Buddy - Golden Retriever mix

Me: TAS had Bart from Quebec as well but he got adopted already. Buddy is a lot like him: always happy. He looks like he's got a big smile on his face all the time.

The Other Guy: You're anthropomorphasizing.

Me: Anthropomorphizing?

The Other Guy: Yeah, you're anthropomorphazating.

Me: You mean anthropomorphizing?

The Other Guy: Yeah, anthropomorphisazing. It means to give animals human characteristics.

Me: Yeah, I know what it means but it's anthropomorphizing.

The Other Guy: That's what I said. Anthropomorphasizating.

Me: No, you just said ... I don't know what you just said.

The Other Guy: Anthropophizzing.

Me: You know I might be anthropomorphizing you too much.

The Other Guy: Whuh?

Me: Like when you smile. How do I know you're actually smiling because you're happy? I don't know that. You might be doing it as a learned reflex. You might not be experiencing happiness at all and you're just doing it because you've learned that when you pull up the corners of your mouth, people respond to you more positively.

The Other Guy: Yeah, well, usually when I smile it's because I'm happy.

Me: How do I know that? I don't know how you feel. How do I know when you're really happy? I mean prove it. Prove you're happy. Wag your tail.

The Other Guy: I don't have a tail.

Me: Exactly. So, how do I know you're actually happy? Now Buddy - I know he's happy. He's wagging his tail all the time.

Buddy is one of four dogs who recently arrived from Val d'Or SPCA. Val d'Or is a community hard hit by the economic downturn and so the SPCA there is severely underfunded. When the dogs arrived off the truck in Toronto after their all night drive from Quebec, the driver removed their grungy collars and when James asked her why she was doing that, she replied they didn't have any more collars back at the shelter - which is pretty sad.

So, we're having a leash/collar drive for them. If you've got any old, unused collars or leashes lying around the house, please consider dropping them off at Toronto Animal Services South (15 Nova Scotia Ave. on the CNE grounds) where they'll be collected and sent off to Val d'Or or you can mail them directly to Val d'Or SPCA at:

SPCA de Val d'Or
1700 Rue de l'hydro
Val d'Or, Quebec
J9P 6Z2

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.