Dumpster dog gets a home

CHARLIE'S SONG

When darkness falls
on one so young,
Each breath so hard to draw,

How can you hope
to understand
The last cruel face you saw.

And yet amongst
the darkness comes
Faint hope and faith in good,

A whimper now for all to hear,
If only someone would.

And then through fate
or luck or God,
Whatever truth you see,

A dustman heard
your piteous cry,
And brought you safe to me.

So now my task?
To make amends
To one so small and sweet,
To show you all the world can be
And make your life complete

To give you
not but tender touch,
And show you all that's fair,

To reap the warmth
of hearts unbound,
Enough for all to share.

I'll watch in time
the pain subside
Bad memories fade like dew
Replaced by joy in all of life,
With love from me to you.

That's a poem submitted by Mark Collins to Toronto Animal Services as part of his pitch to woo the adoption of Charlie. Charlie, you might remember, is the little Lhasa Apso that was thrown away into dumpster a couple of weeks ago and rescued by a janitor. It may be a good thing that OPP sergeant Mark Collins, a cop with a big heart when it comes to animals, sent in that poem because it certainly made his adoption application stand out from the nearly one hundred others. Now Charlie is happily living with Mark and his family on their 190-hectare farm.

Here's the Toronto Star article for more details: 'Tough cop' takes in pup cruelly left in dumpster

It's wonderful so many people offered to open their homes to Charlie and I hope that those people will now consider opening up their homes to the other dogs left behind at the city's shelters and rescues.

For example, this old guy ...

... and his buddy...

They've both been at Toronto Animal Services for a few weeks now. The older one is fifteen and the younger one is five and they are very attached to one another so they are going to be adopted out only as a pair. They've been through enough already and no one wants to put them through the additional heartache of another separation. Adoption information about them is available here and here.

There are, of course, many excellent local dog rescues aside from Toronto Animal Services and one of the ones I've dealt with before is called Happy Tails Rescue. Happy Tails Rescue specializes in small breeds and always has a selection of great dogs looking for a home.

Here's one. His name is Magic.

From his adoption description: Magic is a very special little man. He is about 10 years old and weighs about 10 lbs. Magic got his name because he is so cuddly that he melts into your chest when you pick him up and makes you feel so happy. It is like magic!!! Magic is missing both eyes a but he quickly finds his way around and is not bothered much by his disability. He bounces around like he can see, occasionally bumping into furniture, but not as often as one might expect once he has explored an area. He is very happy, cuddly and playful. For information on Magic, you can check out his profile here.

These are just a few of the dogs that will never make the evening news but who are in just a great a need for loving homes. We need to figure out a way to match them up with those other hundred applicants that went home empty handed.

The news media is a funny thing. It focuses its spotlight onto those things that need to be revealed but sometimes at the risk of overshadowing or pushing aside other equally significant stories. But, occasionally, the news is more than just an interesting anecdote. Sometimes, the beam of its spotlight is expansive enough to cast light on the larger problems and leads to an overall improvement for more than just the one subject of the story. Sometimes, a news story actually contributes to positive societal change. I hope the recent publicity around the dumpster dog, the story of Charlie, is part of that.