Recently we asked Animal Ark adopters to contact us with their adoption stories. We heard from Sami and Kory, who adopted Peanut in September 2013. The following story is in their own words. As you can tell, bringing an Animal Ark pet into their home has led to years of happiness and memories. Enjoy this story and consider sending yours to arknews@animalarkmn.org. And if you haven’t adopted yet, stop by Animal Ark and meet your perfect companion!

I saw that you were looking for some post-adoption pics and stories, and since Peanut is one of the most photogenic Animal Ark Alumni, I figured I had to share some of ours!

We Adopted Peanut (technically Peanut II) in September of 2013. After visiting a few other shelters without much success we stopped at Animal Ark and asked if we could meet Peanut and his giant vampire bat ears. Fortunately, he had recently finished the last round of all of his shots and was ready to adopt, because 5 minutes after meeting him, being run over and drooled on and jumped on by him, we knew he had to be our crazy baby forever.

We were fostering a Yorkie for a family member at the time and after introductions we got the okay to bring Peanut home, where we quickly realized that Peanut had no idea what being in a house was like. We were told he was about 6-7 months when Animal Ark took him in, we think he was found wandering the streets in St. Paul or Minneapolis. We ended up having to teach him a lot more than just tricks, like how to use stairs and look through windows. We also tried to teach him that he wasn’t a lap dog, but it turns out we were wrong. We just have small laps!

There was a surprising amount that we never had to teach Peanut though, thankfully. Not once has he investigated a trash can or a kitchen counter to find some snacks, and never has he chewed on anything but his own toys. He taught us that he was more than capable of being a hunter, unfortunately for all the small animals in our backyard (RIP bunnies) He also took to learning guard dog duties so quickly that we barely even had to teach him. Nothing is more comforting when you’re home alone watching true crime shows than being able to whisper “Go Guard” to Peanut after hearing a weird noise outside. He leaps into action every time, hackles up and charges, barking at the entrances of our house. He is a very, very good boy. 

Things have only gotten better as time has gone on. There’s been less chaotic puppy energy and much more insistence on being buried in blankets for naps, so we know he’s growing up. In a lot of ways, he’s grown up with us these last six years, as our lives have changed pretty dramatically and so have we. It’s been really nice to have a dog around to remind us that no matter what’s going on, he is CUTE and we NEED to stop what we’re doing and pet him. Peanut turned 7 this past fall, which means he’s technically inching into senior dog territory, but I highly doubt he’ll be slowing down anytime soon. Besides, as you can see from the attached pictures, we’re still waiting for him to grow into those giant vampire bat ears. 

Thank you, Animal Ark, for bringing Peanut into our lives by saving his. We always encourage anyone who mentions wanting a pet to go to Animal Ark or other no-kill shelters since it saves so many lives, and we had such a positive experience. I don’t think I can adequately describe the impact Peanut has had on us these last six years, I just know we’re incredibly lucky. 

Thanks again for everything,

Sami and Kory