Riley (formerly Slim) came to us from New Hope in March 2008. He was underweight and unsure of the world around him but had a heart of gold that shone through all that. Riley’s story was a very sad one. He has been chained to a fence, with no collar, on a short chain that had begun to grow into his neck. He was seized by the PA SPCA when his owners went on vacation (for at least 2 weeks) and left him, outside on that chain, without food or water as the temperatures dipped well below -40, sometimes reaching -50 with the wind. The wonderful workers at the PA SPCA called New Hope as they could tell this boy was going to need a lot of TLC to recover. Even though he was severely underweight the first thing his foster home commented on was the eerie look in his eyes, there was no life there, no hope. Anyone who meets Riley today would not believe that could ever be possible for this outgoing, vibrant boy, that has a joie de vivre that can not be matched.

We chose the name Riley because thought it suited him but little did we know that it was a sign of things to come. This big black boy now lives the life of Riley, lots of physical activity, watching TV with us from the couch, and sleeping beside and sometimes in our bed at night. Although it took some time to teach him to trust again he is loyal to those he loves beyond all reason. Preferring to lay on cold linoleum in the kitchen just to be with you while you cook he is our constant shadow and will put his personal comfort aside so he can watch over his family. He became a true hero one night not so long ago when he scared off some would be burglars who could have done some seriously damage had he not been there.

Pure joy radiates from Riley now and it is impossible not to smile when you watch him running and playing. His enthusiasm is infectious, he never just runs he bounds, “heel” is immediate even if he is 5 feet away he will leap and almost fly – rotating in midair – into the heel position, and “down” is a belly flop onto the ground. We could all learn some valuable life lessons from this boy on how to live, love, and put the past behind us. All those bad days have faded into the background for him now and even though I sometimes find myself with a tear in my eye as I think of what his life was like before for him, Riley harbors no bad will towards anyone. He continues to move forward though life with his focus on the moment, never looking back, and never holding a grudge. I strive to one day earn this lesson for myself but for now I just consider myself lucky to be able to call such a gentle soul my friend.

-Jillian Scharfstein

Hi folks at New Hope!

Just thought we would drop a line and say hello from Woody and his fellow furry and not-so-furry family members in Winnipeg.

Difficult to believe that this December it will be 3 years since Woody made the trek east from Saskatchewan, and all is well in our world. When trying to find the right adjectives to describe Woody, two words come to mind “enthusiastic” and “tolerant”. He is endlessly enthusiastic about just about everything, especially his twice-daily walks. Anyone viewing his antics would be certain that this walk is the “First Walk of My Life!”. There is no way to tell that he is an almost 11 year old dog. He loves company, especially once they are all inside the gate, and he seems to have a great affinity for the littlest humans. Walks up to them, sits down and waits for a pat, a hug, or whatever they chose to bestow on him. We have never seen him raise a lip or growl to anything or anyone. And this includes being put upon by our Attention Deficit Disorder cat, Lenny, at each and every mealtime. Lenny always insists on checking out Woody’s bowl of food, which Woody allows, no questions asked. Woody patiently waits until Lenny is finished his investigations (Lenny never finds anything to his liking – hence the diagnosis of ADD), and then Woody dives in. Because there are few things that Woody likes more than food. The command “Woody! Treat!” is always the last resort call-out, as he’s headed across the field to enthusiastically greet someone/something, whether they like it or not. In addition, Woody tolerates face cleanings by Lenny – eyes, ears, lips – Lenny gives him the full rough-cat-tongue salon treatment. Woody sits patiently, until the ordeal is done. And then he heads out to his crater in the garden (self-made by Woody, each and every spring), where he happily awaits his next walk/visitor/meal. Life is good.

All the best to the folks at New Hope,

Christine, Charlie (the human variety), Woody, Lenny, and Baby-Cat

A warm hello to everyone at New Hope Dog Rescue!

I just thought that I would send a happy update about Sasha (formerly – Tina). I adopted her in early December 2007 at the tender age of 6 months. She was classed as special needs due to her extreme timidity/terror around all people. You had asked for her to go to a home that was quiet with another dog for her to bond with.

When she met Rio, she fell in love. It wasn’t always mutual at first but once she learned her boundaries and proper doggie etiquette they became fast friends. I dog sit for a neighbour dog, Missy. She is a very playful dog and was so gentle with Sasha and would play with her until sleep overcame them. They still adore each other and play together about 5 days each week. The three of them are amazing. Rio is never jealous and has had to learn how to be gentle with her. It did not come easily. He is 80 lbs. to her 40 and had never played much with other dogs, himself (he is also a rescue God blessed me with).

Anyhow, it took Sasha over one year to become completely trusting of me in every situation. We took baby steps. She would feel safe with me on my bed but terrified of me in the hallway. Safe if I was sitting, running away if I stood up. One of the first days, she ran from me, sat on the shoe shelf and pooped into my running shoe! She always wanted to be wherever Rio was and took to sleeping at the foot of his loveseat on the floor. Rio does not like to be crowded or she would be right up there with him.

I take all three of them out for a long run in the country everyday, weather permitting. We walk about two miles. Well, I walk two miles and they run all over. They love to hunt mice and are quite good at it. Yech! They also love to play chase with the antelope. She and I are so close now, that she loves to sit cuddles up on the swing outside with me while I read. Last February, she had a dilemma. Rio decided to go to bed in my room. I was still in the living room. She always follows him wherever he goes. But on this night something changed. She didn’t want to leave me but wanted to follow him. She went in and out, back and forth for about 20 minutes and I finally just went to bed to keep her happy. Now, she has found a spot in the hallway where she can still see me but is close enough to Rio that she is okay. When I get up from my chair to join them, I get greeted like a returning hero!

I want to thank everyone at New Hope for all you do for these wonderful small creatures. I hope you enjoy these photos. I can’t imagine life without my little girl.

After his very long wait for his forever home, Roscoe has finally found his forever Daddy, David.
We are very happy for Roscoe, and we are very thankful to his foster Mom Carmen for taking such good care of him.

Once Griz is finished outside playing he comes & stands at the kitchen door and licks it continuously until you let him in-it is quite cute. It is so funny to watch him & Boo Boo play- when Griz runs the grass goes flying & the little guys is right along his side all the time. If Griz changes his position of how he is laying Boo Boo will look over & then copies the change.

Hi to all the wonderful folks at New Hope… this is just a short note to send a heartfelt THANK YOU to you all – especially foster mom Catherine and family – for giving us our dream dog, Ranger. He is a fun, smart, healthy, happy, gentle spirit who truly lights up our lives. We’re madly in love with him, as are all my daycare families. Even the cat is smitten! They have become great friends and play chase together, or cuddle on the “family bed” for a snooze almost every day.

Ranger is fitting in beautifully with the kids, and feels it’s his place to be with them; since getting Ranger, I pack up my daycare troops and head to the Whitecap-Furdale leash-free area for a hike a couple of times a week, and Ranger loves nothing better than to herd them into a group and keep them moving along (he’s a born babysitter!). He has gotten my husband or me out for a run every day, and has met all of our dog-loving neighbours. Best of all, my son and daughter have a true friend in him. My 5 year old son insisted we keep his name, albeit with some improvement – his new license reads his name as “Space Ranger Buzz Lightyear To Infinity and Beyond” Bradford-Wilson. So he’s officially part of the family! We’re very grateful it’s turned out so well, and will not hesitiate in recommending your organization to others. In fact, if you require any volunteers, please do give us a call, we’d be happy to help. Thanks again so much… we love our Space Ranger!

Follow up: Here’s a bit more – at the Furdale off-leash just the other day, this little black bullet of a dog came charging up to Ranger with a huge grin on it’s face… not menacing or barking, but going flat out, just a blur. Normally, this would make Ranger sit right down beside me, but he took off after the dog. When they met, they started doing this happy hopping dance, bounding around each other and up on their back feet. Well, he’s fairly shy and reserved with new dogs, so this was wild to watch. After talking with the owner a bit, I realized that this little black dog was Ranger’s sister, Annie! They had not seen one another since he left the vet college; her leg was broken (is that right?) and she stayed on. They so clearly remembered each other and were delighted to see one another, and happily played for about 15 minutes. But here’s what a good boy he is … even with his long-lost sister whipping him into a frenzy (she was obviously dominant), he still came immediately when I finally called him! Such a dreamboat…
-Shauna & family

We adopted bernie 4 days ago and already he has made a difference to our lives. What a wonderful dog he has turned out to be.We adopted bernie 4 days ago and already he has made a difference to our lives. What a wonderful dog he has turned out to be, very quite and obedient, he really loves all the fuss that we give him. We feel very lucky to have him in our home and we hope he feels the same way about us!!! Thank you New Hope for letting us have him.

– Robert

Just thought I would give you an update on Boomer. He’s doing great. He had himself groomed today so he looks pretty darn good, and smells good too. He fits in well, he likes to be bossy sometimes with Emma but she doesn’t seem to mind too much. I try to explain that they both have to share. He likes to play with toys (you know that already) and can be very affectionate, especially with me. He sleeps on our bed every night along with our other dog Emma.

Hi there, just wanted you to know that Brody (beagle/dachshund mix) is doing great! Buster, his older brother (basset/lab mix) loves him and so do we! We cannot say walk or car ride as this causes chaos – we must spell the word out when we discuss walks or car rides. Good thing dogs can’t spell! Neither dog can now go any where without the other! Thanks again for our little “blonde dog”!
– Kathy