This week is National Animal Shelter Week, and to celebrate, we’re sharing some of our favorite animal adoption stories. We ask all Animal Humane Society adopters to share their adoption stories with us on our Happy Tails blog and have selected a few that warmed our hearts this year.

Adoption can add joy, excitement, and companionship to your life. It not only changes your life forever but changes the life of an animal. Thank you to all who’ve chosen adoption at AHS and granted a second chance to these amazing animals.

We hope you find these stories as inspiring as we did. 

Eevee

Once upon a time, in the heartwarming halls of the Animal Humane Society’s Golden Valley location, we found our new furry soulmate – Paulina, now affectionately known as Eevee. This adorable bundle of joy quickly became the newest member of our loving family, joining her four brothers Corey, Jonathan, Loki, and Milo, along with her two sisters Maleia and Rosalie.

Eevee, with her irresistible charm, not only captured our hearts but also formed an instant bond with her canine siblings and her doting mommy and daddy. Despite her larger-than-life personality, she firmly believes she’s a lap dog, showering us with affectionate kisses and seeking attention at every opportunity.

What sets Eevee apart is her unique trait of enjoying a little gasiness, a charming quirk she shares with her brothers and daddy. In the midst of our joy, we playfully consider if “Gastly” might have been a fitting alternate name. Nevertheless, our home is now filled with laughter, love, and the delightful antics of our furry family.

As we reflect on our journey with Animal Humane Society, we’re immensely grateful for the joy Eevee has brought into our lives. Thank you, Golden Valley, for making our family complete with this lovable addition.

Harper

We adopted Harper on January 26. She was a very scared and nervous kitty who liked head scratches, but any other interaction with her was usually accompanied by hisses and sometimes scratches.

We were patient with her, earning her trust. She was also aware of another cat living here. After seven to eight days in her own room, we opened her door so she could explore the rest of the house and meet our other cat. She really opened up after that and it was so evident she knew she was in a quiet and loving home.

Every day she gives us signs of her trust in us. She crawls under blankets with us. She seeks our company. We can now pet her the whole length of her tail! We take it day by day at her pace. She has some quirks and hisses occasionally, but we are understanding her more too. We are so happy she found a home with us. We love you Harper!!

Chester 

Just wanted to share an update on our dog we adopted from the Coon Rapids Animal Humane Society a month ago. He was a stray named Bagel by AHS, but we have named him Chester. He was 18 pounds and very underweight when we adopted him. Since then he has gained two pounds and become an irreplaceable, snuggly member of our family.

He’s learned basic commands, how to use our doggie door and has become fully house trained. His “big brother” Coco came to us from the Golden Valley Animal Humane Society six-years ago and the two of them bonded instantly and are almost inseparable.

We can’t thank AHS enough for all their work helping animals find forever homes. We will forever be a supporter of their work and will definitely adopt again from AHS when the time is right. Thank you!

Felix

In 2023, I lost my 3 cats one after another. It was the last straw in a long line of stressors, and coming into 2024 I was depressed and lost. I hadn’t meant to adopt another animal so soon after the loss of my others, but I began looking at the adoption pages on Animal Humane Society’s website as a way to remind myself that my next kitty would be waiting for me when I was ready.

I saw Felix pop up on a Friday night, a sweet little 3-month-old orange tabby. It had been over 15 years since I’d had a kitten! I kept thinking about him, even as I resigned myself to the idea that he would definitely be adopted in the morning.

But he wasn’t.

I sobbed in the car on the way to go meet him. It had been 3 months since my last cat passed away. I felt guilty for moving on, and anxious that I would miss this chance at the same time. We ended up being first in line, waiting outside the doors on Saturday morning for a chance to see him.

And when we got into a room with him, I knew I wasn’t going to leave without him.

Now 2 months later, I know more every day that I made the right choice. He’s the sweetest little man in the world, and I feel better having him by my side. 💖

Cheezit and Nimble Ceratina 

I met Cheezit within my first few months of starting as an Adoption Specialist at Animal Humane Society. I immediately had a bond with him and he helped reawaken my childhood love for rabbits, but I wasn’t ready for the commitment and he was adopted. One year later, he was returned to AHS to the Woodbury adoption center. He was adopted immediately.

Then, a day or two later the new adopter returned him to the Coon Rapids adoption center. I had been wanting to adopt a rabbit for a while and when Cheezit came back, I knew I had to take him home. It felt like fate after all this time! I started petting him in the cage at AHS and when I stopped he pulled my hand back to pet him and there was no going back.

Cheezit did not have the easiest life up until this point. His first owner tried to bond him with another rabbit but they ended up fighting. In a different home, his bondmate was killed by a dog. I also learned that one of his previous owners had some trouble affording food. When I first took him home he seemed interested in socializing but also had some serious trouble with cage guarding and a catlike proclivity towards getting overstimulated and biting without warning. It took months but over time I gained his trust and now I can touch anything in his area and touch any part of his body without him getting upset. He has come such a long way and I am so incredibly proud of him!

I had Cheezit solo for about a year; due to his past experiences with other rabbits, I was wary about trying to bond him. However, he was incredibly social and I felt that if I found him the right partner he would benefit from having a friend when I couldn’t provide quality one-on-one time. I spoke with a member of the AHS Behavior team and spent weeks watching and waiting for the right bunny to take home.

She came to the Woodbury shelter as a stray and she was in rough shape! She had a cuterebra larva beneath her ear, missing/broken toenails, healing neck wounds, matted fur, fleas, and even an abscess in her uterus. However, she was a trooper and didn’t even suffer from the common rabbit side effect of GI stasis after her spay. She was also very calm, social, and sweet, which I felt would be the perfect fit to calm down Cheezit’s sassy spitfire attitude. I named her Nimble Ceratina, a beautiful species of black bee, and naturally nicknamed her “Bee.”

Introducing them was nerve-wracking but within a couple of weeks, they were able to get past their disagreements and live together full time. Now they spend their days hanging out and cuddling when they’re not getting scritches or eating (arguably the only things they love more than each other).

Cheezy and Beezy light up every day with their affection and antics. Even when they’re annoying little rascals I’m so grateful to have met them and I look forward to providing them with love and joy for the rest of their lives.

Hazel Grace

I’m not sure how to start. Simply saying thank you isn’t enough, not by a long shot. I've been blessed to have my baby girl for 134 days already. Time flies when your family is complete.

When I first saw Hazel Grace (formally, Boo Berry), I thought, “Maybe”. Maybe I was ready to have another dog in my life. I lost my boy in August at the age of 15.5. I had a broken heart and wasn’t sure I was ready to commit to her. After visiting her for three days, I decided that I was done making the daily trip to the Golden Valley adoption center and that this girl was going to be part of my family.

It was not easy. Hazel Grace only trusted me. She only let me near her. Now? Now, she brings toys to my boys the second they get home from school because she wants to tug-of-war with them. She adores my boys and is even showing less fear of visitors. We’re working on it and will continue to. She has the sweetest soul and is the most beautiful girl EVER! I’m so in love with my girl. Thank you!

Jewel

I adopted Jewel (kept her name) in February at Animal Humane Society’s Coon Rapids adoption center.

I casually look online to see the pups like one does. I was instantly drawn to Jewel. Once I saw her picture, I couldn’t stop thinking about her. One day I went to the Humane Society, and I visited every animal with no intent of adopting. But once I laid eyes on Jewel, I felt like we had a connection instantly. She kept her eyes on me as I was walking through the facility. I watched as her eyes were on me and me only. Other people were walking by, but Jewel didn’t seem to be interested in pets and love from other people.

I literally was in love with this dog that I visited every day for the rest of the week. She would be very vocal when I walked in the room, and she did that to nobody else. I’m told I’m a dog whisperer, but this felt different. I felt bonded instantly. I decided I couldn’t leave her behind and I ended up adopting her. She’s been an absolute dream dog since. We’ve been doing training and lots of adventuring in the couple months I’ve had her. She’s slightly dog reactive but loves people! It was the best decision to look online when I did.

Snookie

On May 25th, 2024, I went into Animal Humane Society in Coon Rapids with the intention of possibly walking out with a chihuahua mix I had seen on the website, but instead I walked out with 63lb Raya (Now Snookie). 

Snookie was in the kennel next to the chihuahua mix and at first, I overlooked her & went straight to the chihuahua mix. He did not want anything to do with me but when I looked over at Snookie she was putting her paw against the kennel making a tiny howl. 

I went over and she pushed her head against the kennel for pets. I petted her and walked away, and she howled and howled so I went back to her. We were able to meet with her in a meeting room and immediately she gave me the biggest hug and kisses. After a couple minutes I knew she was the one for me. 

Now 2 weeks later she has been my biggest supporter as I am dealing with the passing of my mom. She’s right there to give me a hug or kisses when I’m crying. I am forever grateful for Snookie.

Pepper

It has been two wonderful months with Pepper (formerly Baby Juni)! Her new name was inspired by the tiny little flecks on her socks (she has a cute little “hole” in one of them! 😉).

As soon as she got home, she walked in like she owned the place. Some of her favorite activities include playing fetch (yes, you read that right!) with her mousie-wousies, getting stoned on catnip, watching birdies and squirrels, and hanging out with us. She patiently lets us know when it is bedtime and always takes her mousies with her to sleep. When we get home, she enjoys greeting us with “tummy time” - where she runs to the rug and rolls on her back for tummy rubs.

One of the remarkable things about Pepper is that she is uncannily like our beloved tortie Maggie (who we tragically lost to leukemia in April) in her behaviors. We knew Margaret would have wanted us to give another kitty the spoiled life she had - she would definitely approve of Pepper - and their similarities confirm that Pepper was meant to join our little family.

Pepper is such a sweet little girl with a purr motor that never seems to stop. We love her so much!

Jack

One night as I was scrolling on my phone like I usually do I decided to check Animal Humane Society’s website to see what the hours were, hoping maybe to go pet some dogs and cats. After looking at the Coon Rapids location on the website, I saw a beautiful senior dog named Jack. I knew instantly that I had to go give him some love. So, I got in my car and drove 30 minutes to go see him.

I wanted to make sure that these animals knew that there is still love for them. Once I arrived, I went to the front desk and asked where Jack would be since the website had listed him as being kept in a calmer area. They brought him out to me, and something felt right. We went on a walk and had lots of play time together. He was like a puppy and didn’t get the memo that he’s supposed to be a senior dog. I hadn’t felt joy like this in a long time and was hesitant to leave a gem like him. 

As I was going to hand him back over to the staff at the Humane Society, a woman had come in and wanted to surrender her dog, but they didn’t have the space for another dog at Animal Humane Society. I looked down at Jack at his big eyes and as his wiry tail wagged, I knew that I could open a spot and bring Jack home with me. It was a sign. 

Jack has made himself right at home since that day. He has helped with my depression and is now even registered as an emotional support animal. Since getting him I was promoted at work and life has never been better. I can’t thank the amazing staff at the Coon Rapids Animal Humane Society enough for their generosity and how kind they were on the day of Jack’s adoption, and I’ll never regret the day I brought Jack home. He’s the best cuddle buddy and has so much personality, there will always be a toy carried with him to do anything, even an accidental sock if I clean up his toys. I hope everyone finds a ‘Jack’. He truly is a blessing!