"You have done an amazing job with him...you really saved his life when you saw him as a diamond in the

rough as opposed to how others probably saw him!

You should've seen him this morning. The kids got home this morning as I was getting ready to take the

dogs out. At first I just hear one ring but then it's incessant and I realize that the kids are looking right at

him and Angel through the glass in the door. I opened the door and it was all hi new dog, oh you're so cute,

 ....., etc etc. My god, to look at him you would never have guessed that this dog had ever lived anywhere

but with a family in loving home. He wagged his tail, gave kisses, didn't flinch at their crazy, sudden

movements, their hugs...he was fantastic. " I don't mind you forwarding the pics on at all :). I love the happily

ever after endings :)

He and Angel "make great brother and sister" They already sharing her dog bed. "which makes me wonder

why I bothered to buy him a new one"..

Yay Romeo!!!!

Hey Dari-

Ronin is doing great!

He's very good on car trips, and he's already been to the beach a couple of times this summer.

I attached a couple of pictures of him out on my boat. I was worried about how he would do

with the water but he loved it. He was a little hesitant about the fish though.  My roommate is

actually thinking about adopting from the Greyhound rescue, so hopefully soon Ronin will have

a buddy to play with. He likes to play with me all the time, but I think he still prefers playing

with other dogs rather than people.

Thanks for checking in!

Robert Burke

Hi Sharmila,

Eric and I just wanted to give you an update on Rose.  We took her and Piper to the beach for 3 weeks and they were better behaved than the children!!  They loved the car ride and never made a peep.  They did great with the new surroundings (Piper has been to the house before) and Rose had no problem with the stairs.  She often hung out with us by the pool in the shade (as she wants to be wherever we are) and we took her to the beach a couple of evenings.  She met a crab the last night we were there and it did not like her!!  She was great with all the friends and family that came and left over the course of the vacation.  When we walked her, many people commented on how pretty she is and came over to say hello.   

She is running around now in the yard with the other dogs and is acting pretty spry, so I am guessing the Glucosamine and Zubrin combo is working well for her. She is even enjoying the tennis ball and treats in a Kong!

We are so pleased with Rose.  She is a real gem and we are lucky to have her.  The kids love her too and she is very good to them. We thank you for choosing us to be her forever home.  She has brought us such joy these past 2 months and completes our little trio of canines! 

Hope you are enjoying the summer as much as us!

Susan and Eric 

This is Tina. I am the new mom to Roxy.... I saw her listed as adoption pending and had to laugh! There is no way she is leaving our home. If you look at the attached photo of her and our Lab the second day they were together you will understand. Roxy has adjusted so well. She and Stator (the Lab) are like litter mates. You can't take just one of them anywhere; they both have to go! We took Roxy along to Myrtle Beach with us for Christmas and New years and she had a blast. We spent most mornings at the dog park (but would have to leave when small dogs arrived as she has shown us she doesn't care much for them, so I am checking around for a trainer to deal with this) and the better part of the afternoon sleeping or romping in the backyard. I was very concerned that she would try to jump our fence there as it is only 4 feet high, but she never showed any interest in leaving our sides. My husband and I can't believe we lucked out with such a wonderful loving second dog. Roxy has stolen our hearts and has a permanent sleeping spot on both the bed and couch! I want to thank VGSR for all you do and for bringing Roxy to us!

Tina Ingerski

Sam a.k.a. Sampson is an awesome dog! I could not have asked for a better dog. I was truly blessed when he came into my life and don't know what I would do without him now. Although he was very scared at first and needed to get used to the many things he was never exposed to, like riding in a car, he came around well. He has settled in perfectly in the house and has become the king of the castle. He loves his furry sisters and playing with them, specially chasing them around. He has become such a spoiled brat that he does not like it when mommy brings in new foster dogs. He makes sure to let them know where their limits are and will not allow them into "his" master bedroom or "his" TV room. He has gotten very attached to me, so he is my Velcro dog now and gets very upset when strange dogs jump on me for affection. Sam is a lap dog who loves to be hugged. He will come and try to get on my lap for affection all the time and is very persistent in getting it regardless if you can at the moment or not. Every morning, when HE decides we have had enough sleeping, he will come and jump on my bed to let mommy know it is time to get up and have fun. Sam had no obedience, did not even know what "sit" meant, but has now been through basic obedience and is now enrolled in intermediate. He also goes herding on the weekends, something he absolutely loves and enjoys, and has agility once a week. He excels in all of it!!! Since he will do ANYTHING for food, he does what ever I ask him to do, except the "down stay" and mommy walking away out of sight. He does NOT like that! Mommy even bought him his own agility equipment so he can now play at home, too. Sam goes to a nearby doggy park very often and has a blast with his sisters and friends. Now and then I will take him to the lake for a swim as well or hiking at a farm with some GSD friends. Needless to say, he is a very active dog with a very busy life! He is a very happy and confident boy. Thank you Geralyn and VGSR for allowing me to have this gorgeous boy in my life!

Carolina Valenzuela

Just wanted to pass along a ?Happy Tales? regarding Samson, our VGSR German Shepherd.  Samson has been

with us about ten months now and is as much a part of the family as any of the rest of us.  While initially prone

to bolt for the hills at the slightest opportunity (which he did several times?. aaahhhhh GPS tracking) he now is

comfortable that this is his home and can be trusted not to run.  Like most Shepherds he sees the occasional dog

walker going past on the sidewalk as invading his territory and attempts to make a ?correction? 

Initially very dog aggressive (not much opportunity for him to be socialized for the first three years) he now

tends to take stock of another pooch first and as long as the other isn?t aggressive he is fine.  He even has a play

buddy down the street in the form of a full  grown German breed German Shepherd police dog named Tino. 

They wrestle and push (with lots of funny vocals) but have no aggression to each other. Mutual respect.

Samson started losing a lot of weight after six months and while eating like a horse (up to 10 cups of foods a

day, with hi calorie supplements) he was slowly wasting away with his bottom weight nearing 60lbs and losing

the ability to walk.  While the vet felt it was hi metabolism, some internet research I did found a tendency for a

pancreas deficiency in some Shepherds that negatively affects their ability to digest food.  Like the Tribbles of

Star Trek lore, he was starving in a house full of food.  A blood test by the vet confirmed my suspicions and

now I supplement his food with a prescription pancreas powder every meal.  While expensive the ?furry brother

from another mother? as my kids call him is well worth it. Samson is now back up to a great weight of 82 lbs and

once again loving the tennis ball. (and the hand made canvas ?Krazy Kitty? that my mom made him.His security

toy.)

In closing I can say that without VGSR my family would have had a difficult time finding such a great addition to

the family and would like to again personally thank Mark Cantrell and Sue Shank for all their great assistance

finding the family member my family needed.  Posted 9/22/09.

Jerry Jackson

It has been four months since Sassy came into our lives, and what a difference those four months have made! I will never forget her first time investigating her new home where she put her big paws right up on the kitchen counter. She did not understand what she could and could not chew, and where to relieve herself. I remember waking up every two hours that first night trying to persuade her to go "potty" outside and not in her crate or in the house as she had done with previous families. In addition, we spent many days at the vet's trying to rid of ear and eye infections as well as a small bout of mange. To top it off, she was desperately thin, weighing only 45 pounds. I was about to give up on her when she escaped from the kitchen one day and decided it would be fun to put a big hole in the mattress. But, she always managed to win us over with her huge heart, desire to please, and ease of learning. She just didn't know that what she was doing was wrong. She is very smart and just needed someone to take the time to teach her appropriate behavior. Today, at a whopping 25 pounds heavier!, she is the center of our universe, and we can't imagine life without her. After initially spending time building her confidence, we began her obedience training. Today, she holds her "Canine Good Citizen" degree and is enrolled in dog obedience III/IV preparing to earn her first CD now that she has Indefinite Listing Privileges with the AKC. For a warm up, we assist with a dog I and II class where people are always amazed that she was a rescue dog with no training only a few months ago. Our next step will be agility. She is very athletic, running six to seven miles per day with us, and bounds over streams and logs. We are considering Search and Rescue once we complete our competitive obedience trials. At the end of a work day, we can't wait to see our best friend and go for a run! Thank you for the opportunity to once a gain feel the joy of having a faithful and loving, intelligent friend in our lives!

Mary and Mark Denigan

February 18, 2003 was our lucky day! After losing both of our beloved Collies to old age in 2002, our family was devastated. We tried to find another Collie but couldn't even look at those oh-so-similar faces without getting teary. After some discussion, we settled on a shepherd, another breed we liked, and started our search.

We wanted a young adult that we could train with and compete in AKC Obedience. As puppy-raisers for Guiding Eyes for the Blind, we already had plenty of experience with puppies and didn't want yet another one! Our current GEB pup, Ann-S, leaves in June and we're expecting another little Lab then. So we knew we wanted an adult. Then we started thinking about how great it would be to raise our very own pup from scratch, one who would never have to leave us . . . but then we came to our senses and realized how much work TWO puppies would be. So back to looking for a young adult.

And that's when Lea called. "I know you want an older dog, but I just got this puppy in and I think you'd be perfect for him!"

We picked him up that very evening. "Puppy" had never been named by his previous owner. He was eight weeks old, a floppy-eared baby whom we instantly adored. He weighed 15 lbs. and quickly settled into our home, house-broken within a week and climbing all over our Lab. Our hearts felt lighter by the minute.

It's April now, and Puppy has been named Scout. He's turning into a handsome fellow and at 16 weeks, weighs a solid 40 lbs. We're wondering just how big he's going to get! He also is the biggest sissy we've ever seen (we say with love!). He is terrified of other dogs and at puppy kindergarten, a baby Lab half his size chased him around the room. We are working on positive repeated exposures to a variety of dogs and we already can see a difference. He also is doing well with early obedience training. He will come, sit, stay, and down and kennel on command, and doesn't bat an ear when we trim his nails in the evening.

Scout is interested in our cats and becoming better with them by the day. Our oldest cat, Silk, was bereft when his old buddies crossed the Bridge without him, and he's delighted to have a new canine pal. We can already see the day when Scout will be sleeping with Silk cuddled up against him. Scout also loves Ann, and we know he's going to miss her when she leaves in June. Hopefully, he'll enjoy having a new little buddy to play with.

Thanks, Lea and VGSR, for helping us find our new little buddy. He's made us happier than words can ever express.

The Rodgers Family - Andy, Anne Marie, Katrina, Elise, Ann-S, Teddy, Silk, Leo, Lucie and Phoebe!

Dear VGSR:

We keep thinking Sheba has only been with us two or three years, but when I looked at my papers, I found we have had her four years! Sheba has been a delight for us and we love her dearly. She has perfectly fit in with our lives - of running up the road from a farm in Culpeper to a house in NoVA twice each week. It's a good thing she loves the car! She is also content in her crate when she stays at home while we run errands. Sheba even puts herself to bed at 9 pm if we're watching a movie! She has learned not to poke the cat so hard (he took care of teaching her!) and even has learned to love the occasional visit from Yorkies and Golden Retrievers. We do know she was a city dog, though. In the beginning, when she went outside at the farm to do her duties, she would go, then run right back in the house. Now she loves to accompany us to the barn to feed the horses and to check all her favorite spots around the house. In NoVA she has a nice fenced back yard where she makes the rounds checking chipmunk holes and "conversing" with the Great Danes who live behind our house (she likes them) and barking at the Pomeranian a few doors down (whom she does not like!). When we got Sheba she had some beginning arthritis in both hips and a bone spur on her spine. With glucosamine each day, she has done wonderfully well. She is just beginning to have trouble climbing the stairs. The vet says she is now suffering some neurological deterioration, but at least she is not in pain. She does need to be helped into the car now, though.

I have attached some photos for you, in case some of you remember Sheba, rescued dog #196. Thanks so much for the wonderful work you do!

Sincerely,

Cyndy Grano

We just adopted Sierra, and she is a wonderful girl. She spent the night without cage and she did not make any mess. (She is supposed be housebroken.) She loves to eat as her foster mom said. She is also very good with children. She loves to play fetch with our 5-year-old girl. Sierra loves to play with her squeeze toys as a snack, but she never touches any people toys. She is quickly adapting to her new environment. When she goes out for a walk in the neighborhood, she still pulls on a leash a little, and she needs to work on how to ignore a small animal. She is quiet except when she hears a door bell, or when she hears a stranger approaching the door, then she barks. Mom is very happy about Sierra's behavior to the stranger who comes to the front door because she feels very safe, and she can get rid of any pesky door-to-door salesperson. Sierra's main job is to make her mom exercise in the morning and evening. Sierra walks with her mom because mom's physical therapist recommended mom to walk to improve her physical condition. Sierra's mom no longer has to go to physical therapy, and she does not have join an expensive gym. She can walk with Sierra and have fun everyday. Sierra likes to go to the beach with her new dad too. She was interested in smelling a big striper that her dad caught. She is also teaching a 5-year-old girl about responsibility. Our daughter's job is to feed Sierra. Our daughter, who never thought of picking up her small toys before Sierra's arrival, picks up toys because she thinks that Sierra may accidentally eat her toys. We cannot thank you enough, VGSR, for bringing Sierra into our lives. Sincerely,

The Kenner Family

Hi Everyone,

Hi, Lea, and everyone at the VGSR! I wanted to send you all a quick note to say that "Lea was right!!!" Storm has turned into the most wonderful companion for our family, and we have really fallen in love with her. She had her moments in the beginning but has taken well to her new home and environment. She is the most loving pet anyone could ever imagine and one heck of a fierce protector. We're still working on training her to be more people and dog friendly and know that it will take time. She's gained quite a few pounds since you saw her last--probably about 10 pounds--but is still within the range that the vet says is acceptable. Her coat is lustrous and shiny now, and she seems to be thriving from all the exercise she's been getting. She enthusiastically enjoys the two long walks she goes on each day and is developing very shaply muscles, too!! She does pout when we leave her to go to work but is so cute when she does, we just love her all the more. She forgets that she's mad at us the minute we return and is always so excited to greet us at the end of the day. It's so great to get such a warm welcome. My husband Dan--or "Daddy" as Storm calls him, just loves his baby girl. He calls from work every day to find out how she's doing. I hardly recognize the guy who was reluctant to get a dog in the first place. My son just loves her to death, too and, as for me, I'm enjoying running up quite a bill at PetsMart spoiling her. She has beds on every floor of the house!!!! and enough doggie treats and toys to last a lifetime--dog years that is!! We are so glad that you "kept on us" to give Storm her forever home. She's been just the perfect "friend" to me as I recover from my heart surgery. I thoroughly enjoy the addition to my empty nest and only wish that I hadn't waited so long before taking the plunge. Whoever would have thought that the scared, scrawny, neurotic dog we saw in Sterling about six weeks ago would transform into one of God's most beautiful creatures???!!!! I think you knew all along, didn't you??? Thanks to all of you and especially to Lea for taking the time and effort to place Storm with us. We will be eternally grateful for all the love and affection you showed her during her time in foster care with you. We hope to see you again real soon at one of your functions. (We think Storm might not be so scared next time as she now must realize that we would never abandon her!!!) In the meantime, God Bless You All and take care.

Mary Evans

Hi! My name's Strider. My foster dad, Brent, named me Calvin when I was found as a stray with my buddy, Hobbes. When my dad saw how I loped around, though, he named me Strider. Personally I think he's just a freak that loves Lord of the Rings, but shhhhh don't tell him.

I was only 60 pounds or so when I was rescued. Waaaaay too skinny. I'm now a 78 pound Black and Tan, kitty chasing, bad boy. I love my forever home. I have five acres to chase deer on, and a sister that loves me... but her ears are floppy...must be broken, and a brother that is a jealous punk because I'm Dad's favorite.

I loooove to go for car rides with my family, vacations, and mountain biking in the nearby National Forest with Mom and Dad. Dad almost cries when he goes anywhere without me because I've honed the art of pathetic howling and screaming. Highly effective at striking the guilt into his heart.

Since I'm the good boy (heh...imagine that) I get to go EVERYWHERE. Sometimes Dad takes me traveling when he has to go somewhere for work, and I'm a regular at the Front Royal Daily Grind.

Thanks VGSR, especially you Brent, and Lea!

We are so pleased to be able to include Summer in our family. She is an excellent companion to have around the house. Summer has so many wonderful traits... she's extremely tolerant of our 3-year-old, she's always sweet, gentle, and good-natured, she has fantastic house manners, and she's a quick learner. We could not have asked for a better dog! Summer has come a long way in a short time and has completed an 8 week obedience course. She has learned how to walk on the leash without pulling, she's learned not to rush out of the door, she'll sit when she approaches you if she wants affection and she knows where to lie down when the family is eating. We get compliments on her everywhere we go - she's SO pretty!!

Thank you VGSR!!

Mitch Vassar

Just wanted to drop a note letting you know that Tarzan has swung into our lives and settled like he was

always supposed to be with us.  We lost our beloved Harry this spring and due to the dramatic nature of his

passing, my husband, Chris, and I weren't sure when we would be able to move on.  We found the Virginia

German Shepherd Rescue in our search for dogs that needed a second chance.  After being approved, we

decided to wait until the end of the summer to really start looking at the available dogs.  Well...the best laid

plans can be changed at any time...or as we now see it, fate stepped in. 

Tarzan found us, thanks to Krystal's keen eye for detail.  She felt Tarzan might just fit into our lives, and after

a few road trips and "getting to know you sessions" her instinct proved to be right.

THANK YOU VGSR for giving this family a second chance. 

Chris and Farah Wulff

And now a few words from Tarzan: 

Hi!  I love it here!  My brother took a little while to realize that I was really going to stay.  He tried to ignore

me for the first few days and barked at me a lot.  But now we wrestle and play all the time...sometimes I let him

win!  I still love the water.  Mom bought me a pool and it's my favorite place to be.  I have a big backyard that's

fenced in so I'm nice and safe. I'm trying to catch the squirrels, but no success yet.  I will keep trying.  I also

supervise Mom and Dad when they are working in the backyard.  I make sure they are safe when doing new

projects by staying very close and underfoot at all times...Hey, what does "Shoo!" mean anyway?!!  My other

favorite place to be, beside the pool and the backyard, is in the bed, next to Mom, Dad and my brother.  I don't

know if all dogs get to do this, but they should.  I feel very loved and safe and lucky.  Thanks for getting me here!! 

Love and licks,

Tarzan (aka "Zippy")