Hello All God's Creatures

I wanted to let you know about this awesome little fellowwho joined our family on March 14, 2010. He has taken over our house and our hearts. I never dreamed he would adjust as quickly as he did, nor did I have an inkling that he'd have such an amazing personality!

In short, we just love him to pieces!!!

He's very intelligent and loves everyone in the family. He eats well and runs all over the house, particularly enjoying the stairs, where he often peeks at us from near the top stair. If someone moves out of their seat on the sofa or in a chair, guess who runs to get in it and lay down there? And looks up to say, "You move, you lose!"

I still cannot believe that he wasn't adopted before we arrived, but I firmly believe he was chosen for us by God! I I really had not intended to get another cat so soon after losing our Sam in December, but I fell in love with "Calhoun" when I saw him on the website and just prayed he was still there. And thank goodness he was.

I was also most impressedwith your facility when we came to pick Max up. Everything was clean and happy, and all of the kitties greeted us as we walked in. The staff was wonderful as well. I have told many people how nice it was adopting from you.

I have to give credit to all of you for helping to shape our new family member's personality, because its more than obvious that he was well-loved and well-cared for for the duration of his living with you.

Thank you for all that you are doing there at All God's Creatures. We sure love our new baby!!

Warmly,

Linda Steelmon

Dear All God's Creatures,

We changed Obie's name to Jerry Lee. Our vet tells us he is a very happy and loved dog; he just needs to loose a few pounds! It is so funny, my husband has been laid off for a year and Jerry Lee goes everywhere with him. He walks into businesses that my husband goes to and immediately Jerry Lee is announced by employees, "Here comes Jerry Lee!" My daughter says he's like Norm on Cheers!! The guys on the garbage truck bring him dog treats every week!!!! Do you think he is rotten? We love him very much and thank you for allowing us the privilege of adopting him.

Sincerely, Diane Merrell

Dear All God's Creatures,

My husband and I adopted Fargo in early December. He seemed to know exactly why we'd come to the shelter- to take him home! He quickly became one of the family. Fargo is honestly the sweetest dog we've ever seen. He's so calm and well-behaved and never gets into anything. If you walk close to him he rolls on his back so that you will rub his tummy! He was abandoned by his previous owners and had a rough life so these days he takes it easy. He loves to nap on his bed and take walks. We're so glad we were able to rescue Fargo and give him the loving home he deserves.

Thanks to everyone at All God's Creatures for all that you do.

Sincerely,

Erika & Art Harris

Dear All God's Creatures,

We decided to re-name Rio, Patches! Not sure why, it just stuck with us. We LOVE him!! He is the sweetest thing on earth! I wanted to say thank you again for all your help! You didn't have to go out of your way for me like that!

Patches is such a brave puppy! He sleeps a lot right now, but I've been told that is pretty normal. He was a little scared at first in the car ride to Wal-mart, but we bought him a stuffed animal as big as he is and he cuddled right up with it and fell asleep. He has been completely comfortable with us since then. He follows us around everywhere we go, even just across the room. We bought him a little plush bed that he never wants to leave. He immediately jumped in it and fell asleep. I already attached a few pictures for you so you can see what I am talking about!

Thank you so much for allowing me to adopt such an adorable puppy! I'll keep you updated on his progress.

Best,

Amanda

Wrangler is adapting very well! We are so pleased with him, and he and the boys are getting along fantastically! He's already housebroken!!! Thank you so much!

The Dover Family

Howdy! Just wanted to drop y'all a line and tell you how Dempsey is getting along! He is a wonderful loving boy and we just adore him. After his first escape attempt, we are a little hesitant to let him off of the leash when he's out in the yard until we know he won't make another break for it, but we are going to start training him on the underground fence next week when my dad comes home from Alaska! Dempsey sleeps in the bed with me and the girls Abbie and Lexie and he is doing so well at night! He sleeps straight through. He has become fast friends with Charlie, our other male border collie/spaniel mix. Perhaps they have bonded because they are the only two men in a house with 6 women (four female dogs and me and my mom)!! He does get a little upset when we leave for work, but we are trying some positive reinforcement strategies to help him feel calmer when we leave. He meshes so well with our existing "pack" that it feels as if we were all meant to be together! He does very well on the leash during our walks; I walk him and Lexie (the small black dog in the picture) together since they are roughly the same size. He plays easily with all of his new friends, even 10 year old Brandy who can be a little.....grumpy. Thank you so much for bringing him into our lives and for helping us to get him back when he escaped!

Sarah & Felicia

Hi There!

Just wanted you to know that "Cruz" is a good boy! We love him very much. I think he is going to be a BIG dog! He is around 7 months now. I took a picture of him (at his favorite spot in the house). He has lots of fun running around on the farm, and has made a good buddy to our 2 other dogs.

Thank you for allowing us to adopt him!
Kimberly Fickling

Dear All God's Creatures,

Although it's late, Happy Holidays and wishing you a happy and healthy New Year! Here are photos of our babies and their new stroller which they love to ride around the block in. Grandpie has retired now so the girls won't be alone during the day . However, I'm sure they enjoy their alone time.

We want to thank you again for bringing them into our lives, a fullfillment only an animal can provide. We love them as though they are actual children. They mean the world to us. Without them, life would be very dull. If you get a Black pom, my sister would love to have it as hers passed away a couple of years ago.

Sincerely,
Ashleigh, Starr, Gabbie, & Mia Bella

Dear All God's Creatures,

Faith is getting along so good. She is part of the family now. She finally quit chasing the cat. Yeah! She gets along well with our other dog, but she prefers to be with us. She has made herself at home and in the home. I never thought my husband would have a "house dog." Oh well! Merry Christmas to all!

Debbie Waters & Faith

Dear All God's Creatures,

I hope you all are well. I am very exited about the cat's first Christmas at home with us. They have made leaps and bounds with their socialization. In the past week, in fact, Prada now sleeps on my chest at night. Armani sleeps beside me, and Versace with either me or my daughter. It has taken them a long time to want to do that. We love them so much, and we think they are happy. They are definitely spoiled.

Merry Christmas,

Laura Pettler

Dear All God's Creatures,

I have a handful of photos of Mickey and Sylvia (and Kikiboo) to mail to you but I thought I would give you a taste so to speak of what's going on with all of us.....Kikiboo has no problems with the new kitties, no hissing, popping, growling or anything....Kikiboo and Sylvia eat their soft food 'gravy' side by side....Mickey is settling in quite well...he used to bite (Mr. Chompers) but now he rarely does it, he does love to snuggle against me and watch tv at night. They are not sleeping on the bed with Kikiboo and me yet, but that first couple of days, Sylvia got up on the bed and Mickey does some now at night for a bit!

Last night I kept wondering why these precious kitties had not been adopted and then I became very aware of the reason.....they were waiting on me!!!!!! God wanted me to have them!!!!

Enjoy these photos (my camera bit the dust 2 weeks ago so these pics are from the first 2 weeks they became Hicks' kitties).and there is one of Kikiboo too......OH by the way Mickey and Sylvia want to be among your success stories on your website!!!!!!!!

Happy Holidays!!

Love,

Pat and Cats

The angelbabies: Wascal, Thumper, Miss Kitty, Braxton and Buddy and I wish you a crisis-free day!
Pat and Kikiboo, Sylvia and Mickey

Hi!

This is Phil Snyder and Mary Beth Steele, we adopted Levi (who we have since named Carter) about a month ago. We meant to send an email sooner but we have both been busy with the holidays and school. Carter is doing fantastic, he is best friend's with Payton (our Goldendoodle) and has adjusted well to his new home. He follow's Payton everywhere and when they are sitting he will either stand under Payton (but not for much longer he already weighs 47+ pounds) or partially over him or most of the time right on top of him. We haven't had any chewing problems and he has only had an accident in the house a couple of times.

Carter loves the dog park, his stuffed duck, cuddling on the bed, rough housing with Payton, and his bone. We have a bin of toys upstairs in our bedroom and Carter will run up stairs dig out whatever toy he wants and bring it down to play with. He also likes to pick a toy out one by one play with it for about 10 seconds then go get another one. Carter has learned, sit, lay down, paw, high five, spin, roll over, belly rub, crawl, come, and we are still working on stay. He does great on the leash. Mary Beth takes Payton and Carter on runs a couple of times a week.

We are thrilled with Carter, Payton is soo much happier now that he has a friend and Carter seems to feel the same way! Thank you so much for such a great dog. We have attached a couple of pics so you can see how well he is doing and how BIG he has gotten!!

Thanks,

Happy Holidays,

Phil and Mary Beth

Dear All God's Creatures,

Pearl wanted you to see what horrible conditions she was living in here and asked if you would call the humane society for her!

She's doing really well with house training. She's really a feisty little dog, and when she hears or sees a dog on TV (I watch "The Dog Whisperer"), she will go and sit in the middle of the floor and watch! And she finally consented to sleep with me - on top of the cover but right up against me.

Thanks for all the hard work you do with all the precious furry ones.

Jessica Harris

Dear All God's Creatures,

I adopted Felicity back in early July and wanted to send you and update and let you know how she is. We've changed her name to Lulu and we love her so much. She is such a great kitty. When I got her home she spent about a week under the bed, but once she ventured out she has become queen of the house. She is quite a girl of leisure. She is so loving and cuddly. She loved to climb right up on your chest when you are laying down, get right in your face and give you kisses. So cute! She's like having a real live teddy bear. I just breaks my heart to think someone would want to give up such a sweet, beautiful, loving kitty like her. I'm so glad we have her.

Thank you for doing all you do. You and your staff are great people!

Sincerely,

Katie Bryant

I would like to introduce you to Grand Pa, my foster "Senior Citizen" dog. Denise had rescued him a couple of years ago in the middle of a peach orchard- filthy, matted, shivering, and starving - just a genuine mess! As always with our AGC dogs, she immediately groomed him and took him to Dr. Rauton to be checked out medically. We couldn't determine his age but he is hard of hearing, has cloudy eyes, skin lesions- yet his sense of smell is super strong. Grand Pa is blackish/gray in color with a white chest, stands knee high and looks to be a cross between a Schnauzer/poodle and Breed X! After checking the Internet, he really looks like a Portuguese Water dog. He doesn't bark at all but when really hungry; he will give a "squeak/yip" sound.

After the horrible fire at Denise's barn, she became really concerned about Grand Pa's safety with so much going on. She asked me if I would consider fostering him and thank heavens he came to live with us. The beauty of my "platapus foot" pet is he is so darn adorable being both lovable and devilish! Like most rescues, it only takes a touch, smile or "dog biscuit" to immediately see the love and willingness to please me all the time. He is one "happy camper" and now feels totally at home with my other two rescues and kitty cat.

Denise told me that initially he really didn't enjoy riding in the car mainly because he has never been in a car that much. My other two dogs go so many places with me and I didn't have the heart to leave Grand Pa at home by himself so now, he happily rides and stares out the window "enjoying the wind and local scenery." He handsomely prances right along with my other two on our daily walks and is learning to be a wonderful, gentle therapy dog when we visit the nursing home and Senior Citizens Center. The seniors really enjoy meeting him and interacting.

Every time I return home and Grand Pa is in the back yard, he happily lopes with his "hobby horse" gait up the wheel chair ramp to the porch. He then rolls extensively over the dog beds and manages to bring in every leaf, piece of wet grass and clumps of dirt from the yard! After sleeping a good part of the day, he gets revved up and wants to play at night of course right when my favorite TV show (Jeopardy) comes on.

Sometimes I have to point him in the right direction -- yet he is so lovable, entertaining and fun to be around - I only hope and wish that each of you will have the opportunity to experience a "Grand Pa!"

Beth Byrd

The following is a letter from Charlie, one of our rescues that has found his permanent home.

Congratulations! Today is your day! You're off to great places! You're off and away! Dr. Seuss

I was off and away to great places from the time I was born - found in a drain pipe and rescued by "All God's Creatures"- then off to my adopted home. The family I adopted likes to travel and camp. Now I didn't know anything about camping but as long as you don't leave me, I am up for anything. If you leave me, I whine and boy I can do a great whine! So, we are off and away to Panama City, Florida. Did not see a lot of the scenery on the way - figured I should sleep just in case this camping thing was hard. Turned out - nothing to it! Family does all the hard work and all I have to do is bark at the people and make friends. Made one very good friend while in Panama City. Every time I took my family for a walk, my friend would run out and play. He sure could give a good belly rub. Now if you have never had a belly rub, you really should try it. Panama had the best sand for digging. I would dig so deep - the only thing you could see would be my eyes! Left Panama City and returned home.

Restocked and headed for Stone Mountain, Ga. That is one big rock! Something I learned quickly about camping is you meet the nicest people. I was out late for my final "business walk" and this truck came by. A lady who was camping next to us rolled down the window and yelled "Hey, Charlie". (Mom said it is bad when your dog is more popular than you are!) What can I say - when you got it, you got it and I am kind of cute. Once we returned from Stone Mountain, we were off and away again.

This time to Unicoi State Park near Helen, Ga. I like this place a lot. It had some nice streams that I could walk in and of course, you have to drink the water. I visited Anna Ruby Falls. Talk about a lot of water - well, you just have to see it. Anyway, to get to the falls you have to cross a bridge. Not too crazy about bridges, but being the brave pup that I am - I crawled across on my belly!

The next point of interest I visited was Brass town Bold. This is the highest point in the state of Georgia. You got it --I climbed the path all the way to the top. Wow! What a view! People stopped to talk with me on the trip up and on the way down. As I was taking a rest, an elderly Japanese man came by and stopped. He got down on his knees and placed his hand on my face and rubbed my ear. I told him my name was Charlie. Did not understand anything he said to me, but then he kissed me on my nose and left. Love is love no matter the language. A very nice family came by after that and we had a good visit. They wanted to know all about me. I explained that I am part beagle/hound and anything else they would like for me to be -- that I am a pound pup from All God's Creatures and, I told them about Miss Denise and her good work. When I finally made it to the bottom, my tongue was dragging and my legs were 2 inches shorter but it was worth the trip for all of the hugs. I think I could get used to this travelling thing.

At the end of each day at home and after my last snack, I take a short trip from one room to my bed. As I snuggle in for the night, someone rubs my head and whispers "Nite, Charlie - I love you - great places."

"Nite, Miss Denise,

Nite Miss Beth,

I love you,

Charlie

(Charlie's adoptive parents are Bess and Tommy Tripp of Edgefield)

Hello to All,

Kramer, D. C. and I really enjoyed our time with you all at Paws in the Park. We are so thankful to have been able to adopt Kramer. He is a very sweet little boy. He makes us laugh and we just love him so. We really needed him and we will give him a good home.

Now Kramer wants to tell you all about his new home and Mama and Daddy. First thing, I am happy and loved. I have a big yard to run and play. Daddy and Mama play lots with me. I love to go in the care with them. I sleep in Daddy's recliner at night. How about that, pretty neat! I believe I have them in my paw. They feed me good too. Mama and I have a little thing we do together that makes Daddy laugh - we howl together! Mama calls me her "Funny Boy". All three of us are happy and we love each other. Thanks to All God's Creatures pet rescue and adoption, I now have a good home.

Love,

Kramer, DC. and Mary Brooks
North Augusta, SC

Dear Ms. Holcomb,

Thank you, thank you, thank you - for taking, and placing, little Ms. Olivia and Mr. Pittsburgh ("Kimmel"). I kept check of your website and noticed when they were posted as available for adoption. . . .I looked again, just this morning, and noticed that they are no longer on the adoption page. . . .which, I hope, means that they have found a wonderful home, thanks to you.

I found that little 'odd couple' on the side of Hwy 176, between Goose Creek and Holly Hill. I was coming home for the weekend, and decided that I did not want to fight with the traffic on I-26; instead, I opted for 'the scenic route', as I call it, and headed up 176 towards home. I was approaching the Holly Hill Country & Golf Club on Hwy 176 when I saw something in the road. . . I thought it was a piece of rubber from a tire. .and then it looked like a crow. . .then as a got closer, a squirrel. . . .then a cat. . . .and when I had almost stopped completely in the road, I saw that little black tail curled up in the air. It was 'Kimmel', walking around in the road. I went around him, yelling, "Oh, no. . . no!" As I started to pull off onto the side of the road, I saw something white in the grass, and thought, "Well, bless his heart, his Mommy must have been run over." I didn't realize that white spot was another puppy until I walked up on her. Mr. Kimmel tried to run, and little Olivia rolled over in the grass. They were only inches from the white line, just over in the grass. And the grass was taller than them! When I tried to pick her up, she screamed. I am recovering from knee surgery, so even though Mr. Kimmel couldn't run, I had to 'chase' him down. Each time I would reach for him, he would let out a yelp; when I finally cornered him and touched him (to pick him up), he screamed. . .and screamed, and screamed. The only thing those two babies knew about a human was, literally, "Human has come to hurt me!"

Luckily, I had Lilliput, my Jack Russell Terrier and co-pilot, in the truck. She smelled the babies and put on her best 'alpha female' routine, and the little ones snuggled down in the back seat. Because the puppies were so terrified on a human touch, I was planning on taking them to Dr. Rauton on Saturday morning and having them euthanized. My husband, however, said, "Well, honey, what about All God's Creatures, in Johnston?" I'm glad he did. And I'm thankful that you had 'space' for them at the time. (I got home with them around 9 p.m.. . .between the two of them, they drank over 30 ounces of water in less than two hours.)

I called Dr. Rauton's office on that Monday morning (when you met my husband there and picked up the puppies) because I wanted to pay for the care that they received that morning, in addition to the donation that we made that day. I also wanted to offer to help with their other/continued health care costs ($$ for spaying, neutering, heart guard meds, etc., while they were awaiting adoption, or if their new owners needed any help with those costs). Since I'm a little late in offering to help, I'll just put another check in the mail, in the name of Olivia and Kimmel! Thanks, again, for everything. - I appreciate you!

Cody Fields
Human Resources
SCE&G S02 Compliance Projects
Williams Station, Goose Creek, SC

Dear Denise,

It hardly seems like it has been a year, but it must have been. You may not remember me, but I adopted a lovely shar-pei mix from you. At that time she was going by Miley, and we renamed her Kalifornia. I just wanted to let you know that she is the sweetest thing ever, and has helped me so much in just the short time she has been with us. We make weekly trips to Aiken (she still hates being in the car) to play with my mother's dogs, and she loves our home.

I just wanted to thank you so much for helping to bring this huge ray of sunshine into my life. By the way, she is over 30 lbs now, more than the 25 you said... and that is PERFECT. I do not know where I'd be without her love every day. She brings joy to everyone she meets everywhere she goes.

I cannot thank you enough,

Kris & Kalifornia DuVall

Dear AGC,

I just wanted to share with you that Beatrice- a black lab, walker hound mix puppy I got from you last February is absolutely wonderful! She is such a happy, loving dog. She is so smart, well behaved and loves our first rescue, a foxhound named Oliver. My husband was a bit skeptical when we first saw her- a little shy, bad skin, etc. But, I knew she would be great. I couldn't ask for a better dog, friend, or playmate for our first. I'm so glad we found her! Thank you for all that you do!

Doug and Stephanie Billings

Dear Friends,

Having lived in the country for many years, we were always home for “walk-on” dogs, usually more than one. So when we lost our last dog, I didn't wait for a replacement - I just visited Denise Holcomb of “All God's Creatures” fame and tried to select one, maybe two dogs.

One of her residents was named “Frazzle” because she was in such terrible shape when they found her - and no one had taken her because many thought she was so ugly. Of course, that was all the more reason to pick her first! I looked at the others and couldn't make a decision so I just took two more dogs. One was a perky black and white short hair male; the other a rather shy whiskey-colored mountain feister.

We kept them in a pen for several months next to two Brittany Spaniels, two horses, and various wild life. They passed their time aggravating and entertaining one another. They have been trained by Leroy and Gracie Collier who do a great job keeping our animals and us! Now, our three rescues have graduated to being “yard” dogs. Every morning when I get up they are watching the house waiting for movement (and treats). They love interacting with our indoor cats (also rescue animals) who have a glass door between them, thank goodness! Then they are off chasing squirrels, “helping” Leroy, and running beside the golf cart when Jay takes it out on the property. If they could talk I think they would say that they're enjoying a great life in the country at the old Blocker House!

Seeing what a wonderful services All God's Creatures provides has made me a staunch supporter. As a result, I agreed to become a board member in order to promote this organization and its needs. I hope that each of you who read this column has it in your heart to help us continue this much-needed service in our county. Denise once told me that she believed that God put creatures on this earth for us, and it is our responsibility to take care of them -- I agree.

Dear Friends,

We were invited to the Peach Festival right after we moved to Trenton. We watched the parade and saw the dogs from "All God's Creatures." When the parade was over, we walked to where the trailer had stopped with the animals. That is when we saw Lobo. He was a small Chihuahua sitting on a bale of hay looking very scared. We held him and knew we were taking him home. He is the sweetest, most loving dog we have ever owned and our hearts are full of love for him.

After about a year, we decided that Lobo needed some company. We then adopted Buddy, a Rat Terrier. Buddy was a very angry dog towards people and there were times we wanted to take him back; but, love prevailed and now Buddy is a loving dog. He likes his attention and has turned out to be a wonderful playmate for Lobo. Now don’t misunderstand - Lobo is still the boss at our house. Thank you, Denise, for caring so much and loving these dogs. I know that sometimes it is very difficult for you to adopt them out because you get so attached to them. You are a wonderful person for what you do.

Donna and Rodney Mitchum, Trenton, SC

Dear All God's Creatures,

Leonard Todd & Laurel Blossom

Dear All God's Creatures,

Tara Croft