Dog of the week: Smokey!

Since it's illegal to own exotic animals in Canada (and rightly so), and you aren't, I'm sorry to say, going to own a baby gorilla any time soon, I think we might have a suitable alternative.

Meet Smokey!

This adorable, monkey-faced, 3-year-old Poodle-Affenpinscher mix is described by his foster mom as a "sweet, affectionate lover-boy".  He enjoys the company of other dogs and would do fine in a home with children. Whether or not he'd be happy to live with cats is anyone's guess as he's never lived with them before, but given his wonderful temperment, we're sure a co-existence could be arranged given the proper introduction and supervision.

Smokey is an owner surrender who, through no fault of his own, found himself recently on the search for a new forever family.  He walks well on a leash, is house trained, very polite, and loves to romp and play with his foster sisters at the off-leash dog park.  He would absolutely love a furry brother or sister to keep him company and to help burn those oodles of doggy energy.

If you are looking for an adorable, cuddly monkey pooch of your own, Smokey might just be the guy for you!

Please note that Smokey is being fostered in Ottawa, and any and all questions should be directed to his foster mom.  Applications can, as always, be submitted through our website.

Don't keep Smokey waiting!  Apply today!

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Donate to LOYAL Rescue!

We receive a lot of inquiries from people asking us how they can donate to dogs in need, which is fantastic!  Because we are not-for-profit and 100 per cent volunteer run, any and all donations are welcome.

Here are some ways that you can donate and help our foster dogs:

FOOD DONATIONS

We always welcome food donation!  Our foster homes purchase food for their foster dogs out-of-pocket, and often dogs can require specific, and sometimes expensive, diets.  Because we have foster homes all over Southern Ontario from Sarnia in the West to Ottawa in the East, we are usually able to pick-up or accept food donations and get them to our other foster homes on a transport.  If you are interested in donating food to our foster dogs, please send us an e-mail and we will put you in touch with our Donation Coordinator.

BEDDING, TOYS, CLOTHING or other MISCELLANEOUS DONATIONS

Again, because our fosters purchase dog-related items (beds, blankets, toys, brushes, sweaters, winter coats, winter boots, bowls, etc.) out-of-pocket for their fosters, donations of these items (and more!) are always welcome.  Please send us an e-mail and we will determine who needs these donations most, and put you in touch with that person.  If they are out of your area, transport can likely be arranged.

AUCTION ITEM DONATIONS

Every so often LOYAL takes place in an online auction hosted by Helping Homeless Pets.  New or gently used items of all kinds (not just pet-related) are donated and the funds are then directed to the rescue that donated them.  This is a great fundraising opportunity for LOYAL, so if you have any items that you would like to donate to our auction, please contact us and we will put you in touch with our Auction Coordinator.  Ultimately the donations will need to make their way to Markham, but transport can possibly be arranged if you are outside the GTA (our Coordinator lives downtown Toronto, so getting them to her would be ideal, but not a requirement).

MONETARY DONATIONS

Like most rescues, we rely solely on donations and adoption fees to fund our foster program.  All monies received go directly into an account that pays for the vetting and care of our foster dogs.  We are 100 per cent not-for-profit, so not a single penny is ever used for anything other than rescuing, vetting and rehabilitating our dogs.

If you are interested in donating money to our cause, you have the following options:

Online

You can donate online through our umbrella rescue group, Helping Homeless Pets (“HHP”).  You can access HHP’s secure CanadaHelps site at the following link:

http://www.canadahelps.org/CharityProfilePage.aspx?CharityID=s98871.

Simply choose "DONATE NOW", and then choose LOYAL Rescue from the Fund/Designation drop-down menu (this step is incredibly important as any funds sent to HHP without choosing LOYAL from the list will not be forwarded to us).

Complete the remainder of the page and continue.

It should be pretty straight-forward, and a tax receipt will be issued at the end of your transaction. You can also indicate in the "Message to Helping Homeless Pets" area that the donation is for LOYAL Rescue if you like, but if you have already chosen our group from the drop-down menu then this is not necessary.

**It is important that you choose our rescue from their drop-down list of member groups, so that the money will be collected by them and then forwarded to our account.**


Please note that this is the only donation route where a tax receipt can be issued.  If you require a tax receipt, please donate online only.


Via Cheque

If you are interested in donating via cheque (and do not require a tax receipt), please send a cheque made out to LOYAL Rescue to the following address, and please put "donation" in the memo line.

LOYAL Rescue
171A Rink Street, Suite 199
Peterborough, Ontario
K9J 2J6

Please include your e-mail address on the cheque so that a confirmation e-mail can be sent upon receipt.


Via e-mail money transfer

If you wish to donate securely through an e-mail money transfer from your bank, please contact us at info@loyalrescue.com and we will send you instructions on where to send the money.


In person

Because we do not run a shelter where someone can visit to donate funds, you will be required, if you are interested in donating (either with cash or by cheque) in person, please send us an e-mail and we will put you in touch with a volunteer in your area that can accept the donation on our behalf. 

Please note that tax receipts cannot be issued on cash or cheque donations.  Only online donations through our Canadahelps.org 'Giving Page' can receive tax receipts.

DONATIONS OF YOUR TIME

We are always in need of liked-minded volunteers who are interested in helping out LOYAL Rescue in terms of screening potential adopters, performing home visits, attending events and, of course, foster homes.   Our screeners - phone interview and home visit - as well as our foster homes are required to undergo training (and screening in the case of our foster homes), so if you are interested in becoming a member of the LOYAL team (and we're a great group to be a part of!), please contact our Volunteer Coordinator or our Foster Home Coordinator for details.


As always, thank you for your generous support of our foster program.  If you have any additional questions about donating, please send us an e-mail and someone will be in touch.

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Foster update - July 18, 2011

Welcome to our weekly foster update, where you can find information on dogs that are new to rescue, pending adoptions, and the dogs lucky enough to find their forever homes. As always, you are welcome to contact us for more details, or if you have any questions.


NEW ARRIVALS

The following dogs have arrived into rescue in the last 2 weeks, and are now available on our website:

We have puppies!

Corky is a Yorkie-Cairn mix who was rescued from a puppy mill in June.  She was very pregnant upon arrival, and gave birth to 5 healthy, adorable pups on June 21, 2011 - the first official day of summer!  The father of the puppies is unknown, so the most we know regarding breed is Yorkie-Cairn-Terrier mixes (we have no way of knowing how big they will be when full grown, but Mom is approximately 15 lbs. and sweet as pie).  Corky's 5 babies are listed below, and they will be available for adoption in mid-late August.  Don't delay - submit an application now before they're all spoken for!  The puppies are being fostered in Brampton.

Corky's Elaine - female, currently 5 weeks, good with other dogs, cats and children who are respectful of her young age and small size.

Corky's George - male, currently 5 weeks, good with other dogs, cats and children who are respectful of his young age and small size.

Corky's Jerry - male, currently 5 weeks, good with other dogs, cats and children who are respectful of his young age and small size.

Corky's Kramer - male, currently 5 weeks, good with other dogs, cats and children who are respectful of his young age and small size.

Corky's Newman - male, currently 5 weeks, good with other dogs, cats and children who are respectful of his young age and small size.

Check out this adorable video of the puppies in action!

Molly - 1-year-old, female Standard Poodle. A lovely, friendly girl who is good with other dogs, cats and children. Molly weighs approx. 45 lbs. and is currently being fostered in London, ON.

Numa - 3-year-old, female Lab-Terrier mix.  Numa is a sweet, affectionate girl who is good with other dogs, cats and kids.  She weighs approx. 38 lbs. and is being fostered in Peterborough.

Ollie - 5-year-old, male Schnauzer-Poodle mix.  This sweet puppy mill survivor is good with other dogs and children, cats unknown as there are no cats in his foster home.  He weighs approx. 12 lbs. and is being fostered in Walkerton.

PENDING

Adoptions are pending for Liam Redford, Nicky, Regis, Baby (Beagle), Arlow and Baby (senior Chihuahua). We are no longer accepting applications for these dogs.  Thank you for your interest.


ADOPTED

Hugs and Sasha were adopted last week.  Congratulations girls!


For information on any of the above dogs, or any other dogs on our website, send us an e-mail.

Have a question about our adoption process? View our Frequently Asked Questions. Have a question about our blog? E-mail our Social Media Coordinator. And if you have not done so already, please join our Facebook page, and follow us on Twitter!

Happy adopting!

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Dog of the week: Tigger!

Meet Tigger (aka Bouncing Tigger)!

Tiggers is an approximately 6-year-old Yorkie-Schnauzer mix who is searching for his forever home.  This sweet boy came to LOYAL from a puppy mill, but despite his unfortunate upbringing he is a loving, affectionate, happy dog.

Tigger gets along well with other dogs and with older, respectful children.  It is unknown how he is with cats as there are no cats in his foster home, but given his personality he would probably be fine.  He is a quiet, easy-going fellow that loves to be around his humans.

Tigger does have a fused bone in his back leg that causes him to walk with a bit of a limp (likely from a previous break that was not treated medically and set improperly), but this does not limit him from walking, running and jumping.  He is able to get up and down stairs and on and off furniture with ease.  Nothing's going to stop this determined pooch!

Check out these adorable videos of Tigger playing with his foster family:

Despite only living in a home for a few months, Tigger is making huge strides with his house training (a belly band helps for those times he can't seem to remember), and sleeps through the night on a dog bed with his foster buddies. It's like he always had a family, even though the reality is a much sadder story.

Tigger has spent far too long without a forever home of his very own, so don't make this spunky guy wait any longer. He is patiently waiting in his foster home in Oshawa, and would love to join your family. If you are interested in Tigger, please submit an application through our website (please note that he is listed as 'Bouncing Tigger' in our list of Adoptable Dogs) or send us an e-mail for more information.

Happy adopting!

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Happy Tail: Hadley's Story

Hadley came to LOYAL Rescue in late 2010 when her number came up at a high kill shelter in Kentucky.  Sadly the shelter was far too full to continue taking in new dogs, and Hadley (then named Mina) landed herself on an urgent rescue list which was e-mailed to both U.S. and Canadian rescues in the hope that someone could help.

Fortunately someone from LOYAL saw Hadley's adorable mug shot (below) and decided that someone in Ontario could surely provide a loving home to her.  A whole host of dedicated volunteers helped drive Hadley and many other rescued dogs all the way from Kentucky (and other States) to their new foster homes in Ontario.  

(Hadley (then Mina)'s shelter mugshot)

After a few months in rescue, Hadley was adopted by a fantastic family that loves her to pieces, and is so happy that someone saw potential in her that gloomy winter day and decided to give her a chance at a new life in Canada.

(Hadley on the way to her forever home!)

Here is a quote from Hadley's new family, who have now had Hadley for just over 4 months:

"We've been thrilled to have Hadley in our lives now for just over 4 months, and she's doing amazingly well and has adjusted to her new life wonderfully!

She's such a happy and fun-loving little girl who has fit into our lives so perfectly, we really believe it was meant to be. After losing our 9 year old Wheaten in January we were devastated, but this little girl has helped us heal in more ways than we thought possible.

We know we made the absolute right decision in adopting her! I hope she would agree!

Although we had no intentions of adopting so soon after we lost Devon (our Wheaten), somehow I stumbled across the listing for "Mina" on the LOYAL website and that little black face just reached into my heart and started tugging, so we truly believe it was meant to be!  I just wish I had room for ALL of them.

I envy what you do, although saying goodbye when it comes time to let them go must come with mixed emotions. Thank you to LOYAL once again for bringing Hadley to us, and keep up the great work!"

(Hadley 4 months post-adoption. A different dog!)

Another happy ending for a wonderful dog who had a rough start to life, but who now has a wonderful, loving forever family.  Every dog truly has potential and there is a family out there for every one of them.  Hadley was fortunate enough to make it out of that Kentucky shelter and into a family that will love her unconditionally for the rest of her days.

(Enjoying the sun in her new back yard. Doesn't she look like a Muppet?!)

Congratulations Hadley (and family!) on a perfect match.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

If you adopted from LOYAL Rescue and want to share your Happy Tail on our blog, please send an e-mail with photos of your new pooch to our Social Media & Marketing Manager.  If you are a member of our Facebook page, you can also send a photo and short story and you will be added to our Happy Tails album.

Thank you as always for your endless support to our volunteers and, most importantly, our dogs.  There are many more dogs just as wonderful and deserving as Hadley out there waiting for their forever families, so don't delay, adopt today!

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Foster update - July 11, 2011

Welcome to our weekly foster update, where you can find information on dogs that are new to rescue, pending adoptions, and the dogs lucky enough to find their forever homes. As always, you are welcome to contact us for more details, or if you have any questions.


NEW ARRIVALS

The following dogs have arrived into rescue in the last 2 weeks, and are now available on our website.

Abuelo is an 8-year-old, male Cocker Spaniel being fostered in Buckhorn (north of Peterborough).  He is a sweet, quiet soul that is good with dogs his size, cats and older, respectful children.
 

 
Charlie is an 18-month-old, male Schnauzer mix.  He is a friendly dog that loves to be with his people, and who enjoys the company of other dogs and kids (cats unknown).
 

 
Greta Garbo is a 4-year-old, female Beagle being fostered in Peterborough.  She is a beautiful, sweet girl who lives with other dogs and cats, and who would be fine in a home with kids.
 

 
Herby is an 18-month-old, male Beagle-Dachshund mix being fostered in Peterborough.  He is a wonderful, outgoing dog who lives with other dogs and cats, and who would make a great family pet.
 

Tristan is a 5-year-old, male Chihuahua.  He is an easy-going, well-behaved boy who enjoys the company of other dogs, but it is unknown how he is with cats.  Due to little exposure to young children, homes with older, respectful children (10+) are recommended.
 

 
 
PENDING


Adoptions are pending for Liam Redford, Hugs, Nicky, Regis and Baby (senior Chihuahua). We are no longer accepting applications for these dogs.

ADOPTED

No dogs were adopted this past week. 

Summer is, unfortunately, a slow time for rescues in terms of adoptions (and very busy in terms of owner surrenders) because so many families go on vacation and are not in a position to add a new family member at this time.  Of course, there is no reason pets (even new ones!) cannot go on vacation with you!  Many hotels offer pet-friendly accomodations, and it is easier than ever to fly with your pets in-tow.  Not interested in taking your pet with you? There are oodles of pet sitters and pet boarding facilities at your fingertips.  Contact us if you are interested in adding to your fur-family this summer but are planning an upcoming vacation. Hopefully we can help!


For information on any of the above dogs, or any other dogs on our website, send us an e-mail.

Have a question about our adoption process? View our Frequently Asked Questions. Have a question about our blog? E-mail our Social Media Coordinator. And if you have not done so already, please join our Facebook page, and follow us on Twitter!

Happy adopting!

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Dog of the week: Nutmeg!

Meet Nutmeg!

This beautiful 2-year-old Chihuahua mix has been in rescue since last October!  Can you believe it?  That's 9 months in foster care, and she is still searching for her forever home.

I just love her gorgeous colour and her little brown nose.  Very unique!

Nutmeg came to LOYAL from a shelter in Kentucky as she had tested positive for heartworm and needed to enter a rescue program where her medical and emotional needs could be met.  Sadly, Nutmeg had a rough start to her short life, and because of that she is very timid and shy with strangers.  She is now on heartworm treatments and getting better by the day, and her social skills and confidence are growing immensely.

Nutmeg is a sweet, affectionate girl when she is with humans that she trusts, and is what we call a "Velcro dog" - she always wants to be with you, right by your side.  She is a polite, well-behaved lady who enjoys the company of other dogs and gets along fine with cats.

Nutmeg should go to a home with a secure, fenced yard because she is still a flight risk due to her fear of loud noises and, often, quick movements. Because of this, older, respectful children or teens are recommended.  Ideally, Nutmeg would be most happy in an adult home.

The best home for this sweet girl would be with experienced owners who have the time and patience to help Nutmeg learn that the world isn't always a scary place, and that with lots of love and reassurance she will come out of her shell and learn to trust again.  If you think you could provide a safe, loving home to beautiful Nutmeg, please submit an application through our website, or send her foster mom, Donna, and e-mail for more information.

Oh, and did I mention that this adorable pooch has her own blog?  She's a modern girl, that Nutmeg!  Visit Nutmeg's foster mom's blog for more photos and information, and to see the wonderful progress that she has made over the last few months.

Nutmeg is patiently waiting in her Brampton foster home for your application, so don't delay!

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Shelter Challenge - Please Vote Daily!

A new Shelter Challenge has begun!

Through your amazing support and daily votes, Helping Homeless Pets won $1,000 in the most recent Shelter Challenge.  If we all work together again, HHP can again win that amount.  In a past Challenge, LOYAL was one of the HHP member groups to win part of the funds, and this time eight new HHP member groups will be drawn to split the winnings, so that eventually every one of our member groups will win money.


The last Challenge was very close with HHP pulling ahead in the end, so it is imperative that you vote as often as you can and encourage others to do the same.  The voting instructions are below.  Please help hard working, deserving HHP groups win this money as it goes directly to animals in their foster programs.

**Please note that you will be voting for Speaking of Dogs rescue, as they are a HHP member group, and by everyone voting for them it guarantees that all the votes will be going to one HHP group as opposed to the varying groups, splitting the votes**

How to Vote

If you have never voted before, follow this link - http://www.theanimalrescuesite.com/clickToGive/shelterchallenge.faces?siteId=3 - to get to the main shelter page.

You will see the following page:

Under "Shelter Name", enter Speaking of Dogs.  The default country is the United States, so you will need to change to Canada, and the State will be ON.  City can be left blank.

Click "Search" and you will get the following page:

Click on the "Vote" link and then you will need to enter a number/letter code to proceed.

Click "Confirm Vote", and then you're done!

Once you have voted once, your computer will remember your choices, and then next time around you will only have to go to this link - http://www.theanimalrescuesite.com/clickToGive/shelterchallenge.faces?siteId=3 - and follow the last few steps.

You will immediately see this page:

And you simply need to click "Vote" and proceed from there.

You can vote every 12 hours, and you are able to vote from various computers and devices.  Please note, though, that each new device you vote from, you will have to go through the initial steps again (just the first time).

If you want to set a daily reminder for yourself, you can do that too!  After you have voted and are at the vote confirmation page, there is a link at the bottom of the page to set a reminder to vote.  Once you click on it, it will look like this:

Simply enter your e-mail address, make sure the "Remind me to click daily with a free e-mail" box is ticked, and you will receive a daily vote reminder.  Easy peasy!

Thank you thank you thank you for your votes. It means a great deal to not only LOYAL but all the other HHP member groups. Please spread the word about voting and get your friends and family involved. It's such an easy way to help, especially once you've done it the first time.

If you have any questions regarding this Challenge or any problems casting your vote, please contact our Social Media & Marketing Coordinator.

Keep the votes coming!

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Foster update - July 4, 2011

Welcome to our weekly foster update, where you can find information on dogs that are new to rescue, pending adoptions, and the dogs lucky enough to find their forever homes. As always, you are welcome to contact us for more details, or if you have any questions.


NEW ARRIVALS

The following dogs have arrived into rescue in the last 2 weeks, and are now available on our website.

Fox is a 7-year-old, male Toy Poodle mix who is good with other dogs, cats and kids.  This handsome gentleman is being fostered in Toronto.

Raz is a 7-year-old, male Toy Poodle mix who is good with other dogs, cats and kids.  He came into rescue with his brother Fox (noted above), and is also being fostered in Toronto.

Smokey Bear is an adorable 3-year-old, male Japanese Spaniel-Poodle mix.  He is good with other dogs and kids, and though he has never lived with cats before would likely be ok.  He is being fostered in Ottawa.

PENDING
An adoptions is pending for Liam Redford. We are no longer accepting applications for this dog.


ADOPTED

Fruit Punch was lucky enough to find his forever family this week. Congratulations!


For information on any of the above dogs, or any other dogs on our website, send us an e-mail.

Have a question about our adoption process? View our Frequently Asked Questions. Have a question about our blog? E-mail our Social Media Coordinator. And if you have not done so already, please join our Facebook page, and follow us on Twitter!

Happy adopting!

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