A blind German shepherd. A grateful cat. A woman whose life richly deepened. We asked Toronto Star readers for their stories about adopting shelter animals. A few sadly wrote about pets who didn’t work out, but the vast majority told tales of continuing love and new-found joy.
We got more than 150 responses from our readers about their experience with shelter adoptions. As part of the Pedigree Adoption Drive (mypedigree.ca), gift baskets are being given to the three top stories as determined by Star judges.
Those winners are: Victoria Martin of Toronto, Diane Devey of Markham and Sandra Kendall, Schomberg. Thank you to all those who participated.
As a rescue group, we often get calls from shelters about dogs with special needs. About three years ago, we took a shelter call concerning a senior bichon frise with a nasty form of cancer who probably didn't have much longer to live. The dog had a lovely personality and the shelter workers were trying to find her a caring space to finish her days. One of our members, Judy Keep, took Fuzzi home.
As the months went by, Fuzzi turned from a skinny little dog with a really bad haircut into a dog with a vivacious personality larger than her diminutive body. She stole everyone's hearts and Judy adopted her, despite the costs of her medical care. Fuzzi quickly became the mascot of our Happy Tails Rescue group
Fuzzi did not sicken and die. It has been almost three years, and she has grown in beauty and strength, becoming a bit of a celebrity. She joyfully made her television debut on a show about finding new homes for small breeds. Fuzzi was ecstatic when she strutted her stuff as a doggie clothing model on the runway at Toronto's Woofstock. She also appeared at Woofstock in the Princess Margaret Hospital's booth, soliciting donations for cancer research.
In the fall of 2006, the tumours returned. She had another round of surgery and received chemotherapy. She still actively loves life, adores being the centre of attention and revels in new doggie outfits. We cherish every moment that we have with her.