RIGATONI

Male | 1 year old | 73 pounds | High energy | Best as a solo dog | Hasn’t met kids or cats | From Ontario | Fostered in Toronto | Sociable & happy-go-lucky | Quick learner

Meet RIGATONI, your future best friend and outdoors sidekick! This handsome, high-energy pup is full of life (and beans) and absolutely thrives on human connection and active days. He has so much love and enthusiasm to give that he’s looking for an active household with the time, patience, and energy to keep up with him.

This scruff is a quick learner, food-motivated and generally listens well. He is starting to understand what’s expected of him, including boundaries. He’s already house-trained, and absolutely loves his crate. He’s currently partway through Obedience Level 1 at K9 Academy, where he has learned heel and place, and is continuing to build his recall!

For RIGATONI, the “tired dog, happy dog” mantra really holds true—when he gets enough exercise (2-3 hours per day), he’s at his absolute best. If his needs aren’t fully met, he can become restless and have trouble settling, often seeking extra attention or stimulation until he has had a proper outlet for his energy. He’s had experience with canicross before (he loved it!) and, if you’re a runner, he’d love to join you. His foster family has also found it beneficial to incorporate additional playtime throughout the day, along with enrichment activities. We’re talking snuffle mats, games of fetch or tug, flirt pole sessions, and tasty frozen Kongs.

RIGATONI typically spends workdays at home with one of his humans who works remotely and enjoys three daily walks. On days when both humans are away at the office all day, he would benefit from a dog walker to help break up his day to keep him happy and exercised.

Let’s chat about his size. RIGATONI is big and physically strong. He jumps when over-stimulated and, due to his size and strength, we’re searching for a home for him that does not have kids. He would also likely thrive in a home where he’s the only pet! While he’s absolutely learning how to coexist with his foster scruff sister, he’s still developing social skills and how to take cues from other dogs, especially when they might not want to play. It’s a process, and he’s getting there!

LUNA

Female | 1 year old | 30 pounds | Medium energy | Good second dog | Hasn’t met kids or cats | From Mexico | Fostered in Toronto | Social & friendly

Lighthearted, loving, and lively, LUNA is all of these things and then some. She’s a medium-energy kinda gal, and her interactions with other scruffs are often enthusiastic, showcasing her social butterfly tendencies. Making friends and engaging them in a round of play bows is 100% her jam. She’s got some puppy energy, which is evident in her love for chasing things and showing off her zoomies when she gets the chance. 

LUNA’s zest for life can show up elsewhere, too. For instance, she tends to jump when excited. Living life in a quieter environment where she doesn’t feel overstimulated and living with older children (if any) who can respect her space is key. LUNA is highly affectionate once she feels comfortable with people, so while it might take a bit of time for her to warm up to you, she absolutely will. She’s busy building up her confidence and looking forward to doing that with you by her side!

On any given day, a mix of physical exercise, play, and structured downtime keeps LUNA interested and engaged. She enjoys short training sessions, fetch, and the occasional hike where she can explore to her heart’s content. With her foster family’s guidance, she’s done well with leash walking and often displays her curiosity and eagerness to go on such outings with them. LUNA shows a minor prey drive and will need slow and structured introductions with cats.

Ready to bring this social scruff into your life? Apply to adopt!

MILEY

Female | 1 year old | 80 pounds | Medium energy | Has met kids | Friendly with dogs and cats | From Ontario | Fostered in Erin | Affectionate, smart & goofy

Meet MILEY. At one year old, MILEY is a young and playful scruff looking for a forever home that’s just as loving as they are coachable! MILEY is likely to grow into a large guardian breed dog and, as such, needs a confident human looking to grow and learn alongside her with continued training.

Some of MILEY’s favourite things include playing outside, going for long walks (and hikes if you’re up for it!), and exploring nature to her heart’s content. She’s got a mild interest in small animals, but only ever gives them a half-hearted chase. After a day of play and outdoor time, you’ll find that MILEY does well with decompressing in her crate and is just as content practicing the place command. She’s well-trained, this scruff, and it’s that kind of structured day where she has time to practice skills that will have her progressing even more in a new home.

Before coming into SOS care, MILEY was living in a shelter environment, with few opportunities to work on her socialization skills and interactions with people. This led to a bite incident where this scruff acted defensively. Routine, patience, and structure, combined with gentle socialization and handling, will set her up for continued success going forward (just like it already has done!).

While MILEY doesn’t necessarily want strangers going up and petting her, she’s become more trusting and is affectionate and loving with those she trusts. Her interactions with people have progressed, and she’s recently started befriending kids during monitored interactions! While this scruff has yet to experience city living, we expect that with a little time and patience, she’d do just fine.

If you’re someone who’s looking forward to continuing this scruff’s training, then you might be the one for her! Apply to adopt!

RAZ

Male | 3 months old | Medium energy | Hasn’t met cats or kids | Curious about dogs | From Manitoba | Fostered in Toronto | Affectionate & sweet | Building independence

Want to be in on a secret? This is strictly on a need-to-know basis: RAZ, this cutie pie 3-month-old pup, is officially adoptable. He’s quite the catch, RAZ is, and likely going to have many potential adopters checking him and his bio out. That’s why we’re sharing this on the sly - so that you can be the first to learn all there is to learn about him!

If there was one thing you should know about this scruffy pup, it’s that he’s the world’s biggest cuddle bug. Now that’s something we couldn’t keep under wraps even if we tried! He’s affectionate, which his foster family loves to see, as it’s visibly shown them just how much he’s come out of his shell in their care. Make sure to maintain your boundaries, though, so that he doesn’t delve too far into clingy territory! The right balance is key.

Let’s talk about his social life! Calmly curious about dogs, RAZ is timid meeting them on walks, though he keeps his composure. When it comes to humans, he prefers to sit and check them out rather than approaching them. If and when they pet him, however, that’s when he’s all in!

Exploring the outdoors is still new territory for RAZ, though he’s showing more interest in going on longer walks. He’ll likely continue to become slightly more active outside than he is now, as he grows more comfortable. Inside the home, he enjoys chill play sessions while chewing on his stuffies or engaging in a light round of tug. Like most pups, RAZ engages in playful nipping here and there. It’s more gentle than anything, though still something to note if he’s to meet kids.

Now it’s time to spill the beans about all things training. Daytime crate training has been tricky, and RAZ tends to cry when left alone, meaning that training to increase his independence will continue to be important! What he has excelled in is house training. RAZ is comfortable using pee pads - a huge help for condo living - and making use of the outdoors. RAZ has done well learning basic commands, and it is repetition that we have to thank for that! Well, and his foster fam of course! There’s some room for improvement with leash training, though he typically follows his human’s lead.

So. Now that we’ve let the cat out of the bag and you know what you know about RAZ, ready to adopt? Apply today!