Chelsie is a 12-year-old Lhasa Apso who was raised from a pup by Cathy, her loving guardian. When Cathy's emphysema progressed to the point that she was unable to care for Chelsie anymore, she prayed for an answer to what to do with Chelsie.

That's when she came across a newspaper article about POMDR and contacted us for help. Chelsie was in foster care for several months before Sally from Carmel saw her photo and decided to adopt her. Chelsie and Sally are very happy together, enjoying each other's company and short walks around town. Chelsie is trying to make friends with Henriette, her new 16-year-old kitty sibling, but Henri is not quite ready to snuggle up with her yet! Thank you Sally for opening your heart and home to Chelsie in her golden years.

Redford was found as a stray in Monterey County and taken to the shelter. Being that he was eight years old and a hard breed to adopt out, the shelter asked POMDR to take him. He has an exceptionally gentle and endearing personality and quickly enamored himself of every volunteer who met him. He was in a foster home for several months before the perfect family came along for him.

Red is now living with an extremely kind couple who's only children have four legs, not two. They recently lost one of their pups, Bockus, of old age and Martha, his canine-sister was devasted. Diane and Hugh were also feeling empty and wanted another chow type dog.

When Diane and Hugh came to meet Redford, they couldn't keep their hands off him and Redford couldn't keep his head off their laps. Fur balls were flying around the house from all the petting and loving. Hugh laid on Red's dog bed with him during the whole time they visited. Upon taking Red to his new home, Diane had some homemade dog cookies available and was preparing homemade dog food for dinner that night. Redford made himself at home sniffing every corner of his new enormous back yard and settling in with Martha as though they've been friends forever. Redford is set as he and Martha will rarely be left alone. Between Diane and Hugh, someone is almost always home. Yippee for Redford!

Sammie was surrendered to POMDR when her elderly guardian developed Alzheimer's and had to go into a nursing home. Sammie was very devoted to her mom, but found a new loving home quickly. She had only been with her foster mom a matter of hours while she was working a volunteer shift at AFRP, another rescue organization, when new mom, Cindy, first met her.

We were delighted to receive this update recently:

"Our newest member of the family 'Miss Samantha', is our dream come true and our Dream Dog. I had no intention of adopting a senior doggie when I stopped by AFRP on Lighthouse to pet the kitties! Sometimes everything that needs to happen, seems to happen...and it was as though something a lot bigger than us, was at work. Samee must have a very special Guardian Angel, and ours was surely on duty too, because everything has worked out better than my husband and I could have imagined. Adopting a "senior" was perfect for us, as we are "senior" ourselves. Samee has brought that very special frequency into our home; I call it "the love channel". I hope, if you are considering adopting, you will give one of these seniors a chance to warm your heart, take you out for a walk, and remind you that someone is always glad to see you when you return home. Thanks to everyone at AFRP and Peace of Mind, from Cindy and Stan Gum."

Timmie, a five-year-old, three pound Chihuahua, was found as a stray and taken to Monterey County Animal Services. Being so tiny, shelter life was hard on him so the staff asked us to bring him into our program.

The same day Timmie's picture was posted on POMDR's wedsite, Susan saw it, and immediately filled out an adoption application. Susan thought that he would fit perfectly in her home, along with her husband Norbert, their two chi mixes, Spot and Scramp, their cat, Cali, and their many aviary birds. She wanted a small dog who would cuddle with her, while Norbert, Spot and Scramp went on their 5 to 7 mile runs.

Timmie is a much loved addition, who loves to run laps around their house. He loves to be outdoors and explore. Even though they have a completely fenced yard, Norbert is in the process of installing 1 foot of chicken wire below ground, and 2 feet above to thwart Timmy from trying to explore beyond their yard. He's on his mom's Facebook page, and is also known as "Mr T". Susan sometimes takes him to work with her, where he is a huge hit.

Annie came to POMDR from Salinas Animal Services because the shelter was full and being a senior gal, she needed help the most. Her new mom, Andria is on POMDR's list to receive ongoing emails, which she loves to read, about the happy adoptions, and about the precious senior dogs waiting for their forever homes. When she saw Annie's picture, she thought Annie may be a great companion for her senior chi mix, ChaCha. They both look very much alike. Annie weighs in at 7lbs, and ChaCha 8lbs.

Their first meeting at Berwick Park went well, so Annie went for a sleepover, as both Andria, who is general manager of a busy Monterey restaurant, and her firefighter husband Mike were both off the next day. Anyone that is around Annie for a small time, is drawn in by her personality. After a weekend, Andria's and Mike's huge hearts wanted to give Annie a permanent home. ChaCha mother's Annie, and is very gentle with her. They sleep in the sun together, and play with Mike on the floor together.

While at the shelter Annie did not like men. Their was a concern that Annie may have a problem with a male parent, but there is absolutly no problem with that. This is a happily ever after story for all four.

Alex, a 15 1/2 year old Australian Shepherd, lost his guardian to cancer in January. Her dying wish was for POMDR to find her baby a loving home. She and Alex had been together since he was a puppy. At 15 1/2 we weren't sure if we'd be able to find an adopter for Alex, but we made the commitment to take care of him for the rest of his life in foster care if need be.

After several weeks in foster care, Lisa and Alan, read his bio and saw his photo and were attracted to his wise face and sad story. He had been through so much and they wanted to make his golden years his happiest years yet!

Lisa says, "Living with Alex has been filled with constant surprises. He has quite a funny personality and has won over not only our hearts, but our dog Buddy's as well. We're still working on Lucy the cat, but I'm sure she'll come around. Alan, was smitten as soon as he saw Alex's picture. They bonded instantly! Alan keeps very busy teaching him all the bad behaviors he has taught Buddy. What is a girl to do? Buddy has taught Alex to bark if you take too long getting their food ready or if you take too long getting ready to GO!!!! It turns out that Alex really likes to cook. He helps me every night preparing dinner. He also loves walks and rides in the car and sleeping."

Thank you Lisa and Alan for finding room in your hearts for our special boy!

Alex passed away on July 1, 2010

Justin is a 10 pound terrier mix who was wandering the streets of Salinas until he was picked up and taken to Monterey County Animal Services. For three weeks he waited at the shelter, overlooked and unwanted by potential families until we were able to take him into foster care. He happily followed around his new canine friend, Elvis, and enjoyed snuggling in bed with his foster mom and dad.

While at the POMDR booth at Good Old Days in Pacific Grove, Justin was spotted by Jody, Rick and Andy, who were visiting from Dublin, and they fell in love with this sweet little guy. The family wandered by the booth throughout the day and decided they wanted to adopt Justin. They even put his picture on their computer as their screensaver before the adoption process was finalized!

Justin is now at his new forever home in Dublin and is settling in very nicely He enjoys playing ball, taking walks, napping and looking out the window. His new family absolutely LOVES him more than words can say.

Thank you so much Jody, Rick and Andy for saving this wonderful little dog’s life and giving him the perfect home that he deserves.

Ten-year-old Taylor was picked up as a stray and taken to Monterey County Animal Services. While in the shelter he was very nervous and growled at the shelter workers. He was not suitable to be put up for adoption so he was on the euthanasia list. Little Taylor was actually taken into the euthanasia room, when finally, he gave a tiny sign of being lovable and wanting another chance - he began to wag his tail. Deb Mag, the shelter manager, approach him and he accepted a little scratching under the chin and then allowed her to pet him and give his hind end a little scratching. He rolled over and was so eager for kindness and a gentle hand to trust. Deb decided the next call she needed to make was to POMDR.

We had Taylor picked up and moved to Carmel Holistic Vet Clinic for an exam, teeth cleaning, and neuter and then he went to his foster home. Taylor's foster mom ran into Christina and little Dexter on a walk and they were taken with him and decided to adopt him. Taylor, now named Wally, fits in perfectly with his new canine, feline and human family members. He enjoys being spoiled with a new fleece coat for cold mornings, a high quality diet, regular walks, time to enjoy laying in the sun, and snuggling in bed at night. This is certainly one Happy Tail!

Gill, a 7-year-old Pug, was surrendered to POMDR when her guardian could no longer care for her due to financial circumstances. Gill had a chronic ear and skin infection that needed attention, but otherwise was a healthy senior. Gloria, a POMDR volunteer, picked up Gill to bring her to an adoption event and stopped in at the Raw Connection in Carmel to buy her a harness. While she was there, Judy Z. spotted her, fell in love and insisted on adopting her. This story may sound familiar because the exact same thing happened with Lily, another happy story on this page. Same volunteer, same location, same reason for stopping in, but different dog!

Gill, now Jilly (short for Jillian), has wiggled her way into the family beautifully. She lives with two ten-year-old pugs. She also visits Judy's adult children often and adores the grandchildren and their 10-year-old pug. Jilly enjoys romping on the beach in Carmel, running in the park in Carmel Valley, and dining out in fine restaurants. The whole family couldn't be more thrilled with their newest family member.

Merry came to us from Salinas Animal Services after being picked up as a stray. This little 5 pound darling won the heart of Carmel Valley resident, Marilyn, and became her newest family member.

Marilyn saw Merry's photo in the Carmel Pine Cone pinned it up on her refrigerator and couldn't stop thinking about her. Within a week she had met Merry and adopted her. The two became fast friends and are delighted with each other!

Gertie is a precious little 8 pound terrier mix. She often gets comments about being the cutest dog people have ever seen, and she has a darling disposition to go along with her good looks.

Gertie had a mammary tumor that needed to be removed which kept her from going up for adoption at Salinas Animal Services. Once she got into her POMDR foster home, she came down with a terrible case of kennel cough which turned into pneumonia.

Gertie started on a long road to recovery that lasted 2 months and included many vet visits, x-rays, surgery to remove the mammary tumor and a consult with a cardiologist regarding a heart murmur.

Gertie's health finally stabilized and she found a match made in heaven with Lillian from Novato. Gertie now has a large sunny patio and afternoon sun to bask in in the living room. Gertie will go for little walks around her townhouse on park-like paths, stretching several blocks and will also go on daily 3-5 mile walks with Lillian. Gertie will happily ride in a doggy pouch when she gets tired. Lillian reads to first graders three times a week & plans to bring Gertie along. Gertie and Lillian both feel so blessed to have found each other!

Jake was found by one of our volunteers, running the streets of Seaside. He had been loose for at least four days, many people saw him running in the streets and it took Karen hours to finally catch him. He was very frightened and submissive. She finally got him late on a Friday evening. She had no where to take him so she took him to the Seaside police dept. They transferred him to the SPCA the next day.

He is a really sweet dog, with no teeth. His tongue hangs out of his mouth about 6 inches! He is a sweet, sweet, sweet, gentle big guy with the big sad eyes. He was in bad shape though. Very thin and he behaved like he'd been mistreated. No one claimed him at the SPCA and when he did their temperament test he did not pass with other dogs so they could not put him up for adoption. When Karen rescued him off the streets she had two dogs with her and he was fine with them. The stress of the shelter situation probably put him on edge.

A friend of the volunteer that found him offered to adopt him. Only one hitch - she lived in Mississippi! But that was an obstacle we could overcome. The SPCA neutered, microchipped, and vaccinated him for us and then he spent two days at Carmel Holistic Vet Clinic waiting for his flight to Mississippi. He flew from San Jose to Dallas, changed planes and then flew into New Orleans where he was picked up by his new mom and driven to Laurel, Mississippi to start his new life.

Jake is grateful to everyone that had a hand in making his happy tail happen: SPCA of Monterey County, AFRP, POMDR, the Seaside Police, Karen Sonne,, Dr. Tom Boekbinder at Carmel Holistic Veterinary Clinic, and everyone who donated toward his medical and travel expenses.

Here is a quote from new mom, Cynthia:

Thank you soooooo much for saving Jake!!! He is the most loving sweet angel! He loves me and his little brother, Sunny the cat, so much!! He is soooooo friendly and is winning everyone's heart he meets!!! He loves his toys and is very obedient! I couldn't have hand picked a better pet!

Daphne was found as a stray a few days before Christmas and no one came looking for her at the shelter so she came to POMDR. She is one of the sweetest dogs you'll even want to meet. Her foster parents were having coffee at an outdoor cafe in Carmel with Daphne, and she was wearing her "Adopt Me" bandana. That is when she caught the attention of Debbie. Debbie had been looking for a sweet, mellow, older poodle to adopt. She introduced herself to Daphne's foster mom and Daphne and it was a love connection!

Daphne now goes to work with her new mom and dad. She gets three walks a day and watches the goings on out the office window until it's time for a nap. Dolly, her 3 pound, 13 year old new sister, gives her attitude,but Daphne doesn't mind at all. She even barks at her when she's asleep, but Daphne is in doggy heaven in her new home and doesn't mind her "sister's" jealousy.

Lily, a 12-year-old Chihuahua, was picked up as a stray in Prunedale a few days before Christmas. She was taken to Monterey County Animal Services and did her stray time while the staff hoped that someone would come looking for her. This little girl was not a happy camper at the shelter. She was nippy and not easily handled. She was at risk of being euthanized but her life was spared when Carmel Holistic Vet Clinic agreed to foster her for us until a fsoter home was available.

After a thorough exam and blood work, we found out that Lily had severely infected teeth and infected gums and she has Cushing's Disease. She was started on medications for Cushings to stabilize her and then had a dental cleaning and had several rotten teeth pulled. When Lily was ready to go to her new foster home, her foster mom picked her up from the vet clinic and took her over to The Raw Connection in Carmel to buy her a new harness. While at the Raw Connection, a woman named Mary walked in and made an immediate heart connection with Lily! She visited with her for quite some time and was smitten. Mary followed up with Lily's foster mom and visited her again before making the commitment to adopt her. Lily now has a new family including two kitty siblings. Mary will be pursuing natural therapies to assist Lily in becoming as healthy as possible. This was a divine match indeed!

Reddy came to us from the City of Salinas Animal Shelter. He is a sweet little 8-year-old Pomeranian mix that came into our foster program and didn't take long to find a new home. His new person, Lydia, had been looking for a companion after her husband passed away. A friend of hers named Lucy found out about Reddy and immediately told Lydia about him. Lydia met Reddy and fell in love. In her own words:

"Reddy is wonderful to me, he's been my best friend. I couldn't have found a better companion. Everyone who meets him just loves him!"

Sassy was one of our first POMDR rescue dogs. She arrived at the Monterey County Animal Shelter as a euthanasia request after her guardian lost his home. Life before the shelter was hard for Sassy. She had been badly neglected for years before being surrendered to the shelter. Sassy was fostered for three months before finding an amazing home.

Sassy's new name is Grandma Ehtel Moonbeam (GEM for short). Her new mom, Wendy, reports that Gem is adjusting well. She's a happy girl getting 2-3 walks a day and going to work with her mom several times a week. She has a new family which includes a few more Chihuahuas and some cats. Gem is a lucky girl. She will be well-cared for and loved for the rest of her life as it should be.

We first became aware of Brandy when her elderly owners could no longer care for her. This 14-year-old Beagle/Yellow lab mix was older in years, but very young at heart! A vet tech took her home from the clinic until POMDR found a foster home for her. In the mean time......

Mac and Marie weren't looking to adopt another dog. When their beloved pug Sadie passed away earlier this year, they were sure that it was the end of their dog owning years. However, their dog loving neighbor didn't believe that had to be the case. When she heard Brandy's story she and Brandy's foster mom decided to pay a visit to the couple. With Brandy's sweet smile and gentle demeanor, it didn't take long for the match to be made! Once it was clear that Brandy would walk nicely on the leash with Mac, and learn to sit patiently for her dinner from Marie, instead of jumping up in excitement....well, the adoption was made official!

Savvy, a 7 year old spaniel mix and Lucy, a 9 year old King Charles Cavalier Spaniel, were being fostered by Scott and Carie and were both looking for new homes. Savvy's person had passed away from Emphysema and Lucy's person was elderly and could no longer care for her. The two spaniels became such good friends and got along so nicely with the kitties and the other two dogs in their foster home, that they stayed on as permanent family members. Sweet, goofy, friendly Lucy has helped shy, reserved Savvy come out of her shell and trust new people she meets. It's one big happy family now!