My family was thinking about adopting a pet so we began to look around.  We went to several shelters,
but they were so loud that my son, Luke, who is severely autistic, could not handle the environment.  
He showed no interest in a dog.  One day we were out shopping and saw the animals in PETCO.  I was
shocked when Luke, who can not speak, went right over to Sam.  He sat down next to him and started
to play with his ears and kept laughing and laughing.  Sam was a perfect gentleman and let Luke have
his fun, not showing any sign of distress even though Sam was in a strange place a a very strange little
boy was poking at him.  After a time, to my amazement, Luke picked up one of the leashed and handed
it to the person in charge.  He wanted to walk Sam!!!  The people at PETCO and the Palacios Pet Pals were so friendly and helpful
that Luke got to walk that dog right in the store!  I thought it was cute, but I was not ready for a dog and we were going on vacation
so I did not take Sam home.

 Two weeks later we returned to PETCO and the moment Luke saw Sam, he would not leave his side.  So we brought him home. 
Sam now has so many hugs and hands that want to pet him that he gets to decide where he wants to hangout in our house.  Most
of the time it is right next to Luke on his pillow.  Because Luke can't talk, it is sometimes difficult to know what he wants, but Sam
seems to know what Luke needs when we can't figure it out, I never knew an animal could do that!  Sam has a job to do in keeping
track of Luke, but he takes it very seriously and is rewarded with more love (an doggie treats) then I thought possible.

Thank you so much to Palacios Pet Pals for taking such great care of Sam and to PETCO for allowing the organization to bring him into
the store so that my family could find it's newest member.

 Thank you,

It has been a while! Jaxon and Sophie are doing fantastic. Travis just built them a new doghouse (6ft X 6ft X 3ft) so they
would have a place to relax and get out of the heat while we're at work. He isn't completely finished - he is going to add
some kind of flooring (indoor/outdoor carpet maybe), a place for their food and water so they don't have to bend down so
far to eat or drink and a fan to help keep them cool. I have attached a photo.

Little miss Sophie Lyn discovered that she could jump over our 4ft fence between the house and garage. We left for a
couple hours one morning and when we got home, we found her down the street trying to get the neighbor to play with
her! I had no idea how she got out, so I put her back in the yard and watched her. It didn't take long before she jumped
right over the fence! I told her to come back in and she jumped over the fence back into the yard...I had no idea she was
capable of that!!!! Poor Jaxon didn't know what to do. Travis built a taller fence right away - he used pickets so they could
see through the fence.

We're thinking about building a little obstacle course in the yard so they don't get bored when we're at work. They already have a pool and a
sandbox, but one of our neighbors keeps complaining (through anonymous notes) that they are barking all day. We have asked everyone
around us about it and all of the stay at home moms said they don't hear our dogs barking...I don't know. I wish I could be a stay at home
mom for my dogs - that'd be the best job ever!!!

It's hard to believe that they are both over a year old. My babies are growing up.

We took Jaxon and Sophie to Travis's grandparents' place in Columbus so they could run around and Travis's brother met us there with his dog. He has a pit bull named Spivey. Jaxon didn't want anything to do with him and was actually being a bit protective of us and Sophie, but Sophie loved Spivey. She was playing so rough with him (he was trying to be gentle) that she actually rolled him! It was hilarious!!! Jaxon finally warmed up towards the end of the day and they had a couple of hours of playtime.  

Brandie Terry

Our new family member, Lexie, was born in November, 2007. One day while shopping, we decided to check out
a local pet store. Lexie was sitting in her cage in the pet store when we first saw her. Our first comment was about
how unique and beautiful she was. She has the colors of a leopard and stripes like a tiger. When I bent down she
started licking my fingers. We could not resist and had to take her out of her cage for a closer look. Lexie immediately
came running to us and showed her full affection and excitement. We were not anticipating in purchasing a dog, but after
meeting Lexie, we couldn't resist taking her home that day. All we know so far is that she is a Catahoula Mix. We learned
that she was found running up and down an alley and was rescued by a wonderful woman named Debbie from Palacios
Pet Pals. She was shy at first when we took her home, but quickly adapted to her new living situation.

She loves to play in her backyard and also enjoys cuddling up while watching movies. We cannot describe how much
fun she is to have around. Truly the best $75 dollars we have ever spent. She has many different beds and dozens of
squeaky toys. She is our little princess.

Lexie is now over 1 year old and soon to be a certified dog citizen. She goes regularly to obedience and agility classes
as well as to a retirement home in Greatwood, where many of her obedience class friends put on show for them to see
every second Saturday. Our princess loves to be around anyone and is very friendly to new people and dogs

Lexie is the most grateful dog I have ever known and the best family member we could ever have.
Thank you so much letting us adopt Lexie!