Meet: Gracie an Ontarian Outlaw

In 2005 the Ontario legislature passed Bill 132 effectively banning Pit Bull breeds from the province.

Essentially, Bill132 was enacted in the hopes of permanently eliminating Pit Bull breeds from all of Ontario. And if it goes unchallenged, that could be a likely result. Pit Bulls are no longer allowed to be breed or imported. Any Pit Bulls that were not registered before Bill 132 was enacted are subject to seizure and destruction. Anything resembling a Pit Bull in shelters is immediately killed.

Bill 132 was heavily pushed by Attorney General Michael Bryant who capitalized on a high profile dog attack to create a frenzied hysteria around Pit Bulls. Calling all Pit Bulls "four-legged assault weapons" Bryant moved the focus of dog attacks from irresponsible and dangerous owners to a specific breed.

Bill 132 was passed out of ignorance and fear. And its results are deadly. Gracie was just barely rescued from an Animal Control facility where she was scheduled to be killed because she was an unregistered, and thus illegal, Pit Bull.

Bill 132 will be a failure because it is an attempt to protect the public from dangerous dogs that doesn't even take into consideration the temperament, history or disposition of an individual dog. Rather it judges a dog singularly on its physical features, on its physical Pit Bull-ness.

And Gracie looks very much like a Pit Bull because she is, in fact, a Pit Bull. But, she isn't what the Attorney General or the Ontario legislature would lead you to believe. She isn't vicious, unpredictable, or dangerous.

Rather, like every other Pit Bull I've fostered, she is incredibly loving and affectionate. She is all smiles and butt wiggles. She loves to rest her head on your lap and stare up at you. She's well mannered in the house, hasn't destroyed a thing, likes to chill in her crate and is so smart with her new obedience lessons!

She lives peacefully with Angelina and Viper. Though she is scared of Viper and Angie seems to think we brought Gracie home to be her new play toy! They love to run, romp and wrestle with each other at the park. And Angie has already taught Gracie her super stealth sneak-up-on-the-bed-while-they're-sleeping moves, so there is even less room on the bed when I wake up in the mornings.

Gracie has a very calm presence, but she has a sadness to her as well. She doesn't understand toys or playing. She's head shy and cowers when you raise your hand to pet her. She's scared of loud voices. But, we're glad she's here with us where we can shower her in toys, bones and treats, desensitize her to touch and provide a stable and secure home for her.

Gracie is looking for her loving forever home. Check out her Petfinder profile and contact Sophie if you're interested in showing Gracie the good life outside of Ontario!

The Name Game

A lot of times we have to name the dogs that come into our rescue.

Sometimes it's because they don't have a name, sometimes they don't respond to the name they were given, sometimes when they've been abused we worry that they have bad associations with their previous name and, to be honest, on occasion the names they come with are just terrible.

But, our collective creative juices have been running low lately and it would be nice to have a stash of names to choose from when a dog ends up at our door.

We need your help!

Help us come up with original names for our rescues! Tell us your favorite dog names and what kind of dog you imagine with that name! What about your own companion animal? How did you choose their name? Was it a name you've always loved or did your pet's personality dictate its name?

Azalee pictured above was adopted today and given a new name... Maggie! It fits her don't you think?

Meet: Three Puppymill Victims

These three babies were rescued from a puppymill by Rosie's Animal Adoption, a Montreal grassroots rescue group.

As a result of inbreeding these puppies were all born with severe and dangerous genetic defects. In order to keep costs low and profits high, puppymills and backyard breeders mate parents with offspring and siblings with siblings, with disastrous health results.

Because of the extent of their health problems the rescue and veterinarians decided a humane option would be to euthanize the puppies. As the rescue said, "no animal should be brought into this world in such a horrible state that euthanasia be his or her best option".

Read the tragedy of these three Golden angels at here.

Please never buy an animal online, from a pet store or person claiming to be a breeder. Spread the word about puppymills and backyard breeders. And remember these three puppies, who were born into the world as prisoners of greed and ultimately died for the dollar.

Meet: Angelina of the Terrible Teens

I was tempted to post all the adorable pictures of Angelina I could find and leave it at that. But, I fear that such high levels of cuteness could be seriously detrimental to humans.

So, instead of just oogling little Miss Angie in a dreamlike trance, as I'm apt to do, I'll share some of my experiences with adolescent rescue dogs.

Angie was 9 months old when she was dumped. She was at the beginning of her adolescent phase, which in dogs is from around 8 months to when they reach a little over a year.

And just like human teenagers, doggy teenagers can be a nightmare! They are stubborn, defiant, and enjoy not only testing boundaries, but seeing you pull out your hair when they do! They are in this totally awkward growth period where their antics aren't as easily excused because of their sweet puppy faces. And all of a sudden these teenagers have needs they didn't seem to have before. They need lots of exercise, attention, and consistent training.

So, when people get a puppy and they survive the months of housetraining, teething, puppy destruction and crate training, they expect to finally have a harmonious and easy life with their dog. And for about a month they do. Then their dogs become teenagers and the obedience training is out the window, the garbage is spread all over the house, and the humans are easily frustrated.

A lot of times, they dump their dogs, seeing them as hopeless causes, perpetual pains-in-the-ass. In fact, this is the most common age for a dog to end up at a shelter or a rescue.

But, the reality is, just like the peeing-all-over-the-house stage of puppyhood, this defiant and stubborn stage is just a phase that will pass. And when people consistently reward their dog for the behaviours they want (lying in their bed, calmly asking for attention, politely playing) and ignore the other hair-pulling, teeth gritting behaviours the dog will grow up into a well rounded and well behaved companion.

So if your dog is a teenager, or getting there, be prepared to hide your shoes and socks, lock the garbage cabinet, and spend a lot of time outside exercising. Oh and you might want to brush up on your deep breathing!

You and your dog will get through this. I promise! And when you do you'll have that balanced, harmonious and rewarding relationship you hoped for. Consistent training, keeping your cool when your dog does something you see as naughty, and keeping your dog mentally and physically exercised are key.

So count to five, take a deep breath and work on keeping your relationship with your dog a loving and strong one.

Enjoy your dog for everything she is right now, because you might even miss her crazy antics when she grows out of them. Oh, and be thankful your dog isn't a human- you'll only have to deal with this for a couple months instead of a couple YEARS!

This post is a big shout-out to my mom and dad, who unfortunately decided to have a me instead of a dog and had to suffer through many years of door slamming, screaming fights, sneaking out and all those other lovely typical teenager behaviours. Admit it, you miss it a little....kidding!

Welcome to the foster family!

Yikes! After a brief lull in activity at Sophie's Dog Adoption, it looks like we're back to the usual manic-dog-rescue-state. We've had some serious medical emergencies, dogs in need of immediate rescue and placement, a rescue trip to Ontario, all the regular vet appointments, food deliveries, foster shuffling and incoming inquiries, plus the Jolie-Pitt puppies went to their new foster homes!

Brad's bachelor pad.

I was really apprehensive about dropping the puppies off with their new fosters. I envisioned watery puppy eyes begging me not to leave them, little cries of abandonment and clinging claws. Wow, I couldn't have been more off base! Once the puppies saw the houses full of people to play and cuddle them they were totally like, uhhh yeah, see ya later whats-your-name. I couldn't be happier knowing that they are getting individual attention, love, training and play time in their great new foster homes!

Shiloh our superstar rocking out with her new foster family

All of the puppy's foster homes are new to Sophie's Dog Adoption, so I want to give them a HUGE welcome and THANK YOU! You guys totally rock!

Baby Z with her crew. Ummm.... swoon!

We are always in need of foster homes! Without our amazing and generous volunteer fosters we couldn't save a single dog, much less over a hundred annually. Each home is a saved life. So please get in contact with us if you want to help a rescue pup! You'll be rewarded with that special kind of love only a saved dog can give.

These wonderful guys are all still in need of foster homes:

Check Sophie's Dog Adoption or Our Petfinder Page for contact information!

Happy Tails: Sierra

Petfinder is the main tool we use for advertising dogs, so it was very cool to log on today and see one of our success stories on the home page!

Sierra was one of our underdogs who stuck it out with us for an entire year, but she is proof that there is a great home out there for every dog.

Thanks to Sierra's adopter Maxime for sending in his Happy Tail!

Go check out our cover girl for yourself! And while you're there feel free to browse the over 260,000 rescue animals looking for their very own happy tails.

Meet: A Rockstar & A Colorful Candy

OZZY

Ozzy came to us skittish, timid and visibly afraid. He was very head and hand shy, obviously the result of physical abuse. After a couple of days at Sophie's Dog Adoption he is the fun loving, curious and cuddly 10 month old he should be!

A true rockstar this little Pekingese/Chihuahua mix!

SKITTLES

Another youngin', Skittles was found dumped by the side of a busy road. This trusting, loving and affectionate 1 year old Schnauzer/Poodle mix was no match for speeding traffic. Luckily someone spotted him and now he's with Sophie's.

Just like Ozzy, Skittles is relaxing, decompressing and starting to overwrite memories of abuse and neglect with more recent memories of the walks around the park, cuddling and meeting friendly new faces!

Welcome Ozzy and Skittles!

Let the fun begin!

Our Underdogs!

Meet Sophie's Next Top Models!

Yesterday, Erika and I brought two of our Lebanese pooches to spend some time in front of the camera with Jaime and Fern.

Fern writes an article in the The Westmount Independent called "The Underdogs", where hard-to-place pets from a variety of shelters and rescues in Montreal are given a chance at the limelight.

Each article tells a little bit about the dog and their history and is accompanied by a beautiful picture. Jaime takes all of the pictures (email her to get your own pooch in front of the camera!)

The newspaper has a crazy circulation, something like 10,000 people get a copy each week! So it is great exposure for our dogs.

Jaime and Fern are totally rad! They are such caring and kind people who do amazing work for the rescue dogs who really are the worst off.

Yendi, a senior dog, has already been placed in an amazing home thanks to these beautiful pictures!

Puppies and goofy Labs are relatively easy to place, people are ready to welcome them into their lives. But, for the breeds that are discriminated against, dogs with disabilities, seniors, dog who have behavioural issues as a result of abuse and dogs who need ongoing medical care, finding great homes can be harder.

Harley, a deaf English Bulldog has found her forever home!

Jaime and Fern are helping to make it that much easier!

Sunny

Loving, affectionate, loyal, charming and perfectly well-behaved. The only thing he loves as much as people is chasing squirrels in the park!

Bodi

Adorable, cuddly, well behaved, inquisitive and spunky. Bodi is loving his new dog friends and human friends, oh and exploring the city!Freckles

So cute, gentle, and curious. She loves exploring in the woods all by herself and making humans laugh out loud with her funny expressions and actions! Oh, and she'll jump in the air for a piece of her favorite vegan cake!

If you're interested in having beautiful pictures of your own canine companions taken contact Jaime. Erika and Mylo had their"family photos" taken with Jaime and they are amazing! Erika is sending them out as Christmas cards! I hope I'm on her mailing list!

Meet: Milou the Minature Poodle!

Meet Milou! He's a dignified, mature and delightfully inquisitive little man.

And he was very nearly put down.

Milou was rescued from a local kill shelter. We were given mere hours to arrange for his survival. Otherwise, they were sorry, but "it would be too late".

Apparently Milou was dumped at the kill shelter by his owners for unstated reasons and subsequently failed the very fickle 'adoptability evaluation'.

At kill shelters all dogs are given an evaluation upon arrival. Dogs are screened for 'unadoptable personality traits' and are given a series of tests. The dog is rated from 1 to 10 on each test and the scores of each test are added up.

Based on this score it is decided whether a dog should live or die.

The test seems designed to make it easy for dogs to end up dead. It is highly subjective. It is unrealistic in terms of both the environment it is given in and the set up of each test. And the 1 to 10 rating system means you're damned if you do and damned if you don't.

In a typical test, a dog has just been brought into the facility. She has lost her familiar surroundings, humans and stability. She is in a concrete warehouse that is loud and filthy. She is housed in close proximity to unknown dogs, who she is unable to see or socialize with. She is only taken out of her very small cage once a day so that it can be hosed down. She doesn't know if it's night or day; there is no natural light and the artificial lights are kept on 24 hours.

Then, one day, she's taken out and brought to a room with a strange human. The human is acting extremely. She's sticking plastic hands in the dog's face and food. Poking her in the body. Shouting at her. Then the human flips completely and starts baby talking her and gently petting her. Then just as quickly she starts pulling on the dog's ears and tail. Throwing toys in her face and pretend crying. All in less than 10 minutes, then it is done.

How would your dog react to this stressful situation?

How would you react to this?

Would you be your normal self?

The test sets a dog up for failure and doesn't give an accurate picture of a dog's temperament and personality. The exact thing the test was set up to do.

So Milou failed the test, like the majority of the dogs do.

But luckily he passed the Sophie's Dog adoption evaluation:

Is he a dog: check!

Is he abandoned, homeless or unwanted: check!

Does he deserve a second chance? Of course! They all do!

Milou is in fact a great dog. He knows all of the french commands, even "dance"! He is quiet and clean in the house. He likes other dogs. Walks very well on the leash. And is an amazing companion.

He greets you at the door and couldn't be happier to see you! He is content and dreamy while sleeping by your side or on your lap. And he'll walk loyally by your side for the rest of your life.

Milou has suffered abuse and is being gently desensitized so that he isn't afraid to let go of his resources or perceived comfort.

He's doing so great and is becoming more and more comfortable with his new life.

Thank goodness he got this second chance.

Meet: Three Death-Row Pardons!

At Sophie's Dog Adoption we rescue dogs from a variety of situations. Many come to us as forfeits, abandoned by the families they have loved and lived with for years.

Some are found as strays, wandering city streets, usually emaciated, extremely dirty and infested with fleas.

And others are taken off of death-row.

Yesterday Sophie got a call from her contact at a kill shelter about 2 dogs slated for destruction.

Neither had behavioural issues or severe health issues and, in fact, both had passed the adoption evaluation with flying colors. Still, these perfectably adoptable dogs were going to be killed.

The reason they were going to die: one has an ear infection and the other has a small rash on his rear leg. Both of these are easily treatable conditions that won't cost more than $25 to cure.

It's hard to imagine having so little value for life. An ear infection- kill the dog. A rash- kill the dog. Nervous- kill the dog. Doesn't want to play- kill the dog. Over the age of 7- kill the dog.

And while we can't ever save all the dogs that are on death row, hell we can hardly make a dent in the number that will die this week, today we welcomed three new friends into the rescue and out of harms way.

YOGI

Yogi is two year old Bernese Mountain Dog/Golden Retriever mix.

He's lively, playful and likes to think he's a little lapdog.

We spent some time running after tennis balls together...

but then Yogi thought it'd be more fun if I gave him a bellyrub!

KAHLUA

Kahlua is a nine-month old Shepherd/Lab mix. As a puppy, he was adopted out from the shelter. The he came back. He'd already been there a month before we got him, so he's spent a lot of his life behind the shelter bars.

Now he's ready for the good life- outdoor smells and sounds, playing and wrestling with new dog friends and the comfort of sleeping in a home and not on a feces covered concrete floor.

LEXISLexis, a 7 year old Pomeranian, was a last minute rescue. Sophie's shelter contact pointed her out as we were leaving. She had been up for adoption, but was scheduled to be killed because she hadn't been chosen fast enough.

When we got her to the car she was so timid and afraid she was shaking, but when the boys went in to see the vet she started climbing all around the car, exploring everywhere, searching for treats and jumping up to the look out the windows!

It's amazing how quickly dogs pick up on their new found safety and come out of their shells.

So we went with the intention of rescuing one dog and instead busted out of there with three! As thrilled as I am that we helped who we could, my heart stays with those we couldn't.

The needless deaths will continue on tomorrow and next week and for the rest of the year. Millions will die every year until we start taking responsibility for pet populations and sterilizing all companion animals.

Because most dogs born this year will end up here. With no one to rescue them.

I'm so sorry.

Meet: The Jolie-Pitt Puppies!

Meet the six little dudes we've been fostering for the last six weeks! Scott was here from the moment of their birth and I really hope he gets an opportunity to share his experiences. I know there were about three weeks of no-sleep before I even got into town. Can you imagine?!

And while now they sleep through the night, they still cause plenty of other trouble now that they're up and able to run, climb, chew and bark. They keep us on our toes, to say the least!

The puppies were born to Angelina, a petite Pit Bull mix who is very affectionate, incredibly bright, a super athlete and a total cuddlebug!

We don't know what the male was, and we won't have a better idea until the puppies are around 5 months and start growing out of their generic puppy faces and bodies.

Either way they have a mother with a wonderful disposition and temperament!

Oh and they're named after Angelina Jolie-Pitt's kids. Scott always wanted to name a Pit Bull "Brad". Brad Pit. So with a mommy named Angelina it seemed a natural progression. Plus, they already did the hard work of coming up with original names!

The puppies are on our petfinder site now (http://www.sophie.petfinder.com/) and will be ready to be adopted when they are 8 weeks old.

So without much further ado, I'm pleased to introduce the little devils that keep our house full of lively energy, laughter and moments of utter awe! Oh, and poop. They keep our house full of lots and lots of poop.

Shiloh

Shiloh is pretty much the cutest puppy ever. And I'm completely unbiased, so you can trust me on this one. She was born all white and now she has fawn eye patches and patterning on her back. She's a quick learner like her momma. Scott has even started basic training with her! Yeah, she's good looking and smart. Some girls have all the luck...

ZaharaShe is such a doll! She's a curious and clever kitty who always seems to wriggle herself through any barrier, no matter how sound, to get to the human on the other side. Then she's content to sit on your lap and chew anything dangling from your person! Oh and her puppy eyes, boy does she flaunt them!

PaxI know you're not supposed to have favorites, but I'll be honest Pax is totally my homeboy. We're pretty much inseparable. Sometimes when he sneaks out of the puppy room, I pretend I don't notice, and then I start running back and forth in the apartment while he chases me! He's totally loving and affectionate like his momma, plus he's got this wild, adventurous, have-no-fear side. Oh and when he eats his belly gets fat and I call him Pax the Pumpkin. Sigh.

Maddox Maddox is the little baby of the bunch. She's so loving and cuddly. I sense she's going to be very human oriented and get a lot of joy from being close to her human companion. She's the quietest of the bunch as she searches out our dirty socks to give us as gifts! How thoughtful! She likes to climb all the way up your shirt to give you kisses. I've yet to meet someone who can resist her and her subdued antics!

Brad Pitt Brad Pitt is a stud. He's so fun and outgoing and adventurous. He was the first to crawl then walk then run and now climb. He leads the rest of the pack into the new and unknown parts of the house. He's usually the first to poop there too. Like I said, trail blazer. He's going to be a very entertaining and engaging young man when he grows up.

Jennifer AnistonYeah, so maybe you were wondering what we were going to call the last puppy since Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt only have four kids. Well, officially, we're calling her Angelina, as in Angelina Junior. But one day I jokingly said we should name her Jennifer Aniston and it stuck! Plus, our vet tech laughed so hard and said "Oh my god that's so cruel!" so that pretty much sealed the deal. Heck, I love this puppy so much, maybe it will even rub off on the real Jennifer Aniston, who I've vehemently been opposed to since, well, since forever.

This Jennifer Aniston is outgoing and a total goof. She's Brad Pitt's female counterpart. They rule the roost together!

So those are the Pitts! Stay tuned for more adventures with our celebrity house crashers!