Barry's Story
by Speaking of Dogs Rescue

In March 2003, a 2 year old coonhound mix was found as a stray in the Toronto area. The woman who found him told animal control officers that she was quite sure the dog lived a few houses down the street and belonged to a man who used him to guard pigeons in the garage. The dog was taken into Toronto Animal Services Central municipal shelter where he was held for his owner to claim him. He was emaciated, had substantial hair loss and was petrified. His ‘stray’ time came and went and no one ever called or came to look for him. The staff at the shelter knew in their hearts that this very frightened, yet gentle dog, had a great deal of potential. They wanted to give him the chance at a better life.

They called our rescue and we went to meet him at the shelter the next day. He was indeed frightened and nervous of sound, people and quick movement. His eyes told a painful story of neglect and loneliness.

We took “Barry” into heart and home and gave him love, companionship, nutritious food and medical attention. During his 6 week stay in foster care Barry blossomed and although he had days filled with challenges and achievements, setbacks and relapses with each passing day he faced his new life with more courage, enthusiasm and eagerness. 

Barry is now sharing love and life with his new family in Oshawa. He continues to flourish in mind, body and soul and has deeply bonded with his mom and dad. Thanks to Toronto Animal Services Central District staff for seeing beyond the fear in a terrified stray dog and vowing to help him find his path. 

Stella
by Speaking of Dogs Rescue

‘Stella’ a 7 year old black Labrador mix was constantly getting past by at a Toronto area shelter. The staffed loved this happy go lucky little dog and no matter how many times they sang her praises, no one wanted to adopt such an “old” dog. It was springtime and the shelter was becoming over-whelmed with the number of homeless dogs. So much so, they were running out of cages.

In June 2003, the shelter called our rescue to ask if we could help the over crowded shelter by taking Stella. After hearing about how wonderful and sweet she was, who could say no?

Each day we learned something new about Stella, and it didn't take long for us to realize that she was very well versed in human language, both verbal and body. She understood the difference between "get your ball”, “get your stuffy" and “get your leash”, she quickly figured out how to make the window go down in the car by hitting the button (after which, the window lock was permanently kept on) and was a great "time keeper". She knew exactly what time her walking buddies Baron and Amy would be at the park each night she would run around the house carrying her leash telling everyone it was time to go to the park. 

We made a veterinary appointment for Stella and during the examination, our vet found a lump on her mammary gland. We had the surgery done to remove the lump and then had it biopsied. We waited on pins and needles for the results to come in. What a relief it was when it came back benign. 

Stella had quickly become part of our family and we took her everywhere with us. It didn’t matter where we went or who she met, Stella never found a person or place she didn’t like. She loved everyone, had a sense of fun and adventure and was an all around great dog.

We had many inquiries about Stella but one in particular, was ‘the one’.

Stella’s mom reports, “Stella is the light of my life; we are like two peas in a pod. We enjoy walking (many times a day!), hiking, road trips and watching old movies together. 

Stella rarely lets mom out of her sight except maybe to catch a snooze on her lap during “old movie” night!

Living and loving it in Oakville, Ontario! Says Stella

Nicholas
by Speaking of Dogs Rescue

In early December 2004 we received an e-mail from our webmaster Suzanne. The message explained that her mother, who lives in a small town in western Ontario, had gone to church on Sunday and much to the congregation’s surprise they were greeted by a little dog who sat on the church steps. Suzanne’s mother drove up to the church to park and when she opened the door the dog jumped into her car!

From what she could see the dog had not been well cared for. His nails were long and curled, his coat was matted and dull and he was full of fleas. 

She took the dog home that day and on Monday morning called the local shelter to report finding the dog. The shelter receptionist said that the dog should be admitted into the shelter as a ‘stray’ in case there was someone looking for him. There may be extenuating circumstances to his physical condition, she explained.

During his “stray” period, Suzanne’s mother called the shelter often to see if the dog had been claimed, but seven days came and went and no one came or telephoned about the little lost dog. 

Unable to adopt the dog herself, the mother called Suzanne to see if she knew anyone who could offer a loving home to the dog who had captured her heart. Suzanne sent out an e-mail plea to several colleagues and friends. 

I e-mailed her back to ask if anyone had adopted the little dog. She replied back and said that no one she knew could adopt the dog and was going to call the shelter to ask if perhaps the dog could be transferred to a rescue organization. After playing telephone tag with the shelter for several days, arrangements were made to have the dog released from the shelter and transferred to our rescue group. 

From what we knew of the dog who was about to become a part of our family albeit temporary, he was about 5 years old and a mix of Pomeranian and terrier and was all of 9 pounds. He had not adjusted well to the shelter environment and had been flagged as a “food bowl guarder”. 

When he arrived at our home, we had to laugh at his entrance. He came bounding in, sniffed our shoes in the front hallway, ran over and licked our faces and then promptly jumped onto a chair, wagging his tail feverishly.

We named in Saint Nicholas in honour of the season, which was reduced to just Nicholas or Nick in most cases. He was great with our dogs, very respectful and mannerly, house trained to a tee and loved to help with any and all Christmas projects that need supervision, especially baking!

We had a very nice sounding couple call and then e-mail us about him about 2 weeks later. We invited them to come and meet him and it was amazing to watch how Nick took a shine to the wife. He could sometimes be a bit shy around new folks who came to our home, but he was quite smitten with this lovely woman and she with him. I explained that it might be better to wait until after the Christmas festivities to consider adoption.

They looked at each other and explained that they had no plans for Christmas other than curling up with an old movie. It was just the ‘two of them’ each Christmas. I promised to think about it and get back to them the next day. 

I did and a home visit was scheduled. And what a home it was! In my mind, it was more like a mansion! Nick could get lost in this house. Heck, I could get lost in this house!

Nick now lives the high life with his new mom and dad and is thriving in his palatial surroundings. In particular, he enjoys sunning himself in his private glassed in sun room. He and his mom enjoy toast and jam there each morning