Heidi

We adopted Heidi from SCARS just over a week ago and she is fitting in perfectly! After the loss off our Wheaton "Sophie" we Welcome another Loving Female into our family to fill the void the that we felt when our sweet Sophie left us. Heidi is a Wonderful little Dog and she seems to like it here! She is still Very timid, and We Realized right away that she hadn't had much of a life. So We are Gently introducing Her to all the things that our other Dog(Zeus) takes for granted, like car rides and going for walks. We would like to Thank SCARS for the opportunity to rescue Heidi! I have attached a recent picture of Heidi and Her Brother Zeus! Thanks Again! and We will defiantly keep in touch!

Soleil

Hi there!

I met Colleen Good through Edmonton Earthcycle, and mentioned that we got our most recent dog through SCARS. She said she was involved with SCARS and mentioned this update email. She suggested emailing you an update on Soleil so I thought it was high time to do so!

Soleil is a wonderful girl whose name is really applicable, since she has truly brightened our lives. We’ve never rescued an adult dog before, so it’s been interesting watching her settle in. Initially she really seemed to suffer from separation anxiety. She cried when we kenneled her and if we tried to leave her in the yard by herself, she was right at the door scratching to come in. She never let us out of her sight. She scarfed down her food like it was her last meal each time she ate, she scrounged in our garbage, she developed a bladder infection and green pussy eye, and her bones poked out too much for our liking.

We got the bladder infection and green pussy eye taken care of right away through the help of Dr. Steve Marsden at the Natural Path Clinic, and it took some months, but she eventually gained a bit of weight, so that she’s still lean, but a little more healthy to pet. J Today I put my face in her food bowl while she was eating, and she continued to eat slowly and methodically. I went into a garden centre one day and didn’t want to leave her in the hot car, so I tied her up in the shade of a tree. I went into the store secretly watching her from a window, and she waited patiently for my return without uttering a peep!

Soleil is a really quick study. We take her for numerous walks and runs, and she’s learned tricks like high five and shake with both paws, down, stay, wait (at the door so we can walk over the threshold first), and leave it. She heels, sits when we stop walking, and she loves ALL people she comes into contact with, adult and child alike. She’s even learning, through the leave it command, to tolerate the vacuum cleaner and weed trimmer. The lawnmower no longer bothers her at all.

We recently started working with a great trainer/behaviourist on things like motorbikes, skateboards, bicycles and scooters, so that I can take her rollerblading and biking for exercise. The border collie in her really wants to run however, I need some help teaching her to be calm when I’m on my blades or bike to keep us both safe.

Soleil’s boundless energy keeps us hopping and her sweet personality melts our hearts. What more could we have asked for!

I’ve attached a few pictures so you can place a furry face to the name!

Have a super day and thanks so much for the work all of you at SCARS do!

Shannon

Chester

Good Afternoon Sylvia,

I thought of sending you a note sooner but things have been crazy. I saw you on the news getting the Woman of Vision Award. I was very pleased to see this. You really do deserve it. Congratulations!!

Chester is a wonderful dog. I attached a picture of him and my daughter Laura.

Everyday we learn something new about him. He has changed and opened up so much. I remember when we met him in the IKEA parking lot. I just knew he was the dog for us. He was so gentle when Katrina gave him that dog treat. When we got Chester I remember he was at that point of shedding where his fur needed some real good brushing. My husband didn’t really want a dog at the time but he knew that it had become a losing battle. My Children and I were ready. I knew we needed Chester to look his best. So on the way home we took Chester to a dog wash and groomed him all up. We were really not prepared for this experience, After all we did not bring towels or anything. Chester took it well. He hated the spraying and washing but not once did he growl or nip. He did wiggle and squirm a lot though. Once he was all shiny we loaded him back into the van and brought him home.

My husband got home a couple of hours later. We always laugh and say that Cliff doesn’t have an overabundance of soft feelers. He comes from a farm background where dogs have a purpose. Well when he saw Chester he couldn’t help but smile with approval. Chester instantly won him over with those beautiful eyes.

When we went to take him home, you mentioned you were surprised that he got into the van so easily. Well, now he is trained to get into the back of the van or the truck and he loves it. I can’t go anywhere without him. No way could we get him into the small pool for a swim or a bath. Today, he not only got into the pool but he even laid down and rolled around in it.

We have learned that when we are not home he is an excellent guard dog, yet he is so gentle with children. He is awesome with the kids. Katrina (4) just loves him. He doesn’t jump on her and he loves to be loved and petted. It’s a match made in heaven. My older daughter Laura (9) is his main care taker. She feeds him, grooms him and takes him for a daily bike ride on top of the walks and other things he does with the rest of the family. She is also taking him to dog obedience. He is doing wonderful. Of course we have a leg up since he was already partially trained when we got him. We’re hoping that we can put him into agility training.

We can not understand why someone would have given him up but we are thankful because he is an absolute wonderful dog and we couldn’t be happier. Thank you for taking the time to rescue these dogs and thank you to the volunteers who take the time to help you.


All the best,
Della, Laura, Cody, Katrina & Clifford.

Juno (Josie)

Hi,

My name is Amanda and we adopted Josie (re-named her Juno) in February of 08. I just wanted to let you know that she's doing great! She loves going to the dog park, playing fetch, playing with our 9 month old daughter, and being the center of attention, lol. At the Tails on the Trails, we actually ran into one of her brothers, Bandit! They look so different because she was the onyl shepard looking dog in the litter!
We're moving to Vancouver Island in August and she'll have tons of fun playing in the ocean.
You can publish the pictures and her story on your website as well if you want. The one with Juno and Zoe was taken about a month after we got her and the other was taken a couple of weeks ago.

Thanks so much for helping us find this great addition to our family!

Amanda, Cal and Zoe