HUEY

Male | 1.5 years old | 34 pounds | Medium energy | Good with kids | Good second dog | No cats, please! | From Mexico | Fostered in Toronto | Sweet & rambunctious

Meet HUEY! This curious, bouncy little guy is here to find his best friend(s)! HUEY is a distemper survivor, which means he has a subtle twitch on his jaw, though he’s now fully healed. He’s the kind of pup who looks at you like he’s got a secret quest lined up, which is fitting, since he’s named after Hueycoatl, the fiery dragon boss from RuneScape. Don’t worry, though, this scruff’s missions are more about stealing hearts (and maybe some couch space) than fighting dragons.

Crate trained, great in an apartment, and besties with his SOS alum foster sister, HUEY is adjusting incredibly to city life. He'd be happy to continue living in the hustle and bustle or enjoy the green space of the suburbs.

HUEY has met kids of several ages (including a newborn!) and enjoyed their company. You just have to keep an eye on him around their snacks and toys. His foster is happy to chat strategy if you are up for the challenge! Adult-only home? That's his current situation, and he loves the attention he gets! At the end of the day, it’s all about setting boundaries and remaining consistent.

HUEY’s down for whatever the day brings. Early morning hikes? Sure. Lazy sleep-ins? Also yes. Busy workdays? No problem, he’s cool hanging in his crate for a work day. On any given day, he enjoys 1-1.5 hours of walks plus some play time. He loves longer hikes or walks when time allows! We see glimpses of a calm dog and think he'll chill out as he gets older.

If you’re looking for a companion who’s smart, loyal, a little cheeky, and always up for the next adventure, HUEY’s your guy. He may share a name with a RuneScape boss, but he’s really just out here conquering hearts, one cuddle at a time.

CHUCK

Male | 10.5 months | 39 pounds | Medium-high energy | Hasn’t met cats, likely ok with them | Hasn’t met kids | Good second dog | From Mexico | Fostered in Pickering | Loving, affectionate & quirky

Meet CHUCK! In two words, CHUCK is loving and loyal, and that barely scratches the surface. His heart is bigger than his head (and that’s saying something!), and he wears it proudly on his paw. He’s the kind of dog who believes belly rubs are a birthright, not a privilege. Walk past him without paying the tummy toll? Not on his watch.

CHUCK adores his foster humans and his three-legged foster brother, whom he showers with affection, play bows, and the occasional slobbery kiss. While he loves the comfort and safety of his foster home, new people and environments can still make him a bit unsure. With time, patience, and reassurance, he’s learning that the world isn’t such a scary place after all.

He’s a loving pup still perfecting the art of not jumping for joy every five minutes. He’s working hard on his manners and is a quick study, especially when treats are involved. Even broccoli. Even brussels sprouts.

CHUCK’s ideal home is calm and kind. He’s not into chaos or loud city noise and prefers cozy cuddles, peaceful walks, and people who let him blossom at his own pace. He would thrive with a confident canine buddy to show him the ropes and keep the playtime coming.

This scruff has already mastered sit, shake paw, lie down, and yes, he even pees on command. He’s eager to learn, eager to love, and eager to make his humans proud. If you’re patient, active, and ready to fall for a dog who’ll love you endlessly (and maybe demand a belly rub or two thousand), CHUCK just might be your guy. Apply to adopt.

MELI

Female | 3 years old | 28 pounds | Medium energy | Previously lived with dogs | Hasn’t met cats or kids | From Mexico | Fostered in Toronto | Friendly & affectionate

Meet MELI. Three years old, and this rescue scruff from Mexico is now living in Toronto and looking for her new best friend, AKA her forever family! To share some words from her foster family, “MELI has been such a joy to have in our lives. She has grown so confident in such a short amount of time…there is no doubt in my mind she will be the best friend you have ever had.”

Life with MELI lately has involved three walks a day with time to rest in between, as well as training sessions sprinkled throughout the day. She quickly adapted to house training and easily settles in her crate at night. Her fosters have found that MELI is doing really well with basic training, and while teaching her individual commands is a slow and steady process, she is now doing well with sit, come, down… and more!

While she previously lived with other dogs, MELI is working on how she approaches dogs in her new environment. You may notice that she tends to pull towards them in excitement, wanting to play with all potential friends. She’s also busy working on leash training (know that she shows some prey drive towards squirrels), and we love to hear that her foster fam is celebrating each of her wins!

MELI is a sweetheart who loves her cuddles and pets. She happily settles at her human’s feet, and, when she’s feeling adventurous, her curiosity has her exploring all smells while out on walks. She’s learning to play with toys and, we’ll have you know, is an expert at dog yoga—her stretches are impressive! Apply to adopt!

DUCKY

Female | 5.5 years old | 32 pounds | Medium energy | Limited exposure to kids | Has met dogs | Hasn’t met cats | From Jamaica | Fostered in Toronto | Shy & sweet & can be goofy | Building confidence

Meet our gal DUCKY. Shy at first, deep down she’s full of beans, showing off her goofiest side once she’s truly comfortable with her people. Once you win her over, she’s for sure gonna love all the butt scratches you can give her. They’re her fav.

Her sweet little personality is gonna shine in a home in which her adopter(s) are committed to helping her build confidence. She needs slow introductions to people, after which time she’ll go up to them for a sniff. Getting more and more comfortable in foster care by the day, she’s feeling more settled, as evidenced by how she’s opened up. When you first bring DUCKY into your life and home, you’ll likely experience her shyness at first, but as you give her some time, she’ll grow into her most comfortable self. She can be nervous at first, and it’s important that her adopters are patient with her during that transition period.

Life with DUCKY typically involves zoomies before meals and always an eagerness to see her people after they get up in the mornings or return home from work. She enjoys relaxing inside after she’s gone for a walk, and in these moments, you might just catch her catching some Zzz’s. She loves her walks and equally loves her crate, which is often where you can find her napping.

While she’s yet to have interactions with kids in her current home, DUCKY would likely be fine living with or meeting dog-savvy kiddos who can respect her boundaries. Having gone on group walks with other dogs, DUCKY shows some interest and always appreciates meeting new scruffs slowly and on her own terms. That pretty much goes for any and all interactions.

What’s one thing you should keep in mind? That she will try to counter surf when you’re not looking. She’s food-motivated!

Think she might be the one for you, and that you might be the one for her? Apply to adopt!

SINPA

Male | 8 years old | 56 pounds | Medium energy | Coexists with a dog | Hasn’t met kids or cats | From Mexico | Fostered in Brantford | Loves affection | Tripawd

Meet SINPA. 8 years old and looking for his furever, SINPA is the kind of scruff that loves affection from his humans and would spend every morning cuddling you if he could. Sound like the perfect match? We think so, yes!

He’s a tripawd (AKA tripod), meaning he’s got 3 out of the 4 legs that dogs typically have. Does this stop him from enjoying all the things he loves most in this world? Definitely not. With his medium energy level, SINPA has been getting the hang of leashed walks in particular and has already improved since being in foster care. 

Learning what his new routine looks like in Canada, SINPA over here has been decompressing while taking in his new surroundings and all the new sounds that come with that. His preferred activities include naps and sniffing all the best smells while out in the yard and during walks. What might he like in the future? We’re thinking scent games!

SINPA is learning to grow more comfortable living with his scruff brother, and when meeting other dogs, he’s often shy at first. In the same vein, he’s working on gaining more confidence while out on walks. The confidence he has built so far has given him more energy to pay attention to commands, which is major! 

He’s slowly but surely coming out of his shell. What’s going to really set him up for success is having a confident handler by his side who enforces structured routine on the daily in a leadership role. With some more recent guarding behaviours popping up, implementing boundaries will continue to be necessary, and obedience training will also be in his future!

If you think SINPA might be the scruff for you, we’d love for you to apply to adopt!

VIDHIRA

Female | 1.5 years old | 33 pounds | Medium energy | Coexists with dogs well | Coexists well with kids | Hasn’t met cats | From Mexico | Fostered in Toronto | Affectionate & sweet | Goofball

Playful and affectionate, you could say VIDHIRA is the sweetest goofball out there. Sure, she can be a little shy here and there, but for the most part, she’s a confident gal who’s got a lot of love to share.

She’s still got some fun puppy energy, and this gal likes to expend that with a good game of fetch and a couple of walks per day. She’ll happily take part in food puzzles to exercise that brain of hers. Is she food-motivated? Definitely. She’s also happy to entertain herself with toys and puts herself to bed in her crate in the evening. While VIDHIRA may get distracted by squirrels, she’s otherwise very good at leash walking.

With slow and steady intros to dogs while on leash, VIDHIRA is fine meeting new furry friends and shows an interest in playing with them. Inside the home, she has previously displayed some resource guarding with another dog. Now, while she hasn’t yet met cats, we do know that she is highly curious about small animals, so just make sure to monitor any interactions with them.

VIDHIRA is likely to do well in a relatively active home. She also may do well living with older, dog-savvy kids as she continues to learn not to be mouthy while playing. As of right now, she’s met children at the park as well as in other scenarios and coexists well with them.

Interested in VIDHIRA? Apply to adopt! She’ll soon be requesting all the cuddles from you!

LURA

Female | 8 years old | 44 pounds | Medium energy | Needs slow, proper intros to dogs | Best with dog-savvy kids | No cats please, high prey drive | From Mexico | Fostered in Toronto | Excitable, curious & intelligent

She’s just a gal who loves her walks and chasing squirrels… and being with her humans, of course! Meet LURA. Highly affectionate, LURA enjoys being around her people and uses every chance she gets for pats and snuggles. On the flip side, she can be independent, easily entertaining herself with toys. The confidence she’s gained lately has encouraged her to come out of her shell, progressing from reserved and shy to playful and independent. Such progress!

At home, LURA has been busy learning new commands. Now and again, she might test a boundary. It’s important you reinforce them in such situations, as she thrives on structure, which is what rules provide. She’s a fast learner, and lately, LURA has also been improving on her leash walking skills and is always anticipating her next walk. Working through leash reactivity towards dogs and humans passing by, LURA has been receptive to her foster, who redirects her attention (typically towards treats!). Know that advocating for her space will continue to be necessary, though she’s made great progress. She coexists well with dogs after a slow introduction, though she’d likely do best as a solo dog in the home.

This gal loves to explore, which she does by checking out new walking routes and sniffing all the smells that she comes across in the neighbourhood. With her prey drive, you’ll likely find she’s interested in going after a squirrel or rabbit when outside, making it necessary to redirect her attention back to you while on a walk. She also happens to be a fan of tug (though her people have to play with her to get her really engaged), food puzzles, and structured downtime at the end of the day.

LURA enjoys using her crate as her personal space for downtime and often uses it all on her own. On the whole, she’s well-suited to quieter home environments and would do just fine living with humans who work 9-5.

Keen to adopt? Apply today!

This dog is sponsored by PetSmart! This means their adoption process includes a visit to PetSmart’s Mississauga Lakeshore location to finalize the adoption. Adopters will receive an exclusive PetSmart adoption kit with $300 worth of coupons and special offers! Plus, adopting through PetSmart Charities helps support rewards and grants that benefit pets in need.

LURA will be a special guest at our upcoming adoption event on Saturday, October 25th from 11am - 2pm at Pet Valu in Hamilton (1550 Upper James St). Come meet her and see if she might be the right fit for you! Note: This event is only open to SOS adoptables. If you have your own scruff, we ask that you please leave them at home!