I adopted Picasso from Cape Ann Animal Aid at the tail end of 2019. My husband and I had fostered him on and off throughout that year - bookends on each side of an adoption that did not work out and led to his return to the shelter - so he didn’t officially become a Lovell until December. We were already two rescue dogs deep and planned for it to stay that way. But at some point during Picasso’s residency with us, we realized that the shaggy puppy with the wicked underbite would likely be a permanent addition to our household. They say that youth is wasted on the young, but I really think that youth is not wasted on young dogs. For better or worse, they embrace every second of it. Picasso wasn’t quite a year old when we officially adopted him, so I shouldn’t have been surprised that he had an astounding amount of energy to burn in 2020. And yeah, in addition to running and jumping and playing, Picasso destroyed a LOT of my personal belongings. Like, so much stuff. This dog made me laugh constantly and sometimes he made me want to cry (rest in peace, Mel’s favorite bra). But here’s the important thing: it’s hard to spend too much time mourning destroyed shoes or furniture when a global pandemic is ravaging the world around you. For me, Picasso’s escapades were a gentle reminder that not all losses are created equal. What I may have previously perceived as a “loss” of something tangible - like an expensive bra - was inconsequential compared to what (and whom) others have truly lost in 2020. So Picasso - by way of Cape Ann Animal Aid - gave me some much-needed perspective in 2020. Even when he was bad, he was good. And for that I am so grateful.

The highlight of 2019 was adopting the Budster! Here he is with another rescue cousin:)

Sadie is 2yrs old now, she loves to boat with us, best dog ever!!

We adopted Mary Mary now Mab in December 2019. She has kept us constantly entertained ever since. I’ve never had a cat with such a strong personality. She “ talks” constantly and she has climbed every thing that she can climb in the house. Mab is sweet and soft and loves to be in your lap. She's playful and hilarious. I can’t imagine our home with out her.

Riley is a funny sweet amazing cat. We lost our family dog this year and Riley helped all of us heal with her unconditional love and her truly funny crazy antics.

I am a first year nurse working through a pandemic, being able to come home and see Cooper (aka “tommy”) my heart swells. Cooper is trained to give me high fives and hugs and kisses. He is the best listener especially when he gives me the head tilt. Cooper has had the biggest impact on my life and I am forever grateful for him. He definitely rescued me! Love you cooper!

Four walks a day help to keep us both healthy. Beau loves everyone he meets and they love him back. His tail is a perpetual motion machine! My day is always sunny with my little buddy Beau by my side. Thank you Cape Ann Animal Aid for helping!

So thankful for these two cutie pie’s that have kept me sane these past few months. They are entertaining, goofy and loving all wrapped up into one. So happy we adopted each other!

We adopted our bonded pair Lulu and Antonio (aka Tony) from Cape Ann two years ago when they were 12. We've loved them both since the moment we took them home and they provide endless comfort, love, and cuteness to me, my fiancé, my stepdaughter, and our other kitties. They are far more chill and snuggly because they're not rambunctious youngsters. Tony likes to put his gentle paw on our shoulders to get pets and has the biggest, most soulful eyes. Lulu does a funny little "bark" and often falls asleep while standing up on the couch next to us. We are so lucky to have such little balls of sunshine in our lives to cuddle and brush and love. Adopt a senior pet!

Raven has made me so happy. She is the best dog ever. We love the same things - we go to the lake, we take rides, we go to the dog park nearly everyday. She loves to cuddle and watch tv with me. She is always be my side and a comfort to me. She is well behaved... We were meant to be together. Thank you so much for allowing me to adopt her!

This year was not easy- 3 months after starting a new job, after finally getting my bearings, Covid hit and wrecking- balled everything. Tod started out as a Covid Foster, and quickly wormed himself into my lap and heart. This little guy not only gave me lots to focus my energy on, but by working through his many challenges (potty training was a real struggle), I have learned that the love we receive from our pets is well worth the effort.

I am a 73 year old retired realtor and live alone in a condo in Ipswich. My grown boys and my girlfriends thought I may have made a mistake adopting these 2 dogs. With the pandemic and living alone, Lily and Rosie have become my saviors. They follow me around and sit with me on the couch and people watch and sleep with me every night. My family and friends now say adopting my girls was the best thing I did.

My pet Nola (FKA Betty from CAAA) has helped in so many ways, she has given me comfort and so much love through these days stuck at home. She’s been lucky to receive so much love and nurturing her for first months here with us with so much time, she is a love bug! My Nola loves kneading my pants and follows me around the home. She meows sometimes for more attention I love it. If she could speak she may say some great things to me, I know she listens when i talk to her as if she could speak back!

I adopted Gracie (formerly Remi) on 11/29/20. She is just a love! As you can see, she perches on my legs as I'm knitting in front of the fire - but she can also be a ball of energy. She loves to play and cuddle and she is very chatty - all endearing qualities. And boy does she love to eat! So, thank you all, for making my life so much better with my new buddy. It's been a tough 2020, and when my 15-year old cat died earlier in November, I was really quite lonely as I still can't visit my children or grandchildren. But with my new buddy Gracie, I'm on my toes keeping up with her every day.

I've always relied on my entire family for support during difficult times which includes my dogs. During the pandemic this year, we decided to foster a kitten that needed extra TLC before going up for adoption. Little did I know that this kitten would not only supply me and my family with comfort during the early days of Covid lockdown, but help me through the sudden loss of my mother and best friend. I didn't know it at the time how much I needed to laugh. Harrison provided all the belly laughs and more.

Like so many with kids in school, covid was a stressful time of constant uncertainty. Our son was starting highschool and what that would look like for him and our family had us worried. We decided to foster these 3 kittens around the same time. We believe these three precious furballs were a wonderful distraction and the reason he was able to take remote learning in stride.

Milo came into our life in late 2020. He was the dog we didn’t know we wanted. After moving into a new home with large yard we discussed adopting a puppy. After much thought we decided it wasn’t the right time for us to get a puppy. After losing my Scooby in 2016, I had decided that I would know when it was the right time. CAAA foster Cindy knew I had been looking (and didn’t know we decided it was not the right time) sent a picture of cute puppies. I sent to Tim and said “do you want to go meet Marshmallow?” He didn’t hesitate. So off we went. Once Marshmallow (now Milo) said hello it was over! Milo was drawn to us, and us to him. At the ripe old age of 9 weeks he was already sitting on command. We spent the next month in constant cuddle time. He even won over our friend Sophia (formerly Mamita) and not many dogs have been able to do that! Milo is special! He is smart and has given us a happy ending to a terrible year. He brings us about 1000 smiles a day and gives us just as much love as we give him. THANK YOU CAAA!

Penny has been a wonderful companion throughout thee months. She give me lots of fun and joy and laughter. Very happy to have found her at the shelter!

Charlie “Angelica” joined our family in October, and from day one it felt like she has always been with us. We truly can’t imagine life without her. She is the sweetest, kindest most generous dog, and the love she gives us she gets back tenfold. 2020 brought lots of changes and challenges including remote learning for my teens, recovering from having had COVID ourselves, and as an RN on the front lines, dealing with COVID at work. Charlie gives (and gets!!) exactly what we need at any given time. Long walks, snuggles on the couch and big hugs. We are all so grateful that she came into our life. I contacted the shelter in Texas that she came from, because I wanted to thank the foster home that gave us this sweet girl. The man that fostered her actually reached out to me and told me he had saved her from an abusive home, where she was starved and neglected. He and his four dogs healed her, and because no one wanted her in Texas, she was brought to Cape Ann Animal Aid. I cried when he told me this- and I hugged her tight, and promised she will never feel pain ever again. Thank you CAAA - you gave us the opportunity to love and to care for the most sweetest of souls, and the “who saved who” could not be more accurate.

I adopted “Walter” on March 14, 2020 who I renamed Oliver. He was the best little puppy and now is a wonderful “big boy”. He was the best distraction from all the negativity that was just starting in regard to the covid crisis. He gave us something positive to focus on as well as so much love and happiness. He also helped us through the loss of our beloved 15 year old chihuahua, Romeo, who we had just lost on March 12, 2020. Oliver continues to make us smile and I thank all of you at Cape Ann Animal Aid for assisting us in our adoption of such a wonderful little dog. He is a very happy and well adjusted little guy.

Meet our Miss Hailey □ Rose It had been a year like no other for my husband John and I. We lost John’s mother to COVID at the end of March. In August we lost our cat Miss Cassie Anne. Then on October 29th my mother passed after only 5 weeks of being diagnosed with cancer. We needed some time deal from all this but we both new we needed another kitten to love. Miss Hailey Rose rescued us on 11/22/2020. We saw her through a zoom call and knew we had to go get her that afternoon. We named her on the way home after listening to her purr. She loves to purr. Once home, it took her about three days to come out from under our bed but now she is completely a part of our little family. It’s her house. She’s the boss, with that face it’s hard to say no to her. I think she needed us just as much as we needed her. She loves to be with us and loves to play and show off. I mean how cute is she? Thank you for letting her come home with us!

I started off 2020 with a huge new plan for the future; I was going to pack up my things (and my cat, Franklin), move to Scotland, and finally start graduate school. It was hard to think of leaving my friends and family back home, but I was ready. Then the pandemic hit, and I lost a lot of things in quick succession. My job, my place at grad school, Frankie...it seemed like everything I had been doing before was meaningless. Months passed. In August, an old coworker of mine told me that he couldn't keep the kitten he'd adopted and sent me a picture of this lanky little thing with huge ears. I saw her and knew I had to take her in. Suki (formerly Easter) has really given me a new perspective on lockdown and made me feel like I'm doing something worthwhile again. I learned to knit so I could make her a nice comfy blanket to snuggle in, then learned to sew so I could make her a cat bed, which sparked a new interest in quilt making. Doing something creative has been super rewarding, and it's something I wouldn't have without her. Suki is the sweetest cat, always following me around the house so she can snuggle up against me. When I feel like I can't get out of bed, she chirps at me until I wake up. When I feel down, she does something silly to make me smile. When I first adopted her I was worried; was I being impulsive, bringing her into my house? Was I ready for this kind of a commitment? Was this whole thing a bad idea motivated by selfish loneliness? If I could talk to Suki, I would tell her that those initial fears have long since been proven wrong. I'm so, so glad to have her in my life. I've never owned a kitten before so every new thing is terrifying in a way, but also exciting. Watching her experience things for the first time has been such a joy. What used to feel monotonous and unfair now feels special, almost like a privilege. If I was working would I be able to spend as much time with her as I do now? Would we bond the same way? I would tell Suki that she's been the one bright spot in a very dark and year and I'm so thankful for her.

We adopted Basil in May of 2020. Marco needed some more emotional support, and found it in Basil. Basil keeps an eye on Marco. She watches over Marco when he is sleeping and Marco feels the love. We are thankful for all the love and support Basil brings to us everyday.

This past year has impacted the world and taken a toll on every person in a different way. For me personally, working in a hospital and seeing first hand how this pandemic has effected the population has brought to the forefront so many emotions, from being terrified, to angry, to sad, and overworked/overwhelmed. I was lucky enough to connect with fosters from Cape Ann Animal Aid only 3 months into the pandemic and I can say that adopting Bruno saved my life. Everyday we get up and he reminds me that every moment is precious. We take enjoyment in the simple things like our morning walks and experiencing the snow for the first time. To have him to come home to wagging his tail with unconditional love and loyalty is the highlight of my day. We spend most of our time outdoors and going on car rides. Originally Bruno was too small to see out the window... but now he loves to stick his head out and take in the fresh air (despite the winter temperature.) He is currently 52lbs of adorable, sweet, snuggly, smart, quirky canine which I am more than blessed to call mine. Looking forward to SO MANY more firsts in a future of adventures.