Join us in the first of our planned Team Profiles - the Intakes and CTR Team. Thanks to Valerie for writing the Team introduction and to all the hard-working members, present, past and future, of this group. The CTR always has a need for additional volunteers - if you would like to help, please fill out our Volunteer Form .

Intakes is the first step for all of the Col.'s kids. The first step on their road to happiness. Enjoy meeting the team that makes this possible!

To be on the Rescue/Intakes Team, you have to have the stomach of a lion and the heart of an angel! There are many days when the things you see and hear or the decisions that have to be made as part of the Rescue Team are tough ones like the Cairn with a bite history we just can't help, or the senior too ill that needs to cross over to the Rainbow Bridge, or the Cairn mix that just isn't Cairn enough for CPCRN to take. But, then you are part of the process that rescues a Cairn from a shelter shortly before being PTS because there isn't room and they're out of time, or an owner surrender whose owner has died, they are a senior, have some special needs and no one in the family wants to deal with them, or the lucky ones who get out of the horrors of living their entire lives in a puppymill. The Rescue/Intakes Team is the front line, the first contact of a Cairn's journey through Col. Potter on their way to freedom and a wonderful forever home. If you are interested in being on the front lines of rescuing Cairns, we would like to hear from you - new team members are always welcome and needed!

There are three general ways a Cairn will be identified and brought into the Col. Potter program:

• From a shelter or another party who has either contacted us directly via the Cairn in Need (CIN) form, or identified from the website searches team members do of Petfinders, PetArk, PetHarbor and assorted list ads.
• Completion of an Owner Release Form surrendering a Cairn in their possession.
• Breeding stock obtained from auction, directly from breeders or through a third party intermediary.

Members of the Rescue Team search many websites daily for Cairns that may need assistance. Once all dogs that are determined to truly be Cairn, they are entered into a database where they can be tracked. Other members of the team make contact with the shelter via email or phone calls. Still other team members insure all information is recorded and updated in the database and then transferred to the historical database once the fate of the Cairn is known.

Once a Cairn is identified as needing CP's assistance, Intakes team members take over. Pictures or in-person ID are requested, as well as any medical records and information on temperament, behaviors, history, etc. Next the search begins for a foster home for the Cairn. Transportation arrangements have to be made for the shelter pull, surrender, pick-up from the breeder and then transportation also has to be mapped out, volunteers contacted and planned for transport to the foster home. All necessary paperwork needed has to be explained to the volunteer handling the intake and then secured. Those coming from a shelter or puppymill are immediately taken to a vet for full vetting and boarding before being moved to a foster home, so vetting arrangements must be handled. In the case of owner surrenders, as long as they are current on all shots and tests, they will go directly to a foster home. These cairns remain the responsibility of the Rescue/Intakes Team until they safely arrive at their foster home.

Yes, there are a lot of steps to bring a Cairn into Col. Potter with lots of i's to be dotted and t's to be crossed. It's time consuming, labor intensive and timing can mean life ? or death. The Rescue Team members are a very dedicated group who truly do have the stomaches of a lion and the hearts of angels!

Valerie K
Vice-President of Intakes

I became involved with Col. Potter almost three years ago when I was looking for a Cairn to add to the family following my Spencer going to the Rainbow Bridge. Hawthorne, who had spent the first seven years of his life in a PM, joined the family 2.5 years ago and has been learning the ropes from his brother, Bailey, a 13 year old Westie.

In addition to my duties with the Rescue and Intakes Team, I am also a foster home for CPCRN. This doesn't leave a lot of time for other activities, but when I can squeeze some time in, I love going for walks with the furkids, boating and traveling. To support my dog/rescue habit, I am an Executive Administrative Assistant to the owner of several small companies.

Maureen H

I became involved with CPCRN when I adopted Phoebe in Aug 2000. I joined CRM shortly after that, and volunteered to find cairn pictures to adorn the CPCRN web page. As I learned more about rescue, I started monitoring my local shelters and Petfinder for NJ. When I found a cairn, I would forward it to Susan M. In May 2004, she asked if I would be interested in joining the Intakes team as a Petfinder searcher. I then moved onto searching the Petfinder Classified ads along with other online classified sites, and identifying "Cairnness" in the listings the Petfinder searchers send in. In April 2005, I was asked by Monika to step up to work as Valerie's assistant, which I gladly accepted. As Valerie's assistant, I now work on bringing needy cairns into CPCRN, from the initial email or form stating there is a cairn who needs us, to getting him to the foster home.

I have done Home Safety Visits, and transports for CPCRN, and Reference Checks for Adoption Applicants. In April 2005, I unexpectedly started fostering. Up until that time I had a lot of fears about taking that on, that I wouldn't be able to handle fostering. I agreed to Bed & Biscuit a needy boy for a few days, which turned into fostering him until he was adopted. I found that I love it, and while fostering has its challenges, it is unbelievably rewarding.
My Cairns are: Max - 8yo cairn -( adopted from a bbb before I knew better! ) Phoebe - 15yo cairn - CPCRN kid, Marsha - foster pup

Lori R

I became involved with CPCRN when we decided to add a second cairn to our family. I searched online for breeders in the area we were living. I found Col. Potter in my search and ended up learning of the all mills and the horrible conditions dogs were living in. I did find one reputable breeder who I contacted, but I could not get the thought of the mill dogs out of my mind. After a discussion with my husband, we decided that not only would we adopt a rescue, but we wanted to volunteer to foster cairns. I am married with no children, and work in Home Health Care. We have 4 furkids, Muffy (8yr old female cairn/cocker spaniel mix from a backyard cairn breeders "whoops" ), Boudreuax (3 yr old male cairn,CPCRN adopted), Mac (4 yr cairn mix rescued from a shelter) and Milo (4 yr old terrier mix, rescued from a shelter).

After fostering my first cairn, I wanted to do more to help these sweet dogs, and became a Home Safety Visit coordinator and also a member of CTR, where I search classified ads for cairns in need of rescue and assist with the process of bringing cairns into Col. Potter.

Susan B

Susan B has been a volunteer with Col. Potter since early 2003, becoming involved as a foster mom after running across the website on the Internet. Susan has owned cairn terriers for over 20 years and just wanted to help the little dogs that have blessed her life for so long. Since 2003, besides being a foster mom, she has worked as a Communications Coordinator, a Matchmaker, and is now on the CTR team doing Petfinder searches. She is also on the fundraising team and helps with transports and intakes. In her real life, Susan married a wonderful man named David just over a year ago, and they are living happily in Tennessee with Nikki, her 7 year old cairn, and Tillie, her CPCRN foster. Susan recently retired from working as a freelance court reporter and managing partner of a firm of court reporters after many years. In her spare time, she does interior design for friends and relatives and helps decorate for weddings and receptions for a wedding planner friend.

Joy W

I live in Northwestern Pennsylvania and have lived in these beautiful mountains most of my 61 years. I have two children, one in Texas and the other in PA and five grandchildren. I have worked for a community bank for 27 years and my current position is branch manager. Animals, including horses, donkeys, cows, dogs, and cats, have always been the love of my life. I became aware of Colonel Potter when I was looking for help with an aggression problem with one of my dogs. I received wonderful help and support and have been sold on this group since then.

I had adopted a little cairn name Tanner (deaf and almost blind) who was cross posted on your site, and then adopted Couderay from CPCRN on Mother's day. I also adopted my first foster, Henry, not long ago. So these three cairns and my two beagle mix make five dogs at home and they are all very dear to me. My husband, our dogs, and I enjoy camping, hiking and just being at home. I do database work for CTR, have been approved to foster, and help with searches on PetHarbor. I love being part of CPCRN and doing what I can and when I retire, hopefully first part of 2007, I hope to do more.

Leah M-D

I'm a house wife and mother of two. I have done a little bit of everything and not a lot of one thing. Kinda a "jane of all trades" so to say. I am a volunteer with a couple of community groups. Helping others and giving back to the community has always been a part of my life and I look forward to doing it for a long time to come. I became involved with CPCRN when I did a search through my local humane society's web page. My Blue Boy had just crossed the bridge and rescue seemed the place for me to go as he was a rescue too. I started with CPCRN doing a home visit and moved to the Intakes Team shortly after. I am back up for the searches and I monitor a couple of shelters. I truly believe in what Col. Potter does for the dogs and I am very happy to be a part of this group. I've learned a lot and I look forward to learning more about rescue and how it works from this great group.

Claudia Y-S

* owner of an estate sale management company
* Became involved with CPCRN by attending a Cairn Rescue Annual Party (TX-CRAP); looking for other people who owned Cairn Terriers. Honey Girl was our 1st Cairn, and we were looking for playmates for her and friendship & camaraderie with like-minded people. Had been told of the TX-CRAP by my husband's physician, who owned 2 cairns. She had the only Cairns we knew of (at that time) in Fort Worth. Also, at TX-CRAP, Judy W had given me some background on CPCRN... as I had no knowledge of the group. So when a Cairn in our neighborhood needed to be surrendered, I brought him to the attention of CPCRN and got him to Judy (Max-2004). Judy encouraged me to join CPCRN, which I did; and then volunteered to do computer searches for CTR. I search the Pet-Ark website.
* My husband, George and I are parents of Honey Girl; and we are also a foster family, and do transports for CPCRN.
* Hobbies include organic and butterfly gardening; photography; art glass collecting; antiques & collectibles research & marketing and travel.
* We have two children. David, a physician in KS; and Rebecca, an OB-Gyn in AZ; and two grandsons, Ben & Noah.
* We love participating in the rescue and re-homing of Cairn Terriers; and enjoy the friendships in CPCRN... quite a cast of characters! ;-D

Denise G

Off-line job: Part-time reading/English tutor and learning center instructor

Involvement with CPCRN: I think this month it will be 2 years that I have been doing the DB work. I got into it thru Susan M in Vermont who is on another terrier list I am on. I asked to volunteer in some capacity for CPCRN, and she suggested this area because the other person was taking a leave of absence to move. I have enjoyed being involved in the process, and learning something new. My computer skills are quite limited, but so far...so good.

I am married, and have 3 kids. A daughter is 22, a son is 20, another daughter is 17. I have 2 westies, Daisy and Angus who will be 9 this month. I also have 2 cats that are rescues, who keep everyone else in line here at home. My hobbies include anything terrier-related, reading, politics, gardening, and travel.

Lauren N

Lauren N came to CPCRN to find an adult Cairn. She recently retired from a position as the Closing Coordinator for a home builder in Portland, OR. She adopted Stirling, a 9 year old male puppy mill kid in May 2004, and began her education to help him overcome his fears. After 1 1/2 years, he's a laid back, quiet, affectionate little guy who is no longer afraid of everyday noises, and clearly enjoys his status as beloved pet. She also adopted Cruz, a 1 year old boy puppy mill boy in June of 2005, who was very slow to shed his fears despite his youth. He's now enjoying the puppyhood he didn't get at the mill, and spends an inordinate amount of time in Lauren's lap, or following her around the yard during gardening season.

Lauren began fostering in September 2004, and volunteered to help with of a portion of the administrative work. The Rescue Team offered her the opportunity to be the person who contacts the CPCRN webmaster with crossposting information when a Cairn in other shelters around the country could use some extra exposure to speed adoption. The offer of a crosspost occasionally results in a dog coming directly into Col Potter, if the shelter feels a breed specific rescue would result in a better or faster adoption for a particular Cairn.

Lisa B

I learned about Colonel Potter and Cairn Terrier Rescue through the cairn-list at yahoo groups. I'm just learning what I can do for CTR, just recently volunteered. I've had a cairn for 10 years named Taz. I got him 3rd hand when he was 5 months old. He was a puppy mill dog bought at a pet store. I'm lucky he's been a great friend and has no health problems. I also have a Great Pyrenees named Doc that I rescued from a bad situation. I have several cats inside and out.

My main hobby is horses - pleasure riding, a little showing and training just for fun. I have 4 horses, a donkey and a mule currently.

Other CTR members who didn't get a chance to submit their bios but whose efforts are greatly appreciated! Pat P (on temporary leave of absence) Patti M (on temporary leave of absence) Cindy R Kari

And last but NEVER least - two of our longest-working Intakes volunteers who are now retired (well as retired as they can be but NEVER really out of the Intakes loop):

Sandy A

Sandy Allen was originally the sole Intakes "assistant" to Judy and Monika for many months before the formation of the CTR Team. Sandy has devoted countless hours to helping with Intakes and training CTR volunteers on Cairn ID. Although formerly "retired" from Intakes, she continues to monitor shelters in the Houston area for CPCRN in addition to her fostering, fund-raising and as a member of the Buf Memorial Park graphic design team.

Judy W

I was National Intakes Manager and helped train Monika. Then I did from national intakes work with Monika, until Monika took over the reins. I don't do intakes work now other than help with transporting the "already taken in" here to Camp Lone Star for vetting and quarantine.

David and I are in our early 50's. He's a professional photographer and I'm an investor. We have two grown sons, Alan (30) and Chris (28). We live on a 33-acre farm about an hour east of Dallas...very rural area. We moved out here in 1997.

We got involved with Col. Potter Cairn Rescue before it was incorporated. We went and rescued the first cairn for the fledgling group....that was Frisky from Memphis, TN...who was being abandoned by her former family. She was rescued and fostered here and placed in a loving home in Victoria, Texas.

Danielle has always been my guide and mentor in rescue work...and I'm forever grateful to her for that! We got involved in rescue originally as a tribute to our two golden retrievers who both passed within months of each other in 1999. I grieved them quite a while...but in early 2000 (March) asked Danielle to teach me rescue. I wanted to help save dogs in honor of our Cinnamon (15) and Ginger (12.5)...much loved family companions in our family. It just about killed me when they both passed away so close together. Cinnie died from old age (the vet said she was just hanging on for me...and she was...we were very close)...and Ginger died from cancer of the jaw. It was an awful time...and putting my energy to work in rescue and helping other dogs is how I coped with their loss.

I was one of the incorporating members of Col. Potter Rescue and later served on its Board of Directors, too. David loves to garden...I love to read mysteries and study the stock market. We're mostly what you'd call homebodies...but we travel all over the nation on cairn rescue, as needed.

After a dog has been assigned to a foster home, Mo's assistant, Montez, prepares and sends packets of information and supplies to the foster home, and notifies the foster home's mentor that a new dog is arriving in the home. Montez also fills the orders for medications and supplies throughout the foster's stay in the foster home.

Each foster home has a foster mentor assigned based on their location. With 75 foster homes in the system, the 12 mentors serve as a personal contact to help them walk through the paperwork and procedures, provide advice for behavior and health problems, and lend support and encouragement. The foster mentors are the first line of defense the foster homes will go to for help with fostering problems or concerns.

Also supporting our foster homes are various individuals available to share their knowledge and expertise as needed. They include: a health and nutrition advisor, medical advisors, an animal behaviorist, a supply coordinator, an administrator, and an individual responsible for keeping the foster home handbook up to date.

Meet the members of the Foster Home Administration and Mentoring Teams:

Mo K - Director of Foster Homes

Montez F - Assistant to the Director

I became involved w/CP after receiving my Cairn, Ramsay. Once he came along, I was hooked on the breed. I began my cyber search for information. Happened upon the Cairn List. What a wealth of information!!! Thank goodness!!! Ramsay was the typical wild and wonderful Cairn baby boy. Learned how to get him to give kisses instead of bites....many, many lessons!! All courtesy of the Cairn List.

Then I began to read about fostering. How badly foster homes were needed. It must have been 2 yrs. I read and thought about the prospect of me fostering. BUT..what did I know about fostering?!?!?! I'm still learning about the breed!!! You know...there is no better way to learn about something than to jump in with both feet. With the support of everyone on CRM, it's been an amazing and wonderful ride. What a fulfilling journey this has been for me. Not to mention all of the friends I have made. Lots of wonderful people are associated w/CPCRN.

Along w/Ramsay, I adopted a CP girl, my little Ciara 3 yrs ago. Aside from CP, I love to garden and landscape. My back-door neighbor is a horticulturist, so I have lots of help w/ideas. I also have 2 grandchildren that occupy tons of my time.

Bonnie B - Health and Nutrition Advisor

Susan B - Foster Supply Coordinator and Mentor

Susan B has been a volunteer with Col. Potter since early 2003, becoming involved as a foster mom after running across the website on the Internet. Susan has owned cairn terriers for over 20 years and just wanted to help the little dogs that have blessed her life for so long. Since 2003, besides being a foster mom, she has worked as a Communications Coordinator, a Matchmaker, and is now on the CTR team doing Petfinder searches. She is also on the fundraising team and helps with transports and intakes. In her real life, Susan married a wonderful man named David just over a year ago, and they are living happily in Tennessee with Nikki, her 7 year old cairn, and Tillie, her CPCRN foster. Susan recently retired from working as a freelance court reporter and managing partner of a firm of court reporters after many years. In her spare time, she does interior design for friends and relatives and helps decorate for weddings and receptions for a wedding planner friend.

Susan M - Foster Home Administrator and Mentor

Karen P - Medical Advisor

Danielle R - Medical Advisor

Kathie R - Foster Home Handbook Management and Mentor

Jennifer S - Foster Home Animal Behaviorist

Beth A - Mentor

I was an unwitting victim of curiosity. I wanted to adopt another cairn after my first one (from a shelter) crossed the Bridge, so I found CP & CRM.

I have 2 dogs of my own - an 8 yr old Gordon Setter named Boo (a/k/a Ch HollyHollow Black Magic Woman), and a 5 yr old Jack/Parsons Russell Terrier named Connor the Infamous (shelter adoption thanks to Aunt Penny). Because of my schedule, I can only have 1 foster at a time (had as many as 6 one time in my tiny home), and the very shy and very sweet Davis is currently in residence.

Outside of CP, I spend a lot of time training with Connor for obedience, agility and earthdog. I also volunteer for an English Setter rescue, and I love to putter in my perrenial gardens.

I love working with Mo and the whole FM team to work through the more complicated or unusual issues with the dogs. Foster homes are the core of this whole operation and it's fun to talk with people about what's going on and making sure we get all the reports everyone else needs submitted.

Penny M - Mentor

I'll start at the time my heart dog Moses went to the rainbow bridge. He was only 6 1/2 and succumbed to liver disease caused by copper toxicosis. I was devastated as Moses helped fill the hole left in my heart after I lost my hubby. Jerry died from emphysema at 64 yrs of age. I was still working and every day after work, Moses and I would go to the cemetery to "see Jerry" We would go for long walks there and it would help me in my grief.

After Moses passed on, I was so grief stricken that I sat, eyes filled with tears, and typed the words cairn terrier in the search bar on my computer. Up popped Col. Potter Cairn Rescue. I sat there crying and looking at all the little furfaces on the website. Now every evening to help fill the empty space in my heart, I would go back to the www.cairnrescue.com site and look and read the bios of all the cairn terriers.

There was one special little guy I kept going back to look at and read his write-up. This little guy was communicating to me through his soulful eyes. After about a week or more, I filled out an application to adopt this little guy so I could give him a home. At the same time I was feeling somewhat guilty as I felt I was betraying Moses memory. The little guy I wished to adopt did not look anything like Moses so I convinced myself it was ok. My app went through, my references were checked and I was scheduled for the home safety visit. Our Beth Adams did the visit and I was approved to adopt Rocket Man. A year later I adopted Grommet.

Prior to adopting Grommet, Sue Mower invited me to join CRM and I did the usual....I lurked for quite some time until I gathered the courage to post. Once I became a familiar e-mail addy and name with my frequent posts, I was invited to volunteer as a part of a new team. The Home Safety Visit Team. I've been here ever since, helping to find volunteers who would be willing to do home inspections prior to adoption approval. I am Vickie Runnion's assistant and assign applications to HSV coordinators when Vicki is in need of some time off.

I finally volunteered to be a foster mom and have fostered 5 little cairn gals so far. It is so rewarding to know you have made a difference in little furkid's lives and sent them on to their forever home. The experience of being a foster mom led me to become a foster home mentor. I also am a member of the crafters group and have crocheted cairngora Christmas wreathes and afghans for the foster dogs. I contributed squares to the HEART afghans that were created for our CPCRN members who were affected by the hurricanes last year and for a quilt we created for Nancy when Keegan was killed in an accident. The most recent afghan was created by me and Cheryl Jacobs and will be put on e-bay in the near future. When not doing my CPCRN duties, I travel, enjoy my yard, assist my parish Priest in his Healing Ministry, spend time enjoying my two grandsons and am looking forward to the birth of my third grandchild in the beginning of 2007. At this time, I am crocheting a baby blanket for my newest grandkid. I like to play games on www.Pogo.com and have some lady friends who I met online. We have tourneys on Pogo playing some of the games for fun and camaraderie.

I don't think I can single out a specific "most rewarding" incident with CPCRN. Everything I am involved with is rewarding. Each incident is it's own reward.

Patti M - Mentor

Mary N - Mentor

I live with my mother, four dogs, and a cat in Topeka, KS. Briggy is a wheaton Scottie, age 8 yrs. Shannon is a Collie, age 3 yrs. Patrick is a Cairn adopted from CP June, 2005. Patrick is 19 mo. old. Maggie is a Cairn adopted from CP in December, 2005. Maggie is 3 yrs. Rosie is my cat. Rosie is a Persian--age 12 yrs. I also own a Quarter Horse. Her name is Molly Malone. She is boarded at a saddle club about 15 min. from my home.

I am a Public School Music Teacher, currently teaching General Music to students at Avondale West Elementary. This is a K-5 school. I have taught middle, high school, and college music courses in the past. I work part time as a Music Therapist on weekends. I love teaching. I can't imagine doing anything else. I direct a Drama Club for two evenings a week during the school year. I sing in the Symphony Chorus and have played in the Civic Symphony in the past.

I became involved in Colonel Potter while searching for a Cairn Terrier last summer. One of our teachers works part time at the local humane shelter. She brought a Cairn Terrier to our carnival. The dog was adopted by a teacher who had just lost her dog. I fell in love with this dog. So began my journey. In the last year I adopted Patrick and Maggie from CP. They have made my furkid family complete. They are delightful. I smile when I think of them. I also joined the Communications Team last Fall. This is a wonderful team. I feel that we all work together so well. It is very rewarding being the "gatekeeper" for these animals who cannot speak for themselves. I have just adopted my fourth foster and am a foster mentor. This is a wonderful organization. I have always loved animals, and especially dogs since I can remember. Dogs mirror the better side of human nature. Rescue work affords me the opportunity to give some of the love and caring back that dogs have given me.

Jan T - Mentor

Sandy T - Mentor

I learned about Col. Potter through another web site called Terrier Club. Being a foster was something I always wanted to do when I "retired". When the plea was posted for foster homes and how badly they were needed, I decided to give it a try even though I was still working. Soon after becoming a foster home for Col. Potter, Joan emailed me and asked me if I was interested in joining the Communications team. How can you turn Joan down?

I have 5 dogs - yep 5 - 4 Cairns and an old gal who will be 15 shortly who is a Scottie Mix. All of my dogs are rescue dogs, only one from Col. Potter. That is my old guy Salty who is 12. He came to me full of matts, having been tied out in a backyard for years. He has arthritis and a thyroid problem. He really fit in with my group well so I decided he had found his forever home. He made me a very proud foster flunkie.

Along with my CP work, which is really my heart work, I like to garden, read and spend time with my granddaughters. I work full time doing medical transcription for a local hospital. We are in the process of setting up to work from home. I can hardly wait to spend my day with my furkids sleeping at my feet.

It is wonderful seeing these little dogs blossom in their foster homes and go on to wonderful new lives. I am new to mentoring, only been doing it for a month or so and am still learning every day. Col. Potter's process is one of the best in the country and I love working with everyone.

Stacey W - Mentor

Claudia Y-S - Mentor

* owner of an estate sale management company
* Became involved with CPCRN by attending a Cairn Rescue Annual Party (TX-CRAP); looking for other people who owned Cairn Terriers. Honey Girl was our 1st Cairn, and we were looking for playmates for her and friendship & camaraderie with like-minded people. Had been told of the TX-CRAP by my husband's physician, who owned 2 cairns. She had the only Cairns we knew of (at that time) in Fort Worth. Also, at TX-CRAP, Judy W had given me some background on CPCRN... as I had no knowledge of the group. So when a Cairn in our neighborhood needed to be surrendered, I brought him to the attention of CPCRN and got him to Judy (Max-2004). Judy encouraged me to join CPCRN, which I did; and then volunteered to do computer searches for CTR. I search the Pet-Ark website.
* My husband, George and I are parents of Honey Girl; and we are also a foster family, and do transports for CPCRN.
* Hobbies include organic and butterfly gardening; photography; art glass collecting; antiques & collectibles research & marketing and travel.
* We have two children. David, a physician in KS; and Rebecca, an OB-Gyn in AZ; and two grandsons, Ben & Noah.
* We love participating in the rescue and re-homing of Cairn Terriers; and enjoy the friendships in CPCRN... quite a cast of characters!

Meet the members of the Communications Team:

Sue M - Communications Manager

I got started with Colonel Potter's in 2002 when my sweet Westie, Sally, passed away. I knew I wanted another terrier and surfed the internet and found Colonel Potter's. I applied and lo and behold, Mr. Truman found me! I have four dogs - three Colonel Potter Cairns - Misha, Lilac and Truman - and a shelter rescue - sheepdog?? - MS. Peppy. I love to read, spend time with the grandchildren, and hiking.

It's a privilege to be in on the ground floor of the application process, reviewing the applications and working with the Communications Team to insure that the Cairns in Colonel Potter's go to the best homes.

Liz R - Assistant Manager

I joined CRM in December of 2001 after I had applied to adopt a cairn. Churchill and Sammy were adopted from Colonel Potter's in 2002 and rescue cairn puppy, Zibby joined the family in 2003. I have been on the Reference team since 2004 and the most rewarding thing about it is not only helping our cairns get adopted by wonderful families, but being part of a terrific, supportive group of people who are always there for you when you need them! I recently joined the Matchmaker team this summer. When not involved in Colonel Potter's, I work as a Physical Therapist, am an avid gardener, and doting Mom to my three cairns. DH Jim also helps with transports and spoils his furkids rotten!

Pat H

My name is Pat Hauser, from New Jersey. After getting our first Cairn, Zip, I found Col. Potter on the internet. My husband and I decided to become a foster home. Our first foster, Joey, was a 5 month old puppy mill rescue. Well...Joey never left here as we adopted him. We then agreed to foster Sean, a 4 year old owner surrender. After having him checked it was determined that he needed surgery on his hip. Col. Potter arranged for that and we then started his re-hab which included lots of walking and swimming in a large pool at a horse farm. I guess I don't have to tell you that we 'flunked again' and Sean was adopted by us. We really want to help the Cairns in need, but fostering is not so good for us - we can't seem to let them go. Now I do application checks for the Communication team and help in any other way I can as needed-transportation or home inspections in our area. We now have our Cairns - Zip, Joey, Sean and my daughter's 14 year old Maltese, Nicky, lives with us also.

Helen and Charlie D

Mary N

Home: Topeka, KS I live with my mother, four dogs, and a cat. Briggy is a wheaton Scottie, age 8 yrs. Shannon is a Collie, age 3 yrs. Patrick is a Cairn adopted from CP June, 2005. Patrick is 19 mo. old. Maggie is a Cairn adopted from CP in December, 2005. Maggie is 3 yrs. Rosie is my cat. Rosie is a Persian--age 12 yrs. I also own a Quarter Horse. Her name is Molly Malone. She is boarded at a saddle club about 15 min. from my home.

Profession: Public School Music Teacher. I currently teach General Music to students at Avondale West Elementary. This is a K-5 school. I have taught middle, high school, and college music courses in the past. I work part time as a Music Therapist on weekends. I love teaching. I can't imagine doing anything else. I direct a Drama Club for two evenings a week during the school year. I sing in the Symphony Chorus and have played in the Civic Symphony in the past.

I became involved in Colonel Potter while searching for a Cairn Terrier last summer. One of our teachers works part time at the local humane shelter. She brought a Cairn Terrier to our carnival. The dog was adopted by a teacher who had just lost her dog. I fell in love with this dog. So began my journey. In the last year I adopted Patrick and Maggie from CP. They have made my furkid family complete. They are delightful. I smile when I think of them. I also joined the Communications Team last Fall. This is a wonderful team. I feel that we all work together so well. It is very rewarding being the "gatekeeper" for these animals who cannot speak for themselves. I have just adopted my fourth foster and am a foster mentor. This is a wonderful organization. I have always loved animals, and especially dogs since I can remember. Dogs mirror the better side of human nature. Rescue work affords me the opportunity to give some of the love and caring back that dogs have given me.

Nicole T

I started with Cp after hurrican katrina. We wanted to help some of the kids trapped down south and decided to become a foster home and then ended up adopting Toby and eventually Brice. We have a total of four kids, two girls (both non cp kids) and two boys (both cp kids). Outside of CP, I travel all over the country showing a truck. I am also a full time legal assistant and going to school to get my law degree. I love being a coordinator as you get to meet different people from all over the country that shares your common interest of saving cairns and its great to know how important your reports are to helping the next team in placing a furkid in their furever home.

Carol L

I was pretty much in Colonel Potter's since the start, since Patti McCully (Col. Potter's mom) was an online friend. I have 3 Cairns, Beamer, Toddy,(my CP pup), and Charlie (a Cairn club owner-surrender). Outside of CP-there IS an outside???-I do dog activities like earthdog, parades as part of a dog drill team, I'm a Juvenile Justice commissioner, and am active in the county's violence prevention task force. I get to do inspections of juvenile hall, police departments that handle our juveniles, and group/foster homes, as part of the Commission. I find everything having to do with CP rewarding. I love meeting with and talking to people who love dogs, so reference checks and home safety inspections are a ball.I love having people and their dogs over, and my annual Cairn Pool Party has grown into this month's POOP.

Deb A

I don't know exactly what you need, but here goes. Married homemaker, 2 grown daughters, 4 furballs at the moment-Dodger (yellow lab), Leo (Cairn), 2 cats-Nivek and Midnight. My own Cairn had passed away, and after some time had past, I was ready to have another. I called a very reputable breeder in Eastern Maryland, who after speaking with me, mentioned that she was a member of CP. I read through CP's website, and was very impressed. I looked at it this way. I could save a Cairn, and he could save me, too. I sorely missed my Scruffy. Anyway, I put in an application, was approved, but it was going to be a few months before I would be able actually get my new pooch. Then I became interested in fostering. OMG. The experiences I had with that. Let me know if you need any. My husband has been very supportive of everything re CP, but he begged me not to get anymore fosters because it just upset the cats, etc. Since Oscar had been so supportive re CP, I agreed with him as far as fostering goes, became involved with CP in other ways. Now I'm involved in calling references, and helping others to be able to adopt Cairns. Anyway, we were able to get Leo a few months later. Leo is a mess, and has brought lots of laughter not to mention a few problems, but he's a pooch and that's to be expected. Dodger is so happy now that he has another doggie buddy.

Julie P

I'm a Forbes Hospice RN in the City of Pittsburgh, the wife of John, mother of 1 daughter, 1 son, 1 stepson, grandmother of 6. I'm also very part time on the transport team and just enjoyed Midge. I'm very active in our Episcopal Church - I'm the substitute organist, teach church school, Cursillo member, choir member. John and I had a terrier mutt for 17 years and when she died, John didn't ever want another dog. I started surfing the web, found Col. Potter on PetFinder and adopted our beautiful Katie 3 years ago. I don't know what he would do if we didn't have her - he cooks her dinner every day!!! We've been to the WV Crap in Sept. 05 and met the most wonderful people and dogs.

Joanne S

I am married, live in Florida & have a 15 year old daughter, Jessica. We have a 3 y/o yorkie princess, Bella, a CP cairn, Tonto (fka Montel) which we adopted in 2004. We got him on Christmas Eve. We also have just taken in an owner surrender 5 y/o yorkie, Toby. I got involved with CP when I adopted Tonto. I was so amazed at how the org. worked, that I volunteered. I have been a comm.coordinator since 2005 and have just started on the Matchmakers team also.

Barb F

I began in Communications when Susan Mower recommended me after I had adopted Cody (AKA "Killer") Susan was the foster mom for Cody. He is the only dog I have-I did try to adopt another (ok-so it was a Bichon not a Cairn) but Cody would not have another dog in the house-he is a wee bit ornery-and did I say stubborn? I am a former Math Specialist in a Blue Ribbon School district teaching Math to Basic Skills students and helping classroom K-5 teachers with their Math lessons and techniques. I have two children, Joe and Laura-who are the age now that I was when I became a grandmother. I have 5 grandchildren-4 boys and 1 girl ages l8, l7, l6, l2, 7. They are the joy of my life. I am blessed.

Calling references to help place Cairns in a new, happy, wonderful environment gives me great satisfaction. I just love to be a spy and pull out the secret stuff!!!!-most of the time, very positive! I hope to continue for a long time.

Sandra T

I learned about Col. Potter through another web site called Terrier Club. Being a foster was something I always wanted to do when I "retired". When the plea was posted for foster homes and how badly they were needed, I decided to give it a try even though I was still working. Soon after becoming a foster home for Col. Potter, Joan emailed me and asked me if I was interested in joining the Communications team. How can you turn Joan down?

I have 5 dogs - yep 5 - 4 Cairns and an old gal who will be 15 shortly who is a Scottie Mix. All of my dogs are rescue dogs, only one from Col. Potter. That is my old guy Salty who is 12. He came to me full of matts, having been tied out in a backyard for years. He has arthritis and a thyroid problem. He really fit in with my group well so I decided he had found his forever home. He made me a very proud foster flunkie.

Along with my CP work, which is really my heart work, I like to garden, read and spend time with my granddaughters. I work full time doing medical transcription for a local hospital. We are in the process of setting up to work from home. I can hardly wait to spend my day with my furkids sleeping at my feet.

I love the fact that Col. Potter checks references. This allows us the confidence that our dogs are going into good homes. Most of the people I talk to in doing the reference checks are very pleased that we go to this length and are more than happy to provide any information we need. Col. Potter is a well oiled machine and reference checking is an integral part of this machine and I am proud to be not only part of the reference checking but am also part of Col. Potter.

Sydney D

When my older Sister passed away, she left behind 2 dogs and 3 cats along with 2 daughters that were too busy to take care for them. I was able to place the cats and one of the dogs but NOT the 7 year old female Cairn who was grumpy and snarly. Although I did not love her, I took her into my home. Within one week, this little girl did a personality change - no longer did she snap and growl and within another week, my DH and I were hooked. I wanted to find out more about the breed and found the AOL Cairn message board. There were some wonderful people there that helped me more than they will ever even know with my Bryndle. Through the group, I met Danielle and that was the end of NOT being involved with this breed. When she and several others started Col. Potter, she invited us to join and I did. I did not get too involved in the rescue work at first. It was a slow start. I became more active when the first Cookbook was developed. After that, I was asked to join the Communications group and I did. Now, 4 years later, I have also joined the Matchmakers, the Celebration Team and the Cairn Terrier Times Newsletter teams.

When Bryndle passed away in 2000, I knew I had to have another Cairn even though we had a part Golden Retriever and a Border Collie already. I brought my girl Diva into my home in May of 2000. In February of 2003 we brought in my first male Cairn, Madd Maxx. In July of 2003, I found a breeder with show quality Cairns and I brought in Miss Annie, and last year (August of 2005) I brought in my 2nd show dog - Ozzie. Our Border Collie developed liver cancer in 2004 and we let her go to wait for for us at the bridge. So, as of today - we have 4 Cairns and a 17 year old Mutt Retriever. On top of that, we currently have a Col. Potter Foster Boy - Lundie. 6 dogs and a Husband - quite a houseful!

We totally enjoy boating (as do the Cairns) and have a large boat that we keep on a local lake and this is where we go most weekends during the Summer months. The Cairns love the boat as much as my DH and I and all of them enjoy riding in our kayak and taking rides on our SeaDoo. I personally enjoy reading and walking. In the past 3 years, I have also become most interested in showing my Cairns. Although I am still learning how to do this, I find it challenging and interesting and have learned so much more about the care and grooming of my little fur faces. Of course, to see them, you would think that I know NOTHING about grooming. I hope to put my girl Annie into either Agility or Earthdog Trials within the next year. Did I already say that I love Cairns anywhere in this write up? If not, let me tell you that I am absolutely and totally enjoying breeding my dogs as well. I have ONE litter of pups a year - this gives me a lot of work but a lot of joy added to it. I love being able to provide a nicely bred, healthy Cairn to the people that really can handle them.

I have been on this team around 3 full years now and love it. It offers me such a good feeling when I see one of the families that I have worked with go on to adopt one of our Cairns. Our work is right at the start of the process and I can honestly say that it is fun for me to watch an application go through to completion (adoption). I like to see if the ones that I thought were great applicants turn out to be that. I also pride myself on being able to say that some families may NOT make good adoptive homes. My greatest joy is to see one of the Colonel's kids get placed in a forever home and never feel lonely, scared or hurt again. Who could ask for anything more rewarding than this. I will tell anyone reading this that this team is not a pushy team - we don't get in each others space or work, through our team leader, we are allowed to ask questions and we get answers. We do not make decisions but our opinions appear to be respected - now doesn't this sound like a place you would like to work?

After the applications and references are checked, the applications are sent to the Home Visit Team to set up a Home Safety Inspection. First a member of the team emails the applicant to explain the home visit process, then finds out where the home is located, and finds someone living near the applicant to make the visit.

There are several places team members search for volunteers to perform the inspection, starting with individuals involved with Colonel Potter’s Cairn Rescue Network. If no one within the organization is available, they look on the web for:

• Other rescue groups, shelters or humane societies near the applicant’s home
• People or businesses interested in animals such as vets, groomers and professional breeders
• City or town officials

When a volunteer is found, the Home Safety team member sends them information on what to look for during the visit and how to submit their report afterwards. Then the team member acts as the liaison between the volunteer and the applicant through the inspection process.

Being a member of the Home Safety Team has certain advantages and benefits. You can:

• Develop your knowledge of U.S. geography
• Meet good people who want to give one of our dogs a forever home
• Do most of the job at weird hours, since it’s almost all e-mail and web based work great for early-birds, night-owls, insomniacs, and 2nd/3rd shift workers who can’t easily do telephone work
• Get better acquainted with other WONDERFUL active CPCRN volunteers your very congenial teammates, and those on related teams
• Know that you’ve helped assure that we only place Colonel Potter dogs in great homes.

Meet the members of the Home Safety Team:

Vicki Runnion, Director

My sister found CPCRN on the web for me in 2001, after one of my dogs died leaving me with one cairn girl who had never been an only dog. I adopted Arthur about a month later. Monika did my home visit, and I learned a lot about Col Potter in the process. I enjoyed it, so I decided to volunteer. First I was a Communications Coordinator, which was probably the first "team" to really take off and grow. Eventually I got frustrated on behalf of applicants whose references I'd checked and who had to wait several weeks sometimes for their home visits, because one person was trying to arrange for all of them, and I began suggesting that a team could be created to find home visit volunteers as well. You know what happens when you make suggestions -- you get asked to DO it -- and I said yes. I wrote a post to CRM in early 2002 recruiting a few volunteers, maybe 5 or so, and we got going, and the rest is our collective story. I have helped with several transports -- I got to deliver Sue Morin's Truman into her waiting arms in Logan Airport! and I've just recently begun to foster.

Besides all the obvious stuff -- working with wonderful team members and helping get forever families ready to be matched with the pup that is waiting for them -- I have really enjoyed Home Safety Inspections for the ongoing geography lesson, looking up little towns and seeing where they are relative to where we have members or can find willing friends to do the home visit.

I have Arthur, a CP kid, as mentioned above, and Weezie, who is a newcomer to my family - a mini-dach mix. They have non-cairn cousins - my sister's mini-dach Mindie, and friends' dogs Lucy and Prince - who visit regularly, too. I live in Louisville KY. I am a social worker, and I have been involved in hospice work -- in various roles -- since 1980. My human family live in TN - my mom, and my sister. They love dogs as much as I do. My dad brought their puppy Prissy into the hospital in his inside overcoat pocket to meet me on the day I was born -- thus initiating a love affair for which I am enormously grateful. Other than rescue work, I love reading (female protagonist mystery series, among MANY other kinds of things), writing, making music, and spending time with friends.

I am amazed, time and again, at the sense of "family" we share. I had read about "virtual communities" prior to getting involved, but had dismissed that as pure hype -- until CP! I love the way some people start out thinking they just want a dog, but eventually get all of us, 4-legged and 2-legged, as family to laugh with and cry with and rage with and work with and sometimes argue with, but mostly laugh and cry with. And of course I love reading the love stories ... people who go through our admittedly rigorous process and finally get their kid and it's love at first sight... they make a difference for a dog, the dog makes a difference for them, and both their lives are changed forever.

Penny Mahar, Assistant Director

I'll start at the time my heart dog Moses went to the rainbow bridge. He was only 6 1/2 and succumbed to liver disease caused by copper toxicosis. I was devastated as Moses helped fill the hole left in my heart after I lost my hubby. Jerry died from emphysema at 64 yrs of age. I was still working and every day after work, Moses and I would go to the cemetery to "see Jerry" We would go for long walks there and it would help me in my grief.

After Moses passed on, I was so grief stricken that I sat, eyes filled with tears, and typed the words cairn terrier in the search bar on my computer. Up popped Col. Potter Cairn Rescue. I sat there crying and looking at all the little furfaces on the website. Now every evening to help fill the empty space in my heart, I would go back to the www.cairnrescue.com site and look and read the bios of all the cairn terriers.

There was one special little guy I kept going back to look at and read his write-up. This little guy was communicating to me through his soulful eyes. After about a week or more, I filled out an application to adopt this little guy so I could give him a home. At the same time I was feeling somewhat guilty as I felt I was betraying Moses memory. The little guy I wished to adopt did not look anything like Moses so I convinced myself it was ok. My app went through, my references were checked and I was scheduled for the home safety visit. Our Beth Adams did the visit and I was approved to adopt Rocket Man. A year later I adopted Grommet.

Prior to adopting Grommet, Sue Mower invited me to join CRM and I did the usual....I lurked for quite some time until I gathered the courage to post. Once I became a familiar e-mail addy and name with my frequent posts, I was invited to volunteer as a part of a new team. The Home Safety Visit Team. I've been here ever since, helping to find volunteers who would be willing to do home inspections prior to adoption approval. I am Vickie Runnion's assistant and assign applications to HSV coordinators when Vicki is in need of some time off.

I finally volunteered to be a foster mom and have fostered 5 little cairn gals so far. It is so rewarding to know you have made a difference in little furkid's lives and sent them on to their forever home. The experience of being a foster mom led me to become a foster home mentor. I also am a member of the crafters group and have crocheted cairngora Christmas wreathes and afghans for the foster dogs. I contributed squares to the HEART afghans that were created for our CPCRN members who were affected by the hurricanes last year and for a quilt we created for Nancy when Keegan was killed in an accident. The most recent afghan was created by me and Cheryl Jacobs and will be put on e-bay in the near future. When not doing my CPCRN duties, I travel, enjoy my yard, assist my parish Priest in his Healing Ministry, spend time enjoying my two grandsons and am looking forward to the birth of my third grandchild in the beginning of 2007. At this time, I am crocheting a baby blanket for my newest grandkid. I like to play games on www.Pogo.com and have some lady friends who I met online. We have tourneys on Pogo playing some of the games for fun and camaraderie.

I don't think I can single out a specific "most rewarding" incident with CPCRN. Everything I am involved with is rewarding. Each incident is it's own reward.

Beth B

I got involved with Col. Potter because of Argyle ... I was on the TC and there was a posting about him and everything he needed. I went on the site to make a donation and found the volunteer form ... so I filled it out.

I have two dogs ... Westies or bleached Cairns ... A 3 yr old male named Basil and a 3 yr old female named Rosie. p>I started my CP career with the HSV team (still a favorite of mine) ... I have learned quite a bit of geography from setting up HSI's ... I highly recommend it for geography lessons. I also volunteer for the matchmaker team as matchmaker and I help fill in the file we use to track applications and approvals. One of the most rewarding things that has happened was fostering my first puppymill dog. Nothing will ever compare to the feeling of watching a scared little girl become a Cairn .. this same dog that wouldn't eat in the same room with another dog now has to be watched so she doesn't steal her brothers food ... what a great thing!

Outside of CP, I do agility with my Rosie. I also do some scrapbooking and am learning to do some quilling. I love boating and beaches. We all trek to the beach every weekend and play in surf.

Mary Ann R

Marie F

Mary B-D

We live in the central part of Texas called The Hill Country. My husband retired several years ago, and we moved to his hometown because of business and family considerations. I, in my younger days, taught public elementary school for twelve years and then taught hand lettering at a junior college. We are both active in this small town (8,000) and volunteer in several organizations. My biggest volunteer commitment here is to the Child Protective Services Board who assists with the foster children in our county. I enjoy gardening when it is not scorching hot, reading mostly non-fiction, doing book reviews for clubs and organizations in the area, and treasure time spent with my two fun four-footers.

Our little Molly Jolie (our Col Potter kid) was rescued in Houston, Texas in April of last year at the age of 6. Judy Willis was her rescuer and brought her to Camp Lone Star and saw that she had everything a girl could want ---save a home. Judy found a wonderful foster home with a fine mom, Rebecca Bucher, who lived in the Dallas area to help her get ready for her forever home. In July, we were approved to adopt her, and she now supervises me, my husband, and Cairn brother, Gus quite well! She is a joy, and we are so grateful for the love and care that Judy and Rebecca gave her.

Last year when we were going through the application process with Col Potter to adopt our precious Molly Jolie, I talked with a lovely woman ---Helen D -- who suggested that I might be able to help out in some way with this group. Later, Vickie R wrote to ask if I would be willing to help with setting up home safety visits for the group. I joined them last September and have enjoyed finding volunteers to do these necessary visits. I get very interested in both the volunteers and the applicants and get excited when the applicants are approved. I feel so happy for them for I remember how thrilled I was when that time came for us. It is still amazing to me that I can locate and help set up a home visit in places such as Oregon, Virginia, or Minnesota. The people responsible for setting up this application process are indeed fantastic!

Sharon M

I became involved with Col. Potter after we adopted our first CP dog Charlie. In one of the newsletters there was something about needing volunteers that just triggered something in me and when I made an inquiry it was suggested that I join CRM. When Hurricane Katrinia hit we decided that we would volunteer to foster. Miss Tiggie was our first (and only foster) as we knew immediately she had to be ours. This was about a year ago. I have been with the HSI team for less than a year. I was invited to join by Susan Mower after writing that I would like to become more involved and volunteer any place I was needed. I really enjoy working with my team, reading about the applicants, making contacts to do the visits, knowing that another one of our babies will find a forever home.

I also volunteer to help with transports however most of the ones we (my husband and I) have done have been for other rescue groups. I also donate things to the New Leashes and I made some food items for last year's Thanksgiving/Christmas Yum Yums.

My furkids are an odd lot.....We have Mona, greyhound, and the sweetest dog there is; Charlie who was our first CP kid and Tiggie our second CP furkid who are a joy; and finally, Mr. Fluffy who came to live with us after my husband's aunt died and other family members wanted to put him down. Sadly, it looks like we are going to have to find a new home for Mr. Fluffy as he constantly attacks Mona for no reason, and despite all my efforts to get him to stop, he is getting worse instead of better. I love this little ball of fluff, and it will be hard, but it is the only fair thing to do for all the furkids.

On the personal side, I live in Lexington Ky with my husband of 39 years (almost) and the furkids. We have one daughter and 3 wonderful grandchildren who live close by. I don't have a career or a job where I get paid. In my younger days I have been a hairdresser, color consultant, office manager, and stenciling and craft instructor for adult ed classes. Now I enjoy babysitting the grandkids, playing bridge, crafts, and painting. We recently moved to a smaller house that is all on one floor and I am busy trying to get things put away somewhere and bring some order back to our lives.

I want to thank the Col. Potter organization for all the great work you have done and will do in the future I'm sure. At this time of my life I needed something to get involved with, something charitable, and I love animals (except snakes) so CP was the answer to my needs. I have meet wonderful people, learned much, and I so appreciate the opportunities I have been given to help rescue our wonderful furkids. I have to say that I am most affected by our puppymill kids and our intakes team. I could never do their job, but I am so thankful that there are people who can do this. It is a gift to be involved with such a diverse group of caring people scattered all across our great country and Canada, and to do a small part to help save our four footed friends.

Ellen M

Gayle M

Diane P

My husband and I, with our CP kid, Cassie, live 35 miles SW from Houston in a small town named Needville, TX.

I found Col Potter's site when I was looking for a dog to bring into our lives after we lost our Max in June 2004. We had been told by a vet that Max was Australian Terrier/Doxie, but these sweet little cairn faces reminded me of Max and I was really drawn to them. We knew we wanted to adopt a rescue when the time came to bring another pup into our lives. But, hubby wanted our wire fox terrier, Impy, to have some time as an "only child". She did enjoy that for a little over a year, but unfortunately she developed a very fast growing/spreading cancer and we lost Impy, too, in August 2005.

I didn't realize you could join CRM even though you didn't have a cairn in your life until a friend who's a CRM member mentioned I could join and volunteer in some way. So, after losing Impy I had some time on my hands and I joined. Was put to work helping with the organization chart. And, then before long I was asked if I'd like to have a try at being a Home Safety Visit coordinator. I love doing this, it is an important part of the adoption process, like all the different parts are. It feels good knowing that I am helping in some small part helping a needy cairn find a loving forever home.

Everyone on the site was aware that I'd been very interested in fostering/adopting a Col Potter Cairn, but hubby had wanted to wait for a few months after we lost Impy. Well, Cassie (k/n/a Florentine), needed a foster home, preferably in TX, with no other dogs and we were asked if we'd consider fostering her. Hubby agreed, much to my shock, and Flo (Cassie) came to our home on December 4, 2005. She slipped her harness the very next day, and and hearts were broken, thinking she would be gone forever. Lots of Col Potter prayers and wonderful advice from our foster mentor, Claudia Yeager-Smith brought Cassie back to us safely about 30 hours later, and we'd fallen in love with her, and we applied to adopt her. So, Cassie, former puppy mill mommy, found her forever home with us.

She is a joy, happy, loving, playful, funny, still sometimes fearful. She rolls over for tummy rubs and loves having her ears skritched. She wakes up with a wagging tail and plays with her toys in the mornings even before her first walk of the day. I hate to go to work and leave her, but fortunately Jim is home most of the day on most days, as he works only part-time, being semi-retired.

As for work, I am a billing specialist for a moving and storage company, commuting about 100 miles round trip each day.

I love to read, play the piano, camp, do cross stitch (badly), watch sports, when I'm not playing with Cassie. Jim and I have been married 23 years this coming August. We are having friends from England visit us here in Texas the first week in October, so we're scouting places that will be very special to show them.

Gail Z

Beverly O

Sue M

Mary A

I got involved in CPCRN about 5-6 years ago after adopting a troubled little Cairn, Toto, from a local shelter where he was close to being euthanized for behavioral problems. After 30 years of showing and sled racing Siberina Huskies, I was very experienced in dogs, but new to Cairn Terriers. The shelter's dedication to saving Toto and finding him the right forever home got me involved in rescue. Toto is my little soulmate and I fell in love with the breed, so I wanted to help more Cairns and learn more about the breed. I found CPCRN on the web and they have been a great resource and help.

I joined the HSI team as a way to help and enjoy making contact with people from all over the country. I also volunteer for Siberian Husky rescue and local all breed cat and dog rescue in Washington state. I do home visits for many rescues and participate in many local transports.

The ability to help so many Cairns and have see so many happy endings offsets the frustration of Siberian rescue which is overwhelming. It is much harder for medium to large breeds to find foster care and forever homes.

My fur family is ruled by Toto (now 7 yrs) and includes 10 Siberian Huskies, ages 3 to 16 (several are adopted rescues), a Schipperke Itsy-Bitsy (6 yrs, Toto's favorite squeaky toy)and Brutus (7 yrs, an adopted Akita who keeps us all safe). Toto's greatest pal is 16 yr old Kaleb, my retired lead dog. It is so much fun to watch the various breeds interact - all are intelligent, yet so different.

Vonnie H

Lori R

I became involved with CPCRN when we decided to add a second cairn to our family. I searched online for breeders in the area we were living. I found Col. Potter in my search and ended up learning of the all mills and the horrible conditions dogs were living in. I did find one reputable breeder who I contacted, but I could not get the thought of the mill dogs out of my mind. After a discussion with my husband, we decided that not only would we adopt a rescue, but we wanted to volunteer to foster cairns. I am married with no children, and work in Home Health Care. We have 4 furkids, Muffy (8yr old female cairn/cocker spaniel mix from a backyard cairn breeders "whoops" ), Boudreuax (3 yr old male cairn,CPCRN adopted), Mac (4 yr cairn mix rescued from a shelter) and Milo (4 yr old terrier mix, rescued from a shelter).

After fostering my first cairn, I wanted to do more to help these sweet dogs, and became a Home Safety Visit coordinator and also a member of CTR, where I search classified ads for cairns in need of rescue and assist with the process of bringing cairns into Col. Potter.

Carol L

I'm 69. I live in Walnut Creek, CA, where my family moved when I was four. I was in the convent for 14 years. I'm a retired teacher (retired because I was injured at work). I'm a Juvenile Justice Commissioner in the county, and am on the Violence Prevention Task Force for the county. For 5 years, I taught in court schools for the county, with kids on probation, kids who were expelled, and truants. The class was a self-contained grade 7 through 12 class. I worked for 5 years in a new residential program for neurologically-handicapped adults, and my MS thesis was on independent living. I also have 5 smaller books for use with kids leaving home to go to college, or to live on their own. They are on different aspects of living away from home. I also had a 10 year transportation business.

I've been the president of the Sacramento Valley Cairn Terrier Club, and a member, also, of the Northern CA Cairn Terrier Club. I've done earthdog with my boys, and did dog training for a number of years. Ouija and Weaver I trained to pull carts as part of a carting dog parade drill team. I'm going to train Charlie to pull a cart. The girls are in the parades, too. Beamer marches, and Toddy rides between my feet, on my scooter. She has very short legs, and has walked a couple parades, but prefers to ride.

What do I love about Col. Potter? Almost everything. The dogs we are able to save, the people, helping dogs find the perfect home. Almost everything. I've been a member since Patti McCully wrote a bunch of us, when her Col. Potter was killed. We wanted to do something in his memory. We sent money to rescue a Cairn, and ended up with more, and had enough to rescue two. And thus, Col. Potter began.

I've been doing home safety visits for several years, Actually, Beamer does them; I'm just her chauffeur. She checks the doors, things on the floors, in the kitchen and bath, and lets me know when she sees something wrong. I enjoy meeting people as we do the visits.

For the first 4 years, I did the calendars. The first year, we saved only 21 Cairns, and I had to fill in with every adopted Cairn friends had. I'm in the craft group, but haven't been that active, except for making pillow/blanket sets for fosters. I also make the business cards for members.

My fur kids are Beamer, 7, Toddy (my CP pup), 3, and Charlie (owner-surrender to my Cairn club), 2 a week ago. Before Charlie, was Ouija, who died of lymphoma, and before Toddy was Weaver, my heart dog, and Beamer's best friend. Before them all, came Twinkie, a Cairn/Doxie with a total terrier personality, who died at 19, after 12 years with Cushings and another 4 with Addisons. Toddy was only fostered a couple weeks, and was part of the First Family. Her first name was Nancy, but I changed it to Toddy, after Mary Todd Lincoln.

Meet the members of the Updates Team:

Lisa G

Years later, I was searching for a dog and came across Col. Potter on the Internet. I filled out my application and I adopted Nikki, my first Cairn! When I adopted Nikki in 2003, she was a breath of fresh air in my life. I had been diagnosed with MS about a year before I got her and I needed a pal. She didn t care that I have MS - she just wanted love from me and some snacks.

Soon after adopting Nikki, I decided that I wanted to volunteer for Col. Potter and give back to the people (and Cairns) who have given me so much. As a volunteer I am Team Leader for the Web Updates Team also known as the Web Nag Team. I am also a Graphic Designer for the Buf Memorial Park. My volunteer experience has been so rewarding in many ways, not only do I get to help out the Cairns in need, I have met so many nice people.

In real life I work at Southern Connecticut State University in the Disabilities Resource Center. While working in this office, I have met young college students in wheelchairs, blind students, and deaf students, and I am inspired by their courage to go to school despite their disability. My job title is Accommodations Specialist. I supervise the student workers, coordinate exam scheduling and accommodations as well as do administrative stuff.

I am single and looking for Mr. Right. I have two Col. Potter Cairns Nikki and Skyrocket. Nikki was an owner surrender and Skyrocket was a former mill Mama.

Marie F

I found the Colonel Potter Cairn Rescue site about 2 years ago, when I was considering getting another Cairn. Even though I wasn't ready to adopt yet, I continued to visit the site and a little over a year ago I decided to volunteer. My first volunteer opportunity was with the Home Safety Visit Team, then I added on the Updates team and and recently added fostering.

My little fur and feather family consists of 2 Cairns, Chloe and Zeus (CPCRN rescue), Kitty the cat, and Merlyn the cockatiel.

My day job: I manage two teams, Advanced Distributed Learning and web-based courseware developers and Instructional Systems Developers that design and develop Joint individual and collective military training.

Heather M

For my 30th birthday, I received a Cairn (Hamish) as a gift from my parents. I didn’t know much about Cairns or raising a puppy, so I did a Google search on Cairns, and the rescue was one of the search results. I studied the pages, did more research and Hamish and I managed to survive his puppyhood. I returned often to the rescue’s Web site. Very often.

Hamish’s “breeder” wasn’t a good one (more interested in money than healthy pups). He had a number of problems (such as almost needing a $1,600-$1,800 procedure to insert a dental appliance to correct a jaw issue, socialization problems, slow development, etc.) stemming from their lack of care.

All of this affected my decision to become a rescue volunteer. I also knew that I would want another Cairn one day, and definitely wanted one through a rescue. What better way to get to know an organizatio than by becoming a volunteer?

I had the wonderful fortune of being contacted by Susan Mower the day I submitted my volunteer application. She has been a wonderful guide and an awesome inspiration (okay, I know this sounds cheesy, but I mean it from the heart). We are working together on the next issue of Written in Stone. That was my first assigned team. It was through everyone’s submitted stories that I fell in love with Col. Potter. The stories of what these dogs have to go through just to live normal Cairn lives made me cry. The mischief that these little ones get in to is just amazing. I learned so much from these stories (just wait until you read them – the stories in this next issue are well worth the wait!) and although it may sound odd, I feel that my relationship with Hamish changed in exciting ways through reading them.

Once I started volunteering, I was hooked. Next, I became involved in the Web Nag team, with Lisa as the head of the team. She is incredibly patient and encouraging. I love working on the write-ups. I feel like I can help “show off” our Cairns, who are truly beautiful, no matter what they’ve been through before they come to us. Then, I joined Sue Morin’s Communications team. She is so funny and wonderful. She answers all my million questions with such kindness. It has been an interesting experience for me because I’m very shy. I’m grateful Sue puts up with me. ☺I’ve also done two articles for the Celebrations team (burn and poison awareness topics) and an article for the Newsletter team.

I am a staff writer for an employee assistance, work/life, wellness and management consultation company called NEAS, Inc. I write articles for our Web site, respond to requests for proposals, do some graphic design, prepare handouts following a traumatic event at one of client companies, etc. I also write (unpublished) Christian fiction, which is actually what I’d like to do full-time (and get paid). Then I could write the kind of stuff I want to write all day AND play with my doggies. Who could ask for a better life? Tell us about your family and of course your dogs?

Hamish is my family. I don’t know what I would do without him. We have been approved to adopt through the rescue, and are hoping to have a sister for him really soon. My human family includes parents, a brother and his awesome family. They live an hour away from us. My brother has three BEAUTIFUL (how that happened, I don’t know) children – Sam, 7; Olivia, almost 4; and Will, almost six months.

Julia G

I love all animals, but I am especially fond of terriers. I discovered Col. Potter when I was looking for a new companion for Gipper, my Westie. He seemed lonely and he wasn't the only one. I also had a void in my life that needed filling. I have always been a very devoted family member and when I lost both of my parents the same week I struggled to cope and find solace. Gipper and I needed a new friend. This time I opted to RESCUE!!!

My search began. Enter Col. Potter and the CP Kids. Leahy (pronounced Lay-Hee), my 20 month old CP kid is all that I hoped for. She is a very loving and tender soul, forever our companion. She is my first rescue. Although I adopted her at a young age she needed some special treatment and TLC. She was and is so different from any dog I've loved. To this day she is very tentative and at times fearful. She loves children and all neighborhood canines greeting all with her tail wagging. But despite all the good things in her life, on occasion I see a sadness in her eyes. Why? After researching and learning all I could through CPCRN and other resources I came to a realization. This sadness, pain or fear (for a lack of a better description) is a long ago, in-bread trait that has been handed down to her - the ripple effect of poor and irresponsible breeding and a lack of proper care and hum! an compassion. It truly saddened me.

In my search for Leahy and through all that she has taught me, my eyes were opened to the indignities of irresponsible dog ownership and the pain and suffering that puppy mills cause. I wanted to help make a difference and decided to take action by volunteering for Col. Potter. So here I am writing the occasional write up for the Updates team and working as the CPCRN PetFinder Liaison to get our kids adopted. Providing positive press to tell the would just how wonderful these dogs are.