Pet of the Month

Congratulations to our November 2022 Pet of the Month, Augie Cain!!

 “Augie came to live with my husband and me in May 2009 when he was just one year old. We had stopped at a local PetsMart to pick up cat food, and my husband said you have to come over and see the dapple dachshund they have for adoption. I told him we didn’t need another dog as we already had two labs and one dachshund at home. But went to see anyway. I saw Augie trying to make his way out of the crate. We went home without him, but about an hour later, my husband said we had to go back and adopt him.

 We took our dachshund, Boris, with us to see if the two of them would get along, We took them outside, and they hit it off! While we were filling out the adoption papers, two other families also wanted to adopt Augie. Guess we were the lucky ones, and it was meant to be!

 Augie was found running in Osteen with a pit bull. A lady who owned a farm kept seeing the two dogs together, and she could finally trap Augie in a stall and bring him to a rescue group. The vet neutered him and said he was right at one year old. He was a nightmare when we first got him; he would lift his leg and pee wherever he wanted. I followed him around night and day the first week, putting his leash on him and taking him outside, which began his love of being walked. If he wasn’t doing that, he was standing and clawing at the front door wanting outdoors. I don’t think he was used to being in the house. Who knows how long he had been on his own. He finally settled in but would escape every chance he could. Augie also loved his long walks with Boris, and they both loved car rides.

 In November 2010, Augie became ill and had surgery as he had eaten some of his blankets and stuffing out of his toys. This was a scary time for us as he was so lethargic after coming home, but he recovered and no more toys with stuffing. After this, he never liked Dr. Taylor again, and he growled at him every year when he went in for his checkup.

 Unfortunately, in March 2019, we had to say goodbye to our 15-year-old Boris. As a result, Augie became very depressed and was just not his usual self. Therefore, in December 2019, we adopted a two-year-old dachshund, Tanner! Augie immediately perked up, and they became best buddies.

 At 14, Augie now has some issues with his liver and is blind in both eyes and partially deaf, but he still loves car rides, rolling in the grass, and just lying in the sunshine. We cherish every day we have left with this sweet, gentle boy!” 

Congratulations to our October 2022 Pet of the Month, Buster Rodriguez!

Read his bio below:)

“Buster was six months when he came to us. His owner was my son’s coworker, who was suffering from cancer and unable to care for him. He used to work with him daily, sitting on his lap at a computer desk. When Buster came to us, all he would do was cry, so we started working with him in our lap at a computer desk, and he stopped crying. He was hesitant to trust us at first; he would stare at us as if he did not like us. After some time, he put his guard down, and now he is our baby. Buster loves to run around the house like a young pup. His favorite thing is eating and getting Spanish crackers as a treat! We love him so much and are glad he is in our lives”

Congratulations to our July 2022 Pet of the Month. Marley Gillis!!😺

“Marley’s life before joining his forever home is somewhat unknown, but it has taken its toll on him. We don’t know his exact age, but it’s estimated that he is around 7-9 years old. When we moved into our current house, Marley was one of the cats we frequently saw outside. This handsome long-haired tabby would watch us from a long-distance away. The only person he would allow near him was the older man across the street from us.

As we started to get to know our neighbors, we learned more about Marley’s backstory. He had belonged to a couple a few houses down the street that no longer lived in the area. We don’t know why they did not take him with them when they moved, but he was left in the neighborhood. No one ever came to claim him. As time passed, Marley came to trust us and would come around for a daily round of kitty kibble and pets.

Recently, however, we noticed that he seemed to have trouble sitting down. Surprisingly, he allowed us to take him to TOAH to get checked out. Dr. Fullenwider examined him and took an x-ray.

While it does not appear to cause him pain, it turns out the poor guy has some spinal damage. Upon learning that, we decided to adopt him and bring him inside for a comfortable retirement. Since then, Marley has continued to grow into a sweet, loving kitty. He is super mellow and fits in well with our other cats. He talks to us with a raspy trilling when he wants something, especially to get pets. Since he has come inside, he seems to be getting better with his mobility. He’s now getting up on the bed, into chairs, and on whatever other furniture he is curious about at the time.

We’re happy that Marley has joined our family and seems to be responding well to his new life. A big thanks to Dr. Fullenwider and the TOAH staff for your help!”

Congratulations to our March 2022 Pet of the Month, Kai Fields!!!

Read his bio below:).

“Kai (and his brother Tai) came to me by way of my older sister in 2019. His exact age is unknown because I am his third home, but I promise I am also his FURever home! Kai is the most playful but sweet cat I have ever had the privilege to call mine. He is like a dog in a cat’s body because his favorite thing in the whole world is belly rubs! And he has no problem nudging your hand until you do it! While he’s still not too sure of his new puppy sister, he loves playing with his brother and can almost always be found within a foot or two of him! TOAH is our family veterinary practice, so Kai has been under Dr.Fullenwider’ss watchful eye since coming home. Unfortunately, in 2021, Kai was diagnosed with feline diabetes, which led to a trying year and many veterinary visits. Yet, the amazing doctors, technicians, and staff at TOAH have gone out of their way to make Kai feel at home every time and continually give him all the love and belly rubs he could ever want. For that, I am so grateful.”

Congratulations to our February 2022 Pet of the Month, Henry Harrington!

Read his bio below:)

Hi! my name is Henry Harrington, aka “Mr. Wigglebottom” because I am constantly on the move! I am a “Shorkie” and was born on January 29, 2021. At the age of three months, I moved in with my new family in Casselberry. My favorite thing to do is attend Day Play at TOAH and play with my friends Bella, Fozzie, Parker, and Molly. I can barely contain my excitement when I arrive and see the other pets in their cars! My parents brought me to Day Play early on so I could learn positive social skills and good manners. I receive lots of hugs and kisses from all of the pack leaders. I love to play fetch and run around our backyard. When I meet someone new, I like to roll onto my back so they can rub my belly. When I eat my dinner, I always leave one morsel for later, just in case I get hungry again. At night I love to sleep on the big soft bed and watch cooking shows on television with my parents. Overall, I am a very happy pup, and I am honored to be February 2022 Pet of the Month. 🐶🐾

Congratulations to our January 2022 Pet of the Month, Tim Matray. Read his bio below:)

“This is Tim. He’s an 18 lb Boston Terrier that is approximately 8 to 10 years old. His exact age is unknown because he was adopted from an animal shelter after being found wandering in a field without any identification or chip. Once the shelter’s waiting period was over, he was brought home and has been loved and spoiled ever since.

Tim is super sweet, gentle, kind, loving, playful, and silly. His favorite things are accompanying mom and dad wherever they are, food, playing with toys, chasing lizards, curling up in blankets, and snoring. He only ever barks when he’s dreaming in his sleep.

Tim has been under veterinary care for health issues for much of the six years he has been with us. 2021 was particularly challenging, though, as Tim was diagnosed with myeloencephalitis of unknown etiology (MUE), a degenerative mitral valve, and a heart murmur in quick succession. In Tim’s case of MUE, his immune system is attacking his central nervous system leading to inflammation in his brain and cluster seizures. The bad news is that this is a terminal illness; the good news is that there is a treatment that can help prolong a good quality of life and his vets are all pleased with his response so far. To help, Tim is on multiple medications, including anticonvulsants, a steroid, and chemo injections on back-to-back days every three weeks. Tim is handling it all like a champ, and if you didn’t know any better, you’d think Tim is Tim, only a few steps slower due to the medication and his condition.

Tim is a dear family member, a best friend. He helped bring my wife and me together and has gotten me through many tough times. I promised him I will do everything I can for him until he let’s me know it’s time. Until then, we are making the most of each day and cherishing the time we have with him. Tim is an extraordinary dog, and I only hope he knows how much he is loved.

That said, we’d like to thank the entire team at TOAH, particularly Dr. McPherson, the technicians, and the front office team, who are always kind and provide excellent care for Tim. We’d also like to thank the neurology team at Blue Pearl Maitland (formerly AVS), particularly Dr. Miller, Dr. Knight, Dr. Blakey, their techs, and front office staff as well.

You have ALL helped Tim and our family through some tough times, and we will be forever grateful. Thank you, thank you!”