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**IF THIS LISTING IS STILL POSTED THIS DOG IS STILL AVAILABLE FOR ADOPTION. NO NEED TO EMAIL ASKING IF THE DOG IS AVAILABLE. PLEASE READ THROUGH THIS BIO THOROUGHLY AS INFORMATION ON HOW TO APPLY IS CONTAINED IN THIS LISTING**
Please read our dog bios carefully to be sure that the dog you are applying for suits your family and lifestyle. At Pound Dog Rescue, we believe in the benefits of post-adoption training for our dogs and their families. This allows for continued socialization, and learning and helps to create a well-mannered and balanced dog. Post-adoption training is a requirement in our adoption process.
Yvette is an absolutely beautiful 4 year old cocker spaniel who is about 30 pounds and has curly strawberry blonde hair. Yvette’s adorable looks are matched by her wonderfully loving and affectionate nature. Yvette has a wiggly little nub of a tail that swishes back and forth with such speed it is impressive. Yvette is a very sweet dog who loves getting head rubs, rolling in the backyard, and being close by her favourite humans!
During Yvette’s first 4 years of her life, she was used for profit as a breeding dog and was not given the attention or affection she so craves. Due to the neglect and abuse she has faced she is a bit skittish and she sometimes retreats from overwhelming situations. Yvette gets a little nervous around loud and sudden noises. But this absolute sweetheart of a dog is ready to move forward and find her forever family and truly thrive!
Yvette is such a loving and sweet girl who adores gentle people, kindness, and affection. Yvette has enough energy to play in the yard and go for walks, but also settles and relaxes well inside the home. During the day when her foster mum works from home she finds her way to her bed and will stay stationed there until it’s time to get up. If she’s not on her bed, Yvette is a snuggler who likes to have head pets and put her fluffy front paws on you while you make a fuss of her.
Yvette is housetrained and learned how to do her business outside so quickly! Yvette holds her bladder easily overnight and up to 6 hours during the day. She has never had an accident in our home and learned to signal to take herself outside to the yard within days of her arrival. She loves being able to run out into our backyard by herself and will go out to patrol for birds and roll in the grass often! In fact, being outside in the yard might just be her favourite thing other than being curled up next to her humans. She loves everything about being outside and will often take herself out and hop up on our patio couch and just enjoy the fresh air! Yvette does like walks, but she is happiest running around her private fully fenced backyard, and her ideal forever home will have one as well.
Yvette likes to wake the whole family up with the sun rise to start her day. She’s just excited and wants to show us how fast her tail can wiggle and get a few ear scritches. She starts her mornings by bounding down the stairs and running right to be backdoor to ask to go outside. She waits patiently with her whole bottom half wiggling while we open the door. She runs outside and rolls in the grass with joy and goes to the bathroom before coming back in for breakfast.
Yvette really enjoys her walks, and sometimes her cocker spaniel nose does get carried away and she pulls a bit. When she starts pulling we check in with her and say “wait” she does calm down… until another good smell catches her nose! She isn’t too forceful with the pulling, she just likes a quicker paced walk rather than a slow sniffari adventure. Yvette does get frightened by loud noise and traffic at times and she is walked on a secure martingale collar for her comfort and safety.
Yvette has 2 foster dog siblings in her home and gets along very well with them! In fact, our resident dog decided on day one that Yvette was a good friend and they’ve been buds ever since. Occasionally, Yvette can be a bit of a bulldozer to her foster siblings when she does not mean to be. She just likes to be part of the action in her foster home! In her ideal adoptive home she could either be the only dog, or would happily have a friendly dog around her size for companionship. Though Yvette can be a bit clumsy around other dogs, she does listen to her foster siblings requests for space and will leave her dog friends alone when needed. She also reads her dog siblings personalities well, and learned that her senior blind sibling likes more space than her younger, more playful foster sibling.
Yvette is an observant girl. Often, she hangs back and watches what is going on in the home and then participates once she knows what is expected of her. She quickly learned what dog bed was meant for her, how to ask to be let outside, and how to get up and down the stairs by herself! She is happy go lucky but her brain is constantly evaluating the situations she’s in to figure out how she should behave!
Yvette has not been cat tested but would likely do fine with a dog savvy cat in the home. Yvette loves to play chase, so a cat who runs from her would be exciting and she would likely annoy a feline companion who isn’t interested in dog company! But with her good nature she’d be happy to have more family members regardless of species.
As Yvette is still skittish due to her past life, and gets frightened in some new situations and with loud noises. She would do best if everyone in her forever home was at least teenaged. Yvette is friendly but loud noises and people coming on too strong can be scary for her. It’s crucial that everyone in her forever home knows that she is a flight risk when frightened so they must remember to keep gates and doors closed, and to never have her in an open space without a secure leash attached to a properly fitted martingale collar. In general Yvette loves people, but she does like to be the one who approaches. She gravitates to her foster mum more than her foster dad but does love him, especially when he’s providing head rubs. A home slightly on the quieter side would be ideal for this girl as she adapts to being a part of a loving family!
Regarding home type, Yvette does struggle with separation anxiety and can be a barker when left alone. A detached home would be best for her so you don’t get any noise complaints. Yvette would rather be in a more rural area as busy traffic can be a bit overwhelming for her and interrupts her walks! She doesn’t need to be in the middle of nowhere, but a downtown core would be too much for her. Overnight Yvette sleeps in her crate happily, and hangs out in it when her foster family is home. When left alone she does struggle and barks and barks. Unfortunately, Yvette cannot be left with blankets in her crate as she has chewed the blankets up when she’s panicked and has previously eaten some fabric. It takes her time but she settles on and off and does not try to break free. She would definitely love a home with someone who is retired, works from home, or any home with someone around most of the day. This isn’t to say you’ll never be able to leave your house again, she is fine when we leave, she just really wants to be with people more often than not.
Yvette travels well in the car. She does try to climb into passengers laps so we do seatbelt her in for her safety and security! Yvette just loves to be included in everything! She is a sweet girl who would like to be an active participant in her adoptive family’s lives! Sometimes when she arrives at her destination she does get a bit overwhelmed but with encouragement and patience she will start exploring!
Yvette came into rescue a bit of yeast overgrowth in both her ears, mats in her fur, and she needed to be spayed! Her ears have been treated, but will need ongoing maintenance due to her big, floppy, cocker spaniel ears. Yvette is a smaller dog who faced a great deal of neglect in her diet and care and she will need a dental surgery at some point in the next year. As this is not an emergency situation, we are adopting Yvette out knowing this in order to get her settled into her forever home before she has to go through this surgery.
Yvette’s is a lovely and sweet dog. Even if you just make eye contact with her, little tail nub starts wiggling with so much love and joy. We often tell her “Yvette you are absolutely precious” and that gets her tail wiggling and it’s almost like she understands what we are saying. Her ideal family is one that never holds back any love and always treats her kindly! She loves gentle encouragement and being fussed over. Yvette is ready to find the forever home she’s been waiting for!
Name: Yvette
ID # PDR2052
Age: 4yrs
Gender: female
Spayed: yes
UTD vaccines: yes
Breed: Cocker Spaniel
Colours: red
Coat length: med
House trained: yes
Special needs: no
OK with kids: older
OK with cats: yes
Ok with dogs: yes
Status: adoptable
Microchip: yes
Size: medium
Location: Baden
Adoption fee: $700
**IF THIS LISTING IS STILL POSTED THIS DOG IS STILL AVAILABLE FOR ADOPTION. NO NEED TO EMAIL ASKING IF THE DOG IS AVAILABLE. PLEASE READ THROUGH THIS BIO THOROUGHLY AS INFORMATION ON HOW TO APPLY IS CONTAINED IN THIS LISTING**
Please read our dog bios carefully to be sure that the dog you are applying for suits your family and lifestyle. At Pound Dog Rescue, we believe in the benefits of post-adoption training for our dogs and their families. This allows for continued socialization, and learning and helps to create a well-mannered and balanced dog. Post-adoption training is a requirement in our adoption process.
Yvette is an absolutely beautiful 4 year old cocker spaniel who is about 30 pounds and has curly strawberry blonde hair. Yvette’s adorable looks are matched by her wonderfully loving and affectionate nature. Yvette has a wiggly little nub of a tail that swishes back and forth with such speed it is impressive. Yvette is a very sweet dog who loves getting head rubs, rolling in the backyard, and being close by her favourite humans!
During Yvette’s first 4 years of her life, she was used for profit as a breeding dog and was not given the attention or affection she so craves. Due to the neglect and abuse she has faced she is a bit skittish and she sometimes retreats from overwhelming situations. Yvette gets a little nervous around loud and sudden noises. But this absolute sweetheart of a dog is ready to move forward and find her forever family and truly thrive!
Yvette is such a loving and sweet girl who adores gentle people, kindness, and affection. Yvette has enough energy to play in the yard and go for walks, but also settles and relaxes well inside the home. During the day when her foster mum works from home she finds her way to her bed and will stay stationed there until it’s time to get up. If she’s not on her bed, Yvette is a snuggler who likes to have head pets and put her fluffy front paws on you while you make a fuss of her.
Yvette is housetrained and learned how to do her business outside so quickly! Yvette holds her bladder easily overnight and up to 6 hours during the day. She has never had an accident in our home and learned to signal to take herself outside to the yard within days of her arrival. She loves being able to run out into our backyard by herself and will go out to patrol for birds and roll in the grass often! In fact, being outside in the yard might just be her favourite thing other than being curled up next to her humans. She loves everything about being outside and will often take herself out and hop up on our patio couch and just enjoy the fresh air! Yvette does like walks, but she is happiest running around her private fully fenced backyard, and her ideal forever home will have one as well.
Yvette likes to wake the whole family up with the sun rise to start her day. She’s just excited and wants to show us how fast her tail can wiggle and get a few ear scritches. She starts her mornings by bounding down the stairs and running right to be backdoor to ask to go outside. She waits patiently with her whole bottom half wiggling while we open the door. She runs outside and rolls in the grass with joy and goes to the bathroom before coming back in for breakfast.
Yvette really enjoys her walks, and sometimes her cocker spaniel nose does get carried away and she pulls a bit. When she starts pulling we check in with her and say “wait” she does calm down… until another good smell catches her nose! She isn’t too forceful with the pulling, she just likes a quicker paced walk rather than a slow sniffari adventure. Yvette does get frightened by loud noise and traffic at times and she is walked on a secure martingale collar for her comfort and safety.
Yvette has 2 foster dog siblings in her home and gets along very well with them! In fact, our resident dog decided on day one that Yvette was a good friend and they’ve been buds ever since. Occasionally, Yvette can be a bit of a bulldozer to her foster siblings when she does not mean to be. She just likes to be part of the action in her foster home! In her ideal adoptive home she could either be the only dog, or would happily have a friendly dog around her size for companionship. Though Yvette can be a bit clumsy around other dogs, she does listen to her foster siblings requests for space and will leave her dog friends alone when needed. She also reads her dog siblings personalities well, and learned that her senior blind sibling likes more space than her younger, more playful foster sibling.
Yvette is an observant girl. Often, she hangs back and watches what is going on in the home and then participates once she knows what is expected of her. She quickly learned what dog bed was meant for her, how to ask to be let outside, and how to get up and down the stairs by herself! She is happy go lucky but her brain is constantly evaluating the situations she’s in to figure out how she should behave!
Yvette has not been cat tested but would likely do fine with a dog savvy cat in the home. Yvette loves to play chase, so a cat who runs from her would be exciting and she would likely annoy a feline companion who isn’t interested in dog company! But with her good nature she’d be happy to have more family members regardless of species.
As Yvette is still skittish due to her past life, and gets frightened in some new situations and with loud noises. She would do best if everyone in her forever home was at least teenaged. Yvette is friendly but loud noises and people coming on too strong can be scary for her. It’s crucial that everyone in her forever home knows that she is a flight risk when frightened so they must remember to keep gates and doors closed, and to never have her in an open space without a secure leash attached to a properly fitted martingale collar. In general Yvette loves people, but she does like to be the one who approaches. She gravitates to her foster mum more than her foster dad but does love him, especially when he’s providing head rubs. A home slightly on the quieter side would be ideal for this girl as she adapts to being a part of a loving family!
Regarding home type, Yvette does struggle with separation anxiety and can be a barker when left alone. A detached home would be best for her so you don’t get any noise complaints. Yvette would rather be in a more rural area as busy traffic can be a bit overwhelming for her and interrupts her walks! She doesn’t need to be in the middle of nowhere, but a downtown core would be too much for her. Overnight Yvette sleeps in her crate happily, and hangs out in it when her foster family is home. When left alone she does struggle and barks and barks. Unfortunately, Yvette cannot be left with blankets in her crate as she has chewed the blankets up when she’s panicked and has previously eaten some fabric. It takes her time but she settles on and off and does not try to break free. She would definitely love a home with someone who is retired, works from home, or any home with someone around most of the day. This isn’t to say you’ll never be able to leave your house again, she is fine when we leave, she just really wants to be with people more often than not.
Yvette travels well in the car. She does try to climb into passengers laps so we do seatbelt her in for her safety and security! Yvette just loves to be included in everything! She is a sweet girl who would like to be an active participant in her adoptive family’s lives! Sometimes when she arrives at her destination she does get a bit overwhelmed but with encouragement and patience she will start exploring!
Yvette came into rescue a bit of yeast overgrowth in both her ears, mats in her fur, and she needed to be spayed! Her ears have been treated, but will need ongoing maintenance due to her big, floppy, cocker spaniel ears. Yvette is a smaller dog who faced a great deal of neglect in her diet and care and she will need a dental surgery at some point in the next year. As this is not an emergency situation, we are adopting Yvette out knowing this in order to get her settled into her forever home before she has to go through this surgery.
Yvette’s is a lovely and sweet dog. Even if you just make eye contact with her, little tail nub starts wiggling with so much love and joy. We often tell her “Yvette you are absolutely precious” and that gets her tail wiggling and it’s almost like she understands what we are saying. Her ideal family is one that never holds back any love and always treats her kindly! She loves gentle encouragement and being fussed over. Yvette is ready to find the forever home she’s been waiting for!
donations can be mailed directly to address above.
Their adoption process
Additional adoption info
Prior to filling out an application on a dog make sure you have read that dog’s profile in its entirety and do some research on the breed(s) of dog you are considering. Make sure that this dog will suit your home and lifestyle. If you wish to proceed please fill out and submit an application online. Alternatively you may print the completed application and mail it to us. It is also a good idea to send us a quick email letting us know to expect your application. Be very thorough in filling out your application. The more we can learn about your family, home and past pet ownership the better. Also, be honest with yourself. Do not apply for a high energy dog if you are not already a very active person. A dog will enhance your life and be a willing partner in your activities but a dog will not change who you fundamentally are. A perfect match will be a dog that suits your current lifestyle and activity level.
Upon receiving your application an Adoption Coordinator will speak with your veterinarian if applicable so please place a call to your vet advising them to expect our call and authorizing them to speak to us about your veterinary history. The next step is for an Adoption Coordinator to contact you to set up an interview and in home visit. Should everything go well we would ask that you contact your references and advise them to expect a call from us. The final step is a meet and greet with the dog at the foster’s home where you can see the dog in an environment where it is comfortable and at ease. The foster will be able to answer any questions on the dog’s behavior, training and routine and you can make the decision if this is truly the dog for you.
Through this procedure we may determine that the dog you applied for is not a good match and we may make suggestions on dogs in our program that would be a better fit for your home. The decision is yours though and we would never push a dog on anyone. We can also keep your application on file and with your permission contact you when a dog we feel would be suitable for you comes up for adoption.
Should your application prove successful we ask for the adoption donation made payable by cash or e-transfer to Pound Dog Rescue. This fee helps defray the costs of veterinary care, upkeep, grooming and transportation for our dogs and is only a small fraction of the total cost spent on each dog in our rescue program. Once you have adopted a dog through Pound Dog Rescue you become part of our family! We love hearing updates about our dogs and receiving pictures! We will always be there for you for advice and support will do whatever we can to make sure you are happy with your new dog.
We the volunteers of Pound Dog Rescue thank you for considering a Pound Dog to adopt and look forward to hearing from you.
Prior to filling out an application on a dog make sure you have read that dog’s profile in its entirety and do some research on the breed(s) of dog you are considering. Make sure that this dog will suit your home and lifestyle. If you wish to proceed please fill out and submit an application online. Alternatively you may print the completed application and mail it to us. It is also a good idea to send us a quick email letting us know to expect your application. Be very thorough in filling out your application. The more we can learn about your family, home and past pet ownership the better. Also, be honest with yourself. Do not apply for a high energy dog if you are not already a very active person. A dog will enhance your life and be a willing partner in your activities but a dog will not change who you fundamentally are. A perfect match will be a dog that suits your current lifestyle and activity level.
Upon receiving your application an Adoption Coordinator will speak with your veterinarian if applicable so please place a call to your vet advising them to expect our call and authorizing them to speak to us about your veterinary history. The next step is for an Adoption Coordinator to contact you to set up an interview and in home visit. Should everything go well we would ask that you contact your references and advise them to expect a call from us. The final step is a meet and greet with the dog at the foster’s home where you can see the dog in an environment where it is comfortable and at ease. The foster will be able to answer any questions on the dog’s behavior, training and routine and you can make the decision if this is truly the dog for you.
Through this procedure we may determine that the dog you applied for is not a good match and we may make suggestions on dogs in our program that would be a better fit for your home. The decision is yours though and we would never push a dog on anyone. We can also keep your application on file and with your permission contact you when a dog we feel would be suitable for you comes up for adoption.
Should your application prove successful we ask for the adoption donation made payable by cash or e-transfer to Pound Dog Rescue. This fee helps defray the costs of veterinary care, upkeep, grooming and transportation for our dogs and is only a small fraction of the total cost spent on each dog in our rescue program. Once you have adopted a dog through Pound Dog Rescue you become part of our family! We love hearing updates about our dogs and receiving pictures! We will always be there for you for advice and support will do whatever we can to make sure you are happy with your new dog.
We the volunteers of Pound Dog Rescue thank you for considering a Pound Dog to adopt and look forward to hearing from you.
Go meet their pets
All of our dogs are cared for in foster homes, and therefore, not available for general public viewing.
All of our dogs are cared for in foster homes, and therefore, not available for general public viewing.
More about this rescue
My name is Kim and my husband’s name is Jarett. We are a married couple that is dedicated to rescuing, rehabilitating and re-homing dogs in need. Individually, and as a couple, we both have been rescuing and fostering dogs for many other organizations for a number of years. From this experience came the skills, knowledge and connections needed to make starting our own rescue a reality. Having done the work for others for so long and loving the experiences we’ve had, we came to the realization that we can do even more for dogs in need by branching out and having our own rescue group and dedicated team of volunteers. From this fledgling idea Pound Dog Rescue was born and it has grown significantly! It is truly amazing how many good people want to help us save dogs. Pound Dog Rescue would be an impossibility if we didn’t have our team of dedicated volunteers offering their unique and valuable skills and abilities to help grow the rescue. It’s amazing how many animal lovers there are in the community who will donate their time and efforts when they know it goes to such a rewarding cause; to help save dogs. To this date we have received overwhelming support and we know that Pound Dog Rescue and its legion of dedicated supporters will make a positive difference in the lives of many dogs. WE WILL SAVE DOG’S LIVES. And that is why we are here, pure and simple.
We get a lot of questions about our rescue when we talk to people so we thought we would take this opportunity to answer some of the common ones.
Where does Pound Dog Rescue get its dogs from?
All of our dogs come from low-income, low-resource animal control facilities (aka “dog pounds”) in Ontario. These facilities do not have the funding for fancy adoption wings with teams of volunteers and staff. These facilities are minimally staffed with over-worked employees. The dogs have a kennel to stay in that is usually dark and loud and chaotic. These facilities are holding kennels for all of the strays and owner surrendered dogs of their counties and townships. They don’t get to pick and choose the dogs they take in. By law, these pounds must take in any dog that is stray or abandoned. Because of this, kennel space fills up quickly and space runs out. Sadly, without rescue, many of the unclaimed or surrendered dogs will be put down to free up kennel space for the next dogs arriving. This is why we at Pound Dog Rescue will only take in dogs from these facilities. These dogs have very few options, the lucky minority gets adopted, and the others face certain death without rescue. It’s these dogs that we focus on and are dedicated to saving.
Why do we need rescue?
Rescue is needed because sadly, not all dogs live long, happy lives in loving forever homes. Many dogs end up in homes of irresponsible owners who don’t provide them with the training, socialization and care needed to live a happy life. For no fault of their own many of these dogs end up in a pound situation, all because they had the misfortune to be owned by irresponsible people. Sadly, many people still don’t spay or neuter their pets and breed them without any thought to providing quality homes for the puppies or proper care for the mothers. This adds to the already over saturated dog population and takes homes away from dogs already in a pound situation. Because dogs don’t get to choose their owners, rescue is needed. Once in rescue, we choose their next home for them. We strive to make certain that none of our rescue dogs end up back where they came from. We do this by having potential adopters fill out applications and we conduct home visits and interviews and do background checks. We take the extra steps needed to make sure we are sending our dogs off to loving, forever homes.
How does the rescue process work?
We have established a long standing and trusting relationship with a rural Ontario animal control facility. We select most of our dogs from this facility but we are open to helping any low resource pound. We take pictures and do write up’s of all of the dogs available to go to rescue organizations and we forward this information in an email to various different trusted rescues across Ontario. We work hand in hand with a large number of rescues to save as many dogs as possible. We at Pound Dog Rescue not only rescue dogs for our own organization, but assist and facilitate the rescue of dogs to a number of other trusted rescue organizations. We evaluate the dogs in need of rescue and we select dogs based on temperament and the criteria our available foster is looking for. We look to match dogs with fosters. We will never force a foster to take on a dog that they are uncomfortable with or ill equipped to handle. Once selected we have the dog vet checked, vaccinated, heartworm tested, microchipped, and spayed or neutered if required. The dog will then be placed in a preselected foster home to live on a temporary basis where it will be loved and cared for. While in foster care the dog will receive training, socialization, and handling all the while being observed and assessed for behaviour. This way we really get to know the dogs in our care and can confidently determine what will be the best forever home for each individual dog. A successful adoption applicant for a specific dog will have a meet and greet with the dog and it’s foster in the foster’s home. This way the applicant can talk directly with the foster who has been caring for the dog to learn first hand about the dog’s routines, quirks and mannerisms in a home environment. We fully believe that the foster parent knows the dog best and they are an integral part of our adoption procedure.
Is there something wrong with dogs from pounds? Why are they there in the first place?
For the most part the dogs that end up in pounds are there for no fault of their own. A lot of them were owned by people who were irresponsible and let them run loose and when apprehended, did not bother to claim them from the pound. Many come in because the person that owned them either selected a breed of dog that did not suit their lifestyle, or they expected a dog to come fully trained and didn’t want to, or know how to, put the time and effort required into training their dog. And unfortunately, many end up in a pound because they became inconvenient for their owners and the pound is the quickest, easiest and cheapest way to dispose of their dog. Some end up there because their owner passed away or had a crisis and were no longer able to care for their dog. We have seen almost every breed of dog in the pound in need of rescue…from the smallest of toy breeds to the largest of giant breeds and everything in between. We have seen many purebreds and just as many mixed breeds. There is no breed of dog that is exempt from being abandoned, lost or unclaimed. We have rescued and fostered countless dogs in our years of volunteering and we have never yet encountered a “bad” dog, or one who had an issue we couldn’t work through. Again, these dogs can’t help who they are owned by. We at Pound Dog Rescue work to educate the public on responsible dog ownership and fully encourage and insist on applicants researching and being educated on the breed of dog they are applying for. There is nothing more frustrating than seeing a beautiful Border Collie in the pound having been turned in because he was “too active” or a gorgeous Newfoundland Dog having been turned in because he grew “too big”. Unfortunately these are true stories and real excuses people have used to abandon their former “best friends” at the pound. How about the black Lab who was turned in because the owner redecorated her house and he no longer matched the decor? We aren’t kidding. It happened. So, the answer is no, not all dogs in a pound have something “wrong” with them. Most are there because of things they have no control over, like their breed, their colour or who the person was that happened to pick them out of their respective litters at 8 weeks old.
We thank you for caring enough to consider rescue. We hope you will choose to adopt a rescue dog. Rescue saves dog’s lives and gives dogs a second chance at finding a loving home. And if you want to save a dog and adopt through rescue, as we like to say around here…..There ain’t nothing like a Pound Dog!!!
My name is Kim and my husband’s name is Jarett. We are a married couple that is dedicated to rescuing, rehabilitating and re-homing dogs in need. Individually, and as a couple, we both have been rescuing and fostering dogs for many other organizations for a number of years. From this experience came the skills, knowledge and connections needed to make starting our own rescue a reality. Having done the work for others for so long and loving the experiences we’ve had, we came to the realization that we can do even more for dogs in need by branching out and having our own rescue group and dedicated team of volunteers. From this fledgling idea Pound Dog Rescue was born and it has grown significantly! It is truly amazing how many good people want to help us save dogs. Pound Dog Rescue would be an impossibility if we didn’t have our team of dedicated volunteers offering their unique and valuable skills and abilities to help grow the rescue. It’s amazing how many animal lovers there are in the community who will donate their time and efforts when they know it goes to such a rewarding cause; to help save dogs. To this date we have received overwhelming support and we know that Pound Dog Rescue and its legion of dedicated supporters will make a positive difference in the lives of many dogs. WE WILL SAVE DOG’S LIVES. And that is why we are here, pure and simple.
We get a lot of questions about our rescue when we talk to people so we thought we would take this opportunity to answer some of the common ones.
Where does Pound Dog Rescue get its dogs from?
All of our dogs come from low-income, low-resource animal control facilities (aka “dog pounds”) in Ontario. These facilities do not have the funding for fancy adoption wings with teams of volunteers and staff. These facilities are minimally staffed with over-worked employees. The dogs have a kennel to stay in that is usually dark and loud and chaotic. These facilities are holding kennels for all of the strays and owner surrendered dogs of their counties and townships. They don’t get to pick and choose the dogs they take in. By law, these pounds must take in any dog that is stray or abandoned. Because of this, kennel space fills up quickly and space runs out. Sadly, without rescue, many of the unclaimed or surrendered dogs will be put down to free up kennel space for the next dogs arriving. This is why we at Pound Dog Rescue will only take in dogs from these facilities. These dogs have very few options, the lucky minority gets adopted, and the others face certain death without rescue. It’s these dogs that we focus on and are dedicated to saving.
Why do we need rescue?
Rescue is needed because sadly, not all dogs live long, happy lives in loving forever homes. Many dogs end up in homes of irresponsible owners who don’t provide them with the training, socialization and care needed to live a happy life. For no fault of their own many of these dogs end up in a pound situation, all because they had the misfortune to be owned by irresponsible people. Sadly, many people still don’t spay or neuter their pets and breed them without any thought to providing quality homes for the puppies or proper care for the mothers. This adds to the already over saturated dog population and takes homes away from dogs already in a pound situation. Because dogs don’t get to choose their owners, rescue is needed. Once in rescue, we choose their next home for them. We strive to make certain that none of our rescue dogs end up back where they came from. We do this by having potential adopters fill out applications and we conduct home visits and interviews and do background checks. We take the extra steps needed to make sure we are sending our dogs off to loving, forever homes.
How does the rescue process work?
We have established a long standing and trusting relationship with a rural Ontario animal control facility. We select most of our dogs from this facility but we are open to helping any low resource pound. We take pictures and do write up’s of all of the dogs available to go to rescue organizations and we forward this information in an email to various different trusted rescues across Ontario. We work hand in hand with a large number of rescues to save as many dogs as possible. We at Pound Dog Rescue not only rescue dogs for our own organization, but assist and facilitate the rescue of dogs to a number of other trusted rescue organizations. We evaluate the dogs in need of rescue and we select dogs based on temperament and the criteria our available foster is looking for. We look to match dogs with fosters. We will never force a foster to take on a dog that they are uncomfortable with or ill equipped to handle. Once selected we have the dog vet checked, vaccinated, heartworm tested, microchipped, and spayed or neutered if required. The dog will then be placed in a preselected foster home to live on a temporary basis where it will be loved and cared for. While in foster care the dog will receive training, socialization, and handling all the while being observed and assessed for behaviour. This way we really get to know the dogs in our care and can confidently determine what will be the best forever home for each individual dog. A successful adoption applicant for a specific dog will have a meet and greet with the dog and it’s foster in the foster’s home. This way the applicant can talk directly with the foster who has been caring for the dog to learn first hand about the dog’s routines, quirks and mannerisms in a home environment. We fully believe that the foster parent knows the dog best and they are an integral part of our adoption procedure.
Is there something wrong with dogs from pounds? Why are they there in the first place?
For the most part the dogs that end up in pounds are there for no fault of their own. A lot of them were owned by people who were irresponsible and let them run loose and when apprehended, did not bother to claim them from the pound. Many come in because the person that owned them either selected a breed of dog that did not suit their lifestyle, or they expected a dog to come fully trained and didn’t want to, or know how to, put the time and effort required into training their dog. And unfortunately, many end up in a pound because they became inconvenient for their owners and the pound is the quickest, easiest and cheapest way to dispose of their dog. Some end up there because their owner passed away or had a crisis and were no longer able to care for their dog. We have seen almost every breed of dog in the pound in need of rescue…from the smallest of toy breeds to the largest of giant breeds and everything in between. We have seen many purebreds and just as many mixed breeds. There is no breed of dog that is exempt from being abandoned, lost or unclaimed. We have rescued and fostered countless dogs in our years of volunteering and we have never yet encountered a “bad” dog, or one who had an issue we couldn’t work through. Again, these dogs can’t help who they are owned by. We at Pound Dog Rescue work to educate the public on responsible dog ownership and fully encourage and insist on applicants researching and being educated on the breed of dog they are applying for. There is nothing more frustrating than seeing a beautiful Border Collie in the pound having been turned in because he was “too active” or a gorgeous Newfoundland Dog having been turned in because he grew “too big”. Unfortunately these are true stories and real excuses people have used to abandon their former “best friends” at the pound. How about the black Lab who was turned in because the owner redecorated her house and he no longer matched the decor? We aren’t kidding. It happened. So, the answer is no, not all dogs in a pound have something “wrong” with them. Most are there because of things they have no control over, like their breed, their colour or who the person was that happened to pick them out of their respective litters at 8 weeks old.
We thank you for caring enough to consider rescue. We hope you will choose to adopt a rescue dog. Rescue saves dog’s lives and gives dogs a second chance at finding a loving home. And if you want to save a dog and adopt through rescue, as we like to say around here…..There ain’t nothing like a Pound Dog!!!
