Meet the Residents
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Dotti – Forever Foster
Age: 20
Dotti is 15 years old and was with her family since 9 weeks old but when two new babies joined the family, Dotti was not a happy camper. We were only supposed to foster her for the rescue until she was adopted. But we instantly fell in love with her and decided she was a House with a Heart dog now. She was shy at first. Then our wonderful Maria decided she wanted to foster Dotti and boy did she come out of her shell! She is a maniac when Maria comes home from work. We are thrilled to have Dotti join our Foster Family. Lots of love coming your way Dotti.
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Luke – Forever Foster
Age: 18
Luke is a senior 4 lb Maltese who has a behavior issue with eating!!! He eats one piece of kibble at a time and wants company while he does it.
He was saved by Caring Hearts rescue when his Owner said he was just too much trouble and not a “normal” dog. Luke is now a Forever Foster at HWAH living with Lori and John. Not sure who is happier with the arrangement Luke or Lori!
Luke loves to eat for hours and loves to snuggle with Lori and John in the evenings. No worries about not being a “normal” dog. Lori and John love him just the way he is!
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Minnie – Forever Foster
Age: 17
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Monroe – Forever Foster
Age: 12
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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Poppy – Forever Foster
Age: 22
When Poppy arrived at HWAH she was suffering terribly with skin allergies. Much of her hair was missing and her teeth were a mess. Poppy’s Mom had not been able to care for her as she herself had to go into a nursing home, and her family reached out to us. The moment we met this girl, we fell in love. She is ADORABLE! Her personality is LOVEBUG. Poppy is a Forever Foster with our Assistant Director Lori and her husband John.
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Sally – Forever Foster
Age: 17
Sally has brought us so much love and laughter in just a short period of time. She was a severely neglected owner give-up who arrived in deplorable condition—underweight, covered in bodily waste and completely matted. She is now one happy, carefree little girl that is more of a puppy than her age indicates. She loves to play with toys, get hugs and lap time from her humans, and playtime with her Forever Foster, Frances and her family.
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Toby–Piper’s Pals
Age: 17
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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Precious Soul – Buster’s Buddies
Age: 20
Precious Soul and her brother Short Stuff were in a Mississippi shelter and were transferred to a Virginia shelter. Our rescue partner LovePaws came forward and took in these two adorable seniors. We are fostering both pups for LovePaws and we couldn’t be happier. Precious is a popular snuggle bug with the volunteers. You can’t help but pick her up and love her!
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AJ
Age: 15
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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Chloe
Age: 20
Chloe came to House with a Heart in April of 2021 at the age of 15 years old. She is incredibly sweet and loves to snuggle in the comfy beds with or without a companion! She has trouble with her legs sometimes, so we carry her in and out to do potty. She has many fans at the sanctuary who love to hold her and make her feel safe.
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Coco
Age: 20
Coco’s owner had to give her up as she was no longer able to provide the care she needed. Coco was suffering greatly and in pain with dental disease, bladder stones and tumors on the back of her legs and skin allergies. Coco has gone through bladder surgery and had her tumors removed.
You can imagine that she had to be in a lot of pain for a long time so she is hesitant to be picked up, but once she trusts you, she really enjoys lap time and brushing.
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Marco
Age: 20
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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Marley
Age: 17
Marley – arrived at House with a Heart along with his sister when his Owner could no longer care for them. Marley will be 13 years old in 2022 – a senior boy with lots of class. Marley has diabetes and he takes his insulin shots like a real gentleman. This pup is blind but doesn’t let that slow him down. He navigates the pet doors and the stairs up and down into the back yard where he explores and hangs out with his buddies. When he isn’t out in the fresh air he can be found curled up in one of the bigger beds snoozing.
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Piper
Age: 11
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
Age: 16
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: 10
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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Munchkin
Age: 18
Munchkin came to HWAH when she was found as a stray kitty. Since Munchkin only had 3 legs we wanted a special home for her. When our volunteer Siggi lost her beloved cat of 19 years, Sweet Pea, she was looking to foster a cat that would sit on her lap and keep her company. Munchkin fit the bill and went to live with Siggi in 2010. She is a lively loveable girl that loves to sit atop her 3-tiered cat perch, in her bed in the front bay, or on the ledge of the back windows. She recently came back to live at HWAH and now enjoys time with the kitty pack.
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Cleo
Age: 18
Sweet Cleo’s life got off to a rough start. As a tiny kitten, she was found in a bag with other kittens in a dumpster, and only Cleo and one other kitten were still alive. A rescuer took the two kittens in and gave them a loving home for 14 years. But unfortunately, due to a change in family circumstances, Cleo’s former owner had to find a new home for Cleo.
Though a little shy at first, Cleo is a friendly, affectionate girl who loves to be petted and all of kitty volunteers at HWAH are making sure Cleo lives the good life!