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What I'd like for Christmas is for O'Malley to find a home. It's been over six months now since I first met the Chocolate Lab and who knows how long he was at the pound in Ohio before he was brought to Toronto Animal Services South. Six months is like three and a half years in dog time. That's like an undergrad degree minus the partying.

If anyone out there knows someone who might be looking for a dog who's survived heartworm, being shot at and living in a shelter for at least six months, kindly pass O'Malley's info along. I'm getting worried about this guy.



O'Malley is a wonderful Chocolate Lab. He's super friendly and loves to be around people and other friendly dogs. He can get quite exuberant when he plays and of course he can be taught better manners but at present he may not be suitable for a family with young children.

O'Malley was rescued from Ohio after being shot with a shotgun. We didn't realize he'd been shot until he had some x-rays done. He's still got some pellets lodged inside him but they aren't giving him any trouble so they will be left alone as removing them would be more trauma he doesn't need. To add to his recent woes, O'Malley has also just gone through two months of heartworm treatment though he's doing fine now. Presently, he's got a bony lesion in his front right leg, a possible result of being shot, which sometimes causes the leg to ache after too much exercise. This lesion will have to be monitored so this is something you should discuss with your vet before adopting.

Due to the extended time O'Malley was at the Ohio pound plus the heartworm treatment period and then the time it took to determine the problem with his leg, O'Malley has been living in shelters for much too long, months now actually, and he's such a big teddy bear that we'd hate to see him spend any more time without a family for him to love. With all he's been through, O'Malley really deserves a good home.





The best way to check on the adoption status of this dog (and other dogs and cats and other small domestic animals) is to visit Toronto Animal Services or call 416 338 3338 for the Toronto Animal Services South shelter.



7 Comments to “O'Malley”

  1. Anonymous says:

    Has he been adopted yet?

  2. Fred says:

    Anon, no I don't think so. His description is still up on the TAS adoption site. http://www.petharbor.com/pet.asp?uaid=TRNT4.A591859

  3. Mark & Mary says:

    Update - (O'Malley) Malley has found a FOREVER home! We are so excited to have found such a wonderful boy!!! WOW - he IS an amazing dog for all he has been through!
    He has come to live with us and a sister dog, named Mkwa (Muckwah) who is 10 yrs old. She has been amazing with him and he with her!
    We know there will be trying times and they are expected - no life is perfect!
    He has settled in nicely over the weekend (he came home yesterday afternoon). He loves playing and walks over to the park. He gives us lots of kisses and loves to be hugged!
    I don't understand why he wasn't adopted already, but then again, we would not have had the blessing we do if he had been!!!
    Thank you to all the staff, volunteers & dog walkers for seeing so much potential for Malley! Special thank you to James for providing us with Malley's background and medical information to ensure we were making an informed decision (even though we had already decided)!

  4. Fred says:

    Hi Mark and Mary, thanks so much for the great news about O'Malley. He is such a wonderful boy and it sounds like he's found a wonderful home. Great dogs like O'Malley would never have a chance without great people like you.

    We'd love to see some photos of him in his new home if you ever get a chance and please give him a hug for all of us at TAS-S.

  5. Maggi Burtt says:

    I am SO happy to hear this boy found his forever home! I shared the original blog post...how can you not feel for that FACE! Congrats to his new family and yes, please, some pics of him settling in would be awesome. Thank you for giving him the love he deserves.

  6. Good things are worth waiting for. So happy for Malley and his family.

  7. Unknown says:

    Hi I am Malley's dog walker and he won the lottery when he found his forever home. Not only did he get a home full of love, treats and anything a dog could wish for he found his soul mate (Mark) Mark and Mary are the warmest most welcoming people I know, Malley and Mkwa (his sister) are 2 of the luckiest dogs I know, but the laughs, stories and love they give their guardians make it all worth it. Definitely a win win situation and we'll worth the six month wait for Malley.

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A request

The reason for this blog is to help get specific dogs adopted from TAS but equally important is to try to normalize the idea of shelter dogs being just as good and just as desirable as any other dogs including those which are regularly merchandised by backyard breeders, puppy millers and those few remaining pet store owners who still feel a need to sell live animals. The single greatest stigma shelter animals still face is the belief that shelter animals are substandard animals. Anyone who has had enough experience with shelter animals knows this is untrue but the general public hasn't had the same experiences you've had. They see a nice dog photo in a glossy magazine and too many of them would never think of associating that dog with a dog from a shelter. After all, no one abandons perfectly good dogs, right? Unfortunately, as we all know, perfectly good dogs are abandoned all the time.

The public still too often associates shelter dogs with images of beat up, sick, dirty, severely traumatized animals and while we definitely sometimes see victims such as these, they are certainly not the majority and, regardless, even the most abused animals can very often be saved and made whole again.

Pound Dogs sometimes discusses the sad histories some of the dogs have suffered. For the most part, though, it tries to present the dogs not as victims but as great potential family members. The goal is to raise the profiles of animals in adoption centers so that a potential pet owner sees them as the best choice, not just as the charity choice.

So, here's the favour I'm asking. Whenever you see a dog picture on these pages you think is decent enough, I'd like you to consider sharing it on Facebook or any other social media sites you're using (I know many of you do this already and thank you for that). And when you share it, please mention that the dog in the photo is a shelter dog like so many other shelter dogs waiting for a home. If we can get even five percent of the pet buying public to see shelter dogs differently, to see how beautiful they are and how wonderful they are, and to consider shelter dogs as their first choice for a new family member, we can end the suffering of homeless pets in this country.
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