Here's an update from Emily who adopted a "crazy", backwards stair walking Lab from Toronto Animal Services South a few years back and turned the dog into a charmer. (Emily was also the person who found Maggie abandoned and dying at a park and brought her into TAS where her life was saved.)

We adopted our girl, Olivia, just over 4 years ago (she was about 3-4 years old at that time) from TAS South and what an adventure it has been! Originally assessed as 'not yet eligible for adoption' (to put it nicely!) on account of her being a totally unsocialized, beyond-hyperactive dog who had to be muzzled around other dogs, Olivia (aka Little Bear) came home as a foster pup though I failed miserably as a foster to this nutty-bar as she and my older canine man fell in love and we just had to have her as part of our family.

Olivia, being the crazy-face Lab that she is, keeps her older brother active and his arthritis at bay with long wrestling sessions and she easily makes friends with any and all children that visit our home - she LOVES LOVES LOVES children and is so incredibly gentle with them, believe it or not! She especially loves it when they drop food on the floor **sigh, that's a Lab, alright** We're happy to also be able to say that my husband and our canine kids are expecting our first 2-legged child in late August and I know that Olivia is going to be even MORE in heaven with a new play-mate and her own full-time food-dropper!

Olivia still has those abandoned-dog traits, to an extent, as she does not leave my side even 4 years later - she is my little shadow and the heartbeat at my feet. She never fails to crack us up into hysterics on account of her endless antics, is the first to the door as the official welcoming committee to all guests and takes her job as vehicle/back-seat ambassador at drive-through windows VERY seriously (the bank drive-through's still confuse her..."where's the FOOD?!?!?!?").

Despite her never-ending high energy, Olivia makes friends with anything that moves - piglets, hens, kittens, stray/feral cats, dogs, children, homeless tennis balls, stray branches etc... She LOVES to swim, go on hikes and chase her favourite, spongy choochie-ball in the park (granted, it took her one whole year to learn to DROP the ball so I could launch it again!).

I have attached just a few of the many crazy pics of this great girl - napping with her best buddy and brother, playing with a 1.5 pound foster kitten, retrieving her choochie-ball from the lake and, of course, keeping vigilant watch over the cakes in the kitchen (notice the serious expression? Food is SERIOUS business for this Lab)! We love her dearly and thank TAS South for accepting this less-than-desirable, riskier dog into their care as well as the original Pound Dogs blog, "One Bark At A Time" for showcasing this crazy love-bug. We can't imagine what our family and days would be like without her and look forward to many more years with our Little Bear.

When this raggedy Shih Tzu first arrived at the shelter from a puppy mill, she was an extremely frightened little girl.

Blaze, a skinny little Beagle, is a real charmer. He was adopted at the TAS/Adopt-a-thon along with nine or ten other dogs from TAS South, East and West by some wonderful families, some who lined up even before the store opened on Saturday. Now that's dedication.

Kingston is a young German Shepherd mix who is all about having fun ... with me, with the staff, with the other dogs walking by, with the guys on the way to their hockey game, with the kids on the sidewalk, with the couple who were lost and had stopped to ask for directions.

This is Maggie, a small German Shepherd mix. She's the fourth Georgia dog rescued and transported up from a high kill Georgia pound with funding and coordination provided by Ashley Hyslop and Paws for Hope and Faith.

Please meet adorable Maggie. Don’t let the photos fool you on her size – soaking wet at most she weighs 25 pounds. Maggie is a snuggle bug. She loves attention and showing you how much she loves you. She is very outgoing and loving. If you let her – she will nap on your lap all afternoon.

Sadly, Maggie was picked up as a stray in Southern Georgia and once her owners were located they surrendered her to a high kill shelter because they decided they didn’t want a dog anymore and disposed her as if she was garbage. Maggie doesn’t hold any grudges though. She is more than happy being in Toronto and is so excited to find her happy ending! Maggie would fit in with any household!

I'm not sure how accurate that mix description is but Ellie does have a puppy Great Dane face even if she's only about one tenth the size of a Great Dane. She's the third Georgia dog rescued and transported up from a high kill Georgia pound with funding and coordination provided by Ashley Hyslop and Paws for Hope and Faith.

Please meet sweet Ellie. Ellie loves to give puppy snuggles and kisses. Although she looks like a puppy and is cuddly like a puppy she is thought to be fully grown. She was found as a stray in southern Georgia and was never claimed. Her time was up and thankfully she was rescued at the last moment.

Ellie is a little shy but once you show her any kind of love she will give you her whole heart! Ellie is great with people and other dogs – she has yet to be tested with cats. However, Ellie doesn’t have a mean bone in her body so there most likely wouldn’t be any issues.

Dinah is the second of the four dogs rescued and transported up from a high kill Georgia pound with funding and coordination provided by Ashley Hyslop and Paws for Hope and Faith.

Please meet beautiful Dinah!

Dinah is a young and very sweet yellow lab mix who comes with a sad story. At approximately two months of age, Dinah and her brother were found locked in a storage unit in Southern Georgia and had almost starved to death. She was under 7 pounds.

Dinah was brought to a high kill shelter. Unfortunately, because there are so many Labs and Lab mixes in the southern States she must not have stood out and was overlooked. Dinah's time was about to run out when she was rescued and transported to Toronto Animal Services.

Dinah is SO happy to be Canadian now and has heard that Canadian's love their Yellow Lab mutts's and is sooo hoping to find the happy ending that was promised to her. Dinah is very sweet and playful. She loves giving kisses and going for long walks.

Toronto Animal Services is once again sponsoring four dogs from Georgia to help them get adopted out at this weekend's Petsmart Adopt-a-thon (835 Eglinton Ave East, 416 696 0388, Saturday Feb 23rd and Sunday 24th starting at 10am). This rescue/transport was organized by the wonderful Ashley Hyslop with Paws for Hope and Faith providing all the support in Georgia.

Here's the first of the four.

Please meet handsome George! He can't get enough of the Toronto snow.

George was found as a stray with a bunch of puppies he fathered in Southern Georgia! They were brought to a high kill shelter and although the puppies got scooped up almost immediately, George sat in his concrete cage for months hoping someone would come to adopt him. His time was running up and the fact that he is mainly black didn't help - he didn't have much of a chance in Georgia!

Thanks to Toronto Animal Services for giving George his chance at finding a happy ending - George is ready to find his forever home. George is a big teddy bear with gorgeous curls! He is thought to be a Great Pyrenees mix and about 1 - 2 years of age. He loves everyone and is very laid back! He is a gentleman and only wants to stay by your side on walks. Please come visit George at the Petsmart Leaside Adopt-a-thon on Feb 23rd/24th.

Anyone who meets George can't help but fall in love with him!

A pic from the owner of Panda, now Lola:

Even though Dallas is an exceptionally good looking dog, he really doesn't like getting his photo taken.

At first he approaches me to say hello with no qualms.