Meet the Residents
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Dino – Piper’s Pal
Age: 14
Dino is a Scottie that lived in a hoarding situation, had never seen a vet and is blind from untreated cataracts. He is 14 and has a number of tumors on his organs He is a sweet gentleman and he is still enjoying life and gets around very well. He has been fully vetted and is under the treatment of an ophthalmologist. He is clean, groomed and comfy. He is now being loved on for the rest of his life at House with a Heart Senior Pet Sanctuary as a Piper’s Pal. He is a sweet ole man!
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KiKi – Piper’s Pal
Age: 14
Kiki’s story
This little girl is sort of a mini Meiko. Her story is one that happens all the timeHer mom who loved her very much came down with dementia. Her Mom was able to stay home with caregivers but wasn’t really able to take care of Kiki as best she could. So things didn’t go so good at the end. And that happens a lot too.
Kiki’s mom passed away, and the extended family could not keep her.
As we brought her in for evaluation we found out she has heart disease, kidney disease, gall bladder issues, no teeth, is deaf and her eyes are super gunky and need scrupulous cleaning twice a day as well as two eye meds three times a day.
The family would like her to stay with us and they will send her medications and pay any “regular” vet bills but they don’t want any blood work or any special care
She is quiet, loves to eat her meals and her meds, and when she is not sleeping peacefully camouflaged in a cozy bed she is hopping and skipping just inches behind me.
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Candie – Forever Foster
Age: 12
Candie is an 12 year old Yorkie who came to us when her owner had to go into a nursing home. Candie is the absolute sweetest dog. She loves to be with everyone who pays attention to her! She enjoys cuddle time or just sitting next to her special someone. Candie does well with the other dogs in her foster home. Candie has kidney disease and is on a special diet. She also has a heart murmur. Candie also has dry eyes, which is very common in these small senior dogs. She will require eye drops for the rest of her life to keep her eyes from being dry. Candie does well with house training and has mastered the doggie door in her foster home. Candie has recently gone to live with Dr. Michelle as her Forever Foster.
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Daisy – Forever Foster
Age: 4
Daisy’s owners were moving to a retirement village and could only take 1 dog. Daisy was left in the care of a friend who was supposed to re-home her. Unfortunately, Daisy was so terrified in her new situation, she escaped and was on the run for several days. A wonderful woman named Teresa heard the story and set out a trap for Daisy and finally caught her. She called House with a Heart knowing that we handle seniors and special needs, but hoped we would consider helping this terrified pup. We had her bring Daisy to us in the hopes we could help her fear and get her relaxed before we reaching out to a rescue partner who could help re-home her. Well, we instantly fell in love with her and decided she would go live with our Assistant Director Lori and husband John. Daisy is getting the proper training so that she will always feel safe and loved and never need to run away again.
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Monroe – Forever Foster
Age: 10
Monroe is our Miracle Mascot. Unlike our other pups and kitties he’s not a senior and he has no has no special needs. So why, you might ask, is he at the Sanctuary? Well, because this little hunk of love is a MIRACLE! He arrived at the sanctuary severely debilitated, but with love and care, his improvement was miraculous and we fell in love with this sweet, intelligent, energetic puppy. So our miracle boy has become our Miracle Mascot and his loving presence added a new dimension to House with a Heart. He now lives with his Forever Foster family, Karen.
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Sissy – Forever Foster
Age: 17
This little girl was adopted and stayed with her people for many years. They moved and couldn’t take her with them, so they gave her to a friend. The friend kept her for 2 months, and then gave her up to another person. That person only kept her for less than a week before they contacted us to take her. Well this poor thing had been shuffled around too much, so we had to take her in. She was petrified when she came, but in a day, she started to relax. Four days in, and she is running with the pack! We were told she is between 16 – 18 yrs old.UPDATE April 2, 2023:
Today Maria made me SO OVER THE TOP HAPPY!!! She agreed to Foster our Sissy. Now Sissy gets to be the only doggie with all the attention. She can have freedom in Maria’s house, go for walks around the lake, go for stroller rides, and sleep with Maria at the end of the day!I am thrilled!! I know that Sissy is going to be so much happier. -
AJ
Age: 13
AJ was found on the streets in Virginia in horrible condition. He was matted so terribly that it had caused sores and bruises all over his body. His mouth was seriously infected, his toe nails turned into his pads causing infection and he was scared and hungry! Likely due to all of the horrors he had to face he could sometimes have behavioral issues. While trying to adapt to life with people again, AJ lost his first adoptive home, and didn’t do well in his first foster home.
Our rescue partner LovePaws asked HWAH to foster AJ to try to give him a second chance. The poor pup had to undergo extensive dental surgery and even though he came through like a champ, he would still get pretty grumpy and lash out. We felt we could love him just the way he is and decided that AJ would join our HWAH pack rather than risk another failed adoption.
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Ciroc
Age: 14
Bella and her two sons Hudson and Ciroc lost their home when their owner died. They were scheduled for euthanasia when someone called House with a Heart to see if we could take them. With just hours to spare, we made room for all three senior pups.
Ciroc, a 14 yr old boy is tall, lean, lanky and loveable! Ciroc likes to explore and go in and out the pet doors, but he is never away from his mom and brother for long. This mild mannered Chihuahua is in relatively good health with only an ear infection for us to address, and a dental surgery in his near future. Ciroc will often ‘talk’ softly to check in with the people in the room. A quick pat on the head, back rub, or snuggle and he is happy again.
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Hudson
Age: 14
Bella and her two sons Hudson and Ciroc lost their home when their owner died. They were scheduled for euthanasia when someone called House with a Heart to see if we could take them. With just hours to spare, we made room for all three senior pups.
Hudson, a 14 yr old Chihuahua is quiet, sweet tempered and a bit timid. He is nothing like most of the Chi’s we have known. Hudson likes to spend his time on the couch and is never too far away from his mom Bella, or his brother, Ciroc. Hudson has gall stones, and enlarged heart and terrible dental disease. We are determined to provide all the health care he needs and to have many more years with him.
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Hershey
Age: 14
And speaking of saving senior dogs, we welcomed Hershey, a 4 lbs 14 yr old Chihuahua. His owner could no longer care for him, so we took him into the sanctuary and immediately fell in love with him.
Our excellent Vet, Dr. Handel, told me today that since he started working with House with a Heart, he no longer thinks 13 is an advanced Senior! Our little Hershey is 13, and he has a horrid condition with both of his knees entirely out of place. He came through 2 surgeries on both legs and is good as new! We made sure his next ten years will be as comfortable as possible!
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Marco
Age: 18
Marco was at the Prince George’s County (Maryland) shelter when we were told that they were full and were going to start euthanizing dogs to make room for more. He was marked as a fear biter. He bit a couple people at the shelter, and other than horrid dental disease, was in good health. So we transported him to HWAH, gave him a dental and grooming, and kept him in a pen to evaluate his behavior.
Boy were they ever wrong! Marco is the sweetest, most loving dog! If someone is sitting down, you can guarantee that boy will be in their lap. He gets excited whenever he sees his favorite people. He is a very happy, silly pup.
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Meiko
Age: 13
Meiko is a handsome Schnauzer with a sweet disposition and has been much loved by his Mom Roz. We have enjoyed Meiko over the years as a frequent visitor when his Mom had to be out of town.
Meiko’s visit at the end of 2022 turned into a long time stay as his Mom battled with some serious health issues. At the end of 2022, Meiko’s Mom had to leave her home and go into Assisted Living where Meiko could not join her. Sadly, Meiko’s beloved Roz passed away and Meiko stayed on with us at HWAH.
Meiko has slipped into the Sanctuary life here at House with a Heart – enjoying his doggie buddies and all of the love from the HWAH caregivers. For a brief period, he was able to stay with his favorite person, Maria as a Forever Foster, until recently when he developed diabetes. Currently, we are working with our Vet Team to stabilize his glucose, using a Freestyle Libre and twice daily insulin injections.
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Piper
Age: 9
Piper’s beginnings were not so bright and hopeful – she was only 6 pounds at 6 months old and came to us for hospice care because she was not thriving and her vet recommended euthanasia. Our job was to love her for as long as we could and then let her go….and that is what she has been doing ever since she arrived at HWAH…. going and going and going, just like that Energizer Bunny!!! It was touch and go in the beginning with lots of vet visits and medications and special care, as well as many frightening stays in the ER….but once this little girl experienced the crazy love that everyone at the Sanctuary had for her, she didn’t dare leave us. She is full of beans and is animated, spirited and lively, and when she is not bouncing around, she is snuggling and giving licks and LOVE.
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Tator Tot
Age: 14
Tator was rescued by PetConnect Rescue. They asked for our help to evaluate him as he was pooping and peeing in his crate. We are guessing that he spent his life in a crate and this was normal for him. So we kept a close eye on him, and taught him to poop outside. He is extremely shy and would run and hide when anyone walked in the door. Slowly but surely, he has started venturing out when people arrive. He has even started letting some people hold him and pet him. He has come a long way from the scared little man he was. He is such a cutie and we are thrilled to see him thrive with our pack.
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Tillie
Age: 8
Tillie is one of our special needs pups. She was paralyzed and came to us for help. Tillie has been in rehab to strengthen her back legs and she has worked SO hard to get her little legs working again. With a lot of love and therapy, she is now able to walk and run. She may not the most graceful, but we think she is a miracle dog! We can’t wait to see what the future holds for our little girl.
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Toby
Age: 15
Toby is part Poodle, Havanese and Pomeranian! He’s the most handsome pup ever. He has a frozen rear leg, but that doesn’t stop him from jumping on the couch and snuggling in. While Toby is NOT a fan of thunderstorms (we have to cover his head up to keep him safe!), he does love to play with squeaky toys! He is very particular with his eating habits….meaning he needs to eat on a cutting board! We love this adorable boy.
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Joie
Joie is a Blue Black Standard poodle. She is our Director, Sher’s very own dog and she is truly a big part of House with a Heart.” I named her Joie because in French that means Joy and we pronounce it Joey so each time I call her I think of my Joe.” -
Miss Piggy
The phone rang and I answered it. Everyone knows I should not do that!!So….Yes we have a Guinea Pig …. she just got her own room after the kittens were adopted, so Miss Piggy is another spoiled HWAH resident. -
Nami
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Robin