Families come in all shapes and sizes. For many, a family isn’t complete without a furry—or scaled or feathered—friend to share each day with. Cuddles, wags, games with small toys and time spent in close companionship cement bonds between the two parties. Unfortunately, not all animals find a straight path to their forever home. This is where adoption enters the picture. Five local pet-lovers each found their fuzzy friends through adoption facilities. Regardless of the animals’ backgrounds, they have been welcomed with open arms by each of these loving humans—building a family full of love.
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photo by Tylar Sutton
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A MAN and HIS PACK
When Nick Urban walks through the door of his Hudson home, he knows how he will be greeted. Moving between five wagging tails, each accompanied by chatty barks, he is enthusiastically welcomed. Urban has five beloved dogs, three of which he adopted from the Humane Society of Summit County. Hunter (treeing walker hound dog), Gertie (cocker spaniel), Gunny (yellow lab), Franky (vizsla) and Ella (beagle) are each unique members of the Urban family. “You come home [and] they don’t care what kind of day you had; they’re always there loving you and wagging their tails,” he says.
Each of Urban’s furry family members has its own backstory. Hunter, the 9-year-old hound, was a rescue full of anxiety at first. “He was scared of the garage door opener when I brought him home, and he turned out to be an awesome dog,” says Urban. With training and patience, Hunter and his human overcame the worries of the past and built a loving relationship full of trust.
Gertie, the cocker spaniel, was having a difficult time in the kennels when Urban first met her. “She was an older dog, so I fostered her,” he says. “I was a failed foster parent and wound up adopting her.”
Some dogs remind us of previous companions who made a huge impact on our lives. Gunny is the youngest member of the Urban pack, but brings with him memories of the first dog Urban adopted 15 years ago—Boomer. “When I saw Gunny, he reminded me of Boomer.”
With a smile in his voice, he describes each pooch’s personality. “They’ve all got their own character, their own quirks,” he says. “Franky likes to talk a lot; Hunter wants to be the boss; naturally, the lab likes to goof around and have a good time; Gertie and Ella—they’re little princesses—they’re the little ones, but they always think they’re in charge.”
Urban knows the sad truth that many dogs in shelters are coming from difficult situations. By adopting, he is able to help them find some happiness. “You help out a dog that’s in need and is having a rough time and needs help,” he says. Regardless of the past, Urban’s dogs are contented members of his family, giving more and more love every day. “It’s amazing how much love they still have to give, like nothing ever happened.”
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photo by Tylar Sutton
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photo by Tylar Sutton
SECOND CHANCE for HAPPINESS
You never know who will make up your family. For Brenda Ehrhardt, it’s her husband and three felines. Whether they are hiding in a closet, extending a paw to rub her face—Ollie really does this to relieve Ehrhardt’s stress—or staying up all night fighting through medical issues, these cats are her family. “I would do anything for them that I would do if they were a child versus an animal,” says Ehrhardt.
“Allie is a very shy girl,” says Ehrhardt. The grey and white cat loves to hide, and if anyone comes to visit, she goes instantly into stealth mode. She’s not opposed to all attention—it just has to be on her terms. “She’s a little diva [and] wants things done her way.”
On the other hand, Ollie is a cat in the spotlight. “I like to call him a dog instead of a cat. He plays fetch,” says Ehrhardt. Ollie chases after thrown toys and brings them back to repeat the cycle. Unlike his sister, he is the welcoming party for any guests to their home. “He’s very active [and] loves to be the center of attention.” However, he also likes to stick his paws where they don’t belong—including the bathroom cabinet. “He’s been known to take the contact case and hide it,” says Ehrhardt. Despite the tricks, he is a charmer that she loves to throw over her shoulder and carry around.
Lily is the newest addition to the Ehrhardt home. She was in a litter of kittens Ehrhardt fostered from a young age. Unfortunately, Lily didn’t mature like her siblings. “We usually keep them four to eight weeks, they hit their two pounds, and we take them back to the shelter,” she says. Lily remained underweight and struggled to thrive. “I spent a lot of long nights syringe feeding [her], not sure she was going to make it, but here she is,” says Ehrhardt. After a couple months, Lily became an official family member. The calico diva loves to sleep under the covers of the bed and meows until she gets her way.
Despite any challenges, Ehrhardt only sees members of the family with huge personalities. “It’s just an amazing feeling to know that you have taken an animal who someone has discarded, and you’re giving them this new life—a second chance.”
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photo by Tylar Sutton
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THE PITT MIX with PERFECT EYES
With a bright blue, penetrating gaze, Sophie the pitt mix melts the hardest of hearts. Sophie is a young professional who accompanies her human to the office on the corner of Merriman and Portage Path in Akron. She has developed quite the reputation as a sweetheart. “Everyone in the building knows her,” says Kelli Martin, Sophie’s mom. “I’ll get phone calls from [another tenant of the building that] has patients who would like to see Sophie. She will sit in on sessions with [them].”
Martin first saw a photo of Sophie online. With her eyes slightly crossed and tongue lolling about, she was a dog with tons of character. “I saw her picture and knew right then that she was my dog,” says Martin. The very next day Martin and one of her daughters went to meet Sophie. “My daughter sat on the floor, and Sophie sat right in her lap. I knew she was my dog.”
Sophie is the second dog Martin has adopted from Pay It Forward for Pets—the adoption arm of Summit County Animal Control. The first dog is a male shar-pei mastiff mix named Vincent. Both rescued dogs are lovers not fighters, but it took a little time before they grew to love each other. After a difficult introduction that involved slowly moving their two cages closer and closer together, Martin says they learned to coexist. “I walked them together, and they got a feel for each other. Now they’re buds.”
The two dogs encourage Martin to get out and explore. When Sophie comes into the office, she and her human go on lunchtime walks along the Towpath to stretch their legs. Because of the dogs, Martin has also met many new people in her neighborhood. “I lived in my house for 17 years and knew none of my neighbors,” she says. “In the summertime, we go on two-hour walks, and people stop. It’s a really great way to get to know the people in our community.”
Sophie’s sweetness is helping to dispel a fear of pit mixes in those she meets. “I notice when I walk her [that] a lot of people are very hesitant to come near her.” Martin reassures them that Sophie is gentle and kind, and they end up smiling as they rub her head. “She doesn’t jump, but she will crawl up very gently for a head pet. She’s perfect.”
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GUINEA PIGS with a Francophile FLAIR
In the almost 20 years that Eileen Matias has been volunteering with the Humane Society of Summit County, she has seen harrowing things: dogs so skinny she could count their ribs; cats that looked like someone had tortured them. She has also fostered and adopted myriad rabbits and guinea pigs, many that came from “hoarder” homes where overcrowding and neglect made their lives precarious.
Her current family is made up of Paris—an all-white guinea pig who came to the Humane Society of Summit County with several hundred other animals in a hoarding story that made the papers a couple of years ago—and Cezanne, a motley little fellow named after Matias’s favorite painter.
“People think that guinea pigs and rabbits are good ‘starter animals’ or ‘throw-away pets,’ that they have no personality and they just sit there,” she says. “But if you give them a chance, they will play and hang out and inspect things. They’re as emotionally needy as a cat or dog.”
Matias was 5 years old when she got her first guinea pig. She’s always loved rabbits and guinea pigs for how social and playful they are. And she loves communicating with them. “Guinea pigs make great noises! They make a squeaking noise, a kind of purring noise. When mine are walking around [in my condo], they’ll start talking to each other.”
While Paris was an adoption of necessity, Cezanne was more like love at first sight. “He looked at me and said, ‘well it’s about time you got here,’” she says. “You don’t adopt the animal; the animal adopts you.”
Fostering and adopting has brought countless little furry ones into Matias’s home, and she is passionate about the value of her work. “Just like kids, if we don’t show them they are valuable and have something to give and are worthy of love, then who will?”
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TWO RETIREES and TWO SCHNAUZERS
When Donna and Wayne Doberstyn lost their two mini dachshunds within a short time of one another, they were heartbroken. The rush of emotion that many pet owners feel when talking about a lost beloved family member was still fresh in Donna Doberstyn’s voice two years later. However, hearing the silence in their home, the couple knew they wanted canine companionship again.
After the couple submitted an application, the Humane Society of Summit County called them about schnauzers that had been brought in by a local man. The large group of dogs were pure-bred miniature schnauzers looking for loving homes. As soon as they met Gully (a black and white schnauzer) and Casper (a white schnauzer), the Doberstyns knew they were their dogs. After being neutered, the pair began bonding with their new family almost immediately. “I sat in the backseat of the car and they jumped into my lap,” says Donna Doberstyn. “It was like we were meant to have them.”
Months later, the family has only grown in affection for one another. The dogs wander the condo, claiming spaces like the office loveseat for their naps. Snuggling up against their owners, Casper and Gully are never wanting for affection—something the Doberstyns are happy to provide for the dogs. “They came from a place where there were a lot of dogs, so they didn’t get the attention they should’ve,” says Wayne Doberstyn. “Now there’s no competition, so they’re so happy to be in an environment like this.”
Currently retired, the Doberstyns say the two dogs keep them moving and active. “It’s great for retired people to have dogs,” says Donna Doberstyn. She says she sees more and more people with not only one dog but two. That way not only does the human have a loving companion, but there is also a sibling for the dog to spend the day with.
Though Casper and Gully might sport a shrill bark or demand their parents stop what they are doing to sit and snuggle with them, there is no doubt how much joy they bring into the Doberstyns’ lives. “They love life,” says Donna Doberstyn. “They are wonderful dogs [and] we couldn’t ask for better dogs.”
