Wordless Wednesday: Suzy Q and the Flowers

Suzy Q is a shy dog who is up for adoption from The Animal Guardian Society! Click on the photo to see more info about her.

Click on the image below to see more photos from the participating Wordless Wednesday blogs.

Featured Adoptable Dog: Izzy

Izzy arrived at The Animal Guardian Society in February from a Port Perry pound. We don't know much about her background from before that. All we know is that this long-legged puppy was very shy at first. She was intimidated by everyone except her foster mom. Eventually, she came out of her shell, showing her sweet, goofy side.

Izzy's Hobbies

Izzy at PetSmart, looking for adopters

Izzy is easily amused. Her elation at finding in her backyard a water bottle with a little bit of water in it was immeasurable. She was rolling it, biting it, then rolling it again—for about two hours! In the end, she went back in the house, exhausted like a kid after a big playdate. She also considers it her duty to carry big tree branches in her mouth during her walks.

The beagle in her is definitely apparent, as she likes to chase squirrels. And due to Izzy's long legs, paired with a high energy level, her foster mom says that Izzy would be very talented at agility if her new owners decided to try that.

Walks

Izzy sometimes pulls on her walks but is showing improvement every time, thanks to her foster mom's tireless efforts.

Friends

Sweet baby girl sleeping.

Izzy loves other dogs and is becoming more and more social with them. She goes up to other dogs during her walks to get to know them. She also has experience with cats, and she doesn't mind them at all. Izzy is very popular among children, and she lets them overload her with love like a cool pop star. We would still recommend that she be in a family with older kids due to her jumping habits.

And speaking of that, Izzy loves to jump! She could jump over a four-foot fence without any problem. If you are interested in Izzy, you must have a fence that is maybe even higher than five feet and secure at the bottom, too. 

While she is a wonderful, lovable dog, Izzy has a little baggage, too. She still sometimes barks at men, but she is friendly toward men she already knows. She also suffers from separation anxiety, but as soon as she gets into her crate, she relaxes. The person who accepts both Izzy's goofy, fun side and her troubles will surely have a remarkable relationship with a loyal companion. 

"Okay. Now where is my dinner?"

Overall, her foster mom recommends that Izzy would do best in

... a physically active household

... a home with a high fence

... a home with another dog

If you think Izzy may be the dog for you, don't hesitate to fill out an adoption application form so you can meet her! More details about her can be found on our website.

If you want to see more photos of Izzy, click here to explore our Pinterest or Instagram photos!

Adopt Izzy!

One Furry Reason to Foster Dogs

Here is a touching story from one of our foster volunteers, Chris Stones. It's amazing how the smallest things can mean the world to some of our rescue dogs.

Suzy Q is up for adoption! Photo: Heather

Last night Sheila and I were in bed watching TV as we normally do when Suzy Q suddenly decided to jump up on the bed and join us. That is a normal occurrence with Fred and Mia, our other two dogs, but for Suzy it was huge. She has suffered a tremendous trauma at some time in her life that has left her timid, scared and very wary of just about anything that walks on two legs, especially men. As foster parents, we are responsible for reintroducing Suzy Q to the real world and helping her forget the past and change her behaviour so she can once again enjoy the company of other dogs and people.

When we first got her, she took 15 minutes just to come out of her crate. She now roams freely about our home and plays with Fred and Mia constantly, and her trust factor with people improves every day.

Her jumping on the bed last night was like having your own child take their first step. It was like that moment when you are introduced to a small baby and they hang on to your finger for dear life. It was at that moment both Sheila and I realized that while we had seen small improvements every day, Suzy Q, while still timid and shy, trusts us and others. Now the task of rehabilitation can really start.

Suzy Q

I believe most of us would like to belong to something bigger—to give back to the universe even if just in a small way. This is our first foster, and while we will be very sad when Suzy Q is adopted, we will also be so proud of the strides she has made toward  being a balanced little dog. Her confidence, her trust factor, her personality, her playfulness get stronger every day, and we know it is partly because we have taken the time to care, taken the time to share our home and taken the time to share our own little pack of humans and animals with another animal that needed help to realize her full potential. When we uplift anything, another person, a child, an animal, or when we help anything that shares this planet with us, we give back to the universe around us, and what we get back is immeasurable.

I almost cried a little when Suzy Q jumped on the bed last night. I was so proud of her. She overcame her fear, ignored her gut feeling and took a chance. Imagine if that is all any of us did, to help another to overcome fear and take a chance . . . what an amazing world this would be.

Featured Adoptable Dog: Tucker

Tucker is a fun-loving, active dog who is always up for some playtime. He's been looking for a new home for a year now. Originally, TAGS rescued him from a high-kill shelter in Kentucky. He's an interesting mix—many people see spaniel, English springer spaniel, Australian shepherd or even Rottweiler in him. Tucker will make sure you won't forget him, not just by using his natural good looks but by showing off his goofy behaviour, as well. You just can't say no to him!

Tucker's Hobbies

Tucker's favourite pleasure is to play with and roll around in the garbage bags in the backyard. As much as his foster parents disapprove of this behaviour, Tucker always finds a way to sneak out to enjoy a session of filth and fun. That's what he calls it, as far as we know.

He has many toys, as well, that he likes to play with. Tucker is also a big fan of cuddling on the couch, where he can be close to people.

Tricks

He can "sit" and "lie down," and he is now learning to "stay."

Tucker gnawing on a bone.

Walks

He is getting very good at walking with the Gentle Leader. 

Friends

Tucker LOVES to be with people because he enjoys all the attention he can get. He gets along with other dogs well; however, sometimes he needs a little reminder about manners. Tucker likes children, but we would recommend he be in a home with older children, as he might accidentally knock the little ones down with his exuberance. 

Tucker is so handsome!

He doesn't particularly like thunder and lightning and usually hides somewhere until the storm goes away or wears a Thundershirt to help with his anxiety. 

Tucker loves to lie with his hind legs behind him, which his foster parents call "the rug." Overall, Tucker is a very active dog (but he has settled a bit lately) who requires a family that can put some time in with him and enforces clear rules and boundaries.

Tucker doing "the rug."

If you think Tucker may be the dog for you, don't hesitate to fill out an adoption application form so you can meet him! More details about him can be found on our website.
 

Tucker is a beautiful mix of several breeds.

Helping Rescue Dogs Get Adopted in PetSmart

The Animal Guardian Society is a small rescue. We do not own a shelter or a wellness centre (however, it is one of our long-term goals). Therefore, if we want to keep in contact with the public or showcase our dogs, we can do so only through PetSmart (or Pet Valu, which recently became part of our weekend schedule).

PetSmart volunteers at the Whitby location

Through this sort of outreach, we get better exposure for our dogs by letting PetSmart customers meet them "in person." Seeing a dog somewhere other than on a photo is still the most efficient way to get him or her adopted. It's often hard to take a photo of a dog that will truly reveal his or her personality.

We are at PetSmart and Pet Valu (different locations) every weekend from noon until 4 p.m.(or 3 p.m. on long weekends). We usually have one to three adoptable dogs in crates and two or three volunteers who look after them and answer people's questions. This is one of the few volunteer position at TAGS that involves dealing with animals directly (others include fostering, doing home visits and transporting). We have other volunteer positions available, too, but most are ones done through interaction with a computer, not with dogs.

Are you interested in volunteering for The Animal Guardian Society? Teenagers, you can get your community service hours while helping animals in need! 

A typical PetSmart/Pet Valu shift includes:

-Setting up our table (arrange adoptable dogs' photos, folder and other brochures on the table)

-Setting up crates for the dogs

-Interacting with people who are interested in adopting or volunteering (you have to answer questions about the dog, our adoption process, adoption fees, etc.)

-Cleaning crates and our surrounding area if needed

-Representing TAGS in a professional and respectful manner

We offer a volunteer orientation for new volunteers to help them get started with TAGS or simply schedule our newcomers in PetSmart shifts to shadow our other, well-seasoned volunteers. This way, they can observe the way we work "in action." Click here to see more photos from our PetSmart shifts.

Please click here to submit an application to become a volunteer with TAGS.

Izzy at PetSmart. She's adoptable!

TAGS Dogs at PetSmart Oshawa

We love to showcase our dogs around the community at various outreach events so that people can find out more about us and maybe even find a new family member.

You may already know that we can be found in the Whitby PetSmart every weekend, but did you also know that we've started setting up shop in the Oshawa location as well? Every Saturday from 12:00-4:00 p.m., we are there to share information about our adoptable dogs, the adoption process and volunteer opportunities.

Yesterday, Shelly, Sam and Jennifer were the volunteers on duty, and Balin and Rocky were there with tails wagging to meet and greet visitors.

Rocky and Shelly pose at the TAGS booth.

Rocky's eager to play. Balin watches from the background. 

Balin sits pretty, eagerly waiting for a treat. 

See you again next weekend!