Happy Tails

I adopted “Willow,” a beautiful, shorthaired calico cat, a little over two years ago at the Glacial Lakes Shelter when she was 6 months old. I grew up with constant pets, and after moving into town into a small apartment and having a child, I wanted my child to experience the love for pets I had at a young age. My son was only one and a half at the time, but he also has Spina Bifida, so he wasn’t walking, and barely crawling. I heard about how well animals helped disabled children, so it made up my mind. While there, I saw a little girl try to pick her up, but get scratched in the process and the cat dived back into the cage, shaking. I made up my mind we were getting the calico, even though I was worried with how wild she was, but I knew with the way she acted it would be hard for her to be adopted.

A week after bringing her home, and of her hiding no matter my attempts to engage with her, my son was the one that was able to tame her and earn her trust. During the next few weeks he put more effort into learning to crawl during therapy so he could follow her, and practice to pull himself up onto furniture to see her. At the end of those few weeks he was army crawling after her, and pulling himself up to stand against couches to pet her, and learning to pull himself up stairs. Willow was always patient with him, no matter how wild she was in the beginning, and would even rub against him and lick his cheek when he was successful at getting to where she was. She soon grew to care for all of us, but my son is still her priority, especially after hospital stays or at home procedures we have to do, and sleeps in his bed almost every night. My son is almost 4 now, and now has a sister that is 18 months old who is like any normal toddler. Willow never bites, or claws, even though my daughter can get pretty rambunctious. She is one of the best cats I’ve ever had the joy of owning. Never be afraid of going to the shelter, you’ll never know what miracles you may find.

Kyla T. – Watertown, SD

13 months ago I drove to Watertown to check out your facility and found a wonderful 1 year old schipperke named Rosie. The reasons given for surrendering her were – she was territorial and required too much attention. Territorial? well yeah, she’s a schipperke. That was not a surprise to me. As for requiring to much attention, I think that would depend on the household. We are empty-nesters, and have plenty of time to give her. If her first home was an active family with lots of outside activities it might have been difficult for her, especially as a pup. She is my constant companion, and gets me off the couch to play or go for a walk.

On one of our walks a car pulled up next to us and the driver – and elderly man with his wife – asked me would I like to sell my dog! They had had 3 schipperkes at one time and really loved the breed. I had to tell them sorry but no way!

I thank whoever Rosie’s first family was every day for giving her up – for recognizing a bad fit and giving Rosie and I a chance to find each other. My day ends every night with Rosie curling up in bed next to my heart. She waits for me to go to sleep and then moves to the end of the bed. She has brought so much joy to both my husband and me. She entertains us and gives us such unconditional love. Thank you GLHSAS! For the unbelievable price of $75 I found such a sweetie!

Mary C. – Brookings, SD

This is a poem I wrote for School:

The Humane Society,
It’s the animal’s domain.
I work there – my favorite is the dogs,
Walking with the puppies, licking my face!
I work with a person named Grace,
but there’s much more, more, more and galore!
There’s just too much to tell,
Doesn’t it sound swell?
So come one, come all!
People of all ages,
Come see what’s in these dog cages!
So if you’re ever in town, we can be found.
You’ll see me, my co-worker Grace,
The Humane Society is a wonderful place!
And if you’re lucky a puppy might just lick your face!
Won’t you help us fing thier perfect place?

Andrew W – Age 11, Watertown, SD

We adopted “Button” from the Human Society when she was just a teeny, tiny 8 week old mixed-breed puppy last August. Our old dog was on her way out, and she passed away two days after we brought Button home. She is such a good puppy, and just what we needed. Even my Hubby, who was never a dog person, has fallen in love and sure is a dog person now! He lets her sit on the couch and even sleep in bed with him. Everything she does, she does with all her might, my Hubby says – she is the queen of the house! I would definitely recommend the Glacial Lakes Humane Society as a place to get a pet!

Liz A. – Sisseton, SD

Back in 2009, my daughters & I thought we would get a friend for our 5 year old kitty we had at home. We drove to Watertown & went to the Humane Society. As soon as we got there, I was drawn to one particular little fellow. So I walked up to the little orange fuzzy kitty. His name was Gus. He was neutered & declawed, which is what I wanted. We scooped him up right away & took him home. As soon as he got there, he made himself right at home. My other kitty Baxter wasn’t very happy, but he warmed up to him eventually. Now they are good buddies. He brings us so much joy. He sleeps for hours on his back with all fours just hanging there. He is probably the most loveable cat I’ve ever owned. We also found out soon that he like to lick like a dog. Which is fine, but too many Gus kisses can be painful do to their tongues. We are so happy with him & we decided that from then on, we would only adopt from a shelter. So, Thank You, Humane Society! Gus is WONDERFUL!!!

Bernadette O. – Milbank, SD

I’ve been a “regular” at the Humane Society for 14 years now, as a repeat customer and as a daily volunteer for 6 months, years ago. My family has adopted a lot – (over 10!) animals over the last 14 years, 3 cats and 7 dogs, most of which we fostered/rescued and re-homed with family members or friends. We currently have 2 cats and a beloved, super-spoiled poodle diva named “Sissy,” from the Humane Society. Sissy gets groomed by me every week, her hair dyed and styled, wears costumes and clothing, hair bows, barrettes, glitter and perfume – with a different color collar for every day of the week! I’ve seen a lot of positive changes/improvements over the years and it sure looks great there now. Everybody knows it takes a lot of time, effort and determination and just plain hard work to keep the Humane Society up and running, and the folks there do a great job!

Sandy B. – Dawson, MN

I had lost my precious “big” girl after nearly 10 years and was missing her horribly. My son was a student at LATI and found out about Glacial Lakes. I was looking for another small breed female He brought me home a male Boston Terrier. Even though he was not exactly what I was looking for, he very quickly wormed his way in to my heart. Almost a year later, I am still very grateful for “Lugs”. He brings a smile to my face almost every day. Even though some days I still miss my other dog, I am glad to have Lugs in my life. I was so happy with my rescued dog that when my other son lost his dog recently, we turned to the Humane Society to replace her. Even though dogs from humane societies sometimes come with baggage or from unknown situations if you are patient, you will find a true friend. They are there for you when you need them. All they ask from you is a loving environment. I think in the future I will get all my dogs from the humane society. When we were looking to replace my son’s dog I discovered that had I gotten Lugs from a breeder it would have cost $450-700. For a whole lot less I got a wonderful friend that has filled a giant hole in my heart. Keep up the good work and Thank You very much!!!!

Kerry D. – Tulare, SD

We adopted our first dog from the Humane Society over 10 years ago. She was a 3 year old Pug, and a great dog. Our son was in 2nd grade at the time, and she passed when he was a Sophomore in college. We missed having a dog, and our younger daughter, who has allergies, set out to find the perfect dog for our family. She checked out websites of local breeders, and we were prepared to spend $300.00 to $400.00 dollars for a puppy of a hypo-allergenic breed. My wife and daughter stopped at the Humane Society before we left town to purchase a puppy, and happened to find a wonderful 8 month old female poodle mix puppy. She’d only been surrendered a couple of hours earlier. My wife called me out to the Humane Society, and we adopted “Winnifred” and changed her name to “Bella.” We spayed her, got our $25.00 rebate back – she only ended up costing us $50.00! I can’t believe that someone would give this little gem up – but we are happy to have her in our home!

Jeff P. – Watertown, SD

I am 12 and a volunteer at the Glacial Lakes Humane Society. I used to think that when I grew up I wanted to be a Veterinarian but now I think I want to work at a humane society or animal shelter. I have been volunteering for about a year now and I love volunteering here – it gives me alot of experience and I hope someday I can work somewhere like this.

Madison W. – Watertown , SD

I came in looking for a kitten, having finally gotten my Husband to agree to adopting one, and I found the sweetest kitten, so cuddly and playful! She never stops purring – in fact, when I took her to the Vet for a “well kitten” check, she was purring so hard the Vet could hardly hear her heartbeat! The “Mini-Store” that is located in the new office was very convenient and a great value – I bought everything I needed for my new kitten for a fraction of the prices I would have paid in a regular store. I would rate my adoption experience a “10” as I am very satisfied with the level of service and accommodation the Glacial Lakes Humane Society gives.

Deb J. – Watertown , SD