06/08/2026
Sadie (formerly Monse), a former shelter pup just celebrated her Adopt-A-Versary!
Her mom, Linda Rangel, shared this heartfelt story:
"Just prior to deciding to foster Monse, we had just lost our beloved dog to lung cancer and we were also dealing with losing both of my children's grandparents in a matter of days. Needless to say, it was a very difficult time for our family. I am a volunteer at the animal shelter working with cats, so my son asked if I would be able to bring a dog home to foster after my shift. We raised our children with dogs in the house since they were babies, so the silence in our home was deafening after losing our dog to cancer. With the help of input from the staff I thought Monse would be a good candidate for us, she had a lot of energy and we are an active family so we thought it would be a great opportunity for her to decompress. She came home with me, we had everything in our home for a dog so that was easy. We fostered her for 2 weeks and decided to adopt her.
I am going to be honest, it wasn't always easy. She is an amazing dog, but she has a lot of energy and was fearful of almost everything and everyone. When you adopt, or foster, they're rarely is a way to find out what their life before the shelter was like, I wish they could talk! Monse seems to have had some trauma, so that was very difficult to navigate. With a lot of patience and training she has come so far, but it took time. We recently celebrated her 1 year gotcha anniversary and we can’t imagine our home without her in it. She has brought so much joy to our family! She loves the beach, fetching balls, playing with water and bubbles, and loves going on walks. I don't think there has been a day since we got her that she hasn't made us laugh with her never-ending antics. I can’t thank the Santa Clara Animal Shelter enough for all the work they do to try to keep the animals in our community safe.
My advice for anyone considering to volunteer, foster, or adopt is to do it! If fostering or adopting, please consider your lifestyle and ask the staff and/or volunteers for advice. Settling into a new home for these sweet pets takes time, and some adjust more quickly than others, but as in our case it could take months. With love and patience you can find a wonderful addition to your family.
Monse, now Sadie, was a perfect match for our family because we are active, and since she is a border collie mix she has so much energy! We realized she needs multiple walks per day, lots of play time, and patience to reassure her that she is safe. She is still a work in progress with her trusting of others but has made so much progress….I think the wounds we cannot see are the worse. People tell me that Sadie is so lucky that we adopted her, but I say we are the lucky ones and that she saved us!
We can’t thank Lorance and the staff at the animal shelter enough!
Linda Rangel and family"
We thank the Rangel family for choosing adoption and giving Sadie a second chance!
