Helpful Hearts

No animals are euthanized at Adopt-A-Pet for want of a home. Any pets not adopted become possible permanent shelter residents.

HELPFUL HEARTS is where people who can't adopt a pet can become sponsors to some of our more permanent residents. Those animals are the ones most would call "undesirables"... old, chronic illness, or just too scared of the outside world to be adopted. These animals might remain at the shelter for the remainder of their lives unless the perfect home arises for their circumstances. Some of these animals were never socialized as babies and then dumped as scared adults or came to us with disabilites, illnesses or simply as senior citizens that were thrown away by their families.

Each of these "less than fortunate animals" is beautiful in our eyes. They deserve and receive the same daily love and care as any more-adoptable animal at the shelter.

When you "adopt" a Helpful Heart, you will receive photos, status updates, and condition reports of your chosen pet. Supporters of the Helpful Hearts program assist us just like a fostering family, and we provide the hands-on care for you. Your assistance helps with increased veterinary, medical, and special dietary costs frequently associated with these aging and special-care animals. We hope you will take a look at the pictures and short descriptions below, and consider "adopting" one of these beautiful creatures. We believe you'll be very glad if you choose to participate!

Interested in helping support one of Adopt-A-Pet's residents by becoming a Helpful Heart? Please fill out the donation form (click here), and we will send you a picture of the pet of your choice, along with a brief history and updates. You may also phone or email us for the list of available pets.

NOTE! Pets with a "xoxo" next to their names currently do not have any families helping them out.

Here's a quick look at some of our "helpful heart" residents:

Samson Chinese Crested Dog Mix Size: Small, Age: Senior, Sex: Male
Toby Size: Small, Age: Adult, Sex: Male Toby is partially blind and, because of that, he is cage aggressive and must be handled with care.
Sissy Golden Retriever/Chow mix, Female. Golden in color. Semi-wild. Will not let anyone pet her, but is not aggressive.
R J Beagle Mix Size: Medium, Age: Young, Sex: Male Friendly, playful; loves people and wants to be with them. Needs room to be active and run but needs to be fenced for safety. R J is a very special dog. He was dumped as a puppy and the shelter found out that he had medical problems. He is a very friendly dog but can't get over excited. He is on medication for seizures and does well on it; however, people should be familiar with this disorder and be able to cope with it as necessary. He loves to be with another dog.
Levi Large black Chow mix., 7 yrs. old, Male. Doesn't like cats. Aggressive with other male dogs.
Tony 5 yrs. old.  Staffordshire Terrier.  Brought to AAP by the State Police as an animal abuse case. Friendly with certain dogs at the Shelter.
Bianca Black poodle, 6-1/2 years old. female. Her family brought her to AAP because their child was allergic to dogs. Her front teeth are missing so she has a habit of sticking her tongue out. She would make a great pet is someone would give her a chance. xoxo
Diesel 8 yrs. old, male Lab/Husky. Has some arthritis. He is very friendly but much larger than a Husky so is always passed by.
Gracie 8 years old. Female Beagle-mix. Black and tan. Has a chronic ear infection and her mouth is slightly twisted. She is very shy. xoxo
Penny 16 year old female Beagle, originally adopted from AAP and is relinquished back to us because her caregiver had to enter a nursing home. Very friendly but quiet and likes to greet people visiting the shelter.
Stu 8 years old, male. White Shepherd/American Eskimo. He was tied outside all of his life so he is not friendly toward strangers.
Timmy 5 years old. Black male terrier/Lab mix. Very shy. Found wandering the streets. xoxo
Figero Approximately 8 years old, Male Spaniel type. Very high strung; fast runner. Must have been roughly handled before coming to the shelter. xoxo
Courtney is a 1 year old calico female. She was only 11 weeks old when she came to us and would love to have a place to call home, but should be an only cat because she has a chronic eye infection. She is vaccinated including rabies, wormed, spayed and feline leukemia/FIV tested negative. xoxo
Baby is elderly, partially blind, and slightly deaf.
Cody has had a hard life. He is fearful of yelling and may have been abused before coming to the shelter. He will need a caring, quiet, adult home without other dogs or small children. xoxo
Edwina is a very scared dog. She is looking for the right people to take her to a quiet adult home. She will need a family that has time to work with her. xoxo
Aztec is a sweet little guy. He has lots of energy like most terriers, but likes to relax as well. He would be best in an adult only home. xoxo
When Busch came in she was quite a sight. She had a skin problem, UTI, was malnourished, dehydrated, and had worms. She has been treated for all of these but still has a slight heart murmur. She is a senior dog who is just looking for a quiet home to live out her retirement years with a family that will take good care of her. xoxo
Cher is a scared but kind mixed dog. She came in with a newborn litter of puppies. They were all adopted, but because she is scared and hangs toward the back of the pen, she hasn't been adopted. She is a great dog, not aggressive. She just needs the right family to help her adjust! xoxo