ROSCOE We adopted Roscoe from the Franklin County Animal shelter when he was 9 months old. My husband and I had been volunteering there for some time and I always wanted a chocolate lab (since we had a yellow). That morning I was on the website and saw a chocolate lab puppy get posted by the name of "Burns" and he was in foster care. I begged my husband to come down to the shelter because that day was Mingle with the Mutts.
We drove down and it was a beautiful day and there was a crowd. We scanned the front lawn for a chocolate lab puppy. There we spotted what we thought was "Burns". We approached the young lady who was sitting with the puppy and asked if that was "Burns" and she said it was. Let me just say it was love at first site, he came right up and sat in our laps and was as crazy as a lab puppy can be. We talked more to the lady and he was in foster care because he had kennel cough and was supposed to be coming back to the shelter that day. We walked around and noticed that another family was looking at him also and made the decision that we wanted him. We drove home to get our yellow lab to make sure that they would get along.
Now our chocolate lab is 4 years old and we have renamed him Roscoe. He is my husband's best friend, he follows him around everywhere. We are so happy that we looked on the website that day and came down to check "Burns" out. He is a very special dog.....he loves his people, loves to give kisses, loves to fetch and loves attention. He and our yellow lab are the best of friends and we recommend the Franklin County Animal Shelter to anyone that we know who wants to adopt a dog. They really do take great care of the dogs and make sure that they find the best homes that they can. We thank them for taking great care of Roscoe, whom we love so much!
-The Webers
CAPONE
"We adopted our dog Capone from the shelter in November of 2007.We had been to several adoption events and were taking our time to find just the right dog . We then made contact with some of the foster coordinators and after they got to know us more and got to know what kind of dog would blend in well with our lifestyle, they said they had a dog who was "darn near perfect" . We were a little hesitant at first because Capone was a little bigger of a dog than we "thought" we were looking for, but he ended up being just perfect for us.Capone settled right into his home in about a week or two and we all have been happy every since. He is very good at playing catch in the backyard ( he loves his tennis balls and football) as well as loves going on walks with us. As we have gotten to know Capone and love him, we love what a colorful personality he has and how well behaved he is as well, which is a reflection of all the time/training and love he received from everyone at the shelter and everyone with the foster program. Capone came to us already being crate trained, clicker trained and house broken, as well as knowing commands such as "sit" and "shake".
Everyone at the shelter was so helpful and did such a wonderful job caring for him during his 10 months at the shelter(we can not believe how such a great dog was not adopted sooner). They also made the adoption process an experience we will never forget and will most certainly recommend to others. Would would like to thank most notably, Libby, Erin and Doreen for your work and caring for Capone. It was the time you took in training him and loving him that undoubtedly made our adoption of Capone so successful. Keep up the good work, and thank you very much from all of us.
-Jeff, Jane and Capone
LOUIE
"After dropping off our daughter at OSU, we noticed a sign for Mingle with the Mutts (at the Franklin County Dog Shelter). We had our dog with us and we decided to see what this was all about.
After just a few minutes there, my son found a dog named Louie who had just recovered from kennel cough. An adoption ward attendant explained to us that he was doing poorly and not eating well because he was stressed by being in the shelter. He was on the list to go into the foster care program and the attendants were trying different ways to help him cope in the meantime.
We decided to adopt Louie, thinking our quiet home would help him recover. After a 2 ½ hour ride home our life with Louie began. At first, he was a bit timid and kept to himself, but over the last 9 months has learned that he can trust us. He was always a very obedient boy, and even on the first night seemed to understand the house rules. He loves to catch a tennis ball and was the star of his obedience class! Louie loves to sleep with us on our bed and especially to cuddle in our arms.
Louie is home! Thank you for all the work that you do. I can't begin to understand how hard it must be. My family thanks each one of you for saving such a wonderful dog and helping to complete our family."
-Bill, Christine, Anisa, Billy, Deuce and Louie
"We saw MADDIE 4 years ago at one of the FCDS's Christmas satellite adoption centers. Her original name was HoneyBerry for the color of her coat, and she was a survivor of a backyard breeding operation. At the age of 2, she had already delivered at least one litter of pups. For whatever reasons, the breeders decided they wanted out of the business and dropped their dogs off at the shelter. (Thank goodness!)We approached her and she immediately sat and stared at us with her huge brown eyes as if the next word I said was going to be the most important thing in the world. That was it for us. After receiving overwhelming approval from our black lab Gabby, she became a member of our family and was promptly renamed Maddie. She is a wonderful girl and so smart. She took top honors in her obedience class and is our neighborhood front yard frisbee champ.
Her "smiling" photo graced the promotional pieces The Friends of Franklin County Shelter used for those holiday adoption events. We still have a yellowed copy of that ad on our fridge.
She thinks she’s a professional model now." -Barb Dittoe & Mike Dexter
GRACIE was adopted by her family in May of 2008. The entire family fell in love with her at the shelter. She was a stray brought in by the warden. Gracie is about a year old, and only weighs 25 lbs. She has a deformed front leg due to a fracture that was never treated. But Gracie doesn't let that stop her. She is so friendly, loves to cuddle and is curious about everything. She was afraid of the garage door, dishwasher, hairdryer, doorbell, vacuum cleaner, ceiling fans...you name it and she had obviously never seen it before and was terrified of it! She is exposed to a few new items around the house each day and learns that they won't hurt her. Her family has introduced her to neighbors so she isn't afraid when she hears their voices on the other side of the fence. Gracie is muchloved! Her family is so grateful for everyone who works, volunteers, visits, supports and promotes the Shelter! Get a shelter dog!
"When me and my boyfriend moved to Columbus, we couldn’t wait to adopt a dog, and I love shelter dogs! We found ROSCO at the shelter in August 2005 and he looked so so sad in his cage. When we got him out to play he BOLTED out of that cage and could not wait to be outside and running in the big play yard. He was interested in EVERYTHING! They told us he was “extremely active” (underlined and all in bold). To this day, that boy requires a ton of exercise. He likes to pull us on our rollerblades, run next to our bikes, go to the dog park, play fetch in the park and absolutely loves doggie daycare. We do obedience and agility at Columbus All Breed. Boy is he smart and motivated! He is also spoiled rotten. I can’t wait until we have a big enough house so we can visit the shelter and get Rosco a brother or sister. The FCDS staff is amazing. You all have difficult but necessary jobs. If it wasn’t for you, I wouldn’t have my son. We and Rosco thank you. Rosco is not only an active guy, but he loves to “blog”. I’m sure he would love it if you told your best dog friends!" - Proud Owner
Loretta saw little TIFFAMINY on our web site in August and found love at first sight. Tiffy was dumped at the shelter with a badly broken leg, and following her treatment and foster care, has found a soft bed just for her and an impressive collection of toys. Even though these best friends have a relatively new bond, Loretta can't imagine life without her.
HAPPY, now named Kevin, was in the shelter for four months, and soon become a volunteer favorite. Lou, our loved shelter volunteer coordinator, brought him to the Alum Creek Dog Park opening event last June. Kevin's current family already had a young lab mix and was not ready for a second dog, but out of all the dogs, Kevin and Carl were inseparable. They decided to foster him and after only three days they adopted him. Not only are Kevin and Carl modeling together for the calendar (Mr. and Mr. October), but they can also be spotted as loyal BarkPark members and as wonderful hosts to many a foster dog!
TEDDY B is a rescued dog who rescues people. A mixed breed dog adopted from Franklin County Dog Shelter in 1997, Teddy B has earned titles at all three levels of obedience. She’s been a national top 10 AMBDOR obedience dog, and she’s earned a tracking title. Most importantly, Teddy B is a therapy dog who has spent over five years visiting Children’s Hospital on a monthly basis. She now visits nursing homes and assisted living facilities.
Stacey & Jackie of Reynoldsburg found the sweet RUSTY in the middle of a busy road. He had no collar, but was clean and neutered, so they took him to FCDS in the hope that his owner would try to find him. He wasn't claimed, and although they already had four rescued dogs, they couldn't bear the thought of him being without a loving home. So, Rusty found himself in a loving home - one so happy to have him, and also very grateful that the FCDS was there to take care of him.
Send us your stories!
Help us sniff out some good stories for this section of our new site! We want to hear from all top dogs who have found happy, loving homes. Email us your photos and stories of how the Franklin County Dog Shelter helped you meet your best friend.
Please check back often. You might see a familiar face staring back at you!