Santa Claus is Coming to Town!

Christmas is one month away!

 That means it's time to get your annual Santa photos taken with TAGS!

Date: Saturday, December 14

Time: 11:00a.m.-3:00p.m.
Location: Pet Valu (Kendalwood)
Cost: $10 and all proceeds go to TAGS

Please share this event with your friends by joining our Facebook event and inviting others!

We will also have a booth set up in the store that day with an 

adoptable dog or two, so be sure to visit!

Happy Holidays! 

Wordless Wednesday: Riding Shotgun

Jill & Colt decided to share the front seat!

(p.s.: They are siblings now! Colt was adopted by Jill's family this month.
Stay tuned to find out who else found a home in November.)

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This is a blog hop. 

Don't forget to check out the other participating blogs by clicking on the image below.

What Blossom's "Gotcha Day" Showed Me

Woof!

I'm Snoopy and I am new to TAGS -- so new that I just got sprung from the pound on the weekend! At first I just thought I was going out for a walk, but then I got to go on a car ride! After my car ride I had a check-up, a bath, and got to go pick out a new toy at PetSmart. Along the way I got to sniff and lick so many great people. I really was expecting to go back to my cage after all of the excitement, but instead I got the best surprise of all...

...I have a foster home! No more pound life for me! This means that I get to run, play and hang out with other dogs and cuddle up with nice people. It's all been very exciting!

Just chillin' at my new foster home. 

Oops. Just had a bath and already dirty again.
At least I look more like my Dalmation side this way! 

That's me with my new toy in the car on the way "home."
I was pooped after all of the excitement!

At my foster home I live with two dogs named Chappie and Blossom. They tell me I am not the first "foster" brother they've had, and by now they know a bit about how things go. Apparently I will live here for a bit and then one day I will get my own family! I asked them how they know this for sure, and they told me that they went through it too, just last year.

Chappie telling me about being a foster dog. 

Chappie and Blossom are siblings who were rescued from a place called Kentucky in September of 2012. Their sister Azriel came with them too. They said life in Kentucky was no fun at all, but then they moved to Canada where they lived in a home with a few other dogs, like what I am doing now. As part of a foster dog's job, they had to go and hang out at pet stores every so often to try and meet their new family. Chappie got adopted first, and about a month later his new parents decided they just had to reunite the dynamic duo, so Blossom got adopted too and the rest is history. 

Now, I didn't want to be rude, but their story seemed a bit far-fetched.  From my experience so far in life, a dog doesn't stay in one place for too long. And they definitely don't get to be part of a family.

However, I was proved wrong last night! My new foster family threw a party just for Blossom! They called it her "Gotcha Day." I learned that humans who own rescue dogs celebrate the day they adopted their new furry friend because they don't know when their real birthday is.

Happy 1st Gotcha Day to Blossom!
(that's me in the bottom left)

Hearing them all talk about how happy they were to have Blossom in their lives for a whole year now really gave me hope. I can't wait to get adopted so I can have my very own Gotcha Day.

Wish me luck!

- Snoopy 

Wordless Wednesday: Two Peas In A Pod

Molly (adopted in August) and her foster sister
Willow (still available) are so close, it's difficult to tell them apart!

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This is a blog hop. 

Don't forget to check out the other participating blogs by clicking on the image below.

Wordless Wednesday: Happy Halloween!

One of the perks of having a forever home is having someone to dress you up for Halloween! 

(though it is difficult to tell if they all think of this as a 'perk')

Chloe, Buffalo, Blondie and Starr were all adopted through TAGS.

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This is a blog hop. 

Don't forget to check out the other participating blogs by clicking on the image below.

TAGS Awards: Part 2

Last Friday we posted the first batch of awards the TAGS adoptable pets gave out to each other during a recent celebration. Today we are excited to present the next category of awards...the "Bests."

Please check back again on Friday, September 13, for the third and final batch of TAGS Awards, the "Most Likely To..." category!

It sounds like a yodel mixed with a bark!

(Shorty & Ruby were just adopted,
but weren't at the time of the party)   

(It's in the name!)

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To find out more about any of these fantastic adoptable pets, click on their picture above! Or, if you already know you're ready to adopt, visit our website to submit an adoption application.

July Adoptions!

Congratulations to all six dogs who were adopted this month!

Click on the image to view a larger version.

Zoomie is a one-year-old basset hound mix with ears made out of silk (or so it seems). Zoomie was a stray who ended up in the pound before she entered TAGS foster care. In her foster home, Zoomie showed just how happy she was to have a second chance by being very affectionate and playful with everyone she met, so it's no surprise that she caught the eye of a family looking for a new furry friend.

Frances is a three-year-old boxer mix who was found as a stray. She had some cuts and scrapes on her when she first entered TAGS foster care, but despite what happened in her past, she is an affectionate, loving and easygoing gal!

Maddie is about eight years old. This Australian shepherd mix came to TAGS from a shelter in the United States, where she was in danger of being put to sleep due to lack of space. Maddie is a fantastic family pet who loves other dogs, children and attention, but she ended up at a shelter because her previous family thought she was too old. Luckily, a new family has welcomed Maddie into their home, and she couldn't be happier!

Noelle, now named Nell, is a rat terrier mix who is approximately 1.5 years old. Nell loves to run and play, especially with other dogs. Nell came to TAGS from a shelter in the United States just before Christmas, so compared to the other dogs adopted this month, she has been waiting the longest for the right family to come along. This energetic gal charms people with her adorable face and silly antics.

Xavier is just under a year old. This Jack Russell terrier mix is very smart and loves to play with other dogs and people. Xavier was in a pound before being rescued by TAGS, and even though he was very scared there, he completely came out of his shell when he was given a chance to be a dog again.

Chester is a copper-coloured Corgi/Cardigan mix who is approximately one year old. Chester lived in a shelter in Tennessee before entering TAGS foster care. Chester is a happy, playful and outgoing guy who loves attention. He likes to cuddle with people and dogs, but he could do without cats—they are scary!

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Thank you to everyone who has helped spread the word about the great pets we have available for adoption. Sharing photos from our Facebook page, retweeting our tweets and using old-fashioned word-of-mouth can make all the difference for some of these dogs! 

Wordless Wednesday: Pooped Pooches!

(photo courtesy of Blossum & Chappie's mom, Courtney.)

Siblings Blossum and Chappie take a well-deserved
rest on the pause table after their agility class.

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This is a blog hop.

Check out the other participating blogs as well by clicking on the image below.

June Adoptions!

They say every dog has its day, and this month, that was the case for nine TAGS dogs who had their luck turn around when they were adopted into new homes! 

Please click on the image to view a larger version.

We love hearing from our adoptive families to find out how their new furry family member is doing. Here's what we've heard so far about the dogs adopted in June:

Tiny is a one-and-a-half-year-old Rottweiler mix. She came to us from a pound in Sudbury, and this fantastic dog didn't have to wait long to find her new home (we love when that happens!). Tiny now lives with two other dogs on a five-acre piece of land with access to a lake. Her new owners say she is always the first into the water and has even learned how to blow bubbles!

Tex is a one-year-old shepherd mix who is now named Tubbs! Tex was adopted with Yukon, a one-year-old Lab and heeler mix who has been renamed Crockett. Being so close in age, these two make great playmates for each other, and they bonded with their new family quickly.

Tex and Yukon (now Tubbs and Crockett) with their new parents.
 Check out that smile on Crockett's face! 

Scooter is a Pomeranian mix who was dropped off in a "doggy drop box" at a pound after it was closed for the night. Despite being abandoned in such a cruel way, Scooter has a great personality and so much love to give. This furry guy loves attention, and if you pet him just the right way, he makes cute little snorting sounds!

Scooter with his new dad. 

Pecan is a senior cocker spaniel who came to TAGS as an owner surrender. Pecan is hard of hearing but otherwise healthy and still has some spunk. Unfortunately, Pecan's previous owners allowed her ears to become very infected and inflamed but she received treatment from TAGS, and her new family has reported that she is doing much better.

Pecan visited TAGS volunteers in a PetSmart
 recently to show off her new family.

Congratulations to all of the dogs who were adopted this month!

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If you've ever adopted a dog or cat from TAGS, we want to hear from you! Write to us about your furry friend, and we will share your story on our blog. We want to know about their likes, dislikes, quirks, anything! Please don't forget to attach new photos, as well! You can send your stories (200-300 words, please) as a private message to our Facebook page or email it to tagsinfo@animalguardian.org. 

Wordless Wednesday - Dawson's Photoshoot

The winner of our Facebook caption contest is Dena Elliott! We all loved her sweet and witty caption (see below). Thank you to everyone who played. Don't worry if you didn't win this time—we have more contests like this coming up.

Dawson (middle) was recently adopted! Check out which other pets got adopted in April! Click here.

This is also a blog hop. Check out the other blogs by clicking on the picture below.

Wordless Wednesday - A Christmas Nap

Christmas is tiring! - This is Goofy who is now adopted to a wonderful family

This is a blog hop. Check out the other blogs for more Wordless Wednesday posts!

Wordless Wednesday - Nap Time!

These 3 puppies are enjoying their nap time under the warm blanket. Azriel (on the left) is up for adoption.

This is a blog hop. Check out the other participating blogs by clicking here or on the picture below!

Click here to read Azriel's story or here to like her on Facebook!

Santa Photography Day in PetSmart

Thank you all who came and helped out or supported our charity on this rainy winter day! 

Mr. and Mrs. Claus with June Bug. June Bug is up for adoption!

Despite the weather, the Whitby PetSmart store was extraordinarily busy. A lot of people came to have their pets' holiday photo taken with us. We ended up selling 63 pictures! TAGS received half of the proceeds, which can go toward rescuing more dogs in need.

Many people were interested in our program, too. Our helpful volunteers were there to answer any inquiries. Thanks to them, no one had to wait long for their pictures, because our helpers were handling the printing of the photos, as well.

It was a great opportunity for us to let people know about our charity and what we do. Very often, we find new additions to our volunteer team during these events or even a potential new home for our dogs!

Kadein was also there. He's up for adoption!

It was hard not to believe Santa Claus exists because our Santa and Mrs. Santa made the dogs' day magical with their enchanting presence. 

For more photos, visit our Facebook group or Facebook page. 

Were you there to have your pet's photo taken? Leave a comment about your experience!