Success Stories
This is what we are all about.
When we place a dog in a great home, everyone in the rescue is elated. Nothing feels better than helping our dogs on their journey to find a forever home where they can love and be loved.We thank every one of our adoptive families for opening their hearts and homes to our dogs.
These are the most recent MAGSR Success Stories. Success Stories reported prior to 2016 can be found here.
Hi there,
Hi. This is John Grgurich. My wife, son, and I recently adopted Tate. He's working out beautifully, and his foster, Nancy Stett, was a big help in the process.
Happy Holidays from Stella and Boomer.
It’s been a little over a year since I adopted Stella from MAGSR. Since then she has graduated from obedience school and has adjusted well to life in the city. She’s full of energy, loves to run & play with other dogs and is good at playing fetch. As you can see in the picture she still has the helicopter ears which has earned her the nickname “the flying nun” amongst my friends, but they all also admit she is a beautiful dog.
Thank you- for all the work you do for dogs!
We wanted to share Groot's first Thanksgiving with us. We're very thankful to have him! Here's a picture of him posing with the only turkey we trust him with. Thanks again for all you do! Happy Thanksgiving!
We adopted Bella in July 2011. We did not change her name. She had come from Detroit - her owner surrendered her and sent her via airplane to MAGSR. We were her foster family, and then she stayed! Bella has some allergies (leaf mold is her worst irritant) and immunotherapy didn't work for her. May - November she is perfectly fine; from about Thanksgiving until Mother's Day she stays on Apoquel to keep down the itching. Other than that, Bella is a super smart, cuddly, athletic dog. She is slowing down a little at age 8. Now a 2-3 mile walk actually puts a dent in her energy, whereas a few years ago that would have just been the warm-up! From her behaviors and her appearance once she filled out, I strongly suspect she is a Belgian Malinois mix; probably mixed with a pointer or other tall hound.
This photo is from a trip we took this summer with both Bella and her adopted bro Chief. Chief is a miracle boy. We adopted him from our county shelter three years ago at age 10. On March 5, 2015 he collapsed after eating breakfast. Later that day he had emergency surgery to remove his spleen. Biopsy showed he had had a bleeding tumor which was a hemangiosarcoma. Vets at the emergency center said he had maybe 3-6 months to live. That was 18 months ago, and now at age 13 he still walks a couple miles a day with us, chases balls like a puppy, and wrestles with Bella as much as she can stand!
Our trip was a road trip from Maryland to Niagara Falls (yep - the pups went international!) and then out to Wyoming and back. Over 5000 miles in two weeks. They traveled like champs, and we found parks, walking trails, pet-friendly restaurants and motels all across the country! :) I think this photo was at about day 8 of the trip, on the front porch of a KOA camping cabin, as the dogs were getting a little suspicious about loading up into the SUV yet again...
Carolyn and Dan Matthews
Hi-
We have 4 dogs; 3 of them are MAGSR alumni...we have Maxi (AKA Maxine) a long haired shepherd who we adopted in Dec. 2014, Fargo (FKA Garbo) a black lab shepherd mix, adopted -by our Malinois, Geiger, in Nov. 2015, & now most recently Wilco, (AKA Willoughby) a shepherd malamute cross, adopted in May 2016. Fargo keeps watch by standing on our table on the deck. All the dogs love to play, play, play & chase each other around the yard & house!
Thanks so much,
Belinda & Allan Young
We adopted Sandor (fka Sammie) in May 2016, over our birthday weekend. He's named after the character, The Hound, in Game of Thrones. Despite his namesake, he is the most gentle, docile, and loving companion. We wanted a dog for years but waited until we were more settled and financially stable. I made the decision to adopt a dog after I returned home from an Afghanistan deployment, and I couldn't imagine coming home to a better babe. Now that we're together, he goes everywhere with us. We like to cruise and listen to his favorite songs. He likes Tay Swift. We've hit up all the dog parks and dog-friendly restaurants in Arlington. He's great with people, dogs, and kids. I'm just worried he might lick them to death. He's the chillest; so chill, we might have to go back to my home of SoCal because he's too cool for Arlington. He's not even scared of fireworks. He graduated in basic obedience from WOOFS! near Ballston and attends occasional doggy day care with all of his homies at Whole Dogz in Alexandria. We love him forever, more than whatever. Thank you for bringing him into our lives.
Mickey Cohen & Safi Rauf
Hi!
This is Dega formally known as Onyx. We adopted him April of 2011. He is still ball driven as ever. He almost always has a ball in his mouth or nearby. He loves the beach and the snow and just being outside! In the last 7 weeks he's become a big brother to an adorable golden retriever puppy! It was the best decision we ever made adopting him. He is so awesome and we are so glad he's ours!
I thought you might be interested in some photos of grown-up Ronny. He did not get as large as my vet originally projected. He weighs about 58 pounds and is very lean from playing and hiking. The vet said (and I quote) "Ronny is in perfect condition." Unfortunately, his perfect condition enabled him to jump over a section of my fence, which required an extension to 6 feet to keep Ronny from visiting everyone in the neighborhood. I believe that he could easily jump over the 6 foot fence, but don't tell him that.
Ronny is still very much a puppy. Never stops playing or kissing all of his people. He especially loves girls and women, possibly because of all the attention he receives from my daughter and her friends (even though they put hats on him). I call him the kissing bandit because he has to kiss every woman he meets -- especially the soccer girls who swarm him after games.
I never have any trouble finding someone to watch him and Tobin for a few days. One woman I know even asked to borrow him after a break-up. His fur was wet with tears when she brought him back. He's a very tolerant boy.
I think his sunny, affectionate disposition contributes to his wonderful life. He has many friends and admirers. I told my kids to emulate him.
He's also very smart. Does not forget anything. He has become a bit of a character. He started "talking" about a year ago and now has a vocabulary of many different sounds. Did I mention that he is the most jealous dog in North America?
BTW - he is very protective of Tobin. They often sleep next to each other and he asserts himself if another dog is aggressive near her.
He has learned the difference between little kids and older children. He is very gentle with the little ones and usually lays on the ground for them. On at least three occasions recently, someone has greeted him on a walk with "hello handsome" or "hello gorgeous."
As Ronny's 2nd birthday nears, I could not ask for a better companion. He is one in a 1,000,000 dogs.
Jim
PS - I do wish to emphasize one issue -- Ronny is not spoiled. We would never spoil him. I think our neighbors are spoiling him. Or maybe the soccer girls. It's not us.
Hi! I recently adopted my dog, Bo, formerly known as Olaf, May 2016. I wanted to let you know that he is healthy, happy, and brings a smile to my face many times throughout the day. Bo gets along great with my yorkie-poo, Pickle. Bo, Pickle and I enjoy running together when it's not too hot, and love watching Bo swim.
Bo has currently received multiple training lessons for CGC, and will be taking the test in September. He is also starting a retrieve class, which will be every Monday night.
I was nervous to adopt such a "big," dog. However, I would have been missing him if I didn't. I love this boy so much and am glad he is a part of the family.
Gloria Fuller
We adopted Milo from you January of this year (2016). It was a last minute decision to take the drive down there and we are so happy we did because we really lucked out with him. He has taken everything from horses to children to busy farmers markets in stride. He's the best helper for bringing horses in and out on the farm, best running companion, and best snuggle buddy you could ask for. Not to mention he provides constant entertainment as he is certainly not lacking in the personality department. Some of his favorite things around the farm have to be ensuring the pesky birds stay off HIS porch, tirelessly chasing water from the hose, and above all else his precious sticks. This dog will spend hours chewing, wrestling, and collecting big sticks around the property. He wants nothing to do with any other toys. Great experience adopting from MAGSR and so happy with our goofy pup.
Hali Hutchinson
This is Nashville (fka Zoey) who we adopted in January. As you can see she has grown quite a bit from her 28 lbs! When we tell her all the bones aren't hers she gets that great head tilt like " what do you mean they're not all mine"? She loves her brother and sister fur siblings but she really rules the roost! Thanks Magsr for our second adopted GSD from you!
Debbie Thompson
Ace was surrendered to MAGSR in January of 2013 with his brother Hartley. We adopted Ace, who happened to be in the right place at the right time, back in 2013. It is funny how things do truly happen the way they are suppose to and we found each other. He is such a loving soul and wants to make us happy all the time. Ace is an ambassador for rescue and attends rescue events to help promote adoption for many dogs and is a wonderful foster brother to many still looking for homes. We couldn't imagine our lives with out him and a big Thank you to Magsr for saving his life and bringing us together... we are truly blessed!
Good morning, my name is Aaron, my wife and I adopted "Hope" back in December, We would like to update you on her. We have renamed her Trixie. She is a wonderful dog. She loves playing outside and she is definitely a daddy's girl. She has went through two obedience courses at Blue Ridge K9 training. Here are some pictures of her.
-- Aaron Dayhoff
We adopted 'Kara' last July from your organization. It was the best decision we could have made. From the time we filled out the application until we adopted....every person at MAGSR was so friendly and helpful. We renamed 'Kara' to 'Nakoa'. She was very sick with heartworms when we got her and she has made a full recovery. We can't imagine our life without her. She is the sweetest dog that we have ever had....love her!
Jax is the light of our lives. He is always up for an adventure. Jax has completed basic, intermediate, advanced and gotten his CGC! In January of 2015, we joined Wags for Hope as a therapy team. We visit nursing homes, assisted living homes and the READ program at schools and libraries. We also participate in a lot of fundraising events (5Ks usually) for animal organizations. When at home we hang out and do some neighborhood watching from the front porch, or perhaps lounge in our pool in the back yard. Thank you for bringing us together MAGSR, life would be a sad affair without Jax in it.
Trish
Hi MAGSR,
We adopted Polar back in Dec 1, 2013. He has come so far since.
The first week was really rough. We lost a couch, a dog crate, a living room carpet and some blinds and so so so many remotes but he has come to feel safe and secure with us and now has free run of the house during the day. Never has an accident and has stopped chewing on things. Even remotes are safe.
He has an incredible amount of energy still. We love the summer because swimming for an hour really tires him out. One of the few things that does.
We also adopted another older female, Naja, and they had an initial power play but have since settled in nicely and have some great play time.
Polar brings a great deal of joy and happiness to us. We are never never alone as he is a complete shadow dog. He was a little aloof initially. I would always joke that if someone else came in to take care of him, he wouldn't have even noticed. But that has changed completely and he is a loyal and true companion.
Thanks so much for allowing us to make him part of our family. He is/was hard work but he is entirely worth it. And he is very loved and spoiled.
Emily, Henry, Polar and Naja
Hi MAGSR!
"Ringo" who now goes by "Otto" was adopted in March 2015, and he has had my back since! He's been loving the farm life and enjoys spending almost every available second outside, burying his toys and playing in his pool. :) His other hobbies include checking on me in the shower, protecting me from the oven, and generally making sure he has my back at all times. He also enjoys snuggling in the lazy boy he has claimed as his own :)
The best part of his unconditional love is that he lets me put funny hats on him and cuddle him against his will... And he never holds it against me, haha!
A huge thanks from both of us for matching us!
Hannah and Otto
Adopted 2013. Katie is a total love bug! She loves hanging out and spending time with her family, going on camping trips to the beach and mountains, and representing MAGSR at the local Meet and Greets. She received her Canine Good Citizen certificate and passed obedience training with flying colors and we couldn't be more proud! Thank you for helping Katie find her forever home with us!
Hard to believe it has almost been a year since Diego(fka Nicco)'s gotcha day and everyone couldn't be happier. He loves all his toys but especially his Kong and his squeaky toys. Loves helping take care of the farm - watering the garden, feeding and taking horses in and out and protecting the chickens. He even thinks he should be able to drive the truck around the farm just joking but couldn't resist taking the pic last night. Just finished our Basic II Obedience and will be working for our CGC this fall. Thanks to everyone at MAGSR for making this match!
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