Lucy {Shih tzu cross}

Lucy is a very sweet 7 year old shih tzu that was seized for neglect and taken to the Calgary Humane Society.  She was so matted that you couldn’t even see her eyes and her nails had grown over the pads of her feet.  At the shelter, she wasn’t coping well, so they asked us to take her into a foster home.  Now in Lethbridge, freshly groomed and in a quiet home environment, we have discovered what an adorable, sweet dog she really is! She loves squeaky toys, and loves to follow humans around the house.  If you invite her into your lap, she cuddles right up, and looks up adoringly into your eyes.  It’s the cutest thing!

She doesn’t bark, whine or beg for food, and will only jump up on furniture if you invite her.  She sleeps beside the bed all through the night without a peep, although she would love to be on the bed if you allowed it.  She can’t jump quite that high though, so you’d have to help her up!  She doesn’t require a crate, but will go in if there is a treat involved, and doesn’t make a peep until you let her out.

She is completely housetrained, but doesn’t ask to go out – she probably had no one that would listen to her!  You just have to let her out a few times a day, and she’ll hold it until you do.

Lucy doesn’t require much exercise, so a short walk a day would be perfect for her.  She’s been to the dog park, and is great off leash.  She’s the type of dog that will follow you to get the mail or take out the garbage, but wouldn’t dare venture off alone.  The leash is a new thing for her, but she has no interest in running ahead, so she’s easy to walk on leash.

Although she is near perfect, her past shines through in her fear of men.  She is extremely friendly and affectionate around women, but prefers to avoid men if at all possible.  In fact, she may nip if they approach too quickly.  She doesn’t mean to hurt them, she just wants to keep them away.  We think that she will warm up to men eventually, but it will take time and patience.  We also think she would be best in a no-kids home, as she seems to do best in a quiet, laid back home.

Overall, Lucy is pretty darn adorable and has a cute, spunky personality.  We are excited for her to begin this new chapter in her life – a loving home and lots of attention!  She’s been waiting for this for a long time!

Nilo {Dalmatian}

Well, after a few months of waiting and lots of concerned emails back and forth, Nilo has finally arrived!  Our volunteers travelled into the wee hours of the night to bring him home from the airport earlier this week.

It’s been a long journey for Nilo.  Against all odds, he has shown tremendous strength and spirit.  Nilo came to us from the same organization as Taco (now Tango) in Cuba – APAC Varadero.  He was found starving to death on the street, half the weight he should have been, with his neck sliced wide open by someone with a machete.  It’s hard to believe.  We will save you the details, but you can learn more about Nilo’s story on the APAC Varadero facebook page where they have posted some albums of his progress (there are graphic images – be warned!).  He was in the hands of a great vet and amazed everyone with his recovery.  He is now a healthy weight and the scar is nearly invisible – it’s nothing short of remarkable.

Here he is all bandaged up and getting some loves from Ingrid, his wonderful caregiver in Varadero.  It shows how small he is, much smaller than you’d think – around 40 lbs.

Nilo was supposed to travel back to Canada in December but believe it or not, he was diagnosed with cancer right before he came.  His tumor was removed and he soldiered through 4 weeks of chemotherapy, but you’d never know it!  Luckily the cancer was very treatable and the tumor is gone.  He is looking healthy as ever and is a happy, energetic busy guy.

Here’s the thing about Nilo – he doesn’t need your pity.  He is strong and confident, boisterous and willful.  What he needs is a family who is committed to teaching and training him, focusing his energy and smarts and giving him a loving and stable home to live out the rest of his days.  He’s just a young guy (maybe around 2 years old?) so we are confident he’s got lots of those left.  Couch potato, he’s not!  His new home had better be prepared for lots of exercise and playtime.

What we know about him so far:

- He’s housetrained, but doesn’t know how to ask to go outside.  And he may, or may not, have had a small tendency to mark when he first arrived…

- Obedience class is a must.  He is excitable and needs to learn how to redirect his focus to appropriate behavior.  Manners will be a work in progress with this happy boy.

- He knows his name, can sit and down, and loves to play with toys and other dogs.  He graciously ignores the cats.

- He is so sweet and friendly – loves every person he meets.

- He will need to learn some real-life skills, ie. kitchen counters are not for jumping on!  Our friends in Cuba did an amazing job with him, but life in Canada is a little bit different.

- Training should be successful as this boy is totally food motivated!  He is eager to learn and catches on quickly.

He’s had the best medical care available, is neutered, up to date on vaccinations and is officially looking for a Canadian family of his own.  Dalmatians are a unique and attractive breed, and we know there will be lots of interest in Nilo.  We will be carefully screening applications, looking for an experienced and dog saavy home who understands the breed and Nilo’s high energy level.  Dalmatians were bred to run with horse-drawn carriages and as a result, have a vast amount of energy and enormous stamina. We encourage you to do your research on Dalmatians! http://www.dalmatianclubofcanada.ca/

In the meantime, Nilo is wishing for the perfect family!

Wondering why we occasionally help the dogs in Cuba?  You can read our thoughts here

Andy Update – Adoption Pending

While still shy and timid, Andy is starting to come out of his shell.

He took cookies from me within minutes of my arrival and was relaxed enough to play in the yard with his foster siblings while I was there. It was a huge change from the last time we met when he glared at me from across the yard and counted down the minutes until I left.

His foster family says he likes to chew and is very good about sticking to appropriate items. He has tested a few power cords but is easily redirected.

He also LOVES cats and LOVES playing with them.

He is house trained, but you still have to make sure to let him outside frequently because he doesn’t know to tell you yet that he has to go.

He definitely prefers the company of small dogs and can get a little fearful if big dogs get in his space before he is ready. He is still pretty skittish with sudden movements, sudden noises and if you reach to pick him up unexpectedly. He would NOT be good with children because of this. For whatever reason, he is also quite fearful of men. He isn’t even fully comfortable with his foster dad yet and he is fearful of every man he meets.

Andy needs a family who is extremely patient, understanding and will give him the time to grow into the sweet little dog that he can be. Despite his shyness and fear, he has no trouble tugging at the heartstrings of everyone he meets.

Oh and just one more heads up… If you don’t keep an eye on your treats, he may just try and sneak off with the bag.

Hunter {Lab x Pitbull cross}

We’ve only had Hunter for less than a week, but we are already seeing drastic changes.  When Hunter first came to us, he wouldn’t even come in the house. He
had never been in a house, so we had to coach him in and down the stairs.
Now, he has no problems coming in the house as well as making himself at home.

Hunter may look like a big boy, but he is still a puppy. He loves to chew on squeeky toys and bones and far he hasn’t chewed on anything in the house that he shouldn’t (fingers crossed it stays that way!). He can be very hyper and excited at times (like when people come to visit him), but calms down within minutes.

Amazingly enough for a dog that had never been in a house, Hunter is house trained! He hasn’t had any accidents in the house and will cry to be let outside when he needs to go.  He is also great in the car. He just sits nicely in the back seat and watches the world go by out the window.

Hunter gets along great with other dogs and people.  We haven’t kid or cat tested him yet though.  We don’t anticipate a problem with kids (although his rambunctious moments may be a bit much for some kids) but how he’ll be with cats is anybody’s guess at this point.

Hunter is a very happy guy who always has a smile on his face!  He’d love to put a smile on yours too.  Send us an email if you’d like to meet this goofy, loveable guy.

Caeser {Maltese} – Adopted

Caesar is an 11 month old playful and energetic male maltese who was surrendered to us as his previous owners did not have time for him. He is still a typical puppy and likes to play with toys, chew on bones, go for walks and relax on the couch.

He is working hard on housetraining and leash manners and will be a pro in no time! He is great with dogs of all sizes – his foster sister is a Mastiff and they play for hours. He is awesome with little kids and is currently being fostered in a home with a 7 and 1 year old. He would love nothing more than the chance to crawl into the one year old’s crib every morning for an early morning snuggle. He is a little shy when he first meets people but quickly warms up after some fun and cookies. He will chase cats but only because he wants to play with them, not because he wants to hurt them.

He also likes to play with toys and will even fetch (if you consider fetch to be running to get the toy, playing with it and dropping it about 10 times on his way back and eventually abandoning it in the field when his little puppy brain gets sidetracked by something else).

Caesars ideal home would be one that is willing to continue work on socializing him with new people, have another dog for him to play with and let him snuggle on the bed at night.

If Caesar sounds like Mr Right to you, contact us and we’ll set you up on a date!

Ava {Black Lab}

Ava is a young, sweet, energetic black lab.

She is a high energy dog who loves to play and run. Like any retriever worth their salt, Ava loves to fetch and will keep playing as long as you will.

She knows quite a few basic obedience commands including sit, down, stay and drop it.  She is also pretty good at coming at called but can get a little bratty if she knows that the free time at the park is about to end, and the leash is about to be reattached.  ;)

She is good in her crate, and doesn’t get on the furniture without permission.  If you do let her on the couch, she just snuggles up next to you and settles down.

Ava is very much a typical happy-go-lucky lab. When she is happy she wags her tail so hard she is likely to break something and has been known to clear the coffee table in one clean sweep!

Koji – Adopted

Koji is a 4 year old Boston Terrier/Pug cross.

Koji is a good, easy dog to have around. He is very well trained and knows lots of tricks and is quite obedient. He is crate trained and is used to sleeping in a crate as well as being in one when no one is home.

Koji likes other dogs and has been having a blast with his foster brother. He is also good with kids. He can be a little shy and will probably bark at you when you first meet him but a few cookies and a quick game of fetch will prove to him you aren’t as scary as he first thought.

Koji is a really fun dog that loves to play but he also loves to snuggle. He is pretty happy to do whatever you want to do.

If you’d like to meet Koji, drop us a line! We know he wants to meet you.