I remember being at Holden Beach on Easter weekend and seeing “Edmund’s” picture and bio on the Cairns & Cousins Website and thinking, “He would be a great fit for our family!” It had only been a little over 2 months since we lost our previous dog, Tucker – a 16 year old Cairn Terrier, but something kept pulling at my heart strings.

Two weeks later I submitted an application for Edmund and said a little prayer that if this was the right dog and the right time, everything would work out. After going through the application process, and being approved we found out Edmund had already been promised to another family. My heart sank. But after a turn of events, we learned that Edmund’s impending adoption didn’t work out and if me and my family were still interested, he could be ours! I knew right then, Tucker had played a part in sending us our next pup to love.

We picked up Wilson a few days later and he has seamlessly fallen into his rightful place in our family! We’ve had him less than a month, but you couldn’t tell based on the bonds we’ve already created with him! We’ve gone on our first family vacation to Lake Hickory, NC where our family has a cabin and learned that Wilson is a boat pup and definitely wants to try his hand at swimming and tubing!

Rissa’s Story

Rissa came into CCTR almost completely hairless and with a number of other medical issues. After Julie plucked her from a shelter, she was lucky to be fostered by Diane, who gave her a soft place to land and a start on her road to recovery.

I brought her home to Albuquerque on May 28. I flew her back and was a little worried about how she would do on the plane, but she was very good. She even got to go first class for what was probably her first ever plane ride. I just wanted to make sure there was plenty of room for her under the seat.

Since we’ve had her home, she has gone through a series of vet visits with extensive testing, imaging and treatments, her health is improving and her hair is growing back. She has settled in well with our other 2 dogs and is learning the rules of the house. She needs a little more practice not pulling on a leash, but enjoys a walk with another dog in a park here.

Rissa is a cuddle bug and a little sweet heart. Just for fun, we had her DNA done and found out that she is 69% Westie, 29% Pomeranian and 2% other terriers.

We are so fortunate we were able to adopt her and we are looking forward to her continued healing journey and enjoyment of life in New Mexico. Thanks to everyone who helped Rissa along the way.

Denise

Miami came into our lives as if it had been 13 years in the making. From the moment we walked into the room to pick her up from her foster home 4 states away, she has filled our lives and home more than we could have imagined. After the loss of our 5 year Cairn earlier in the year, we knew we wanted another Cairn (all terrier owners understand why), however, we longed for a dog with a more affectionate personality that we didn’t have in our other Cairn. Every word of Miami’s bio online spoke directly to the temperament we were looking for in our next dog. Very early in the adoption/rescue search it was laid in our hearts to look for a senior dog that we could love for their golden years. At 13, Miami once again proved to be everything we were looking for.

Each day Miami brings us joy through her playful spirit (even at age 13), her gentle nature and most importantly, her affection towards her family. She enjoys her morning and evening walks around the neighborhood, playing with her human teenage brother and sister, squeaky toys galore, her daily veggie salad and all the couch naps her heart desires. It is very clear she knows she is home and loved deeply.

When asked “How is Miami?” Our answer is always, “she’s perfect”

Mason and Liz

Bradley Cooper was living on the streets before being captured and landing in a shelter, where his options were limited. Thankfully, that shelter has a good relationship with CCTR and knew he deserved special terrier treatment so a relay of drivers transported him 900 miles to his foster home. When we first met him, his tail was thumping wildly against the sides of his crate — a wonderfully cheerful boy despite everything he’d been through. Thanks to CCTR’s medical care, 14 teeth were removed and his ear and skin infections were treated, and a supremely healthy boy emerged on the other side.

Cooper loves his walks, flirts with every dog he meets, and thinks every human he meets is the best. He recently graduated with honors from manners class, no surprise given how smart and food-motivated he is. It was a no-brainer to keep him in the family — foster fail! Now he’s the neighborhood darling, throwing noisy terrier parties in the backyard and keeping everyone around him happy.

Janice

Cooper & BFF Monte – “Terrier Playing” (with teeth of course!)

Bosco came into rescue after his owner passed away, and thankfully the family knew to reach out to CCTR. He arrived obese with a fierce-looking expression certainly caused by pain. Although every tooth was removed (along with a lesion in his mouth) the lump on his cheek did not recede. But thanks to CCTR’s medical care he felt physically better.

Slowly, Bosco came back to life. His gaze softened, the tension left his face. He started making eye contact and we even caught the occasional tail wag, a play bow, and one day discovered he had somehow launched himself up to the sofa despite his size. He loved his walks, charging down the sidewalk like a marathoner, and greeting neighbors along the way. But the lump on his cheek kept growing, eventually making it hard for him to breathe and even sleep. Surgery was not an option.

Resident dog, CCTR foster fail, Bradley Cooper (now Cooper – featured yesterday), helped decide that Bosco would become a permanent, official member of the family, knowing our time together would be short. We filled his last days with walks, sunbathing, belly rubs, and constant reminders that he was a good boy; he knew he was deeply loved. And one day, with a bright red kiss on his forehead and a small bouquet of flowers beside him, we said so long.

Janice & Cooper

Bosco on intake 😩  &  Bosco feeling SO much better 🥰 

Our Wrennie (Scottish name) is settled and happy in our home. He follows one of us and will quietly sleep wherever we are. He loves both of us.

We are in a sidewalk community and he has an opportunity to make friends. He approaches both dogs and people with a wag. He leaves everyone with a smile.

We can’t believe how lucky we are to have him and only wish that he’d come to us years sooner. Wrennie is our 6th cairn and each one was our favorite! Wrennie had us at first sight.

With deep felt gratitude,

Janet and Donald

Barney has really settled in and become a part of our little family. He has 2 sisters, another cairn and a westie bichon mix to play and hang out with.

Salty has finally quit pulling and walks nicely with me. He pays little attention now to the deer on the side of the yard about 20ft away.  My wife Gail will send some info to follow.

Salty is settling in well in his new home here in Virginia. For an 11-year-old he is very active and playful, and loves his toys, tossing them in the air!

He seems to have springs in his legs as he easily scales furniture to get to his favorite perches.

He is smart and responding well to “sit and stay” when it’s mealtime. He seems to like to be near us whenever possible and follows my husband around the house. Salty greets new people enthusiastically! He will meet his new vet next week, and we will look into a trainer experienced with rescue dogs to fine tune his behavior.

Norman and Gail

Attached are a few photos.

We both are eternally grateful for the excellent support we received from the CCRT team for facilitating this wonderful experience.

Ilana

*****Check it out: Day or Night, Wally is on the job protecting his FUREVER home!*****

Keegan seems to be settling in well. He is cuddly and sweet and a little bit mischievous.  He was groomed yesterday and was so clean and handsome – until he rolled around on some unidentified stuff this morning!  I think we will be good buddies – I love him already!

Dianne

Gemma has moved into our home and hearts. Gene and I figure that if we named all the perfect/desired attributes for a dog, Gemma would fill the bill. She is a delightful girl who is blossoming into her full personality. She is fun, affectionate, well behaved, with just enough energy and mischief to keep us on our toes.

It is so much fun to watch her do zoomies in the backyard or in the house when we have both been away and come home. There are times when she acts like a puppy and makes us laugh.

The picture above is her on her favorite lookout. She can see the sidelights from her perch. It is such a joy to see a white fuzzy face in the sidelights when we come home.

She bonded with both of us, is very affectionate and her favorite place is on the middle cushion of the couch where she can touch us both (she is long!) and get pets and tummy rubs. She likes to nap nestled into one of us when we are on the couch.

She does well meeting other dogs on her morning walk and even tried to make friends with Jack the neighborhood cat. Interestingly, she does not pay any attention to deer or rabbits.

Many, many thanks for all that you all do with CCTR! We are so grateful for Gemma – she is a joy!

Cathey & Gene

You can read more about Gemma’s Story (see ABOUT) at this link:
https://www.facebook.com/donate/2191658958300651/122177243576927517/
(the fundraiser is closed – thanks to all who donated!)

I seriously could not have asked for a better dog or a more perfect match. He doesn’t really bark, he’s not aggressive at all, and he has zero interest in chewing up the house or acting out. He is just the coolest guy. In fact, one of his many nicknames is Mr. G, because it sounds just as effortlessly cool as he is!

He has really come out of his shell over the last month or so, and we are having an absolute blast. We even conquered his fear of the car! After a few failed car seat experiments, I finally found the winning option. Now that he can actually see out the window, he’s totally tolerated it—he might not be deeply in love with road trips yet, but he’s decided he’d much rather be my co-pilot than be left at home. He’s still pretty indifferent to other dogs and can be a bit shy with some people (while turning on the charm for others), but he’s just a total joy. He’s also a little hesitant around my mother’s walker still, but she is the official treat person now, so they are becoming fast friends.

I know it sounds dramatic, but he has truly changed my life. Having him around has brought so much happiness, comfort, and structure to my days, and I honestly can’t imagine life without my little shadow now.

I hope you are all doing wonderful. I have also attached many pics of Mr. G.

Best, Iain

Gator AND Gator!