I've worked at LAWS for four years and over those four years I've met some remarkable and unforgettable animals. One such animal is Gandalf the cat. Gandalf and his buddy Lucky were brought to the shelter August 2010. The two of them each had a damaged eye and were looking pretty rough from living on the streets. It was discovered that Gandalf had been shot multiple times with a pellet gun, as he still had fragments in his cheek and neck. We believe this was the reason for the eye injuries both cats were suffering from. Unfortunately, due to the severity of their eye injuries, both cats had to have the damaged eye removed. As well, the pellets in Gandalf's cheek had caused a bone infection and we were concerned he might not recover. But Gandalf was a survivor and with time and medicine, he eventually healed.
I often thought if ever there were a cat who had every reason to distrust and dislike humankind, Gandalf would be that cat. However, Gandalf displays unbelievable amounts of friendliness and love. Gandalf loves everybody: new people, children, other cats, and although he's never been introduced to a dog, he probably would love them too! The moment I knew I would adopt him came about one day when I went to visit him in the cat run. He was perched on top of a scratch post and reached up and put both front paws around my neck as if to give me a big hug. My heart just melted and I knew at that moment I would be bringing him home with me.
On November 24, I officially adopted Gandalf. He has settled in nicely into my home and enjoys playing with my three other cats (also adopted from LAWS). He has learned to shake a paw for a food treat and is truly one awesome cat. I'm so glad he's come to live with me.
(PS Lucky has recently found his forever home as well!)

Janet Laraway
LAWS staff member

I just wanted to let you know how I am getting on in my new home. I have asked my new Mammy to write this as I have been so busy I do not have the time to write to you myself. It was very sad to say good-bye to all of you who have been so good to me for so long and have been such good friends of mine. But I was very excited to be going home to my new family. Unfortunately on the way home I got too excited and made a terrible mess all over the back seat of the car. I thought they would be mad at me, but they weren't. They did however buy a bottle of stuff that they sprayed in the car, which I thought smelled worse than my mess! The nice lady that lives with my Mammy and Pappy, I think it is their daughter, cleaned everything up real good. My, oh my, what a place my new home is! Lots and lots of space for me to run and roll in the grass. They let me off the leash the second day I was home and I stayed very close to them all to let them know that I would not run away. Why would I want to?
The only little problem we had at the beginning were all the furry animals that were in and around the house. They DO think they own the place and were rather upset at my coming. They swelled all up twice their size and made funny spitting noises at me. I found the best way to deal with them is to ignore them. But one of them in the barn who had several little ones slapped my nose. I'm not going into the barn again! But we do seem to be getting along fine now. We just have to get used to each other. When I came into the kitchen at first there was a nice mat on the floor for me, which was OK, but I preferred the sofa. No one seemed to mind. But best of all is to sit on my Pappy's lap when he is sleeping on the Lazy-Boy chair. Thank goodness he seems to do a lot of that! I do want to thank you for all you did for me at PAWS and thank you especially for getting me such a nice home. You have given me a whole new life.

Chance

Hi Guys, It's me Casey,
I just thought I would drop you a line and let you know how I'm doing in my new home. I have two new friends one named Abner and one is Riley. I really didn't want to have these two (they're cats!) anywhere near me at first, but after a while I decided these two boys are OK!! They even lick my nose and my ears and I can just lay there and enjoy. I have had so much to get used to and we are still working on all sorts of things. My human has several large animals with huge teeth and long legs. I am really unsure about them, one especially who my owner calls her old doll, really gets me. When my human takes them something to eat (I don't know why they get so excited, doesn't smell like anything I want to eat), the old doll bears her teeth and puts her ears back. I think she's going to hurt my human, but my human just tells Old Doll to relax and gives her a scratch on the head. Eventually I will figure these creatures out. I also have to work on anything to do with vehicles; they scare me. They are OK when they are just sitting there quiet, I can even pee on them, then every once in a while they come to life, what's up with that!! If I get in the vehicle with my human I want out even if it isn't running. But it can move and I don't want it to, so my human has hired a lady named Bonnie to come and help me with this issue. Since I have decided Abner and Riley are OK, I have the run of the house and no longer sleep in a crate. I have a lovely bed and can get up in the middle of the night for a drink or whatever. I sleep really well now. For the first little while I was to nervous to have a really sound sleep. Now I can crash for hours without worry and have even been caught snoring. I try really hard to be a good dog for my new human. I am pretty sure she likes me as she tells me what a good dog I am. I still have lots of stuff to learn and I'm sure we will get there. Someday maybe I'll be riding in the vehicle down the road with my nose stuck out a window and go places and see things, and maybe I'll run with the long legged big tooth creatures. But for now I am a very happy dog taking everything one step at a time. Thank you for taking such good care of me while I was at the shelter waiting for the next chapter of my life to start.

Thanks again,
Casey

We are just sending you a follow up to let you know how Peter is. We couldn't ask for anything better! Since March 25th, Peter and our son have been the best of friends playing around the house non-stop. Peter still enjoys playing with one pebble of food and tapping it all around the house. We couldn't have asked for a more affectionate cat. Thank you for taking such good care of him. He is a part of our family now.

Thank you,
Jeff, Dany & Ethan

Hello to everyone at LAWS,
In February 2011 we adopted Rufus, a 3-year old Shepherd/Collie mix, from you wonderful people. We had wanted a mate for our new, energetic 3-year old husky Blue (also originally from LAWS and recently brought into our family). When we saw Rufus we knew we found the perfect match and he and Blue have been best buddies from the moment they met. We gave Rufus the name 'Tully' - a Gaelic word meaning 'Prince of the People' and that's most definitely what he is! He is the sweetest, kindest dog we've ever met or ever hoped to meet. His smiles burst with love and affection. There's no doubt Tully was a farm dog before finding his way to us. He amazes us all the time with some of the places he likes to sit - like the top-end of our garden tractor (picture included). He takes his job of supervisor very seriously and likes to watch over any work being done, refusing even his meals if the work is not yet complete. Tully's also been enjoying the company of many friends. Just last week he entertained his cousins Gus and Roco for the day (pic included). Tully gets along with absolutely everyone, happy to play and run or take quiet naps next to an older pal. Blue, his best buddy, has been getting so much happier and less anxious now that he has someone to emulate....and run with! Tully has been the best behavioural tool for Blue and his smiles bring new happiness to our lives every single day, better than any anti-depressant! Tully loves everyone and we just can't believe anyone would ever willingly part with this sweetheart. We would joyfully take in another 100 Tullys!!!

Thank you LAWS for introducing us to a most perfect pal!
Lindsey Rollo & Art Hannigan

Hey there, I just wanted to say thank you to the staff at LAWS. We made our first visit on Saturday on recommendation of a friend, and went home with "Nero" who will likely be named "Buttercup" henceforth. I wrote about our experience and put up a picture on my blog (very popular among Ottawa families!) here: http://danigirl.ca/blog/2011/06/18/hello-kitty/ And here's a picture of a very happy boy and his new 'baby', too! Thanks again, you guys have a wonderful operation and I won't hesitate to recommend you in future.

Danielle

I was at LAWS in the middle of April with my grandmother to find her a new companion. We were in there for over an hour trying to find the perfect one. There are so many sociable, cuddly cats to pick from it was hard to decide. She finally decided on Gatsby. He instantly fit into the household, he never stops purring or meowing when she's close to the food cupboard. He sleeps with her every night and has made her happy again. She couldn't love him more. I hope more people come out to adopt because there are so many sweethearts waiting to be adopted.

Ashley Knapp

Hello! We just wanted to update you on how Yeti, the Canadian Eskimo, has been doing since we adopted him last Wednesday! So far, he has been fitting in amazingly! He's made friends with two of our cats, Spike (an orange Domestic Long-Hair) and Tigger (a tortoise-shell Domestic Long-Hair). He loves the long walks in the country, and has been finding all sorts of new and interesting smells on our property. Here is a picture of Yeti, Spike and Tigger, and one of him on his chair, so you can see how well he's doing.

Thank you so much, Sarah Anderson

Thank you LAWS! I often went online and would look and see the cats that were available for adoption at your shelter. I was interested in a adult cat, as I feel that kittens are most likely to be adopted first. I love my new addition, Splashie! She has been such a joy and a ball of fun, I'm so glad I had the opportunity to adopt her. What you all do at LAWS is so amazing! The dedicated and hard work and the big hearts you all have. I cannot thank you enough for Splashie. I love her to pieces! She has settled in our home very well. I was concerned at first how my other two cats would react to her, but with Splashie's sweet personality they have accepted her into their pack. As I write this she is curled up in my arms. I couldn't have asked for a more loveable cat, not to mention a more chatty cat. I want to thank you all again very much for all the time and love you gave Splashie during her stay at LAWS.

Brittany & Splashie

It has now been one year since we adopted "Jupiter" (now Finn) into our home. Finny was seized from a home with over a dozen other cats. He was extremely shy and we were told he was almost given away as a barn cat upon arrival. One of the lovely ladies on staff (Lynn I believe) saw much more potential in him and luckily he stayed at LAWS and was adopted by our family! We love this cat more than words can say and it is amazing how much he has changed from the time we brought him home. His first several days were spent hiding under the bed, and he remained very skittish for weeks, now he spends every moment at my side. Three months later, we went back to LAWS and adopted a brother for Finn. I choose the biggest, most gentle giant I could find..."Perogie" (now Lou). Our big white boy has become Finny's best friend and they can usually be found curled up together on the couch! They simultaneously groom one another daily and we've caught them with their arms around each other more than once! We would like to thank L.A.W.S for giving our boys a chance and keeping them before we adopted them! We look forward to many special years with our boys!

The McCabes