Robbie the Border Collie

Marty the blind Cat

Betsie and Barny the Beagles

Frisbee the Australian Cattle Shepherd Mix

Two one-eyed black cats

Mae, the Shepherd and Hound Mix

Larry the Black Lab Mix

Speedy and Mikey (now Flip and Flop)

Big Boris the cat and petite feline Belle

Heidi the Playful Shepherd (as told by Alexandra, 4 years old)

Buddy and Kim United!

Buddy and Kim United!
On Saturday, November 7, 1998, I met my Buddy. I called Orphans of the Storm the day before looking for a small, young dog. I was informed that there was a one-year-old male Yorkie. I drove from Rolling Meadows to Orphans of the Storm on Saturday morning intending to arrive when the doors opened, but I actually arrived about a half-hour after opening. I was told in which cage the Yorkie resided (he shared a cage with a 4-year-old female Shih Tzu). I began to walk to the cage when I saw someone else walking the opposite direction with the largest Yorkie-looking dog I had ever seen. I got to the cage and I found the Shih Tzu, and no Yorkie. I became very upset that I had been too late. By the time I walked back to the front office, the woman who had been walking the Giant Yorkie had already decided that she wanted nothing to do with him. He was jumping all over the place, and he was absolutely hysterical. I filled out the paperwork and requested the Gigantic Yorkie. He was brought out to me, and I immediately took him outside for a run. I kept running and running with him, but he would not settle down. Finally, I sat down on a bench. The Massive Yorkie jumped up on the bench with me, sat on my lap, and began kissing me. That's when I knew he was going home with me. The staff that Saturday morning could not believe I was taking the dog they called "Little Loco" home with me, but I was determined to give the bugger a chance. The poor thing was either lost or abandoned. He had had a professional grooming and he was very intelligent. He had only spent three days at Orphans of the Storm before I took him home. When I got him home, he became a very calm, affectionate, and playful animal. He never left my side from the moment I let him in the house. From that moment on, I knew he would be a friend for life, hence his new name, Buddy. Here is my favorite picture of my Buddy.