Happy Tails
Did you adopt your four legged pal through Pawsitive Match? If so, click here to tell us your Happy Tail and we'll post it here. Don't forget to include some pictures, we would love to see you!
• Don • Scruffy • Teyha • Baxter • Flora • Gucci • Avril • Mickey • Abby • Roxy • Nathan •
• Vida • Charlie • Rufus • Flash •
To be honest, I've been trying to come up with how to describe how positively Easton (Don) has impacted my life. I just can't come up with the words!
In some ways, I feel like I've had him forever - I can't imagine him not being a part of my life, and it's only been a few months. In other ways, we're definitely still getting to know each other - we have our first obedience class this Friday! He is absolutely still a puppy, I say he gets "crazy eyes" because at times he will just start pouncing around the house or the yard! Not chasing anything in particular, but just running, running, running! Although his legs are so long it's more of a gallop, which of course, is the most adorable thing ever! He'll do this for about 5 minutes and then collapse in a heap and take a good nap! It makes me laugh every time! People keep telling me he must be in his teenage stage now (he's about 9 months) because he's stopped cuddling with me and would much prefer to lay on his bed alone! I'm hoping he'll grow out of it and I can get a few more cuddles in! He has only ever had a handful of "accidents" and has become quite accustomed to heading to the back door when he wants to go outside. He had great fosters that started house training him before I got him, and for that, I am incredibly thankful!
He has fit in incredibly well with my active lifestyle. My baseball and kickball teammates love having a mascot at all of our games! I've started taking him on 5km runs with me, and although I don't think he appreciates the 5:30am wake-up, he's definitely starting to get a bit more used to it! I live near a dog park and he quite enjoys heading out to the field for some off-leash time. We're still working on being more comfortable with other dogs, but as you can see from the pictures, that's coming along nicely! I have a number of friends who have puppies as well, so we've been scheduling a number of puppy playdates so that he won't be as timid and scared around other dogs (or his reflection, which again, is super adorable!). He has been absolutely phenomenal with kids - my nephews love him, and he seems to understand that he can't play with them the same way he plays with adults. He's very gentle, always giving out kisses (whether they're wanted or not).
Please pass on my gratitude for the organization and everything they do for these animals. I used to think I was the one who would be providing a rescue dog with a better life, but in fact, it was the rescue dog who has provided me with so much more than I ever could have imagined.
Baxter (aka Scruffy) has very much won my heart! And everyone else's in my life who has met him so far :) He is smart as a whip, loves to play fetch and rarely barks! Baxter is even responding to his new name very well! I have found that since he has been away from other dogs, he has totally chilled out. At present, he is here in my office, lying in his bed, chewing away on his toy. Quite content and completely oblivious to anything else going on haha. Can't believe how calm he is when going for car rides and even enjoyed a 5 hour float down the river yesterday! Although I can't say Baxter likes to be in the water, he is pretty relaxed on it. I have a large back yard where he loves to fetch and run around in circles to burn his energy. Once he learns to listen a little better, we will definitely be going to the dog park!
Thank you for fostering him and the many others you have let into your homes. Its an amazing thing what you all do at Pawsitive Match :)
Two years ago we began searching for a dog. My husband and I have never owned a dog and our boys were 5 and 3 so we were a little nervous about getting a dog, but thought we’d start the process. We looked everywhere, Kijiji, shelters, rescue societies etc. We filled out all the applications needed at each place. We then found an ex-breeding dog and picked her up. 2 days with her home and she snapped at my 3 year olds face! I immediately took her back, much to our kids dismay. A year later, we started the search again. I found two dogs to look at (both about 35 lbs) and my husband found Tehya. I did NOT want to go and see her as the last dog we’d tried was a large dog too, I wanted something smaller, more manageable, gentler, but my husband said “let’s just go and see her.”
I got in touch with Pawsitive Match Rescue society and they put me in touch with Tehya’s foster mom. She was a little anxious that our kids were so small, but told us to come and take a look. Needless to say, one look is ALL it took! The minute we walked in the door, Tehya had our hearts. She was so excited to see us, like she’d been missing us for years! She licked the boys, did a few circles and looked up at us with those big brown eyes. I was smitten. She was EXACTLY what we were looking for, only about 35 pounds heavier! We spent almost an hour with her seeing all her tricks, getting kisses and chatting with her foster mom. We left that night so excited to come and get her in a week and the sad look she gave us as we walked out without her that day diminished any doubts I may have had.
Tehya fit right in to our family. She's energetic and playful when we want her to be and she is lazy and quite when we need her to be. The idea of having a trial period was so wonderful, we knew that if she was not the perfect fit, we could make sure both her and us would find the right fit, but fortunately this WAS the right fit! Each day we come home from being out, even for 15 minutes, is like that 1st day we met her. She is always so excited to see us and we all feel the same way about her. 3 months ago our 3rd child arrived and we were nervous as to how Tehya would take to her, but we had nothing to be worried about. As far as Tehya is concerned Kesslyn is her baby too and is always there if the baby is crying, or intently watching the video monitor as the baby sleeps.
As far as we are concerned, our family is complete with Tehya and we are so blessed that the wonderful people that run Pawsitive match are so good at what they do, otherwise our sweet Tehya would most likely have never had the chance to have a forever family and we’d be missing out on all that unconditional love.
Baxter has been an AMAZING addition to our family. We cannot imagine not having him around. For a little dog who has travelled a great deal in his short life and for whom we know little of his history, he is incredibly friendly, loving, and happy! We recently received his veterinary records in the mail in which he was described as a "fearful stray." Without the attached picture that surely is Baxter, we would have assumed these records were describing a different dog!
His tail never stops wagging and if you manage to get him really excited (which can sometimes be accomplished by just looking at him), his entire back end will wag which makes it difficult for him to walk in a straight line. He has been fondly monikered as "Señor Wiggle Bottom." Baxter and his "big brother" Bosco are the best of buds and spend hours wrestling and chasing each other.
Being from the much warmer south, Baxter is not a huge fan of the snow. He enjoys wearing his jacket for outings to the dog park and loves curling up in front of our fire place to warm up. Baxter has been a big hit at doggy daycare and seems to get along very well with other dogs.
Aside from some continuing work towards housetraining and the occasional chewed slipper or unwrapping of a Christmas present, Baxter has exceeded our expectations of how well behaved and loving a rescue dog can be. He has adjusted so well to being part of our family and just seems to be grateful to have some permanent laps to curl up on for a nap. We are looking forward to taking both dogs to participate in an obedience course together in the early new year.
Our experience with Pawsitive Match has been exceptional and we are incredibly thankful to all of the volunteers, vets, and foster homes that assisted Baxter in finding his forever home. When Baxter first arrived in Canada, he was quite ill from an infection to his neuter site, but he has recovered 100% and has been given a clean bill of health from our vet. We are so blessed to have found such a wonderful little dog and we will promote the invaluableness of adopting a rescue dog to everyone we know!
It was March 2010 when our hearts melted looking at this innocent little puppy on a Facebook site. With a quick discussion with my husband, we knew we had to have this puppy! A few messages on Facebook and a response that this puppy Flora was being flown to Calgary from Los Cabos that night, we knew it was meant to be.
We went in thinking, we're just going to go see her, make sure she is in good shape and would be a great fit for our family before we say yes. Well it only took us about 2 minutes once we got inside her foster's home and looked into those sweet brown eyes before we knew she was the dog for us! We took her home that day and changed her name to Lexi!
From a battle with parvovirus to hating being put in a kennel and thinking we were never coming home, and also being a bully to our other animals at first, our Lexi has come a far way! She is now a 63 pound BIG suck! Her and our little dog Dash have become pals when they aren't wrestling and she has come to love the kitty side swiping her face when she's being naughty and playing just a little too hard! She is a bed hog, and doesn't care who knows it - she rules the roost and sleeps right under the covers, it's cold in the winter you know! Lexi is so easy going and so easy to please, she tends to talk to us when she feels no one is paying attention to her, talk back when she doesn't approve of what we are saying, and crank her head to the side when your just not making any sense! Her tail is ALWAYS wagging so hard, you would think she could start a fire with how fast it is moving, and she LOVES to go to our local dog park, where she is the talk of the park because of how beautiful she is. She melts everyone's hearts and we are so glad she is part of our family!
People everywhere we go really embrace her story, just as we have. They become so much more friendly when you explain what she has been through, and what a great dog she has become. We have to thank everyone at Pawsitive Match and especially Isabelle Ann & Katie - two gals with HUGE hearts, that have played a key role in this dogs survival! They are so happy to see how she is making out and can't believe how big she has become from a 3 lb puppy when we first got her!
We are now getting ready for the Christmas season - Lexi has just had her first dogshoot and loved being the center of attention for the camera, loved the lights being strung around her and all of us just saying "awww!" and also with the weather being so cold, we didn't know how Lexi would react. We have "muttluks" for our 7 lb Maltese/Chihuahua Dash but I never would have thought she might need a pair too - this big dog looks up and whines at you lifting her paws, begging you to take her home - you would never think she would be so sweet, but we have to remember - she is used to the sun and the sand, a true Mexi Mutt indeed, we don't care what she is - she is perfect for us and we couldn't be more thankful for this life changing experience, we would recommend adopting a dog through Pawsitive Match to anyone, and can't wait to spend the rest of Lexi's life with her!
THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!
Love,
Steve, Aleisha, Dash, Felix, and Lexi!
xoxoxoxo
P.S. Merry Woofmas!
Well we absolutely love Gucci. She is so well behaved and friendly, not to mention great with the kids. Initially we fostered Gucci but after a week realized we could not part with her so have decided to adopt her. We went on a long hike today and Gucci just loved it, perfect fit as a member of our family.
Just a quick note the say that Salsa is fitting in great. As she is a bit timid it took her a couple of weeks to get used to the doggie door – but she is now a pro and likes to go out in the nice weather and catch a little sun, or just run around the yard a few times. She had a couple of little accidents before she figured out the doggie door, but has not had any since she worked up the courage to use it.
Ginger and Salsa are great little buddies. They hit it off from the first and share a bed and a food dish in the kitchen with no conflicts. They both tuck into bed with Maureen and me and take turns curling up in different places.
The really good news is that Ginger no longer tries to dig out under the fence when Maureen and I are both out. I just got back from a week in Toronto and Maureen checked the fence every night – no sign of digging at all. So Ginger must like Salsa’s company.
Salsa is still a bit timid when we go for a walk. She sticks close to whoever is holding her leash. She is nervous in our front yard but very comfortable in the back yeard – so I doubt that she will be trying any breakouts any time soon.
She is much less frightened and nervous than when she arrived. At first she was very quiet and did not show much emotion. Now when people she knows come to the house she does a little dance where her nose and her tail swap places in the blink of an eye. Our grandson counts the number of “flips” that she does when he comes – he likes to tell people how many flips she did when he arrived.
Thanks again for finding her for us.
Mark, Maureen & Harrison (our grandson, who has appointed himself as Salsa’s “Dogfather”)
Just an update on Mickey. We've had some trouble with him. He has become a bed hog....hahaha. Just kidding. He is the best!! I can't believe what a great dog he is. He is so confident and happy all the time. It took about 2 weeks of him ignoring all the other animals in the house but he finally decided to be part of the pack. I think he likes being a part of the gang, running outside and barking at the neighbours horses, then flying back into the house, across the couch and up onto the kitchen chair. He's such a nut. It's nice that he isn't attached to just me (like alot of chi's tend to do)...he loves playing with everyone. He still sleeps at the end of our bed and as soon as I roll over in the morning, he dashes under the blankets beside me. He has a nice dog bed and furry blanket at the end of the bed but he loves being under covers. I thought maybe he didn't like this Canadian cold weather so I got him a matching sweater with my whippet...he loves it.
Thanks again...I couldn't have asked for a better dog...perfect match.
Nan
We adopted Abby (Princess) in April at your adopt-a-thon on 32nd Ave NE. Abby is doing fine and adjusted well. I think she enjoys having us as "pets" LOL. We have recommended you to several people who have been looking for that new addition. Here are a few new pics of her. We love her dearly and are so happy we found her (or she found us).
Roxy is doing amazing. She came to work with me almost every day this week (I wanted to leave her alone for a while to get used to the idea of being alone - she did great). She hangs out in my office and is quiet, even when I leave her to go to meetings. She was super shy when people first started coming in to meet her, but she now will stay where she is, sniff their hands and let them pet her.
Last night we went to an outdoor movie where there were tons of people and dogs and food and distractions, She was great! We went for a walk and practiced "heel" which we learned at the training class on Thursday night and she was not scared at all during the movie. Strangers came over and pet her and she met some new dogs and she was so good.
I just wanted to say thank you for bringing me together with my family. Since I arrived in Edmonton, I have done a lot. First, the snow was something weird and it took me until the end of the winter to realise that I can have fun in this. I also brought a pet with me, but they didn't allow me to keep it. They said that a tick is no good for me! Then they enrolled me into a dog class (I got direct into the intermediate and I did well in there) it was a lot of fun but I don't like to follow all the commands. Right now I have a good friend (a huge pit bull) and we play a lot together. During the day, I still have my siesta and I really like to go on trips. Driving in the car is great fun by they still don't let me drive. Everytime I go on the driverseat, they make me go back. Well, I wrote enough, I have to go back on my couch and relax from this hard work.
Thanks for all,
Nathan
Hello! I just wanted to let you know how Vida is doing. She is really settling in. I leave her loose in the house when I'm at work and she has been perfect. We are getting less tangled on our walks, and I've had her in a public off leash area (on leash of course) and she was fine. The two dogs are playing nicely, she likes to pounce on Van Buren, but he just takes it in stride and I think he really enjoys it. She has been a monkey and found lots of gross things to eat in the yard, like a petrified carrot and a big dried worm. Here I am feeding high quality food and she eats dried worms-what money I could save . I have signed up for a dog class that starts next week, I am looking forward to it as it will help with socialization with other people, they have a "pass the puppy" part where each owner gets to handle the others dog. I'll let you know how it goes.
Just thought I'd let you know how Charlie is doing. He's sleeping at my feet just now - he snores!
It took him about a week before he was comfortable looking us in the eyes. He tended to avoid eye-contact but now he's much more engaged and lively. I think he's figuring out that we're not going to hurt him. He's working hard on his housebreaking - he has accidents from time-to-time, usually in the basement but he's getting better - and he's even learned how to fetch (fetching's the easy part. Just try getting it back from him! He hides under the patio furniture with all the toys where he KNOWS we can't get him!). Sid the Terrier is a big help of course - he's teaching Charlie some basic manners and two days ago, we heard Charlie bark for the first time!
Still not really crazy about the crate but he loves his basket and sleeps there every night without any trouble. He's enjoying his walks and eats well. We had him to our vet's and they noticed he's missing his front teeth - they're there, they're just worn down to nothing. Almost flush with the gums - so we're being very careful with the kind of food he gets to help him avoid gum disease in the future.
Charlie is a lovey little fellow - very easy-going and quiet. I hope we'll see more and more of his personality come out over the next few weeks - he can be a little clown and a terrible scamp. His latest trick is to sneak up behind Sid and dab his paw at him. This tag usually ends up in a wrestling match but don't worry, Sid knows how to handle himself. For an old dog, he does pretty well. Of course, he cheats outrageously too. They really seem to be enjoying themselves.
Recently (nearly three weeks ago) we adopted Rufus, we had been looking as a family to get a dog for a while and after looking at puppies in pet stores and the extremely high high prices they wanted to charge, we decided we would rather our money went to rescuing a dog that really needed a home! We could not have asked for a better dog! We had already gone through the process to adopt another dog but unfortunately she passed away before we were able to meet her. So we started looking again and found Rufus!! He honestly has just fit right into our family and we can not imagine our lives without him. He absolutely loves the kids and in just three days he has learned so many tricks! He was house trained when we got him and he knows the rules of the house and follows them with no problem. He really enjoys playing in the back yard with the kids and also loves sleeping with my oldest daughter all snuggled together!
Anyone who is looking to adopt an animal, we would highly recommend going through Pawsitive Match Shelter! They truly are the angels of animals and we appreciate all that they do to save these animals so that we can adopt them!!
TJ and the Larson Clan!
It was June 2009, and we waited patiently at the airport to pick up our new addition. Nacho (formally Flash) came to us as an awkward, shy, somewhat fearful pup. We were not sure what to expect when we picked him up and brought him home. We took one look into his amber colored eyes and he made us melt.
It has been 8 months now and Nacho is turning out to be a wonderful family pet. We call him our big dope. He is so easy going and eager to please. He loves going everywhere with us and I believe that us having 2 young children, has brought him out of his shyness and fearfulness much quicker.
He has completed his first level in Obedience and as we are finding out, he loves balls and are now looking into agility or flyball. He may of had a rough start in life and we want to give him every chance now to enjoy it.
Thank you so much for everything thing your organization does. This has been such a rewarding experience for us.
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