At the ASPCA, we work hard to make every adoption experience as positive as possible. We hope that our dedication to our animals shines through, and when we meet adopters like Susan J.—who was so happy with our services that she came back for another pet—we feel glad that our hard work is paying off. In today’s Happy Tail, Susan gives us an update on her two ASPCA-adopted animals, Trek and Rascal.

Trek the tabby came to the ASPCA in August 2012. He and nine other cats were transferred from our local city shelter during the height of kitten season. After two months in our care, tiny Trek was ready to begin his search for a forever home, and on October 6 of that year, he met Susan.

Susan first came to us after her Yorkie, Sadie, passed away. She knew that she wanted another pet in her life, but she was busy in an academic program and didn’t have the time to devote to a dog. She decided to adopt a cat instead, so she headed to the ASPCA Adoption Center. “Trek jumped into my lap when I was deciding which cat to take home,” she recalls, and from that moment she was sold. She brought him home that very same day.

After Trek’s adoption, he began showing signs of digestive issues. “The ASPCA medical staff worked closely with me for five months and provided medical care during that time,” she says. “Because this was such a positive experience, I wanted to adopt again from the ASPCA.” Over the next couple of years, she stopped by periodically to meet our adoptable animals. In October 2014, she met a dog named Rascal.

Rascal had arrived at the ASPCA a month before Susan’s visit. A four-year-old Yorkie, he had been purchased in a pet store and neglected for most of his life. His previous owner surrendered him to the ASPCA when she could no longer afford to care for him, and he was suffering from a number of health and behavioral issues. In addition to bad teeth and kneecaps, he had never been housebroken or properly trained. Though he was a tough cookie, we knew that he deserved a second chance at life, and fortunately, Susan agreed.

“It was his face that made me know I wanted to adopt him,” Susan recalls. “Rascal looked just like Sadie!” She brought the snow white pooch home to join her and Trek, and after an admittedly difficult transition (“I wouldn’t call them close friends”), the two are now getting along.

We are so thrilled for this happy little ASPCA family. Though Rascal is still recovering from the trauma of his past, both he and Trek are making strides. After all, they share more than the same past at our Adoption Center—they share the same bright, happy future in Susan’s home, as well.