I thought I'd give you a pic of Bardo. He's sitting next to his playmate Katie (who has more white markings). They both go with me when I do horseback rides through the countryside. This was the pic I used for my Christmas card this year.

Bardo is doing WONDERFULLY, he is an absolutely awesome dog. He is smart and willing to please. I am very, very happy with him. I thank you guys for the opportunity to have him in my life!

-- Cristlyn

Booty is an 8 year old neutered Maine Coon/Manx boy with plenty of loving left in him. This big boy never meets a stranger - everywhere he goes, everyone loves him. Booty was a favorite at the shelter and a favorite at the vet's office when he went to get his HAHS rabies tag. Did I mention that he has no tail and no claws? And can you imagine that he was found outside in this weather?! With no claws to catch his supper and no tail to wrap around him to keep him warm - in a sewer of all places?? Poor guy - the sewer smell is gone now and he has found a forever home where he can live the rest of his life in a heated and cooled home - pampered as he should be. This guy was adopted by Terri from Louisiana - she flew 2 hours in a private plane to adopt him and take him back with her. The story goes that she had a previous cat that looked exactly like him and he just recently passed away. That cat was found - also at the age of 8 - also already declawed and neutered - scrounging for food in a dumpster. After verifying that he had no lost family she took him in. His name was Man - now Booty's name has been changed to 2Man!

We adopted Chip in September of 2006. My husband and I were looking for a dog that would be patient with our 2 ½ year old son, Ethan. Ethan had a lot of hearing problems as a baby and now is very speech delayed. Ethan is easily frustrated due to his communication difficulties but Chip, bless his heart, always seems to know what Ethan is saying and they are together 24/7. Ethan just learned his first sentence, thanks to Chip. It's, "Chip, come on, let's GO!" Chip has learned that if he lays down on the floor next to Ethan's chair at dinner, Ethan never lets him down. Chip has been such a blessing and my husband and I are so grateful to him for bringing such joy to our son and to our home. I'll admit he has made a softy of me; I have always had a "no pets on the bed" rule but Chip is fast asleep at the foot of Ethan's bed and I think he knows that that is where he was meant to be.
-- The Bowden Family

Precious is wonderful! Her name is now RoRo (after our daughter's stuffed puppy that she has had since she was 6 months). She is such a huge part of our family that we can't remember what life was like without her. She gets along great with the cats (and it helps that they're declawed). Hermione (one of the cats) is used to being the boss and RoRo just chases her around. We even had to remove Hermione's bell off her collar so she can tiptoe around.

Our other cat, Scooby, and RoRo get along really well. They run around playing and even clean each other! The kids adore her (but my husband and I spoil her the most) and RoRo loves to play with them in the backyard and LOVES to ride with me when I take them to school. All we have to say is, "Wanna go bye bye" and she dances around the front door. She's still skittish around strangers and prefers small groups of people. RoRo's VERY protective of us and hates anyone coming to the door that she doesn't know (our poor mailman). She's so well behaved and we couldn't have asked for a better dog. Our friends love her so much that they keep threatening to take her (not a chance) but they are almost convinced that they will be contacting your organization when they adopt a dog next year. Thank you SO much for fostering our puppy girl, we love her very much!
-- Jana

I adopted a wonderful dog from your organization about 6 1/2 years ago and wanted to give you an update on him. Ottie (his name was Bowie while he was with you) is now approaching 7 and he is currently training to become a therapy dog. He's incredibly smart, has a wonderful personality and an adorable face, and has always attracted much attention wherever we go. Just looking at him makes people smile; he's very affectionate, so I'm sure he will enjoy his new role. We will be trying to get his Delta dog certification in February. He's doing well with the training (me, too!).
-- Sincerely, Pat

Hannah is such an amazing dog. A child to us and a 'big sister' to our 20 month old son. Our son has special needs (a chromosome disorder) and Hannah couldn't be sweeter. She loves him to death and must come and give him a kiss as soon as he gets up. He just started feeding himself and Hannah certainly knows where to be when it's Ryan's meal time! Under the high chair! I'm attatching a recent picture of Hannah so hopefully you can share with the organization. I must say, we struck the jackpot when it came to Hannah. Heart of America is such a wonderful organization and if it weren't for people like you, Hannah and many other animals would never find the loving homes they deserve. I don't know who got the better end of the bargain...I think it's Bobby and I!
-- Sincerely, Robyn.

I thought you would enjoy an update on Lilly, the black lab mix that we adopted at the Petco in Lee's Summit. She's an absolute joy and already an indispensible member of our family. Her new name is Maggie and she already knows it (she must be one of the smartest dogs ever!!) She is well behaved, minds and has had no "accidents" in the house. We realize that since is still a pup she may have her days, but we are prepared for that and it's okay. She has obviously been well cared for, trained and loved. A heartfelt thank you to her foster family. I was grieving terribly for my lab mix who died in March. Of course, there is no way to ever replace Katie, nor do I wish to. Maggie has, however, already given me back laughter & joy. I had unwarranted concerns about my 3 other dogs accepting her. It hasn't been a problem at all. She started playing with our 6 year-old husky on Sunday & now they run & play and are having a great time together. My 12 year-old male was a bit unsure at first, but now he's just fine with her. My ten year-old shepherd has taken on the mother role. She's put Maggie in her place a few times, but has not attempted to bite her or otherwise injure her in any way. She watches her closely & warns her with a growl when she becomes overly excited or too rambuncious. Maggie stops immediately & lays down. My other dogs are so much fun to watch as they integrate the little one into their pack. I assure you that Maggie has and will continue to have a wonderful, caring home. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for all of the work that you do to save & place such wonderful dogs as Maggie. It breaks my heart to know that other dogs will not be given the chance that she was. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
-- Carol

Milo is doing great...we graduate from puppy school next Friday night. He still jumps up a lot and barks when he is kenneled or put out on the deck occassionally so we'll be putting a fence in soon. He's doing well in the family...a perfect fit. He plays with our girls, knocks down the little one sometimes (not on purpose, he's just a big boy) and chews their hair, lots of slobbery kisses - and Barbies with missing hands and feet if they're left on the floor. They were all playing in the kiddie pool yesterday afternoon. Milo is definitely a water dog. He loves to splash and is still very mischievous. He sleeps in our room, still in his crate. He's pretty well potty trained and we haven't had an accident in quite a while. We took him with us when we went down to Arkansas to visit my in-laws over Memorial Day Weekend. They live on the lake (which he loved) and they have a yellow lab he played with - they had a good ol' time. Milo obviously had an awesome foster experience or he wouldn't have turned out to be such a great pup. Thanks for that!
-- Take care, Jody

Our family adopted Savanna in May and she did great from the first day! As soon as we got home, we opened the carrier, gave her some space, she jumped right out and explored....made herself at home! We love her and are so glad we could give her a home. She is playful and loving. Of all the toys we've bought her, her favorite thing turned out to be a white string off my son's yo-yo! Recently, we added another homeless kitten (Neo) to our home and Savanna has taken to him well. They "wrestle" all day and then plop down on the couch together to nap. They have both been much welcomed additions to our family! Thanks again for helping our family grow!
-- Linda, Erik, Anthony and Christina

Casey - We changed her name from Anne to Casey since we have Clexi and Cinnamon and wanted a "C" name. She never has to stay at home alone longer than 3 or 4 hours each day due to our varying schedules and she has a big wire crate downstairs with toys and blankets, food and water for that. At night, we have her in a big inside crate and stacked it with the little dogs' crate and they all sleep great through the night (almost every night even though we still have a few 3:30am wake ups!). She was VERY easy to house train, and hasn't had an accident inside in a couple of months, and she never goes in either crate. She loves being outside and running with the little dogs. They wrestle but she is learning to be gentle and we are in the process of learning to walk on the leash. She gets better each time we walk. She is a great puppy and will be a wonderful dog. We are thrilled with her!

Bo is a handsome red Cocker Spaniel who is so sweet and loving. Because of what he'd been through we were looking for an adults only home and we found one...a woman who'd lost her husband two years ago. Then a few months ago, she lost Smokey, her husband's 10 year old German Shepherd buddy. They'd been through so much together the last two years and helped each other so much. It was her last connection to the man who'd been her husband for 50+ years and she was heartbroken. So after being alone, she and her daughters decided it was time for a new companion. Enter Bo, a comedic entertainer at heart who needs to be the center of anyone's attention! Not only is he the center of his new owner's world but he gets an extended family of kids and grandkids too.

Here's Bailey with his new family! Bailey is doing great and my father and mother-in-law love him dearly and he is spoiled already. This is a picture of the night we gave Bailey to Papa and they are already the best of buds. What I didn't anticipate was how close to him I would become. I picked him up from you on Wednesday and we gave him to Papa on Friday. When I left the birthday party, Bailey was looking out the car window at me. Needless to say I cried like a baby! Bailey and Papa both got a new best friend.
-- Allison.

Our last four weeks with Drake have been wonderful! He has grown so much and lost his puppy look, though not the puppy attitude! Drake has fit in and taken over. He loves belly scratches, walks in the park, baths (very suprisingly), children, and most of all, just playing with Josh and myself. He can sit, shake, and we're working on the stay. We visit the tennis courts nightly to play fetch. Potty training has gone pretty well and we are at over 9 days since an accident. We have also been sleeping all night now for 7 nights. Though when the alarm goes off, Drake is up on the bed, sitting between our 2 pillows, licking us until we get up. Drake is a lap dog, as big as he is. We have been to the vet twice for kennel cough, updated shots, and heartworm medication. Drake is up to 43 pounds, which is a 10 pound gain in the last 10 days. Over the 4th, Josh's family visited us, including our 21 month old nephew. I was extremely worried about Drake and Collin, the toddler, as Drake likes to nibble and jump. It was amazing when Collin arrived. Drake was so excited for someone his size to be here, they followed each other all weekend. We took a picture after the two troublemakers disappeared for 5 minutes. We found them sitting in the shower together! We thank all of you for the wonderful service that you do, as well as giving us a fantastic new family member that makes everyday more fun and enjoyable.
-- Jessica & Josh Law, owners

One-Eye Jack
We had just moved to Lee’s Summit from the Eugene, Oregon and we decided that once we were settled in we would adopt two cats. I first saw Jack at the Lee’s Summit Animal Shelter. I wanted to adopt him at that moment but we weren’t ready to bring a cat into our lives just yet. I saw Jack several more times at the Saturday cat adopts sessions at PETCO. Each time I saw him I was amazed that no one had adopted him yet. After weeks of waiting, we were ready to adopt. We were in luck Jack was still available. We adopted Jack and another cat named Jesse (we call him Walter). 

Once we got Jack home, it didn’t take long for me to notice that something was different about him. Besides missing one eye, Jack is deaf and asthmatic. We decided to seek help from an expert, and with that professional help we were better able to deal with Jack’s special needs. This was an educational experience for us but with a little effort, we were able to adjust and deal with Jack’s behavior. 

Jack is a very affectionate cat. He enjoys sitting on a nice warm lap or curling up with you in bed. Jack’s key personality attributes are bold and inquisitive. He wants to see what you’re doing and is always willing to “help”. Jack loves to play with his friend, Walter. During the day, they keep each other company. When Jack feels “lonely” and begins to cry, Walter will lick him on his forehead and soothe him. They love to chase each other around and when they’re done playing they like to curl up together and nap. Jacks favorite toys are a beam of light from a flashlight, his Alpine scratching post, and his feather-on-a-stick. Because of Jack’s special needs, he sleeps in a room alone at night. He is very used to this routine and we make it as enjoyable as possible. On the weekends, (when we sleep in) we let Jack out of his room early. He loves to hop up in bed and sleep with us. During the winter, he really loves my electric blanket. One of Jack’s quirks is that he insists on getting drinks of water from the faucet only. Jack has brought lots of joy and love into our household and we feel very lucky to have a companion like him in our lives.
-- Scott Merryman, owner

Trapper came to the Shelter in 1998 serving as the Shelter Cat ever since--he tested positive for FIV about 9 months ago and has been living in a cage in the front office ever since.  Yesterday, Betsy and Jim Walker decided to adopt him!  Betsy transports the Ottawa cats on Saturdays and is long-term volunteer.

The Walkers recently lost a cat to FIV so they know what they are getting into.  There might be a small "moral to the story" here - about keeping cats INDOORS reducing the risk of FIV infection!

Stifler was about 8 months old and came to us (several times) because his owner could not keep him in the yard--he can clear a 6 foot fence without even touching it.

He is making a great agility dog and little brother in his new home in Arkansas.  He was transported with assistance of several rescues between here and Fort Smith.

Jack was adopted years ago from HAHS when he was about 6 months old.  His owners gave him up because he was too active. Jack's energy was channeled into positive behavior and now he is a certified Search and Rescue dog.

What an amazing story - his life was saved and now he is helping to save peoples' lives.