A Stray Dog's Prayer

Sachet Dropping you a line to let you know we are all doing well! It has been a long hard road between toilet training, crate training, learning to walk on a leash and pretty much all the other bare essentials ... but ... we are proud to say we have been successful and everyone is happy! Clearly, she is getting too big for the kids to carry around anymore!! She enjoys going to the leash free park by our house each day at 7:30 where she runs with her friends only to return home and nap in either Mom's bed or Madison's bed. Its a tough life, I know!! Hoping this email finds you and all of your other fosters well!

Guffy I can't believe Guffy has only been with us for one week. It feels as if he has always been part of our family. We all absolutely love him. He is such a good boy. He loves going for long walks, either alone with me or when we bring Winnie. He walks beautifully on leash (with a haltie), never pulls. He has made great strides with strangers. He met several of our neighbours yesterday and he was eager to go up to them for a pat and cuddle. I didn't even get a chance to pull the treats out of my pocket! He loves to be with me or Frank when we are using the computer and can usually be found all stretched out sleeping on the dog bed. He is doing very well with the new food (Pro Plan large breed puppy). For first few days he was not eating as much as he usually did, but now he has a very healthy appetite and doesn't leave a crumb in his bowl. We are gradually increasing the amount. As you can see from the pictures, he and Winnie adore each other. There is not a day that goes by that they don't do something silly to make us laugh. They are both such clowns. A few nights ago he woke up from a nightmare, he was crying and Winnie went over to his crate and cuddled up against him. He settled right down and went back to a peaceful sleep. There had been some very mild separation anxiety in the mornings when we went to work. What we now do, is after he happily goes into his crate and we close the door, we leave Winnie loose in our room and close the bedroom door. They are very happy to be together. Winnie usually spends this time alone in our room on her bed, so this works out very well. The cats are used to him and will sniff noses with him. He will occasionally chase Ella (grey one) but she is usually the one who initiates play. If one of the cats hisses at him, he backs off right away. We can't thank you enough for doing such a wonderful job in raising him from a young pup to now. We feel very fortunate to have been able to adopt him into our family. Enjoy the pictures. I will keep you updated on his progress. Thank you again, Karen & Frank

Scamp Scamp’s Story: We were looking for a second dog after we lost our beloved shepherd last fall. Our search began after New Years and we were thinking of buying a puppy from a breeder but then decided to check out rescue sites so we could save a puppy that needed a home. We found the Arf site and came across "Scamp" and we applied for him. We talked to his foster mom Cheryl and had a meeting and we all knew Scamp was the puppy for us. He was a lovable scruffy little guy and we fell in love. Our Corgi Houston wasn't sure about him but now loves his "brother" and they play constantly! Our Scamp is now about 45 pounds, just the happiest, body waggin dog ever. He's about 9 months old and should be a "TV dog". He's got personality plus and my friends think he looks like he wants to "talk". He's great with my kids, our cat, and our horses. He's very smart and learns commands very quickly. This guy is amazing and Scamp is truly a member of our family and we're very glad that we found ARF and we'd like to thank you and his foster Mom, Cheryl for giving him a great foundation. We just love our Scamp! Thank you! Elaine, Lauren and Shannon.

Jet We had a very special dog named Angie who passed away, and in addition to her we had an adopted dog named Bailey. Our children had been volunteering at the local animal shelter, we had visited the shelter with them and walked some dogs, and noticed so many wonderful dogs that needed homes. We decided from then on that we would only adopt dogs, and give them the home that they deserve. We decided after Angie passed away we were ready to adopt another dog and give it a great home. We saw Jet on the ARF website and knew immediately out of all the dogs, she was the one for us and Bailey. The whole family went to meet her and we brought her home, she settled in immediately, thanks to her wonderful foster parents, who prepared her to move on to her forever home.

Callaway Dear ARF, I just wanted to send an update on the love of our life – Callaway. We adopted her on November 11th and brought home a somewhat timid puppy who has grown into a fabulous addition to our lives. At her first visit to the vet, the doctor told us she would be an average sized dog, maybe 50 lbs. At just over 10 months old, she is already tipping the scales at 70 lbs of lean muscle!! And even at 70 lbs, she still tries to make us believe on a daily basis that she was born to be a lap dog. She is a jovial, happy dog who really looks like she is smiling all the time. Since we do not live on the water, we bought her a small pool that is her very own and she loves splashing around in it on hot days. Thank you again for helping us bring such a loving creature into our lives....she truly is our baby.

Berkley Our man Berkley is doing fabulously! He took all of a day to get the run of the house and already it feels like he's been here forever. His big sister Dakota is delighted to have such an active playmate. Special thanks to Kara for being such a great foster mom and all the folks at ARF for helping Berk become part of our family! Barry & Dawn

Benjamin Hey Sheran - You've been asking me to share an update and some pics with you regarding Ben and I do apologize for not doing so sooner - as you can imagine, we've been working hard on our training and it is paying off big time!!! Ben is doing so well in his "forever home" and I can assure you (and ARF) that he has warmed his way into our hearts and has become a fast member of the family. Ben and Jake (our other dog) are getting along great - they have learned to rely on each other as a source of companionship and for playing - tug of war, ball chasing, even tail chasing (and as you've seen, Jake doesn't have one but Ben is still trying to get it!) They chase each other around and Jake is loving it - it's got him up and moving again which is great. Walking two dogs isn't easy, especially when the older guy wants to take his time and Ben just wants to get out there and explore but with time and training, we will master it! Ben is doing wonderfully with the house training. In the 3 weeks that we've had him, I can count the accidents on one hand - he goes to the door, sits and waits for us to let him out and when we visit my parents house, he's already catching on to the routine there to. He's had opportunity to socialize with others dogs in the family and is geting along with all very nicely. We started obedience training last week and he is a smart puppy - already sitting and giving paw, waiting patiently for his food, learning hand and voice commands, and now we will begin proper walking/not pulling on the leash. We love this little guy to bits and are so glad that you brought him into your home so we could meet him and now have him in ours. It's great that your kids still get to see him too and we both know he loves hanging with Max! Enjoy the pics - see you soon, Dinah

Whitey Hallie now Whitey Here is another example of that ol’ saying, “Things happen for a reason.” My husband, Mac and I went out to see an ARF puppy. Although she was a lovely, sweet dog - there just wasn’t that pull that I just HAD to have her. I felt really awful. Then ARF asked if I could foster a dog on short notice since they were in a bit of a bind. No problem. I was to take in a female Collie/Shepherd cross since that is my favourite crossbreed (like Mac). At the last minute that wasn’t going to work out so I offered to take the “deaf dog”. That was all I pretty much knew about her – deaf, white, albino, Aussie. That was five weeks ago and we have decided to keep her all to ourselves. Hallie was rescued by ARF the very same day she was to be euthanized at a shelter. She was in a loving foster home for 5 months and then adopted out. Unfortunately, the resident Aussie did not take to Hallie and they had no choice but to return her. Halllie is now Whitey and is in her forever home with Gord, Mac and myself. Mac and Whitey are having no problems getting along. Mac is not much for playing with other dogs and Whitey doesn’t seen to be into that either. We have had no big issues with food, territory or toys. That is all you can ask for. They are now sharing the bed in the morning with us for morning coffee. Whitey has an internal clock – she wakes us at 3:00 every morning and jumps into bed with us and curls at our feet. She is an extremely adaptable dog, sweet, cuddly and VERY vocal. One of her nicknames is “Rooster” since she ROOOO’s in the morning when we get up. I think she is very happy her with us and she is definitely loved. If Whitey is willing, I would like to do non-competitive agility with her. Thanks to ARF for Whitey and for all work and heart that goes into rescuing animals. Regards, Mac, Gord and Lucie

Marlee Dear ARF: This is our "success story" adopting three wonderful ARF companions. Early last September, we lost our 14 year old English bull terrier and our 18 year old cat. As any pet owner knows, this was a very difficult time for our family. When it came time to think about getting a new dog and cat , we decided that we would only adopt since there are so many animals in need of forever, loving homes. We began our search of animal rescue groups on the Internet since we were not familiar with ARF. We were immediately drawn to a brindle puppy on the ARF website. We adopted Marlee (formerly Sasha) at four months of age at the end of September. Marlee is 45 pounds of pure energy!!! She has so much personality and is extremely affectionate. Marlee thinks she is a lap dog and can always be counted on for a good snuggle. She just loves "the girls" and her favourite time of the day is when I tell her it's time to wake them up. She jumps on their beds and licks them until they are up. Yvette from Awesome Dogs has been invaluable in helping us deal with some of Marlee's challenges. She always has great advice and is quick to respond to any concerns. Once Marlee was settled in our home we decided to adopt a cat. Moe (formerly Speedo) came into our lives just before Christmas. Moe is also full of personality! He is so laid back and loves every member of his family (canines included). He initiates play with the dogs by jumping on their heads and attacking their tails. He loves to wrestle with them and always comes back for more! When he's tuckered out, he is a purring machine snuggled up on our laps. He has a strange fixation with water.....he loves it! We have to leave the bathroom faucet running so he can play in the water. Moe is quite a character! Jack (formerly Liam) made our family complete in March. I call Jack "my gentle giant".......he is a big puppy with a big heart. He is extremely laid back and has the sweetest temperament! He loves to play with Marlee but also likes to know where his human family is at all times. The two pups are often "partners in crime" redesigning the backyard! Jack is also a quick learner and loves to please! He is very different from Marlee but the two compliment each other. He is a terrific puppy! I attribute this to the care he received in his foster home...... Jack could not have asked for a better foster mom! We feel so fortunate for finding three wonderful companions thanks to ARF. They add so much to our lives and we adore them! Your commitment to the welfare of the animals you take into your care goes above and beyond. Thank you to the foster families who kept our pets safe until they found their forever home with us, to Laurie for taking the time to help with Jack's transition, and to Yvette for her advice and expertise! Lisa, Makenzie, and Taylor Shook

Cloudy Hi,Ian and Erica, How are u? The weather is so good,yesterday some friends visited us and BBQ.I took some pics for Cloudy,he is a big puppy now.He is very very very gentle and docile.My friends like him,and York calls him MY SON.My friend brought a 7 weeks toy poodle puppy to my home yesterday,Cloudy looks like a older brother. yoyo and york – cloudy’s adopters