Calling all couch potatoes! Sweet and snuggly little old man looking for a retirement home!

I freely admit to a fondness for older fellows ... the ones on four paws at least.  If its a crapshoot to be a homeless pet, the ante is really stepped up for the seniors.

Take Grampy for example.  If its risky business being an old pet, the odds get even worse for elder beagles.   All too often, people think that these little 'rabbit hounds' with their thin little coats actually prefer to live outside.  

So when they wander off and get lost ... instead of going out to look for them people just shrug and think that its natural for them to want to wander off and die.  Even worse are the ones who are deliberately dumped too far from home to find their way back.  Worse still are the other horrible variations of the Unhappy Tail that awaits at the end of a bullet or a needle.

People say that I'm a hopeless romantic, but I maintain the real delusionals are the ones who turn a blind eye to the outcome awaiting abandoned pets.  When Grampy was first brought to the Yarmouth SPCA, he was in terrible shape.  He was desperately thin and his nails were so long and curled he could hardly walk. 

Yet he is a dog and that means that he doesn't hold a grudge.  He may have been timid when the petfinder volunteer brought him out to take his picture, but he rapidly warmed up to snuggles and pets for her.

They say he gets along very well with cats but that bigger and more boisterous dogs make him a bit nervous.  After everything this little man has been through, who could blame him for that, eh?

What time is it?  Its time to remember that comic strips are not real life and Snoopy is the only dog that should actually live outside in a dog house.

Take a Chance on Chance

Meet Chance.  He's getting pretty discouraged because for two years he has watched the other cats come in and go out at SHAID.  For two years, kind hearts have managed to overlook this shy boy because he is neither a kitten nor the friendliest fellow at the shelter.
He's not the kind of guy to wear his heart on his sleeve, but everyone at the shelter has found out first hand how affectionate this dear boy is once he gets to know them.
Its a shame he can't talk ... or Chance would be able to explain why he doesn't roll out the red carpet right away.   Was he frightened by one of the all too many Unkind Hearts who treat strays like nuisances?  Was his little heart broken when the human he knew and trusted tossed him away like an old sock?
Whatever the original reason, the good news is that Chance is a tabby and they have a very well deserved reputation for friendliness.  He might hide his light under a bushell, but everyone at the shelter has discovered how quickly he does warm up, if given half a chance.
Once again, this year Chance is going to be part of the special holiday promotion that SHAID runs every year for the kitties who have been in care for the longest time.   What does that mean in realspeak?  It means that the shelter is going to underwrite half of his adoption fee in the hopes of attracting a kindred spirit.
If I have learned one thing in fifty six years, it is that the best things in life are often the ones we have to work for.  To be perfectly honest, I can only envy the kind heart who adopts Chance .  I know I say it all the time, but there really WILL be more love than anyone can possibly imagine waiting for the perceptive person who opens their heart and their home to this lovable lad.
Or as the four lads from Liverpool once said "And in the end ... the love you take is equal to the love you make "

Taking off the blinders

There was a survey on Saturday on the Herald Website asking readers whether they believed that Pet Stores should be able to sell pets.  I was delighted of course to see this, but the comments accompanying the survey really indicated just how much more mainstream education is needed on the subject.
In particular, I was struck by the rocket scientist who said " its a pet store ... what else should they sell?  Duh!"
I know I natter on like a stuck record on the subject, but we really do live in a convenience based world.  For every kind heart that cares about the chemical content of their food .. or how humanely it was raised and slaughtered ... there are dozens and dozens who are only concerned about the pricetag.  For every global villager who understands the local economic impact of outsourcing, there are hundreds more turning a deliberate blind eye if it doesn't affect their immediate circle of family and friends.
At the end of the day, people won't stop buying pets in pet stores because they have a collective epiphany .... they will stop when it is against the law.  Straight, sweet and simple.
After all, people KNOW that people like the Benoits have made a rich living peddling unfortunate .. and usually underage... puppies on the free online ad sites.  People KNOW there is only a curbside guarantee for anything there.  People KNOW all that and still persist in purchasing puppies from questionable sources through this venue.
So people aren't going to stop buying pets in pet stores until the law changes.   It doesn't even matter that it would actually be much cheaper for them to adopt a pet from rescue. 
The only thing that counts is that it is easy and simple and convenient to keep the blinders on.
Can you think of a better argument for off site adoption events?  Why not make it as easy and simple and convenient as possible for people to meet the lovely adoptables instead?  
At the end of the day ... pet stores in this province understand what most rescues still haven't grasped ... they are able to sell pets because it is convenent for people to meet them.
What time is it?  With the big money making holiday season just around the corner for pet stores, its definitely time for rescues and shelters to try taking it to the streets.

Building a door for the animals

What HAVE they been building back up on the North Mountain?  A stage?  A dance floor?   Not even close.   The first four pics were sent to me last June when the hard working volunteers with CAPS were just starting to build Violet Cottage. 

Now the last curtains have been hung and the Newest Cat Cottage is all decorated and ready for a very special Paws and Pumpkins Open House on Sunday.

Clearly the kitties are enjoying their new digs ...   but like a champion figure skater, these photos look so lovely and perfect that would be easy to forget how much love and elbow grease were involved.

No question about it ... CAPS always has the largest numbers of kitties in care of any group in the province.  ( 134 at the moment of this writing and that doesn't include the latest kitties just rescued from the pound who will be listed when the standard quarantine is up)

How do they do it?  Like the old poster of Garfield looking up at Odie sitting up in the tree ... with the caption "its amazing what can be done when ya don't know its impossible" ... they have created something very unique that is as individual as the kitties in their care.

(As a sidebar to that, the fact that their BOGO is now in place indefinitely is a worthy of a separate post as is CAPS' ever so sensible practice of charging a higher adoption fee for the youngsters than for its adults in care.)

So if you are looking for a good reason for a Sunday drive, scroll down through the sneak preview to the poster with all the details.

If opportunity doesn't knock, build a door. Milton Berle 

On finishing what is started

I remember the days when we didn't 'trust anyone over thirty'.  Now my own daughter is over thirty and I'm freewheeling down to fifty-six on Friday! 
What a long strange trip its been, looking back.  When I was a little girl, equal pay legislation for women was being passed at a provincial level around the country, but it wasn't until the year my own daughter was born that the Canadian Human Rights Act really lent any strength to provincial laws
I was actually almost thirty before the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms became part of our Constitution.
Before that ...individual enlightened men like my father knew that women were often shortchanged in the workplace, but there was nothing on the books to keep everyone else on the straight and narrow.
Legislation is ALWAYS the biggest tool for social change.  Deep down everyone knows its dangerous and life threatening to drink and drive.  Deep down.  But it took better legislation and stiffer penalties to minimize the odds of it happening.  
Does that mean that nobody drinks and drives anymore?  Of course not.  But now ... when they are 'caught in the act' there are meaningful penalties that can be applied.
So does that mean that the 'new' Animal Protection Act will stop animal abusers in their tracks?  Not even close. 
Why?   Until the regulations to support the bill are written by the lawyers, the Act is still just a nice idea that seems to have been only window dressing in response to the strong voter feedback relating to the very sneaky attempted inclusion of clauses 6 -8 ( read BSL ) into Bill 138, which was actually a municipal housekeeping bill.
( The subject of how clauses 31-33 were exempted from the proclamation is a separate subject deserving of its own space again on another day ..sigh. If you will recall, that was supposed to initiate the magical appeal board which everyone was so smitten with, eh? )
Do you know anyone who has ever bought a car so that they could just park it in the driveway?  Regulations are the gas that get any  bill out of the driveway and onto the street.  Without them, the society was only able to draft a White Paper on Gaps in Legislation.  Without them,  there are not enough specifics to support successful prosecution of animal abuse. Without them, there can never penalties meaningful enough to deter animal abuse.
Dogs will keep freezing to death on the end of a chain, cats will keep popping up in dumpsters and back country roads and there will be not one bit of justice for every Unsung Unhappy Tail.
Even worse ... without the regulations abuse can be publicly flaunted in the firm knowledge that there are enough legal loopholes to slide the biggest and worst puppy mill through.
If the NDP bobsled team would like to recover a bit of lost ground, there is no more efficient way for them to do so "gas up" the Animal Protection Act so that it can do the job it was originally supposed to do.   The Act has been "bought and paid for" in legislative and committee man hours already ... its even been proclaimed.  But all that is just a big fat waste of time and money if they don't finish the job of writing the regulations.
What time is it?  Its always time to remember that strong voter feedback is the most effective way to get response from any politician of any stripe.  In these budget conscious days, someone has found funds for a new site, and so one should click here now for MLA contact information.

Four Paws Up!!!!

Remember On Old Dogs and Young Girls ?  I am happy to report that SPCANS has won the awards in both categories it was nominated for:  

• in the Wellness category for their awesome palliative care program at the Provincial / aka Metro Shelter and
• in the Education category for their Pawprints on Your Heart outreach work with the Nova Scotia Girl Guides.

Congratulations!

on opening the barn door

I love home made beans.  Whats not to like?  They're tasty, healthy and the whole house just smells so darned good when they're simmering in the crock pot.  Its just frosting on the cake that they're so easy to make ... all that's needed is a little time and patience.  Today's yummy lunch had to be soaked day before yesterday...then simmered and tucked in the crock pot yesterday.
Still, for far less than fifteen minutes work there is a good hot lunch ready right away today after this morning's chilly hike:)
One of the cornerstones of TNR is that R stand for return.  There is documented proof that removing cats from an area that has been providing shelter and a food source only creates a vacuum effect that more will come in to fill.
That's all very fine and well for most situations ... but like every other rule on the planet there are always exceptions.  There is no such thing as a one size fits all solution ... especially when it comes to the animals.
Caregivers can pass away, properties can be sold, zoning can change ... you get the picture.  
Yet in most instances, the ferals neither want nor need space in a shelter or rescue.   If they cannot stay where they are because of changed circumstances for the property owner, then relocation should be considered as a more desirable option than the ever so less desirable Unhappy Tail.
When these situations happen, there is often a tight timeline involving multiple cats.   Wouldn't that make it a very good time to have a provincial 'Working and Barn Cat' registry ... perhaps maintained by someone in the society with enough "street cred" among the hardworking frontline TNR folks?
The Working Cat program could provide assistance and advice for those willing to offer a safe berth to ferals and most importantly, connect those at risk with a second chance.
Until the laws are changed on a provincial level, feral cats are always going to be vulnerable because existing municipal animal control bylaws encourage residents who do not understand  how TNR works to demand that their animal control officers simply remove the ferals. They don't care where they go .. they just want them gone.
Any working cat program would therefore be significantly more effective if legislation to protect feral cats could be lobbied for at a provincial level.   Otherwise, it could simply be used as a device to undermine the real accomplishments of the hard working TNR folks.
What time is it?  Its always time to understand that we we never get to No Kill Nova Scotia if there is no protection for the feral cats. 

On closing the barn door ....

One of the best bits about being retired is NOT having to move anymore.   Mind you, nearly fifty years of following my father's and then my own military moves made it very easy to write the Moving with Pets brochure for the society a couple of years ago.   Much of the material in there was test driven on tours across the country with everything ranging from budgies and turtles to kitties and dogs.
So I know first hand that bringing the family pets along IS an achievable objective.  And before the keyboards catch on fire ... kindly remember that the military didn't always have the salaries or moving benefits they do today.  
Add into that mix that my Dad did a lot of investigative Military Police kind of things that had us relocating every couple of years ... and you can understand why its such a treat to stay put.  But ... if I have learned one single thing in nearly fifty six years, it is never to say never.   I'm hoping I've made my last move, but if not at least I can say that I'll know how to bring my crew with me.

In the course of maintaining the homeless pet sites, I am often saddened to see all the lovely pets who wind up being left behind.   Take Michelle, who is pictured above, for instance.   She was found in the basement of a house by the new resident, with an open bag of food.  The kind folks at SHAID say she is a sweet and personable gal ... already spayed and (sadly) declawed and clearly a beauty as well. 

Or take Tabitha, above, who was found wandering the halls of an apartment complex after her family had moved.  If its tough to be an abandoned kitty ... the ante is upped for the seniors and this sweet girl is still waiting at the Valley Animal Shelter for someone with enough heart to bring this sweet gentle soul home.

Sadly Abigail was not an isolated case.   Beautiful Tabitha, above, was discarded by her owners and rescued by a neighbour ... who brought her to the Queens SPCA.   I can't even be polite about describing what I think about a person who could abandon a sixteen year old cat of any stripe ... the fact that she is gentle and well behaved and stunningly beautiful is irrelevant to that.  If she was ugly as a post that would still be no excuse.
It IS actually abuse to abandon an animal, and unless I am very mistaken it IS actually against the law to do so.   In many instances, the person or persons who commit these crimes are not unknown.  I DO get that its a problem if they leave the province, but if they can't be charged ... would it be possible to name them on a wall of shame somewhere?
Odds are to even that wherever they go they'll wind up with a new pet ... until the next time they have to move of course.
These are all sad stories ... but the saddest thing is that these lovelies really only represent the tip of the iceberg  For every one that finds safe sanctuary, dozens more are turned away to meet a variety of Unsung Unhappy Tails.
The other day I got the latest newsletter from the No Kill Advocacy Center, in which it was talking about the Steps to Success to get to No Kill and #2 on that list is "Keep them out of the shelter"
People are more inclined to abandon cats because they are smaller and its easier for them to make a quiet getaway without the neighbours calling the police.   The saddest thing about that is that cats are usually the easiest pets to travel with ... sigh
Abandoned cats cost municipalities in a wide variety of ways ... would it not be timely perhaps for them to send out the moving with pets brochure in their tax mail outs?  Or at least have it on their websites?  And maybe even put it in the paper every now and then?  If they can pop for ads for swimming pool fences and not flushing tampons, why can't they do that, eh?
What time is it?  Its always time to recognize that the ounce of prevention is always cheaper than the pound of cure.

A Little Rant

Hey ...
I'm not a world famous blogger ... and I'm not drumming up funds on Paypal.  I don't live in HRM and I don't know Mayor Kelly or email anyone on the council because I'm certain that they are only going to pay attention to the tax paying voters who actually elected them.
I am a middle aged grandmother not a professional dog trainer.   I'm experienced but not expert and when I don't know what to do ... I ask someone who does.
I have gone hang gliding headfirst downhill after deer without letting go of one leash.  I believe in praise, not correction;  rewards, not punishment and that love is definitely not all that a dog needs.
Some dogs have it great ... some dogs not so much .. and that's as true here as anywhere else in the world!
Nova Scotia is a wonderful place to live!   The first SPCA in the country to go No Kill!   And full of kind hearts who do not want even one dog to die!
We are Nova Scotians!!!   And We Love Our Dogs!!!

Making it cool to be kind

I love Girl Guide Cookies.  Setting aside the simple fact that they are delicious.... its also pretty darned convenient to have a stash of something simple, sweet and quick for a snack when time runs away on me.
If retired grannies like myself who (supposedly) have all the time in the world will choose the easy road, how much more likely will it be that busy families will do the same?  
While I was doing a couple of new listings for the senior pet site, it occurred to me that more could be done to market the benefits of adopting two pets together.
Milo and Maisy, for instance, are a lovely pair of (more middle aged than) senior chocolate Labs who have lived together for their whole lives.  Happily Lab Rescue understands how closely bonded they are and are looking for a home with enough heart to adopt them together. 
Adopting a bonded pair like these two has a lot of advantages.  They already know each other, so it won't be quite so strange for them.  In turn, that will help them settle in quicker.  They'll be good company for each other when their humans have to go out.  Best of all, they are already good friends and it'll be twice as fun to take them out to play.
CAPS understands this and actively uses their BOGO to promote the fact that many of their adoptables who are in care together become great friends  As a sidebar to that, very soon I hope to have pics of their new cat cottage to share with you, but for now I should also mention that they have finally graduated to their own phone number .... 825 - CAPS ( 2277)
And it occurred to me as well that if a busy person was looking to adopt a kitten, it could be incredibly helpful to adopt an adult "nanny' at the same time.    And before the keyboards catch on fire, male cats ...like my own Oscar.. often make great 'uncles' for the youngsters.
Who knows but that next spring some creative soul will put on a Mommy and Me campaign when kitten season hits.  Something like that would have the added advantage of helping the little Momcats get adopted ... instead of the status quo which leaves them 'sitting on the shelf' long after their kittens have found homes.
Like it or not, it is a fact of life that most of the people who can afford to properly care for a pet are going to be busy.  
What time is it ?  Its time to put less emphasis on how much cheaper it is to adopt and more emphasis on what really matters ... how very easy it can be to be kind.

Hope for the Holidays

I love doing carpentry.  There aren't enough hours in the day to do everything, but after years of creating short lived culinary treats there is something so satisfying about building things that will last.   From big projects like the play yard to little bits of shelves, its a joy to finally have a nice little workshop where I can play.
Of course I wouldn't be able to do any of this without my tools.  If you've ever bought carpentry tools, you'll know they're not cheap ... but like most amateurs over the years my little collection has grown.  
Like any amateur, tools have always topped my wish list but one way or the other, here in the real world there is no tool fairy and  somebody has originally had to pay for them.  
That's of course why I'm always nattering on like a stuck record about the free tools available for animal rescue.  One of the best ones around is the increasingly popular IAMS Home for the Holiday's campaign. 
It doesn't cost a red cent for a group or shelter to join, and they reap the benefits of free tools and even a free national advertising campaign.  Which of course was why I was so disappointed last year to see that not one single group or shelter in Nova Scotia had bothered to take the time to sign up.
How does it stack up this year?  Ever so much better!  This year there are eight groups and shelters on board :

• SHAID, ( no surprise when they have led they way with everything else from Petfinder to embracing No Kill to promoting TNR )
• CAPS
• Atlantic Small Dog Rescue
• East Coast German Shepherd Rescue
• and all FOUR SPCA shelters!   Metro, Kings, Yarmouth and Cape Breton! 

Well then.   Now there are eight groups and shelters that have stepped up to the plate ... eight that have embraced the idea that holiday adoptions are NOT passing pets out like candy but rather they are adoptions that take place during a traditionally popular time to bring a new pet into the family.  They are groups that understand that if an adopter would pass the screening in September that same adopter should get a shot in December.
Even better ... they have all just boosted the odds for all their adoptables!
What time is it?  Its time to recognize that more holiday adoptions will reduce the consequences for animal rescue of the post holiday "buyers remorse"
But as a movement, we have to stop focusing our policies under the false premise that the public can’t be trusted, that the animals are better off dead than in the homes of those who believe that there is no better display of holiday spirit than to open their home to an animal in need. Because if there is a central lesson in the No Kill philosophy, it is that there is enough love and compassion in every community to overcome the irresponsibility of the few.  Nathan Winograd

Happy Thanksgiving

Cindy Lou is available at the Metro Shelter

We are the Happy Tails In Waiting.  Please don't misunderstand .... we are all VERY grateful to have been rescued.  For some of us, this is the first time that anyone has bothered to explain that you humans usually prefer our company when we are well behaved.

Gosh ... some of us had no idea that we are supposed to keep four paws on the floor because you humans don't always like being bowled over with enthusiasm.

But we ARE catching on quick because NOW somebody has put our paws on the right path.

Of course we KNOW that we might not be everybody's kindred spirit.  Sheesh, cute little dogs that are already well behaved and tiny little kittens need homes too, eh?

We understand that in our enthusiasm, some of us dogs might not make the best first impression.   We shelter cats know that we should pour on the charm each and every time a visitor comes here.. but gosh some of us have waited so long that we wonder if its worth the effort,hmm?

Yes we know that this Thanksgiving we all should be thankful that we are warm and safe and well fed.  But we also know that when we find our Forever Homes, somebody else in need will get a chance to be safe. 

So this weekend... all our paws will be crossed that a discerning kind heart looking to adopt will recognize as a kindred spirit and fall in love.   Now THAT would be something we would all REALLY be thankful for! 

Harriet is available for adoption from CAPS

Miss Sammy is available from ARC

Scrappy is waiting at SHAID

Brew is with Ador A Bull East

Maddie is available at the Yarmouth SPCA

Skylar is with East Coast German Shepherd Rescue

Jacob Two Two is with SCARS

Lexus is waiting with Lab Rescue

(Her) Majesty is waiting at the Yarmouth SPCA

Simon is waiting at The LA Animal Shelter

Missy is available at SHAID

Layla is with Atlantic All Dog Rescue

Abigail is at The Valley Animal Shelter

Beautiful Moka is at the Yarmouth SPCA

To meet all the other wonderful pets available for adoption in our province, please go to The Nova Scotia Homeless Pet Project,

and its companion site

The Nova Scotia Senior Pet Project

HAPPY THANKSGIVING !!!  From myself and all the Happy Tails here!

Its Andy's First Anniversary!!

Today started off almost as wet as it was a year ago today.  How do I remember that?  Do I keep one of those old fashioned diaries that note the weather every day?  Nope!

I remember what the weather was like a year ago today because this is the day Andy's wonderful foster Mom drove to meet me halfway at Kentville so that me and my trifocals didn't have to drive to the city! 

It had been a pretty eventful few days for the little man leading up to that.  Andy was actually pretty lucky to make such a quick journey from being rescued ... being neutered at his age .. and then coming home with me to meet the dynamic duo.

But Andy is a terrier AND a senior, so he was wise enough to learn the ropes very quickly.   The casual observer would have no idea now that my little man hasn't spent his whole life here.

If its a crapshoot to be a homeless pet,  its a really rough road for the seniors.   The ante steps up quite a few notches for the seniors, like my Andy, who are well past eight.  

(  The sad  subject of how any group can claim to be No Kill if they cherry pick by age is a separate topic that deserves a post of its own on another day ) 

Potential adopters often skip the senior listings.   Some are worried about possible vet bills.  Others believe that old dogs really can't learn new tricks.   And some are simply unwilling to open their heart to a pet that might not have fifteen years of love left to offer.

Yet seniors have such a special sweet and settled charm.  There were no sleepless nights when Andy came here.  No puddles to mop.  No need to work on the leash training.

No sir ... he settled right into our lives as if he'd been here for years and he is as dear to me as if we were lifelong friends.

One kind heart at a time, people are beginning to realize this.  If you are thinking of adopting a senior pet in Nova Scotia, pleas allow me to introduce the lovelies I have listed on The Nova Scotia Senior Pet Project

 Tabitha is available at the Queen's SPCA

Nema, pictured below, is available at SHAID

Jack, pictured below, is available at the Metro Shelter

Mercedes, pictured below, is also available at the Metro Shelter

Smokey is waiting at the TLC Shelter in Digby

Rennie, pictured below, is at The LA Shelter in Amherst

Freddie, pictured below is in foster care with ARC

 Hazel, pictured below, is available from SCARS

Elsa, below, is waiting at the Valley Animal Shelter in Wolfville

Abigail, below, is at the Valley Animal Shelter in Wolfville

Bruin, below, is waiting with East Coast German Shepherd Rescue

And last but definitely not least is sweet Sam, who is available from East Coast German Shepherd Rescue

What time is it?  Its time to understand that being the first love isn't always as meaningful as being the last.

When Love is Not Enough

Its a hot and timely topic of conversation in the animal loving community .... "Is it really appropriate to punish a dog for failure on the part of the owner to provide the boundaries and guidance necessary to make their pet a welcome and safe part of their community?"
Where does the responsibility lie?  Where should the line be drawn?  At what point should a pet be rehomed into more knowledgeable and confident hands?
Existing bylaws around the province put the onus on the pet.  If the cat is allowed to wander ... if the neighbours are afraid of the dog .... a lethal injection is usually the end result.
There is nothing in existing bylaws to inhibit such owners from replacing the pets that have suffered an Unfair Unhappy Tail.   If successfully prosecuted cruelty convictions can still leave the offenders with their personal pets in custody, what deterrent actually exists?
When love is not enough ... when a pet owner will not admit they are in over their head ... what can the municipalities do?  Under current complaint driven legislation, there is no option other than to wait until the lethal injection is almost the only option.
There are two ways of tackling any problem .. reactive and proactive.   Proactive bylaw legislation would allow for an evaluation process that would include surrendering pets to be rehomed.  
Does that sound harsh?   Who would want to give up their pet?
Nobody ... but the plain simple matter is dogs are like do it yourself kits.  Everything that is needed to become a good dog is there from the get go.  Some dogs simply take more commitment and experience on the part of their owners to make that journey.
That is exactly the reason that reputable rescues and breeders screen potential pet owners so carefully, eh?  
Putting lifesaving proactive legislation in place would protect communities in situations where the pet owner cannot admit to his or herself that they are not the appropriate pet owner for that particular pet.
What time is it?  When love is not enough, its time to provide the framework so that compassion can lead the way.

Its Adopt a Shelter Dog Month!

We had a wonderful hike this morning in the woods.  October is my very favourite time for this .... but October is also Adopt a Shelter Pet Month.  Here in Nova Scotia, not all the great dogs looking for love are waiting in shelters.  We are lucky to have a such a variety of Adoption Options to choose from.

So with apologies to anyone on the off chance that I missed anyone  .... or inadvertently included a lucky Happy Tail, here are the wonderful dogs available for adoption here in beautiful Nova Scotia.  

If you are interested in anyone, they will either be on the Boy Dogs or the Girl Dogs page of the homeless pet site.  The link to their Petfinder listings is embedded in both the pics and their names.

I've brought home puppies from good breeders and adopted good dogs from rescue and I'm telling you right now that the only difference ( besides the price tag of course) is the extra satisfaction of knowing that I've made a difference by offering safe harbour to a good dog in need.

So have a look at these sweet faces and you'll see why I'm always nattering on about how there is Somebody for Everyone!