Below are some pictures and stories from some fabulous people who have adopted from us. Adopters are the most important part of our rescue and we can not thank them enough for giving these precious animals such wonderful homes.    



RJ

After losing my sweet dog, Bailey, in February, my sorrow was so deep and profound.  I  thought I would never stop mourning his loss.  Bailey meant the world to me!  I couldn’t stop crying because I missed him so much.

I thought  fostering a dog would help my grief so I went on  the NMAR website and read RJ’s story.  RJ was surrendered after his family could no longer keep him. He was a inside dog who was loved and had lost his family.  He cried and mourned the loss of his family on a regular basis. RJ was devastated after being surrendered.  NMAR was anxious to get RJ into a foster home or adopted.

I thought  RJ and I  might be able to help each other get through our tough times together until he found his forever home since I knew I wasn’t quite ready to make a permanent commitment.

After receiving the good news that RJ would be our new foster dog, he arrived at our home excited and happy to be there.  And there is where the sadness ended, and all of our happiness began.  Within in a few days, he learned our routine and blended seamlessly into our family. Tears were replaced with laughter again; the emptiness was filled with new activities and fun times! RJ was not going anywhere because he WAS home!  Both our sadness disappeared and we were ready to start our new journey together. He is an amazing companion who has many qualities and characteristics similar to Bailey. I am certain Bailey played a part in getting RJ to us; so that we could all be happy again!

Thank you, NMAR, for all that you do!  We will forever be thankful for our wonderful gift of RJ!!


BREWER

I adopted Brewer (formally known as Kody) on Monday, April 12, 2010.  I had been dreaming of a lab-like dog with these gorgeous black and tan markings for a long time.  One day I opened my NMAR newsletter, and there was the most beautiful litter of puppies featured right at the top!  I wasn't able to adopt him until I got my house 2 months later, but he was still there and became all mine!  Brewer has been 100% fantastic since day one.  He is so loving and seems to be very thankful that he was saved and in such a loving home. I've had 2 pure bred dogs before (a golden and a lab) and as puppies, they were absolute terrors.  Chewing on everything, hyper, you name it.  Brewer is so calm that everyone thinks he's a few years old.  But he's only 6 months old!  He loves to play and already has 3 best dog friends that he sees regularly for play dates.


Brewer fills my home with so much love that I can't imagine him not being a part of my life.  I will definitely rescue again if/when the time comes!


Cheers to Beth and Danielle for saving my handsome Brewer, he's truly a blessing to have around.


BAILEY

Bailey is doing great! She has been a wonderful addition to our family and she is getting along very well with her new big brother. They love playing fetch in the backyard, even though most of the time it's me fetching the ball from them instead of the other way around, but they keep each other quite entertained passing the ball back and forth. Bailey has also become my wife's jogging partner (which our other big guy wasn't so good at). Attached are a few pictures of her first day home as well as a recent car trip we took over the fourth of July.

 
Thank you so much for helping make Bailey a part of our family!




BELLA

Hello wonderful people! I wanted to update you on Bella, our new addition to our family. When we first adopted Bella, she was a little skittish, but very sweet. In the three weeks that we have been blessed with this furry ball of fire, she has made SO much progress. I gave her a bath in the kitchen sink, and she didn't protest one bit. I tried the hair dryer, still no protest. We are constantly amazed at how well behaved, sweet, and just down right darling she is. I have never seen my hubby react to a dog like this. It's amazing. After losing my 12 year old Cocker Spaniel in Jan, I never thought I could feel the same way about any other dog. WRONG!!! Bella is the love of my life, my constant companion, my little furry clown, who hops around the house with happiness, which is so cute to see. She loves to play with toys and loves the yard outside. She doesn't realize she is NOT a huge guard dog, if she hears a noise, or someone knocks on the door, she has the same stance as a Rottie, and growls in her vicious (lol) little voice. Can you tell we are crazy about her? Thank you so much for giving us such a wonderful dog, I think God has sent her to us, truly.

Much love to your organization!

Rick and Deborah



TURNER

My husband and I adopted Turner (formerly Woody) in August 2008.  After adopting a pit bull mix in August 2007, Kelsey, we knew we loved the breed.  After submitting an application to NMAR, we arranged a meeting to potentially adopt another dog at the rescue.  After meeting that dog, we concluded his personality probably wouldn’t mesh well with Kelsey’s.  The kind ladies of NMAR then introduced me to the little man who would soon steal my heart. 

 

Moments after meeting Turner, we knew he was the one we were meant to adopt.  His demeanor was so easy-going, and when he wasn’t trying to fit his whole body into the little fish pond in the yard, he wanted nothing more but to sit in your lap.  Not to mention, Kelsey loved him; something rare for her.  

 

Adopting Turner has been one of the best decisions we have ever made.  He brings smiles and laughter to anyone who meets him.  He loves to swim in the pond, chase the tennis ball, and most importantly, snuggle after a long day.  He is fiercely loyal and is eager to learn new things.  Little by little, I began to learn that not only does Turner need me, but I need him.  It’s amazing how much joy a little tan creature with four legs, crooked ears and smile, and a bark that sounds like a howl can bring to you day after day.


LOLA

Lola was adopted from NMAR in August of 2008 (she was "Domino" when we got her)

Her and her brothers and sisters had been brought to the shelter because her mother, who had been adopted out earlier was never spayed and became pregnant with a neighborhood dog. (daisy) Out of all the dogs in the litter, Lola was the crazy one, running around with her brother and pouncing all over people. Lola has brought more joy to our lives than we could ever have imagined. My boyfriend Tim and I picked her out and she has been with us through building a new house our engagement and in a few months- our wedding. Lola is the most loving dog in the world, she has never met a stranger. When she is not running around with a toy in her mouth, she loves nothing more than to cuddle up to Tim or myself.

Thank you NMAR for the wonderful addition to our family- she is the love of our lives~! - Colleen and Tim




MARLEY

I adopted Marley (formerly Jazz at NMAR) back in August of 2008, at 3 months old.  We all thought her to be an American Bulldog mix but turns out I have a compact, little pit girl with loads of personality.  Marley is spoiled rotten and lives a life of luxury. She has a dog walker every week day that adores her, has baskets full of toys, plays "Chuck It" every afternoon, and snuggles up (under the covers) with me at night.  She goes everywhere I go and I swear...she speaks and understands "human". =) Marley has brought so much joy to my life and has inspired me to work with dog rescue ventures of all sorts.  She is also the reason I have such a soft spot for the breed now.  Can't imagine my life without her and grateful to NMAR for their part in bringing us together!






DOMINO

Domino, LaceyLu and Harley at Christmas! Thank you so much for Domino
Beth!!!!

Cindy


LUCY

Dear Beth and all of you who do so much to help:

 

I want to thank all of you for the amazing work you do to try and save as many wonderful companions as you can. I was so lucky to have found your group as you brought Lucy (formally Dolly) into my life after I had lost my beloved Max. When he passed away on March 30, 2009, I knew that another dog could not replace the unique personality he was but when on April 17, 2009, Lucy- a 12 week old puppy, came into my life she brought with it a sparkle and never-ending character all her own.

 

In coming to work with me everyday, she became just what the office needed as we were going through some structural changes. And as luck would have it, two weeks after adopting Lucy, I had to have emergency surgery to repair a damaged knee. Once I returned to work a week after the surgery, Lucy found herself the center of everyone's world as each person at the office came together to take her on her routine walks (several a day) and sometimes just playing with a stick outside was what some people needed to help them unwind.  Lucy grew in many ways, not just physically. She became the office mascot greeting clients and learning how and when to behave appropriately, sometimes begrudgingly. Once I recovered fully it was on to puppy training classes. I don't think they worked as well as they could have, but we had fun the entire time!

 

Lucy was not an "only child" for too long. Having the feeling she was just missing a true companion, unlike Max who practically grew up along side my son, Lucy needed that special "someone" who could really help her in the next phase of her puppy-hood. We decided to adopt another rescue dog. Yes it was from another rescue group, but a rescue group nonetheless. We named her new big sister Lola, a 1 and 1/2 year old black lab mix, who came into our lives and our hearts on September 20, 2009.

 

Lucy and Lola have been inseparable ever since. They do it all together -from coming to the office, to running non stop, to deciding when it is time to take a nap, to making sure that I will never need another alarm clock as long as I live.

 
Lucy just celebrated her first birthday on February 1st and of course we had a cake to mark the occasion! We will of course celebrate Lola on April 1st to mark her 2nd birthday and there will be cake, rest assured.

 

I cannot express the joy my girls, my precious rescued from death girls, have brought and will continue to bring into my life. I wish I could save them all and maybe one day I will rescue another lucky dog

 

Simply said-thank you for all you do.


ROXY

We started with the idea of fostering dogs at NMAR a few years ago.  After a large black lab mix named Haile, while we were working at the Huntersville location, I saw a rather pitiful sight.  Roxy was 8 weeks old, skinny, pink, and hairless.  It turns out that she was in the process of recovering from demodectic mange--after having been tossed from the window of a moving car.  She came home with us to heal, be housebroken, and learn some basic obedience, as well as spend some time with other dogs and a couple of rather territorial cats.  She stayed with us for a while, taking bi-weekly medicated baths and getting syringes of liquid medicine shoved down her throat twice a day to kill the mange, and meeting several prospective families while she was here... all of which she took pretty much in stride.  When the economy really crashed, adoptions fell as well, and I didn't get a call about her for almost another month.  At that point, when the next call did come, I had to be honest--Roxy wasn't going anywhere.  Miss Rox is doing well, and her name is still Roxy, but I don't think she knows that.  We call her either "Little" or "Small Fry" as nicknames (she's smaller than our other two), and she answers to them, so we're sticking with it.  Vinnie and Mojoe are doing well, also, although ol' man Vin needs the occasional painkiller for his arthritis.  The Small Fry seems to enjoy hiking with me (weather's been too crappy for it lately, alas), and she even has her own little coat since she's kinda short on the fur.  Little is quite possibly the smartest dog I've ever had, and she picks up tricks pretty quickly.  While still a big fan of chewing on my sunglasses if I forget and leave them on the coffee table, the chewing seems to have waned for the most part.  She's full of energy, and quite cuddly, and while still a little nervous at new things, is nowhere near as timid as she was when we first got her.  She's got a pretty little coat since we got rid of the mange, although as a whippet, there's still not a whole lot of hair to speak of.  Suffice it to say, after 2 years with Small Fry, I think she officially qualifies as a foster failure.  :-)

STORMY

Hi- a happy tails photo of stormy, a female shep. adopted thru your shelter 2-3 years ago and was joined a year ago by another shep,  trooper from another shelter.
they were both angels when visiting Santa with their Christmas list this year.  stormy has settled down considerably since she now has a full time playmate.  they are wonderful dogs and will enjoy a forever home with me and Sam.
Thanks for your good work


GEORGIA

 

 

 

We adopted

 

Georgia

in May 2008, and she's been an absolute joy.  She loves the dog bar, doggie day care, long walks, and playing with her new kitten.  We can always count on her for a very exuberant greeting when we come home from work, and she makes us laugh every day.

 


TRUMAN

 

 

Our dog Truman, who was Dexter when we adopted him, is doing great. We now have a new 11 week old puppy named Tank, and they are already best friends. Thank you so much for being there to let us find him!

 

 



BILL

We adopted Bill (part Chocolate Lab part Pit bull) from NMAR last winter. He had a very shy disposition and not many people found him as desirable. Let me tell you...I cannot live without this boy! He's been my right hand man and is the BEST cuddler ever. He's usually very polite, but has his cute puppy side. (He wiggles his whole body instead of his tail.) Trevor (Pit Bull) waltzed into our lives shortly after and NMAR helped me SO much with this boy. He wasn't neutered, current on his shots and had been neglected. Trevor was a blessing in disguise because he brought a lot of personality out Bill. They are the funniest dogs ever to watch. They're like 2 little five year olds together. NMAR has done so much for us....It is such an great organization. I can only hope that more people recognize this and donate!!! :0)


RANGER

We adopted "Ranger" (formerly Mitzy) about 41/2 years ago...NMAR had just spent over $1,000 on emergency surgery for her because she was too sweet and cute not to save. Well, I am happy to say she is happy, healthy, and a wonderful part of our famiily - thanks so much for saving her for us!!!