Tequila’s parents were moving and didn’t want to bring an old dog into their new home. We couldn’t imagine the fear he was subjected to being dumped at a kill shelter. This handsome buff cocker spaniel was covered in horrific mats of hair over his body, including his long, hairy cocker ears. He had a severe heart murmur, and for all intense purposes was blind; he eventually had to have his eyes removed due to painful glaucoma.

It was hard for us to imagine that being old, neglected, and slightly imperfect carries a death sentence. Well, Monkey’s House changed all that and brought his dignity back. Tequila was one of the friendliest dogs we’ve ever had. He loved everybody, even people he met for the first time. One of his favorite pastimes was sitting on laps and giving kisses. For an older dog, he had a fair amount of energy.

Tequila loved taking long walks and became a favorite hiking partner of the aunts and uncles. He especially loved the beach. He reminded us that having a disability doesn’t mean inability. Tequila taught us to walk by faith, not by sight.

Bullwinkle was a one-of-a-kind treeing walker coonhound with a bit of regular coonhound mixed in. His name fit him to a tee. He was like the moose in the Rocky and Bullwinkle cartoon, awkwardly lanky in such a loveable way. This adorable hound was covered in hearts, three black-and-brown heart-shaped markings against his white coat.

He was one of the comedians Monkey’s House has seen over the years. Affectionately called Bull, he avoided the larger beds for the ‘littles”, never fully getting in, twisting himself like a pretzel with limbs hanging everywhere. He’d given us some great laughs.

Bull was deaf, nearly blind, had a grade three heart murmur, spondylosis, arthritis of his spine, and was a cancer survivor. Sadly, he had his vocal cords cut at some point in his life. None of this stopped him from being the sweetest hound dog in the world. He fit right in at Monkey’s House, loving the other dogs, cats, aunts, and uncles. You name it and he loved it, especially food.

Bullwinkle joined us for eighteen months; the only things that worked well were his nose, his tummy, and his ability to love wholeheartedly. He had adventures, friends, free will, and was loved by more people than we will ever be able to comprehend.

On Valentine’s Day Michele and Jeff celebrated by sharing their love with Dozer, a special German Shepherd. The York County SPCA was looking for the right home for him, and although Monkey’s House was full, they made room for this beautiful soul.

With a rough life behind him, he still had a tremendous struggle having degenerative myelopathy (DM). It’s the canine equivalent of ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. Dozer’s care took a lot of time and attention, more than expected. They expected a seventy-pound dog with the use of his front legs. Gazing into his bright eyes upon his arrival dispelled any worry of a ninety-pound boy with no use of his front legs.

A solution was in sight, after trying a few options Dover was very happy in his gigantic landscape wagon fitted with a hospital-grade pressure mattress to help with his fragile skin. He had a separate cart, his “sports cart”, that was used for his walks that he adored. The aunts and uncles enjoyed pulling him down the road, hearing him give cars passing too fast an earful. On the turn home, Dozer would start his serenade.

Dozer made his way into everybody’s heart in those short few months at Monkey’s House. He was deeply loved. Surrounded by love, the use of the carts allowed Dozer a moment of normalcy in a world in which he had no control.

The sad truth is aging is a death sentence for many hunting dogs. Lucy and Mr. Peebody were no longer prime hunting beagles and they were dumped at a kill shelter. Thankfully they made their way to us when we just opened Monkey’s House.

Out of all the bonded pairs that came through our doors. Lucy and Mr. Pee had a special connection, they were truly inseparable. A loud snoring sound would always draw your attention toward Mr. Pee sleeping, but what caught your eye was Lucy sleeping as close to him as possible. You’d catch Mr. Pee sleeping with the biggest smile. A loving couple.

Being hunting dogs living outside the transition to get them into the house took over a year. With all the comforts a home provides, they eventually thrived in our home. Mr. Pee was true to his name and was never fully housebroken, although he tried his best.

Lucy and Mr. Peebody loved hiking in the Pines, walking on the beach, and picking up a scent in the back field. But what they loved most was the annual Monkey’s House trip to visit Santa. Sitting on his lap you could tell they were asking for all kinds of treats!

Cotton was a southern boy, all the way from North Carolina. This Pekinese was proud of his handsome white coat and was quite the Casanova. He came to us in renal failure and a slow and clumsy gait. Cotton had broken a pelvis at some point in his life that severely atrophied his right hind leg and he was in a fair amount of pain. Pain management was tricky due to his failing kidneys, but he needed relief.

He was put on a tailored, holistic diet to support his kidneys. It worked wonders! After a few months, his blood work was excellent. Food therapy has been a powerful ally in lessening or resolving many of our dog’s medical conditions.

Underwater treadmill work was incorporated followed by cold laser therapy. The water took weight off his injured pelvis, reducing his pain, while the steady rolling belt underwater encouraged him to use a more normal gait. Within a short period of time, Cotton was walking to the end of the driveway and back.

Cotton loved field trips; on those occasions he became “Sir” Cotton. We had to throw in the “Sir” because he was always paired up with Princess Granny, and she could be a bit of a royal snob. They would travel in luxury in their carriage with an occasional short walk to stretch their legs. They had Aunt Karen trained well, living life to the fullest.

Bea’s transformation was nothing short of amazing; likened to a miracle. This little Chihuahua didn’t just have a strong will to survive, she thrived at Monkey’s House. On any given day, she would explore the entire downstairs and never allowed blindness or being deaf get in her way. Her attitude, no doubt played a role in her ability to adapt so well. She loved to “talk” and cuddling up next to other dogs.

Bea enjoyed every day— not bad for a dog that was half an hour from being put down at a local kill shelter due to a long list of medical ailments. The goal was to do everything in our power to get her broken body well enough to enjoy life. But most of all, our promise to Bea was a lot of love her at Monkey’s House.

Our promise was kept, you could see that with Aunt Tracey doting on Bea at our home, out by our pond, or on picnics to the park. Bea and Aunt Tracey were soul mates, if you saw them together, you would agree. The two years Bea spent here were her best. She defied the odds and led a beautiful last chapter.

Hannah had beautiful, long, silky black hair with reddish-brown highlights throughout. This wasn’t always the case. She had lived a life of neglect and was abandoned in horrible shape.

When Hannah joined us, she had no hair from the neck down due to malnutrition and mammary cancer. The cancer masses were removed and she was put on a Ketogenic diet, slowing the progression of cancer by starving cancer cells. She was on supplements, including Chinese herbs, to support her organs and boost her immune system.

Hannah Bear defied the odds, living and loving life to the fullest. She had a great quality of life enjoying field trips and the occasional chasing Sammy, our cat.

We celebrated Hannah Bear’s life; in those two and a half years of love and adventure, she lived a very full life with cancer, was fearless, energetic, and made every day a blast. She didn’t let cancer get her down; if only we could all have that spirit.

What a tragic loss it would have been had her story ended in a shelter, never making her way to Monkey’s House. We were able to rewrite Hannah’s story and give it a much better ending.

When Fletcher became a Monkey's House dog he was broken in every sense of the word—covered in urine, feces, and fleas, unable to stand or walk, emaciated, and with cancer throughout his body. His condition told a story of a long time of neglect.
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This beautiful German shepherd was placed in a loving foster family. Aunt Holly, Tom, and Kaiden were his people. It took Fletcher just a few days to realize he was safe with his new family that adored him. For the first time in his life, he experienced what love felt like.

We quickly put Fletcher on a food therapy program and had a special harness to help him up and move about. Within a week he was walking on his own with Holly by his side step for step. An incredible difference!

Fletcher quickly bonded with Kaiden, who was three years old. You’d find them playing with a ball or stick in the yard. It was as if Fletcher had found his little boy.

The time with this great soul was too short. But we were grateful that Fletcher had three months with his family and Kaiden. It was just long enough for him to experience the love and kindness that he was deprived of in his previous life.

Buck made his way to Monkey’s House shortly after we opened in 2015. He was deaf, blind, had a bad heart, bad lungs, strokes, and on top of that he had a brain tumor. But all of that didn’t stop him from being an incredible teacher and friend.

Buck celebrated four “gotcha days” with us (over 4 years). Not bad for a little dog that the shelter veterinarian said had a month or so to live and recommended euthanasia.

Out of all the dogs we’ve cared for, Buck not only had a great success story, but he became one of our greatest teachers. He had much to teach us about living, loving, and focusing on what body parts still work rather than on what parts don’t. He taught us to believe in miracles and to keep hoping even when all hope seems lost. He survived many downward spirals and enjoyed his life. Whenever you saw Michele, Buck wasn’t far behind.