Sebastian is a rotund waddler. He's had a few too many cookies and while it's kind of cute watching him roll around, it's definitely not healthy for him to be as heavy as he is. His new owner will have to have some will power on Sebastian's behalf when it comes to dieting. This may be easier said than done, though, because Sebastian has got those Beagle eyes that can hypnotize you and have you under his control tout de suite if you're not careful.

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.

From the owner of MacDuff:

As promised, here's a photo of MacDuff - I think he's enjoying life in the big world. Today I introduced him to a Kong and he's really having a good time with it!

I think he's going to make a great companion.

From the owners of Dallas, now Finnegan:

We cannot thank you enough for the opportunity to adopt “Dallas” (now known as “Finnegan”) in mid-February 2013. He is proving to be a wonderful addition to our family- smart, eager to please, and so loving. He LOVES walking the off-leash trails in High Park, chasing balls with friends in dog parks, and is always willing to come when called. His leash manners have improved immensely with patience and positive rewards for eye contact instead of pulling. He has completed 8 classes of obedience and is ever eager to learn more. Our only challenge with him right now is to slowly work on overcoming separation anxiety-- we are working with the vet and obedience instructor to desensitize him to our comings and goings in the hopes he will be able to stay calmly by himself in the future. We have seen him overcome short term fears (new food dish, balloons, and kitchen fan) and feel he will be successful in this larger issue. He is such a wonderful dog that every change to our lifestyle is worth it!

We’d also like to express our appreciation for the “care package” you sent home with us- he drinks from his portable water bowl every day while walking in the park, drives us crazy with the plastic moose squeaky toy, and still wears his collar (+name tags, phone numbers, and i.d.). although we’ve gone to a harness for daily walks. The time James took to allow us to become acquainted with him and the on-going support from Ashley have also been most appreciated! You are all a wonderful team doing wonderful work!

Here I was about to go on about what a fantastically toy obsessed dog Lolita is and how she'd be an excellent search and rescue dog when I hear she's been short listed as candidate for search and rescue work. A month ago, Lolita was running around unwanted on a reserve destined for a short brutal life and now she's potentially going to be a hero dog. And if she's not chosen for search and rescue work, then she can still be someone else's hero, yours perhaps.

I'll put an update here with the test results once they come in.

Update (2013-05-05): Assessment was taking too long to schedule so instead of keeping Lolita waiting around in a cage, she is being put up for general adoption.

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.

(I blink and the ten IFAW dogs from up north are almost all gone already. Here's one, Boomer, who got adopted yesterday.)

I'm terrible at smiling for photographs. If I don't feel like smiling and have to force a smile for a photo, it's a grimace, or at least it feels like a grimace. I really should take lessons from a dog like Boomer who can't help but smile.

Now when some dogs look like they're smiling, they may not really be smiling on the inside. They might be hot or anxious or they might have just been born with a smiley face. Not so with Boomer. Boomer is a very happy boy inside and out and that kind of happiness is contagious - which makes me smile, naturally.

Ripley is like one of those dogs who will leap through fire, climb barbed wire fences and dodge trucks on the 401 to come to your rescue if you are ever tied to the railroad tracks by a wax-mustachioed, top hat wearing villain.

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.

I took this happy, friendly Jack Russell Terrier for a walk with my own dog Simone because I had her with me at Toronto Animal Services on Sunday morning. Frazer was very interested in Simone but for any of you who know Simone, it would come as no surprise that his affections were not returned.

No worries, though. Half an hour later, his affections were rewarded when he was adopted out by a lovely couple who had come in just to see him.

I was away for a week a while back and didn't get to post this one on Tess and by the time I got back, she was already adopted - not surprisingly.

Here's Tess in her new 'hood:

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.

From Kingston's new owners:

So, we've had him now for just over 5 weeks and he is doing very well!! We've been going to obedience school at Paws Way and this week is our last week. Our instructor is Ursula- Dogs Gone Good- and she says she knows you.. she seems to be pretty good but I do think that those classes are designed more for low-energy, non-shelter dogs.

He has gotten very good with the tricks (sit, stay, leave-it and down are perfect!) and his recall is getting much better. He still gets very excited in social settings so I'm not sure that more obedience is the best option for him (he tends to bark throughout the entire class, haha) and we have him in a crate during the day- I didn't think there were any problems but my neighbour informed me last night that he has been crying during the day while we're gone... Do you have any tips for how I could go about keeping him quiet and comfortable during crate time? (Ursula mentioned that you keep things quite 'zen-like' in the shelter).

Other than that, we're so happy with him and he is such a great dog! He is great walking and running with me and the excitement of seeing other dogs has dwindled significantly! Turns out, he is quite cuddly as well- he needs to lay across my lap if I'm on the couch and then if Joel, my boyfriend, is on the couch he needs to lay across both of our laps, haha. Such a cute puppy. I attached a photo for you. I've been telling people to check out the shelters first and give the dogs a chance because wonderful dogs, like Kingston, can easily be missed!

I've seen some pretty sad stuff in my years as a volunteer at Toronto Animal Services, animals who have been abused, animals who have died. This, while not as overtly cruel nor abusive, I find heart wrenching nevertheless.

This is Basquiat now:

This is Basquiat when he was first brought to a northern Quebec pound from which he has never left:

Or rather, never left until a couple of weeks ago when he was transferred to Toronto Animal Services South. So, from the time he was eight weeks old until now when he is fully grown, Basquiat has spent his entire life alone in a cage.

I see the picture of him as a pup - and I know dogs don't have the same potential as humans in terms of what we consider "achievements" but they do have a potential for life and things good in life - and when I see the potential in that pup not fulfilled, when I see the pup's bright eyes like any pup's bright eyes, but knowing, despite the best efforts of that pound which tried to adopt him out for so long, how his curiosity will be squashed, how his joy will turn to anxiety, how his trust will not be rewarded, it makes me very sad.

And it's the contrast perhaps but there is something especially sad as well when I see a big dog so full of fright.

Outside, he tries to duck and cover whenever he hears an unidentifiable noise, sees a sudden movement out of the corner of his eye.

I stop walking and let Basquiat just stand in place for a bit. He is overwhelmed by the new environment, the new people, the new dogs walking by. I sit on the sidewalk. I can see the deeply rooted canine instinct in him wanting to come over to me, to bond with a human, but it's being sublimated by his fear of the unknown. I put the camera away. I sit and wait.

There's a lot of back and forth. He steps toward me but sometimes I reach out too soon, sometimes too fast. At one point, he settles his weight into my hand as I scratch his ears and I think, "Good," but then I raise the camera and he's away again.

It takes about half an hour. He sniffs the wind, lies down on the ground, finally lets me take his photo without any anxiety.

I have no doubt Basquiat will make a great recovery and a wonderful companion. When he bonds, that bond will be strong and for life because the yearning for human companionship is strong in him, strong enough to overcome his fear. And he will heal. He is healing already with every new kind person he meets, with every new trip outside.





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.