Officials with the Mower County Humane Society have said the Pet of the Week, featured weekly in the Austin Daily Herald and sponsored by Marie A. Jones of Edina Realty, has successfully helped connecting many four-legged residents with new owners.

Between Jan. 2 and April 3 this year, with 11 dogs and 3 cats featured, all the cats and

dogs have been adopted.

Since then, adoption papers have been processed for an additional three dogs.

In an attempt to contact some of the adoptive homes in order to find out how the pets and their owners are getting along, some amazing facts surfaced.

Trish is a dog that was adopted by Denise Neubauer, a former Austinite who now lives in Brooklyn Park. Neubauer, subscribes to her own hometown paper by mail, saw Trish's picture in the paper. During a visit to Austin, Denise and Trish found each-other at the Friends in Need, and now "you know the rest of the story."

Pat, alias Rocky, is a chocolate Labrador/Chesapeake Bay retriever mix that was found north of Austin. He had been shot and was in sad shape. The Humane Society's Friends in Need volunteers took care of his medical needs and fostered him.

When he had healed and recovered, he was posted as the Austin Daily Herald's Pet of the Week in hopes his owner would step forward to claim him. Sure enough -- someone recognized Pat by the unusual look in his eyes, and his story unfolded. Pat/Rocky had been given away by his first owner, broken his collar and run away from his new home.

Rocky was re-adopted by his former owner because, as Jane Ruble, his mother says, "Jim loves him, and the kids really missed him. Rocky likes to be with the kids."

Jack, a black cat was about eight months old when he was adopted by Karen Weis and her two sons.

Jack's behavior is proof of the attention and loving care the animals at the Friends in Need shelter receive. He instantly took to the family and learned to watch out for sometimes overpowering attention from 4-year old Jonah.