Douglas and Amelia

Yesterday brought a mix of news. Douglas, our newest addition to the AARF family, is learning to live again. His foster mom emailed that she finally saw him wag his tail a few times. I wonder how long it's been since he was happy enough to wag his tail. I love to watch and hear about the transformations that happen with each new pet that we save. I have such high hopes that Douglas will start to relish life again, and will soon be ready to bring that special joy that only a pet can bring to a lucky new family.

The good news about Douglas was followed by more troubling news about Amelia, one of our Silver Paws dogs. She has been fighting an infection for a few weeks, and her vets are concerned it's something more serious. You can read more about the surgery and contribute toward the costs below.

I am proud of all of the programs that AARF has, but if I was forced to pick a favorite program, I would have to pick the Silver Paws Program. My heart breaks for the senior pets at shelters. Most of the time, it seems like they just already know they don't have a chance to getting out of there alive. Often, when we meet them at the shelters, they seem to have already given up on life. But almost instantly, they seem to come alive again once they are out of the shelter and in a new home. The love and companionship that both the Silver Paws pets and the Silver Paws fosters get from each other is so clear and so visible. I don't cry often anymore over what we do and how we do it. But EVERY time we are able to save a senior pet through our Silver Paws Program, I get choked up. Reading the updates that we receive from the Silver Paws fosters reminds me why we do what we do. I hope you will all take some time to look at the stories on our Silver Paws page. They will give you some hope for the day.