In 2005, Sammie's Friends paid for medical care for 90 cats, 83 dogs, 1 bunny rabbit, and 4 chickens.

Julius has been adopted.  He put on weight and looks fabulous.  As his health improved we learned what an outstanding personality this boy has.  We are so glad we were able to help him.  In any other shelter he would have been euthanized and we're so glad he came to ours and we had the privilege of caring for him.

This precious little kitty, PGE, came to the shelter in not very good shape.  It turned out the poor little guy had a broken femur.  The person who adopted him works for a veterinarian and so was able to get his surgery at a reduced rate, and the remainder was paid for by the new kitty MaMa, Sammie's Friends and AnimalSave.  The kitty is doing great and living the good life.  We are grateful for the happy ending.

Cashus is a 7-year-old male cat.  He was having difficulty breathing at the shelter, and was taken to the veterinarian where he received fluids, as he was somewhat dehydrated.  He was tested for FIV, leukemia and heartworm.  All were negative.  Cashus received antibiotics and prednisone, and became better.  The diagnosis remained inclusive; he possibly had an asthmatic attack or an allergic reaction to something.  Cashus is O.K. and was adopted.

Lucky is a small kitten who was found at the county dump next to the Nevada County Animal Shelter by one of the shelter volunteers who works at the transfer station.  He was in a trash compactor and lucky he wasn't crushed to death.  The little guy (hardly more than a baby) was starving and had a very severely broken leg.  With good veterinary care and lots of love from Kelly and financial help from the volunteer and Sammie's Friends, Lucky is healed and running around like a crazy little cat having a great life.

Chico is a cat who was brought to the shelter with cancer on his ears from being a white cat in the sun too much.  We had his ear flaps amputated and excised the cancer.  Chico is doing great.  White cats should be indoor cats as this is a very common occurrence (cancer on the ears) for white cats that live outdoors.  The bill was paid by one of our wonderful cat volunteers and by Sammie's Friends.

Poor little Robby Rabbit had a huge abscess on his face and he had to have it lanced and then had surgery.  We have no way of knowing how long this poor rabbit had this condition before he came to the shelter.  In spite of our best efforts to help the poor guy, he died.  Sammie's Friends is happy that we tried to help the little guy and so sad he didn't make it.

Cinders was brought to our shelter with 4 tiny kittens and weighing only four pounds.  We had her tested for FIV and leukemia, and she was negative.  She stayed in a foster home for a while, but hasn't put much weight on.  We thought she had an infection in her uterus and had her spayed.  It turns out that she has an infection in her bowels, and is being treated for that.  Hopefully she will now gain weight and be a healthy cat.  Cinders has a wonderful talkative (she's part Siamese) personality and we all love her.

Stan was a matted cat when he came to the shelter and so Sammie's Friends paid for his grooming, which helped make him adoptable.  Stan has a great personality and Sammie's Friends co-founder fell in love with him.  Stan eventually went to AnimalSave and then to a permanent home.  We were happy to have helped him along the way on his journey.

Spartagus is a wonderful lab mix who came to our shelter as a stray dog.  A wonderful family adopted him.  They love him dearly, and he will be in the family forever.  They can provide just the kind of home that we wish for our wonderful shelter animals.  His new family discovered that Sparky had heartworm, and they were willing to treat him and nurse him through the recovery time.  Sammie's Friends was able to help with the veterinary bill for the heartworm treatment, alleviating a part of the burden from Sparky's new family.

Scout is a 12-year-old female Australian Shepherd who is the pride and joy of her 85-year-old guardian.  Scout had some dental problems and Sammie's Friends, along with AnimalSave and the guardian, were able to get her teeth taken care of.  Scout and her 85-year-old partner are doing just great.

3-year-old brothers, Bandit and Prince, came to the shelter with matted and urine-smelling dirty hair.  Nobody wanted to put them in their car, so Sammie's Friends paid a groomer to spiff them up a bit, and they were both adopted to good homes.  We know they are having a good time now.

Shadow is an older dog who was brought to the shelter when her owner died.

Misha is a 9-year-old female Rottweiler who came to the shelter in poor condition.  She had a sore on her leg which was the original reason we took her for veterinary care.  Poor Misha has a myriad of conditions.  She has advanced heartworm* disease, low or no thyroid, is severely anemic, and her body is retaining water as a result of the advanced state of her heartworm disease.  We are helping her by treating her conditions and trying to get her into better condition so that she can undergo the heartworm treatment, which will allow her to have a better life and avoid certain death from this awful parasite.  Misha was relinquished by her owner as they did not want to treat her health problems.  Sammie's Friends is paying for her treatment and she is currently in a foster home where she can stay during her recovery.

*Heartworm is transmitted to your dog by an infected mosquito.  This miserable parasite, if left untreated, will eventually strangle your dog’s heart and (s)he will eventually die a most unpleasant death from congestive heart failure.  This is similar to drowning as the body cavity fills with fluid.  This is a completely preventable and also a treatable disease.  All dogs should be on heartworm prevention or they will get heartworm disease in Nevada County.  This is one of the three worst counties in the United States for heartworm disease.

Buddy is a 3-year-old flat-coat retriever who came to the shelter.  He was adopted by a wonderful family and tested positive for heartworm.  His new family treated him, and Sammie's Friends was able to help out with the veterinary expense to lighten the load a little.  His new family love him so much, and Buddy is having a wonderful life as every dog deserves.

Now that he has had his surgery, you can see how nice the boy looks.

Lucy, an approximately 6-year-old female Border Collie mix, was picked up by Animal Control on E. Bennett St., Grass Valley, CA on January 21, 2005.  She had been attacked by another dog and so badly injured that she was ripped open on both sides of her body.  It's a miracle she didn't die.  She has now been sewn back together and is recuperating in a foster home.