Bear
Bear was one of the older dogs among the group known as "The Chain Gang"--18 Australian Cattle Dog-Shepherd blends who were all living outdoors, chained to trees, when SNIPPP volunteers first encountered them. Early on, Bear was diagnosed with an enlarged heart, declining vision and hearing, and had some very rotten teeth removed. He really wasn't expected to live for very long. Despite all that, he seemed to thrive, and had such a sweet personality, so everyone was thrilled when a lovely family from Yuba City expressed interest in adopting Bear. It turned out that Bear had finally found his true home. For nearly 3 more years, he was sustained by the love of the Chow Family, and was a contented companion to them in return. "He was beautiful inside and out", as his human "mom" said. We're all so glad we got to know him, and are happy to think of Bear running carefree, through the fields on the other side of the Rainbow Bridge.

Michaela
In the summer of 2007, we adopted a SNIPPP dog. The SNIPPP foster parents brought her over, and we immediately loved her. She was friendly and polite, even though she wasn’t feeling well and was recovering from kennel cough. The foster family was delighted by her polite feminine barks and named her after their daughter, Michaela. That summer my children were 6, 8 ½, and 11. They absolutely loved to play with Michaela, and she was very gentle even with young boys crawling all over her. She loved to play fetch, but once she got the ball it was hers, you would have to find something else to throw. She loved spending time with the family. Her absolute favorite thing in the world to do was go down to the creek with the kids and go swimming. She loved to be in the water! We have loved having her with us the past 7 and a half years. She passed away quietly in her sleep the morning of October 27, 2014. The previous few months she had difficulty walking and she was starting to lose her vision and hearing. She is sorely missed, but she is no longer in pain. We look forward to playing with her again in the future!

Toby
One of the infamous "Chain Gang", Toby's life started out in pretty stark circumstances, as he spent his days chained to a tree through all the seasons of the year. In fact, he didn't even have a "real" name--he was just called "dumb dog". :-( When he was rescued by SNIPPP, his foster families recognized what a sweet, lovable guy this dog really was. One Adoption Day at Petco, a nice couple came in with their own dog, who had recently lost his companion pet. He picked Toby to be his new friend! So Toby got to spend almost 4 happy years with a real, honest-to-goodness loving family before he set out on his journey over the Rainbow Bridge.

Matilda
Matilda, or "Tillie", was another of the Chain Gang dogs. When she first arrived at a SNIPPP foster home, she was so frightened by all the new experiences confronting her, she ran away and was only recaptured through a combination of happy coincidences. As she settled in, she learned to feel comfortable with her new humans who showed her such loving care, and her companion dog Margaret--she got to live the life of a normal, well-loved dog. We like to think she has joined her Chain Gang relatives on the other side of the Rainbow Bridge--but no more chains for them now. They're all happily frolicking and free!

Rebel
Good ol' Rebel came to SNIPPP when his owner passed away suddenly. The smaller dogs he had lived with for years easily found other homes, but Rebel was big, and older, so there wasn't much interest in him; imagine how confused he felt to suddenly lose everyone he was familiar with! But what a sweet guy he was; he settled in with his foster dad and seemed to eventually forget his sorrow. Then one day, he got his forever home with an older couple living on a good-sized ranch. Rebel got to be pampered AND be the master of all that vast open space! We're so glad he got a second chance to keep on being the loyal, loving companion that he was so good at being.