Dog of the Week: Axel

Julia D Dog of the Week

Axel is a real spitfire! He is a smart dog looking for an experienced dog owner who can help to exercise his brain and his body.  Axel is potty and kennel trained. He really loves to be around people so would ideally like a home where he isn’t home alone too many hours a day and has someone who loves to play fetch with him. He is not a fit in a home with other dogs as he becomes overstimulated and will not back down or read another dog’s cues.  Axel will need a dog savvy owner who can continue to work with him; he’s super smart and loves to please but needs guidance as he is still an adolescent. Axel needs a home with children 12+ and no cats, please.

Axel’s adoption fee is $250 and includes neuter surgery, being up to date on vaccinations and preventives, a microchip with free lifetime registration, and a free obedience class.

If you think Axel sounds like the guy for you, please complete an adoption application HERE.

Cat of the Week: Felon

Julia D Cat of the Week

We need a jailbreak for Felon! He’s hanging out at the Adoption Center just waiting for someone to welcome him into their family.

Felon is a sweet boy that can show a crabby side when he gets moved into a new situation but that’s nothing that a few days and treats can’t fix. He doesn’t mind other cats and could possibly do okay with dogs with a proper introduction. Felon was front paw declawed before coming to Last Hope. He’s healthy and about seven years old.

Felon’s “bail” is $50 and includes neuter surgery, being up to date on vaccinations and preventives, and a microchip with free lifetime registration.

If he seems like the kind of outlaw you’d like in your life, please complete an adoption application HERE.

Dog of the Week: Paisley Blue

Julia D Dog of the Week

Paisley Blue (not to be confused with another dog we have named Paisley) is ready to start her new life with you! She came to us as a stray from the streets of Houston, Texas.  Paisley Blue has a wonderful disposition but because of her rough start in life, she is very resourceful and can quickly climb tall fences, open gate/kennel latches and easily escape.  Paisley needs a forever home with an active family who will walk and exercise her frequently and teach her lots of fun skills.  As smart as she is, we just know she’ll be a whiz at dog obedience classes!  Paisley Blue is around 1 year old, she is dog and cat friendly.  She is an easy-going dog, but because she is such an escape artist she will need an experienced dog owner.

Paisley Blue’s adoption fee is $250 and includes spay surgery, being up to date on vaccinations and preventives, a microchip with free lifetime registration, and a free obedience class.

If Paisley Blue sounds like she’d be a good addition to your family, please complete an adoption application HERE.

Cats of the Week: KITTENS!

Julia D Cat of the Week

If you’re in the market for a kitten (or two!), Last Hope is the right place to go. We have several kittens ready for adoption and there will be several more ready soon. Pictured are just a few of the kittens that are available.

Kittens are a blast to play with and watch play with each other. Although you can certainly adopt just one, they are hilarious in pairs and help each other get all the playtime they want!

The adoption fee for kittens is $100 and that includes spay/neuter surgery, being up to date on vaccinations and preventives, and a microchip with free lifetime registration.

If you would like to see the kittens we currently have available for adoption, please visit our list of adoptable cats HERE.

Add some joy to your life – adopt a kitten (or two)!

Happy Tail: Ivy

Julia D Happy Tails

In 2018, Sandy adopted Ivy and has enjoyed getting to know her idiosyncrasies. Here is what the experience has been like in Sandy’s words:

She is so much fun to walk with.  I haven’t had a hound for several
years and I’d forgotten just how much fun walking a hound can be.
Sometimes she wants to go her way and if I insist on going my way she
just sits down.  So I offer her a treat and she comes my way.  I get
so much joy out of hearing her snort and snuffle with gusto as we
walk.  She has plenty of critters out here to track.  Deer, squirrels,
rabbits, turkeys.

She’s like so many old dogs I’ve had – bossy at times.  I usually fed
my other dogs twice a day. early morning and around 5 in the evening.
Ivy insists that she needs to eat earlier.  So I feed her at 4:00 now.

Most of the dogs I’ve had before I raised from puppies so I knew their
language.  Since we didn’t get Ivy until she was 10 1/2 years old it
took me a while to figure out what she was trying to tell me..  We
both got a little frustrated, but we learned.

She is joy and the light of my days.

Thank you, Sandy, for adopting Ivy and giving her such a great home!

Dog of the Week: Addison

Julia D Dog of the Week

Addison is an 8-year-old female boxer/pitbull mix. She is house trained and good on a leash. Addison loves everyone she meets and would need to be the only princess in your home. A forever home with lots of snuggle time, car rides, and walks!

Addison’s adoption fee is $250 and includes spay surgery, being up to date on vaccinations and preventives, a microchip with free lifetime registration, and a free obedience class.

If you would like to meet this sweet girl, please complete an adoption application HERE.

Volunteers of the Month: The Can Crew

Julia D Volunteer of the Month

Your empties help make a difference! Erica Bruck has been spearheading our can and bottle collecting for the past few years. She has organized getting cans and bottles donated and also taking them in for redemption. COVID-19 threw her a curveball because the redemption center was closed for a time and that meant finding somewhere to store all the bags of cans until the center opened again. Can donation seems like a small easy thing but when you do it on a big scale, there are all kinds of work involved and we thank Erica for her continuing efforts. When all the cans were turned in we realized a return of more than $5,000! That will especially come in handy this year because we’re not able to hold our big fundraiser because of the pandemic but we still have bills to pay.

Erica did not accomplish this alone. She reached out and enlisted the help of several people:

Daryl and Shannon Studt allowed us the use of their barn for storage over the last four months. This was a game-changer for us.
Ken White, Angie Brunner and Jennifer Evans ran all over the corridor picking up donations. Also, a big thank you goes to Ken for taking multiple loads to the Can Shed when they reopened and for keeping careful track of our earnings.
Dot Sheldon made multiple runs to Fareway in Cedar Rapids for empty Can Shed bags and running them down to Erica in Solon. She also managed the big task of tracking glass counts as they loaded and added them up afterwards. That was no easy task!
Darcy McGuire and Anthony Manning slaved away in the heat doing anything that was asked of them (counting glass, tracking types of bags as they were loaded, hoisting bags into the trailer, etc).
Mindy Tearse made dozens of trips to Can Shed over the last two years before the quarantine made it necessary to store the donations.
And, of course, a huge THANK YOU goes out to everyone who donated their empty cans and bottles. None of this would have been possible without you!
Thanks to Erica and her team of volunteers for doing all this work for the animals. It’s really going to make a difference, this year especially.

Dog of the Week: Dodger

Julia D Dog of the Week

Dodger is looking for a running partner! This handsome guy is great on a leash and he loves nothing more than to get out and walk or run with you. Dodger is not a fan of being left home alone while you’re out having adventures (or you know, working) so someone with a flexible schedule will be the best match. Dodger needs to be an only dog with a homeowner that is dog experienced. A fenced-in yard will be safest for Dodger, and he wouldn’t mind possibly living with a cat and some older children (6+ years old).

Dodger’s adoption fee is $250 and includes neuter surgery, being up to date on vaccinations and preventives, a microchip with free lifetime registration, and a free obedience class.

If Dodger seems like the match for you, please complete an adoption application HERE.

Cat of the Week: Indee

Julia D Cat of the Week

Indee was a tomcat that was picked up off the streets when he had an injured paw. It’s all healed up and he is loving life inside. Indee is very playful and goofy and he is in love catnip toys. He gets along with other cats and might even like dogs if properly introduced. If you are looking for a cat to relax with after a long day at the office Indee could be your man.

Indee’s adoption fee is $85 and includes neuter surgery, being up to date on vaccinations and preventives, and a microchip with free lifetime registration.

If you would like to add a wonderful chill cat to your home, please complete an adoption application HERE.

 

Dog of the Week: King James

Julia D Dog of the Week

King James has experienced such cruelty at the hands of humans…found in Houston, Texas with shrapnel from a gunshot wound lodged in his nose and throat. He required surgery to remove the bullet fragments and had a long road to recovery before joining Last Hope in Iowa.  He is fully healed now, and his nose bears only the scar from his horrific past.

King James is estimated to be around 3 years old and is believed to be an American Staffy/Cattle Dog mix.  He is slow to warm up to strangers but this is very understandable given his history.  Once he befriends you, he will become your goofy and easy-going companion, enjoying car rides and walks.  King James is not a fit with cats, he has done especially well with other medium-sized female dogs and should be fine with easy-going males around his size.  He has not been introduced to small dogs or children yet. Given that he is a little wary of new people, we feel that older children will be the best match for him.

The adoption fee for King James is $250 and includes neuter surgery, being up to date on vaccinations and preventives, a microchip with free lifetime registration, and a free obedience class.

If you’d like to have a little royalty in your family, please complete an adoption application HERE.