May Adoptions!

Any month in which there have been adoptions is a great month, but May 2013 was especially exciting for the volunteers at TAGS.

At the end of April, we were thrilled that a few of our senior dogs had been adopted since it is generally more difficult to find homes for them. Similarly, in May, TAGS found homes for Molly and Reimer, who, despite the fact that they are adorable, are also part of a marginalized group.

Also adopted this month was Boomer, who had been waiting for his fur-ever home for some time. However, Boomer's story just goes to show that patience is a virtue. The perfect family came along, and we couldn't be happier for Boomer and his new family. 

Click on the image to view a larger version. 

Oakley is a purebred Siberian husky who is almost two years old. This energetic guy came to TAGS when his family couldn't take care of him anymore, and he's happy to have found a home where he will have lots of opportunity to play and just be a dog!

Molly is a 10-month-old female black Lab mix. Molly loves to play with just about anyone who wants to play with her, no matter what their species may be! Molly is very affectionate, friendly and sociable, so it comes as no surprise that she has found a home.

Reimer is a one-year-old black Lab and blue heeler mix, which basically makes him look like a mini-Lab. Reimer came to TAGS from a high-kill pound in Tennessee and has been thoroughly enjoying his time in Canada so far. This guy's tail never stops wagging, and he loves to greet every dog and human he lays eyes on with a sniff and a smile.

Boomer is a greyhound mix who is almost four years old. Boomer is considered to be a compassionate alpha who loves to exercise, especially if said exercise involves chasing a ball. Not much is known about Boomer's life before he joined the TAGS family, but he used to be very cautious of newcomers. With help from dedicated volunteers and Brooklin Pet Care, who fostered him, he has become the dog everyone knew he could be.

Congratulations, everyone! 

Boomer's Happy Tail—Every Dog Deserves a Second Chance (Part 2)

Part 1 of this article can be found in our June newsletter. Click here to read it.

We had a dog, Buddy, for 11 years. We rescued him from the Port Perry pound when he was a puppy, but we had to say goodbye to Buddy last October. At first, we all agreed not to get another dog. As time passed and the emptiness remained, though, our son Alan decided we needed to get another one. I decided to start looking at the pounds and shelters. We would never consider a store or a breeder! When I saw how many dogs are out there in need of good homes, I knew we had to get another dog.  

After briefly considering adopting from the Humane Society, I started looking at rescue organizations, and I found TAGS. The entire experience was amazing. TAGS wants to find the right homes for their rescues. The application process, home visits, adoption—everything—have been great. I cannot say enough about our positive experience with TAGS and how amazingly happy we are with Boomer, the dog we ultimately adopted—and the fact that Boomer is happy with us!

We met seven TAGS dogs, but our entire family felt a connection with Boomer right away. We requested a home visit that week, and that Saturday, we picked Boomer up for his weeklong extended visit with us. Within one day, we knew that Boomer was staying.
 

And Boomer stayed

We were a little concerned at first about “the incident” that caused Boomer to have to wear a muzzle at the dog park, and because we met Boomer inside, we never did see him play with other dogs. We didn’t get any scary vibe from Boomer, and we witnessed him meeting a couple of dogs for the first time that day, and he just wagged his tail. What drew us to Boomer was the fact that he is very smart and that he seemed to truly want to please his human companions. He walked well on a leash and knew the basics of sit, come, stay, and paw. The fact that he had been in a shelter for over a year just made us want him even more. This intelligent loving dog needed a home. 

During our extended visit, Boomer was very curious yet cautious about everything and everyone he saw.  He had clearly not had a lot of life experiences. The following Saturday, we officially adopted Boomer. 

Boomer in his new home

Since Boomer has been with us (five weeks now), he has settled in very well. Our 18-year-old son, Alan, and Boomer are now inseparable! Boomer will follow him anywhere anytime. We have had Boomer out visiting and we have had friends and dogs visit us, and we have had no issues with Boomer being “aggressive” in any situation! Boomer is a poster dog for second chances, in my opinion. Thanks to TAGS for rescuing Boomer and to Nick for working with Boomer and showing him that not all people are bad. Boomer has come to trust us now. It has taken some time, but I think he now knows he is truly HOME.

THANK YOU, TAGS!

Susan Griffiths 
Adopter of Boomer

Wordless Wednesday: A Dog's Dream Came True

Boomer could not be happier in his new home, where he has become a full-time soccer player!

This is a blog hop. Check out the other participating blogs as well by clicking on the image below.

Puppy Mill Dogs

It is an unfortunate reality in our society that puppy mills exist. Puppy mill dogs are typically kept in extremely harsh conditions, and receive very little, if any, human interaction, resulting in a mix of poor health and socialization / behaviour issues.

Due to their lack of human contact, they are usually quite wary of all humans—not just the bigger more intimidating humans, but even the small friendly-sounding humans. This fear can be displayed in many ways, but the most common is aggression or timidity.

Princess, her picture taken the day she came to TAGS, and the day she was adopted. What a difference!

Neither of these behaviours is very desirable. To make matters worse, if it is a medium to large dog, aggression can often result in euthanization.

The only good thing about this situation, if you can call any of it good, is that puppy mill dogs typically are very well socialized with other dogs. This makes finding them a home relatively easier since they get along with pretty much everybody who has four legs.

Many dogs who come from puppy mills or breeding situations have minor health issues, especially when they first arrive at a rescue, due to the unsanitary conditions they lived in. A little bit of tender love and care, though, will bring them back to health.

Occasionally, a puppy mill dog will have developed an issue from lack of exercise or growing up in a cage. This is sometimes referred to as "floppy bottom," or having a general lack of muscle tone. This issue can be fixed usually just by walking or getting regular exercise, but some dogs will have permanent defects as a result of growing up in an enclosure. As long as the dog is not in any pain, he or she can live a happy second life.

Little Sophia came from a Mennonite puppy mill in southern Ontario.
 Such a cutie pie! Notice anything? She is missing her right eye, but that hasn't slowed her down!

One issue you really need to be aware of when taking home a puppy mill dog is that these dogs have not been trained to eliminate outside (unless the foster home has done potty training). For their entire lives, they have peed and poohed where they live—in their house. This means that when you adopt a puppy mill dog, you should expect the same to happen in your house.

A poster advertising the five dogs taken from the Missouri
puppy mill. I made the poster and dubbed them
"The Missouri 5"

In some cases, puppy mill dogs that have grown up in elevated wire cages require the sensation of the wire beneath their paws to induce them to eliminate. That will get the neighbours talking—why do they have chain-link fencing laid out on their back lawn?     

On St. Patrick's Day 2012, TAGS took five small dogs from a puppy mill in Missouri. Dubbed the Missouri 5, they were taken to one (super) foster home. All five of these dogs were given Irish-themed names for St. Patrick's Day. So far, all but one have been adopted. Josie is the lone ranger waiting for her fur-ever home. She was particularly more cautious of humans than the others but has almost done an about-face and now approaches humans who she does not see as a threat.

Housetraining and people training a puppy mill dog is often a long-term process and cannot be done in the span of 30 minutes, despite what you see on TV. But I'm sure if you were to ask any of the adopters of the Missouri 5 dogs, they will tell you the long-term challenge leads to even greater reward!

Featured Adoptable Dog: Chaco

Chaco is a sweet giant with lots of love to give. He's been waiting for a forever home for nearly three years. He was found as a stray in Kentucky and was then placed in a pound. He was on death row when TAGS heard about him and rescued him. He knows that Canada will be the place where he will finally find a family who loves him unconditionally. 

Chaco's Hobbies

Chaco is the kind of dog who is quiet in the house when nothing is happening but will get super-excited if he detects that there is something going on. He likes to play with stuffed animals, squeaky toys and balls.

I want to play!

Tricks

Chaco knows how to "sit" and "stay."

Walks

An enthusiastic boy, Chaco tends to pull when on a walk, but his foster mom is working on his training him with a Gentle Leader. 

Friends

It's sunny!

Chaco is picky when it comes to choosing his buddies. He doesn't like busy, crowded dog parks, and he can be dominant with dogs that he doesn't yet know. But he does get along well with his foster siblings, Josie and Diesel.

His foster mom recommends for him a home with no other dogs, cats or small kids (ages 14+ would be preferable). As a high-energy dog, Chaco would be happiest as part of an active family. Please give Chaco a chance! He's got many wonderful qualities, but he often gets overlooked because of his fur colour (read more about black dog syndrome here) or his size.

If you think Chaco 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.