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Keva - Black Labrador Retriever

Toronto seems to have a love affair with Black Labs. They come into TAS and the go out very quickly. Meeting Keva, it's easy to see why. She's a happy-go-lucky girl who likes everyone and was pretty good as well with the dogs we passed on her walk. She'll be homeward bound in no time.



For adoption information on this dog and other dogs (and cats and other animals), please visit Toronto Animal Services.

Sunday, June 12, 2011 · 1 comment

Shorty - Mini Mutt

Dachshund Chihuahua cross perhaps? This little cuddly two-hander tried to get in on a friendly wrestling match between two bigger dogs about ten times his size so he's no pushover. He's an ambitious marker as well, but really, with such a small internal pee bag, after about the third leg lift, he was just squirting dust.




For adoption information on this dog and other dogs (and cats and other animals), please visit Toronto Animal Services.

Saturday, June 11, 2011 · 3 comments

Trail - German Shepherd

Trail is the biggest German Shepherd I've ever seen passing through Toronto Animal Services South. He's a lanky ninety pounds and at eleven months, probably has a bit more growing yet to do. For such a big guy, he's kind of a momma's boy but that's okay since he's still just a kid. This one is going to be a strong bonder and he'll need someone who can train him right off the bat because he's a bit lacking in the social graces.




For adoption information on this dog and other dogs (and cats and other animals), please visit Toronto Animal Services.

Friday, June 10, 2011 · 1 comment

Keaton now up for adoption


Keaton came back from his appointment at the Veterinary Emergency Clinic on Monday with the dental surgeon and it turns out there's nothing wrong with his teeth. He's just got a couple of bumps sticking out of his top gums - no worries whatsoever. That means Keaton is all ready to be adopted.

He's only been with us for a couple of weeks but it's still going to be hard to let him go. I'm going to make sure he goes to a good home, however, and his adoption will make room for more foster dogs in the future.

Here's his bio in case anyone out there wants to pass it on:

Keaton is a fabulous nine month old, black German Shepherd mix. He loves playing with other dogs and is great with people, though probably not with very young children as he's still a big, sometimes clumsy, puppy himself. Keaton is generally very quiet but can make a bit of noise when left alone in his crate before finally settling down so he won't be good for an apartment or condo because the neighbours will definitely hear him when you first leave him alone at home.

At about 60 pounds, he might put on a bit more weight but he probably won't be getting much taller. He is housetrained though in a new environment, he may make a couple of mistakes. He is presently being clicker trained so he already knows sit, down, shake paw, stay and come. He is not yet 100% reliable with all of his commands but he is highly food motivated and extremely intelligent which makes him easy to train.

While we've been fostering him these past two weeks, Keaton has become great pals with our 5 year old Bearded Collie, Smitten. They love to play wrestle and Keaton's come up with some pretty sophisticated moves. He can also entertain himself with his various toys, especially the squeaky, rolling ones, whenever Smitten doesn't feel like playing.

On walks, Keaton is quite good with greeting people and at the dog park he knows to play at the same energy level as the other dog, so with puppies and shyer dogs, he is more gentle and with more energetic dogs, he is just as rough and tumble.

Keaton is a handsome, good spirited, smart young dog who is well on his way to being a most wonderful lifelong companion for someone. As with all dogs adopted out from Toronto Animal Services, he will be vaccinated, neutered, microchipped and licensed.

Keaton will likely be at the Dufferin Grove Adopt-a-thon on Saturday and possibly at Woofstock at the TAS booth on Sunday. He's a great dog and anyone who wants him had better show up with a bulletproof résumé cuz I'm going to be watching over his adoption like a hawk.

Thursday, June 9, 2011 · 4 comments

Marcie Laking is the new president of the Toronto Humane Society

By unanimous vote of the board of directors.

A huge congratulations to Marcie. She is one of the hardest working animal welfare people I know who has wholly dedicated the last two years of her life to saving and then reinvigorating the THS, not to mention the years of volunteer work she'd done before that.

Michael Downey, who was the president last year, leading the THS out of the mire it was in post-Trow, decided not to run again and nominated Marcie in his place. He remains on the board and he has been and will continue to be a valuable guide for Marcie in her new role.

I'm not going to say she deserves the position of president because that implies it's some kind of reward. It's no reward. Instead, it's going to be a long and difficult job with lots of really good days and lots of really bad days. She will have to bear the burden of animal life and death in that facility and I know she will bear it personally. She will have to walk gingerly through the animal welfare politics, lead the still recovering charity to financial well-being, guide the formation of a practical and efficient organizational structure built around animal care.

Her work is cut out for her so I'm not sure I'd say she deserves to be president of the Toronto Humane Society but the Toronto Humane Society absolutely deserves her to be its president.

I always knew she'd get there.

Wednesday, June 8, 2011 · 1 comment

Tulip - Jack Russell Terrier

I think because of the weird weather we've had - all cold then suddenly all hot - tulips this season didn't do so well. At least ours didn't. They barely bloomed and then the petals lasted all of three minutes before they shriveled, shrieked and fell off. If you missed the tulips this year as well, there's always Tulip, a Jack Russell Terrier presently residing at Toronto Animal Services South, who is in bloom all year round.




For adoption information on this dog and other dogs (and cats and other animals), please visit Toronto Animal Services.

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Tiptoes - Shiba Inu

Got a little over-enthusiatic the other day and ended up taking some photos of this little Shiba Inu girl who turned out to not be in adoption. She was a stray who the staff nicknamed Tiptoes because she walked on her toes. Tiptoes was claimed by her owner who must've been relieved to get the old girl back home. Here she is looking like a cross between a Husky and a bear cub.





Please remember to license and/or microchip your pets. If they ever get lost, it makes returning them a whole lot easier.

Tuesday, June 7, 2011 · 1 comment

Toronto Animal Services South Adopt-a-thon weekend

Woofstock is the big dog event this weekend but for those who want to check out something a little calmer, there will be a Toronto Animal Services South adopt-a-thon at Dufferin Grove Park (at 875 Dufferin St. right across from the Dufferin Mall) from 10 am - 5 pm, both Saturday and Sunday. Dogs, cats, rabbits, hamsters & guinea pigs will be available for adoption. It won't just be about adoptions, though. People can learn more about animal care and what TAS does. There will be activities for kids, face-painting and the park is making pizza in their brick stove. There will also be a few tables of pet supplies, treats and toys that people can buy for a donation, 100% of which will go to TAS South adoption program.

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Milo - German Shepherd

There's something exceptionally handsome and serene about Milo, a German Shepherd mix. When he gets up to his proper weight, he will cut quite the majestic figure.




For adoption information on this dog and other dogs (and cats and other animals), please visit Toronto Animal Services.

Monday, June 6, 2011 · 1 comment

Denver - Mastiff mix

His smile pretty well says it all. Of course we all worry about dogs like Denver, mislabeled, stereotyped and too often ending up in the wrong hands for the wrong reasons. Let's hope his smile wins the day.




For adoption information on this dog and other dogs (and cats and other animals), please visit Toronto Animal Services.

Sunday, June 5, 2011 · 2 comments

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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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