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Remember these pups? I'm not exactly sure which one is Barley in the old photos but in these new ones, it's pretty obvious, she's a lucky one.

From Barley's new owner:





She's doing really well! At first she was having issues with other dogs and would bark and nip at them. I'm proud to say we can go into the off-leash dog park now. If another dog is too rambunctious she'll bark and try to nip, but for the most part she runs around with a huge grin on her face chasing other dogs and barking for fun (we're working on this).

Tonight is our last level 1 obedience class. She's a star and definitely the teacher's pet. She's catching on really quickly and listens pretty well. Even when distracted by another dog in the off-leash park, I'd say she has an 80% recall rate, which is pretty great for a puppy. We're going to take level 2 when it starts in the new year.

She endured her first professional grooming experience. The mournful cries made me think she really thought I was leaving her for good. She looks a bit weird, but that's the groomer's fault. She discovered the window in the car last week (up til then, she sat and stared at the back of the seat). She still shies away from new people initially, but if they ignore her she comes around.

She's definitely a character. Into everything and a true "little sister" to Clover. She take every opportunity to annoy her ... like biting her foot when she's sleeping. Overall, she's come a long way and is a good addition to the house. We're still working out a few kinks - like the barking and peeing in the house (I'm so tired of cleaning up pee!).

If you're around the neighbourhood over the holidays and you're interested in seeing her, I can walk her by a park or Tango Coffee or some other place, so you can re-meet.

Happy holidays!



4 Comments to “Update on Barley”

  1. Anonymous says:

    This one in particular broke my heart - so happy to hear she's found a wonderful home/family.

  2. Anonymous says:

    Blessings on Barley's new person for caring enough to love her, special needs and all. Surely Miss Barley will overcome her fear behaviors with so much love and understanding in her life.

  3. janice says:

    'Love and kindness are never wasted. They always make a difference. They bless the one who receives them, and they bless you, the giver.' Barbara De Angelis

    Thank you Barley's new owner and thank you Barley.

  4. Anonymous says:

    How lovely to hear Barley has such a great home. I love updates.

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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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