bee (LOUISE) from your Kitten Carnival this July and she is the most wonderful addition to my family. When I got Bee she was only two months old and the tiniest thing I had ever seen. She is full grown now and my boyfriend and I absolutely are obsessed with her. She loves belly rubs and purrs like a motor boat. We are thinking of getting another cat so Bee will have a playmate and BARC will be where we go. Thank you so much!--Caitlin, Tim, and Bee Bee.