From the owners of Gomez and Tina (now Gomer and Willa)

We adopted Gomer on February 16, 2012. Fred described him perfectly, as he was definitely a kid trapped in a grown-ups body! We thought it appropriate to re-christen him "Gomer", as while he did often wreak havoc, he was sweet and had a good heart and really never meant any harm. He was our first dog, and the first few months with him were definitely challenging! But as we learned to become better "dog parents" and redirect his energy, he settled down and has become a great friend and companion! He even earned a spot on our wedding invitations!

We adopted Willa after seeing Molly on the blog and visiting her at TAS with Gomer. Unfortunately, Gomer and Molly didn't jive. James asked us to hold on, as he had another dog he wanted us to see. Down the stairs he came with this baby puggle who swarmed us both with kisses on our first meeting. Who could resist?! We adopted her the next day and our doggy odd-couple was born!

Gomer and Willa have been great friends to one another, and we are so happy to have them in our family. We can't imagine our lives without them now, and we must thank James at TAS especially for spending a lot of time with us and for giving us the confidence and reassurance that we could be good dog owners! James you are the best!

I remember Raven when she was a pup, a bright young thing with a spring in her step. She's been returned by her owner now almost five years later. I have her outside and she seems diminished. She is fearful of the noise and the people. She doesn't want to walk. She looks at me to bring her back inside.

She's not a small dog but I carry her to a spot which is a little less trafficked where I can take some photos. She's not doing too badly. She just doesn't seem familiar with the environment. She doesn't seem familiar with being outside anymore.

On the way back, we pass by another TAS resident, an overweight, unkempt Cocker Spaniel. They give each other a sniff and for the first time, I see Raven wag her tail and then she twirls and goes into a play pose and jumps and twirls again. Then the Cocker moves on and the curtains fall and Raven is on her own again. I take her inside.

I spend a few minutes with her while chatting with others who pass by. She climbs onto the couch, snuggles against the armrest, lays her head down.

I see Chief in the meet and greet room with an older Golden Retriever. The young couple have brought their dog to see if it will get along with the pup and the harder Chief tries to get the Golden to play, the more the older dog wants to leave the room. The woman picks Chief up and gives him one last big hug and they leave him behind. It's a little sad but for the best. Chief will have no problems getting a home and better a home where he can bounce and bump carefree without disturbing an older dog.

From the owner of Aubree, now Coco:

Here are a few pictures of Aubree (now Aoco) happy in her new home! she loves to be pet, loves to jump up on your lap and say hello, and now is very good at going up and down stairs! She's adapted really quickly to living at home with us and now everyone in the neighborhood knows her!

Michelle and Margaret do a lot of work with IFAW (International Fund for Animal Welfare) and through them a lot of dogs are rescued from up north, transported and adopted out in Toronto by Toronto Animal Services.

On a recent transport, Lou was rescued from a place called Whapmagoostui which is some place in Quebec half way up to the arctic. Who doesn't want a dog from some place named Whapmagoostui? It's barely even on Google maps is how out of the way it is. No street view that's for sure.

Lou's a big boy and appears to be great with people and most other dogs (but maybe not so great at the vet's office, I'm told). He loves the outdoors and may actually prefer to sleep in the backyard on warmer nights.

Presently, Lou is being fostered by Margaret. Here she is describing him in the car:

I think you can tell Lou is a special guy. I think he is still figuring out the ways of the "south" so someone patient and kind is a must! He has always done as he pleased but was very loved by his owners. On the way home from TO he decided to lie on top of the wire crate which I have set up in my van and it started to buckle under his weight. There is a ton of room in the back of the van with blankets and toys, but I think he was getting bored so had to look out the window from a higher place. I opened the side windows a bit, even though it was poring rain, so he could focus on something and get air. That made him happy. My crate now has a bent roof.

This is Joka's second time round through Toronto Animal Services South. His first adopter put a lot of work into him but due to an unfortunate family situation had to give him up after a year and now this huge snuggle of a dog is waiting for another chance.

Woobie goes up to a typically hairless Chinese Crested and says, "Hey, man, where's all your hair gone to?" and the other CC is like, "You need to shave, dude," and Woobie's like, "You must be cold in the winter," and the other CC is like, "Yeah, but we get to run around naked all the time! Woohoo!" and Woobie's like, "Okay, whatevs."

This is Bob. Bob is Eeyore's father. You can tell Bob is a free spirit because you kinda have to be to have a name like Bob and then still have the gumption to name your kid Eeyore.

Aubree is a Poodle Cocker Spaniel used as a breeding dog in a puppy mill so she's still shy due to lack of positive interactions with humans. She can be a bit skittish when outside but otherwise is a lovely lass who warms quickly to people and friendly dogs.

Rolling in the grass is apparently Maggie's favorite thing. I just finish pulling all the twigs and leaves out of her coat and she drops and rolls some more. It looks like fun and I can think of a couple people who would probably be happier if they did the same.