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We're walking down the hallway and Cajou can barely contain his excitement. Like an 8 year old that broke into a candy shop and had his way with the bonbons, he looks crazy-eyed. But, in equal measure, there's a sweet glint in those crazy-eyes. All he needs is exercise and training (quelle surprise! Poor thing is used to running around and making it on his own up North).

We get half way through our walk when he finds a stick frozen in a giant snow pile. He tries to dislodge it for a few seconds and then moves on. I kick it out and it's on: He starts full body wagging, wearing a grin and running around with the stick before starting to gnaw into submission. I can't help but laugh. It was an ice breaker - he finishes with his stick and comes over to lick my hand and he keeps checking in with kisses on the way back.

If only humans were that easy; it'd be nice to just have to bring some sticks along with you to meet people at a party.

- Rachael



Cajou has been transferred to a foster home through TEAM Dog Rescue. He is now called Buddy and is available for adoption and you can get more info by contacting TEAM via their Petfinder adoption page.



For a dog who's never been on a leash before, Sign is amazing at walking without pulling. She's got an easy gait and is aware of staying near - except when she sees a couple of pigeons bobbing around behind the bushes and then she gets excited and loses some composure. When I show her the treats I have are better than chasing down a couple of city pigeons, she settles right down again.

I scratch her ears and she starts to whinny and sigh.




Sign has been transferred to a foster home through TEAM Dog Rescue. He is available for adoption and you can get more info by contacting TEAM via their Facebook page.



When I saw this Puglet up for adoption this morning, I was sure she would be gone by the time I got into Toronto Animal Service South and yet she is still there. There's been lots of interest but no good homes yet.

"I want a dog that doesn't shed."

"It's going to be alone all day for at least ten hours."

"She won't make any noise will she?"

She's a pup. She will shed eventually. She will not be happy being on her own for ten hours without even a pee break. She will make noise.

She's also pretty adorable and will hopefully be snatched up soon by someone with realistic expectations for a dog.




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.



Chester is big, brawny and full of life. He's great with people but sometimes not so good with male dogs. It might have something to do with living it rough outdoors for most of his days, fending for himself since he was a pup. Time for someone to show him a real home.





Chester has been transferred to a foster home through International Fund for Animal Welfare. He is still available for adoption and you can get more info by contacting Jan at IFAW, jhannah@ifaw.org



Noire was super excited to get outside and immediately started pulling on the leash trying to get to where ever he was trying to get to. I stopped in my tracks every time I felt a tug, which was about every three seconds and after about ten minutes of stop and go, the pulling calmed down quite a bit. He still seemed disinterested in me so at one point I crouched down and called him back. He trotted over to me, gave me a look and then began to lick my face and from then on, I think we were friends.





Noire has been transferred to a foster home through International Fund for Animal Welfare. He is still available for adoption and you can get more info by contacting Jan at IFAW, jhannah@ifaw.org



Bella with a bump on her nose on a sad but hopeful face. She's a small girl for a German Shepherd and maybe got picked on a bit when she was running around outside on the reserve. She's safe now, with food and warmth, but is probably wondering why she's all locked up in a kennel - hopefully not for much longer.





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.





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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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