Follow iwantapounddog on Twitter

Smokey - Siberian Husky

The guy asks me if there's a Husky available for adoption and surprisingly enough there is and I tell him, Yeah, actually, there is, and I bring him to see Smokey and I think the guy's going to go, Wow, beautiful dog! or something like that because that is exactly what Smokey is - a beautiful dog, one of the most beautiful dogs I've ever seen at the shelter - but instead the guy just goes, Hmm, and I ask him if he wants me to bring Smokey out so he can check him out but the guy says, No, that's okay.

A few minutes later, the guy comes out of the adoption room and sees me and he comes over and asks me, Do you guys ever get those grey and white Huskies and I say, Yeah, sometimes, and the guy asks if he could reserve one and I tell him, I don't think they do reservations here, you just have to check the website often, and the guy says, Oh, okay, and then I think he's about to leave but he asks, What kind of Husky is the brown one I saw? and I say, It's the same kind as the grey ones except it's brown, and the guy asks, Are they as popular as the grey ones? and I say, Well, actually, the brown ones are even more popular are even more in demand because you don't see as many of them and Smokey is really special because of his icy blue eyes, and the man sort of lights up and he says, Really?, and I say, Yeah, he'll probably get adopted pretty quickly, and the man thinks for a bit then he says, Maybe I'll go take another look at him.

I don't know what I was doing there. Part of me was perturbed that some guy who obviously knew nothing about Huskies wanted to get a dog based on its colouring and part of me wanted to influence his decision anyway, based not on properly educating him about getting a suitable dog for his lifestyle, but based on his shallow requirements for the right looking dog. Stupid me.

Didn't matter, though. Another couple asked to see Smokey in the meet and greet room and the man didn't want to wait around so he left.

Oh, and by the way, Smokey is a lovely dog. He can be a little distant for the first few minutes after initial meeting but once he warms up to you, he gives kisses on your face and takes food gently from your hand. He does have a predatorial interest in small critters, though, so it's probably best to keep him on leash unless there are no squirrels or cats in the neighbourhood and I don't know anywhere like that in Toronto.



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 adoption website or call 416 338 6668 for the Toronto Animal Services South shelter. If the dog is no longer on the TAS adoption website, it's probably because it's been adopted already.

Sunday, September 30, 2012 · [Print]

2 Comments to “Smokey - Siberian Husky”

  1. wendy hadley says:
    September 30, 2012 at 10:29 AM

    I can see why you felt conflicted....sounds like the fellow was just looking for an accessory, not a lifetime pal. Let's hope he didn't return. Smokey deserves better!

  2. Kit Lang says:
    September 30, 2012 at 1:48 PM

    Ugh.

    Hope Smokey finds a suitable forever home - one with someone who will let him run and run, and run and run... :)

Leave a Reply

Newer entries →
← Older entries


-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------