Hobo is brought into Toronto Animal Services as part of a half dozen dogs transfered from a county dog pound in rural Ohio. A dog unfortunate enough to find itself at that particular pound, where over a hundred dogs a month are gassed, only has a few days to be claimed by its owner before it is killed. The high kill rate is typical of many rural pounds that have to deal with an overpopulation of unwanted dogs and puppies, most of which are the overstock from unregistered backyard breeders and illegal puppy mills.
These six got a reprieve when they were chosen for placement in the highly successful Toronto Animal Services adoption program which occassionally, when there is extra space at the Toronto shelter, selects dogs from the kill lists of other pounds and puts them up for adoption here.
Hobo is a calm, friendly, affectionate dog but has the misfortune of looking like something thrown together by someone in a hurry. It's like he's been assembled by sticking the head of a Sharpei onto the torso of a German Pointer and then adding a long rat-like tail to poke out the rear. Hobo's weirdness is endearing, though, and the first couple that take him for a test walk decide to bring him home. Within a couple of weeks, all of Hobo's other companions in the rescued group are also adopted out.
Due to political pressures, the rescues from Ohio have been stopped. Toronto Animal Services now take in rescues from Montreal when space allows.
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1 comment:
I remember Hobo. I had planned on looking at him the day he got adopted, but his new family got there first. I passed them leaving with Hobo on my way in. I am glad though, because it means I went in and met Dingo (then Mason).
Reading all your blogs back entries is so inspiring and touching. Once I have a better handle on the situation at home with training my deaf ACD Oz, I am gonna look into volunteering at the shelter.
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