In Sept. 2020, JoAnne & I was introduced to Bella @ Lisa Mann's home. We had been owners of Scottish Terriers for 31 yrs., all Black Scotties. Bella was a Red Wheaten Scottish Terrier with Tints of red in her fur and especially on her paws. She was a Beauty and Lisa described her as "Sweet". That she was. Bella was 8 yrs. old at the time and we longed to have another Scotty in our home.

Our Maggie, who was blind, passed May of 2020 and our home felt so empty not having a fur baby, for 31 yrs. There always was a Scotty in our home and our hearts were broken not having a Scotty to look forward to coming home to.

We decided to foster Bella, she had some Medical Issues that Lisa wanted to assist us with. Finally, all medical issues were resolved and we adopted Bella into our home in December 2020. We no longer were Empty Nesters.

I adopted Gareth in August 2015. I was looking for a companion for my first Scottie, Fergus. 

For the past eight years, they have been best buds and brought so much joy to me and each other. Gareth came from an abusive situation so it took some time for him to trust us fully, but once that happened he has been the absolute life of the party! His boundless energy (at 11!), daily ‘arrrrrooos’, and evening cuddles have brought me so much happiness. I am so thankful for STRSE and all they do!

We were lucky enough to be able to adopt Stryker after my daughter’s dog passed away. We had a Scottie and she was very lonely having never been a single pet in her entire life. He was a small little dapper boy after being in the care of STRSE and we instantly fell in love with him. He loves to run, chase squirrels and lizards, dig, go camping and go on long walks, and run as fast as he can. He is affectionate, loyal, and the best watchdog ever. So glad we were able to give him a forever home and lots of yard where he can run and play. He loves us as much as we love him.

After our older Scottie passed away, Stryker was lost and looking everywhere for her. We applied to adopt again and waited until STRSE found the perfect fit for our Stryker and his disposition.

Sam and I have had two Scotties since 1997. We adopted Skye on August 1, 2022. She came into our lives when we were so sad after Gracie died. I feel like we needed Skye as much as Skye needed us! On our way to South Carolina, we were praying for a good meeting with Skye. We talked about a couple of things we would look for in her. After meeting her for 5 minutes one of our signs was answered. As we pulled away with Skye in our car another sign was answered, so we knew she was meant to be. To say Skye adjusted well was an understatement.

The last few months have been really hard. To say we were not prepared to lose Mackenzie is an understatement. Having been an emergency vet for now over 21 years I see cancer all the time. I’ve told thousands of owners their pets had cancer, I’ve been diagnosed cancer in 11/20 Scotties I’ve had in my lifetime and I’ve even been told I had cancer, but it NEVER gets easier to watch one of my own go through it. I noticed Mackenzie seemed a little less like herself around Thanksgiving, but her physical exam and bloodwork were all normal.