A  few months ago I received an email via a friend with a plea to find 9 dogs homes before they were to be euthanized by a shelter in St. Agathe.  It was a very short turn around time until the slated euthanasia.  A group of women from Kingston ended up driving together to St. Agathe and rescuing all 9 dogs.  I believe 2 were adopted immediately both being Bernese Mountain dogs which apparently is a very popular breed right now.

These dogs all went into temporary foster homes in Kingston while they awaited finding forever homes.  I had a few clients who were looking for new doggie companions so I passed on the email.  We decided to drive down to Kingston to meet the dogs.  There were a number of dogs to meet but going into the meeting based on pictures and descriptions there were a few standouts.

First there was a bonded pair who needed to be adopted together which is a hard thing to do when you are an adult dog and large breed.   Most people are looking for one dog not two.  A client who had recently lost her wonderful Chocolate Lab companion felt a tug on her heart strings  when she heard their story.  Unfortunately as her pet sitter I can not take more than 1 large dog at a time and definitely not one with a strong prey instinct (a husky mix) as I have 3 cats so they were ruled out.  Both were amazing dogs though.

The next dog on our list was Bayzle who is a Chocolate Lab/Chesapeake Retriever cross.  He is 16 months old and has a very interesting history.  At the age of 8 weeks he was rescued off an ice flow in the St. Laurence River.  He was taken to a shelter and adopted.  It seems from then on he was not walked and was over fed.  So at the age of 16 months he ended up back in the shelter very over weight (20 pounds) and with not the greatest manners as he probably was never disciplined.

Both clients were interested in Bayzle.  The client who had recently lost her Chocolate Lab was for obvious reasons since she wants another Chocolate Lab.    Ollie’s owner was also interested since Bayzle and Ollie are close to one another in age and breed.  Going in to the meeting Ollie’s owner was giving Rigby’s owner first choice on Bayzle since she was currently dog less.

We arrived in Kingston at a soccer dome where a Dog Agility Competition was underway.  It may not have been the optimal meeting place as we were in a gravel parking lot where all the rescue dogs had to be on leash and we had a lot of well behaved agility competitors passing us on leash as well.

First off there was a cage with a blanket over it and once the blanket was removed a large dog started barking like crazy. When she came out of her cage she was pulling on her leash.  She had GIANT ears and a skinny gangly body.  Her name was Suzie and her breed apparently is Great Dane/Rhodesian Ridge Back cross.  She looked like a giant mouse.  In my mind I wrote that dog off as not desirable.

We then met Bayzle who was a chubby brown lovely dog.  Rigby’s owner and I took him for a little amble to try to get to know him.  He was eager but didn’t seem to be all that interested in his possible new owner.  When Bayzle first came to  Kingston he was in one foster home and then when his foster mother went on holidays he went to a second foster home.  At this meeting both his first and second foster mothers were present and I think Bayzle was eagerly trying to please both his foster mothers and thus wasn’t focused on his potential forever home.

I think had Bayzle  been adopted he would have bonded with his new owner and been a great companion.  Also at play was the fact that Rigby’s owner was really still grieving for Rigby and she  just wasn’t ready for a new dog.  Just like any relationship if there is no connection then  there is not connection and it is best to walk away.

Then there was Ollie and his owner.  They met Bayzle and Ollie just ignored him.  Ollie was however interested in the aforementioned funny looking dog named Suzie.  I was thinking to myself this is not the right dog for Ollie but then I wasn’t around while Ollie and Suzie were bonding.

We had agreed before coming that no one would adopt a dog that day and we would all go home and think about it.  Back to Ottawa we went and of course I was sad that no one wanted to adopt Bayzle.

Ollie and his owner went back to Kingston a short time later to meet Suzie or Satellite Suzie a second time.  This time they went to a grassy park like area where Ollie and Suzie could play off leash.  It was a match and Suzie was adopted on a Saturday and moved here to Chelsea.

On Sunday at 11 pm I received a worried email from Ollie’s owner regarding some of Suzie’s behaviours.  That coming Wednesday was going to be Neko’s (renamed Neko from Satellite Suzie) first group walk so I needed to get to know her so I suggested Ollie, Neko and their owner join us the next day for a group walk.  On that walk I had 2 dogs under the age of 2 and 4 other regulars.  Well it turns out most of Neko’s worrisome behaviour was just a result of Neko’s being a puppy and just being transplanted one more time in her life.  Neko is a big dog but really only 9 months old so just a puppy.  By the end of our 1 hour hike in the woods Neko’s new owner was very releived.

So 2 months have passed  and I have to say Neko is just an awesome dog.  Many days she is better behaved than 2 year old Ollie.  She loves the other dogs, listens to all her commands, loves romping in the woods and swimming in the nasty ponds.  My misgvings about her upon our initial meeting were completly wrong.  Ollie and his owner made a great choice and I am so happy Neko is now a part of our lives.

If you are looking to add a rescue dog to your family please keep Smitty’s Rescue in Kingston in mind.  These ladies rescue perfectly good dogs sometimes from unnecessary euthanizia and house, feed and train them until they find forever homes.

http://www.theagilityconnection.net/

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