Life's a beach

This past couple of weeks, life's a beach, for us and the Foxy dogs. This fabulous spot is right here in our home town, not 5 mins from our homes. We call this place our "Dog Psychology Centre" as it helps us all relax, take time out of our day to get together and just have fun. The kids swim, so do the dogs. Benny loves to drag the kids back to shore, its quite funny to watch and he is so pleased with himself.

The beach is surrounded by woods where the dogs can go off for a run without danger of cars driving by.

We are lucky Hudson is such a dog town, and this is a great place to take your dogs for exercise. You meet so many people and of course you immediately have something in common, dogs. Well, they usually have one or two, we usually have 7 to 12, but the more the merrier. All the dogs get along so well as they are all relaxed and if they want time to themselves they just go find themselves a spot on the beach or go for a stroll around the woods.

When we go in the evening, we are usually the only ones there, but often a few other Foxy dogs and their guardians come strolling by, so we have some catch up time. Everyone is tired out when they get home and are all in bed and out like a light by 9:30pm. In our house, we are up and back out again at the beach if the weather permits by 6:45am for an hour. It's so peaceful then. The only other person we run into is foster mom Jeniese, who lives about 2 mins from this fabulous spot so she takes a stroll down if she has time before the kids get up.

Check out more pictures on our website www.foxyscaninecompanions.ca under Foxy's Scrapbook

Roxy looking for her new guardian to come strolling by

Adoption Day Update

Yesterday we held our Adoption Day at Animalerie Babalou for the 2nd Sunday in a row, we like to keep Vito company as he is alone in the store while Nancy takes a well-deserved break. We'd like to thank everyone who came out to meet us and to meet Maxwell and Vanille. We had some great applicants and Maxwell should have his new home by the end of the week. He was pretty tired out when we got home, he had his supper and then went off to bed for the rest of the night.

We also acquired a new addition to the Foxy group at the adoption day, a lovely little 10 month old, black male cocker spaniel named Duke. He soon fit in with the rest of the gang. He is quite a little cuddler. Janiese's young son Adrian was very happy and surprised when we arrived in the driveway after the adoption day. His little foster, Muffin, was adopted last Friday to a lovely lady, Lorraine, who is making him very welcome, even the lovely Persian cat of hers doesn't mind Muffin. So now Adrian has new little playmate.

Vanille is still looking for her new home as is Roxy. Both are lovely little dogs who would love to find their forever homes.

Balou was neutered last Thursday and is now doing very well, he is alert and wanting to go for walks. Pictures have now been posted on the website. He is still underweight, but his ribs don't show anymore and he has gained 12lbs since his last weigh-in about 3 weeks ago. He is feeling much better now he has more food and his ear infection has been attended to. He is an amazing guy. He loves to go outside now, and he loves to just flop down on the floor wherever you are working at the time. His new foster mom thinks he is just great and will make someone a wonderful companion. He's like a big teddy-bear. That's Balou in the picture, just laying around outside.

This week Duke will be going in to be groomed and vaccinated, then next week he will be off to the vets to be neutered. Dr. Plasse is enjoying a well-deserved vacation this week.

For more information on all our dogs looking for new homes, check out the website www.foxyscaninecompanions.ca

Today is a busy day, combination of housework, yuk, and paperwork. Both have to be done unfortunately, so best to do it right it away at the beginning of the week. All my dogs are sleeping in various places around the house, Maxwell is still pooped out from yesterday.

Update on Laya

Laya was one of our special cases from 2004. Kim and I were having lunch when we got a call from a lady that her husband had taken her dog to the local animal control and she was pregnant, both Laya and the lady. She was in quite a state as he had taken Laya after she had left for work and without her permission.

We quickly jumped into action and managed to get Laya. We had a super foster in Lori for her who kept her at her home until Laya had her babies, luckily only 3, who were gorgeous, and gave them all a home until the puppies were old enough to adopt.

Laya found her forever home with Sue in Kingston. Sue had recently lost her beloved dog and had seen Laya's story and felt a strong connection with her and she made the drive over from Kingston, a 3 hour trip one way, to meet her. When Laya was ready, she went home with Sue.

At the beginning of May, Sue contact Foxy's to give us an up date on Laya, and what an update it was. Below you can read Laya's story in Sue's words.


May 4, 2005
Laya & I were returning to Kingston (I took her to work with me). We drove the scenic route along lake Ontario, Aldolphus reach, etc. We stopped at a few parks for Laya to have a stretch & walk/pee, etc. At our usual park (for Sat. AM walks) was our last stop & Laya took off. We were having a great time (but she wasn't listening to me). Then she spotted another dog in the distance (on the opposite side of this busy highway) & she took off. I tried to stop her & was running & screaming at the top of my lungs but she wouldn't come to me &, she was hit by a car.

The van that hit her drove off , then some really nice people stopped (1 of the ladies was a Vet Tech.). They drove Laya & I back to my van & helped me get her into the van. Fortunately my Vet was on call for the weekend. Laya had some abrasions & a very badly broken right front leg (7 fractures sites). She had surgery & they inserted a metal plate + 7 screws. Her recovery was long with lots of hicups (infections, osteomyelitis & discussions re: amputation of her right leg). However, she has done very well.

On Feb. 27'06, Laya had the plate + screws removed & she is her old self again. Her right leg still bothers her if she is too active. But, the good that has come out of all this, is that she is a much calmer & more obediant dog (& her owner is much firmer, a more authoritative dog owner. I need to be with Laya's strong willed nature.).

We are all very happy that Laya recovered well and we hope she has a long future ahead of her with Sue. This little girl is one lucky dog, she has some angels watching over her.

June in bloom

Today we held our first adoption day for June. We thank everyone who came and especially those who kept the appointments they had scheduled. It was a pleasure to meet you all and your families.

Maxwell, Vanille and Muffin were on hand as the meet and greet team. They are all pooped out now and sleeping quite deeply. They had lots of fussing, attention and walks. Hopefully, they will find their new homes in the next week and they can settle in to enjoy the summer knowing they are in their forever homes.

Maxwell is quite a character and keeps me entertained. He is also extremely loveable and cuddly. Vanille is quite busy and likes to have your undivided attention, Muffin is pretty laid-back and is quite happy to have a fuss made of him. He just rolls over and gives his belly for a tummy rub.

Roxy was spending the day with foster mom and dad and Pedro, so was unable to make it, but I'm sure she had a great time anyway.

Balou is recovering nicely from his ear infection and is coming back to life. We should a picture of him soon on the web page.

Emilie, Jeniese's daughter, set up a lemonade and cookie stand for the adoption day, but given the weather was not so good, there were not many sidewalk people to offer her goodies too, but maybe next time. She did such a great job last year at the Hudson Street Fair, with her friends, who also have Foxy dogs.

We have lots of ideas for Foxy's and some will be announced in the next couple of weeks so stay tuned.

At home, fence posts are being put in, so all the pooches can run free without worry. The electric fencing isnt very practical with 5 dogs in the house, so we have decided to fence in now, so they dont all go running off over the golf course and there is nothing worse than an irate golfer...

I have been reading a book by the Dog Whisperer, Cesar's Way. I highly recommend it. Its very easy to read and his philiosophy of dog psychology is amazing. I also ordered "Living in a multi-dog household" so am now trying some of the techniques and they seem to working quite well. With 5 dogs it does get a bit chaotic, especially when the door bell rings. So we will see how well we do. I'm am also exerting my place as the "Leader of the Pack" as Cesar recommends and that seems to be starting to work also. I like the way he approaches his dogs. He also keeps about 35 to 40 rescue dogs at his centre that he works with and takes them all on a 4 hour run every morning. That must be quite a sight to see in Los Angeles. Don't think I will be attempting that any time soon.

The gardens are all in bloom now and summer is on its way (so they tell us) and all the dogs are blooming with the love and care they are getting in their foster homes and we hope they blossom even more when they finally get their forever homes.

New Foxy Services

Boarding and grooming for Foxy dogs

Microchipping

We are pleased to offer introduce our new services that help with our fundraising efforts. Our foster mom, Jeniese, is our official boarder and groomer and Microchipper, the other half of the "Microchip Chicks" for Foxy dogs. By boarding and grooming with Jeniese you are helping to save dogs while making sure your dog is happy and safe while you are away, and all the while looking trimmed and spiffy. Also, have your dog microchipped, ensuring his safety and fast return, should he ever get loose and picked up by animal control or the SPCA.

For those who have adopted Foxy dogs, our foster mom, Jeniese is offering boarding at her home for any Foxy dog whose family is going on vacation or needs a daycare day. Her fee is $15.00 per day, with $5.00 donated to Foxy's, so please feel free to contact her if you have a Foxy dog and would like him/her to be in a home environment while you are away. A boarding contact form will be posted on the Foxy website within the next few days, so be sure to keep checking.

Jeniese will also be offering grooming starting in the in the next couple of weeks for Foxy dogs and non-Foxy dogs. Check the Foxy website in the coming days for more information on dates, times, location and pricing.

All proceeds from Microchipping go Foxy's. $25.00 for rescue dogs with adoption contract, $40.00 non-rescue dogs. In-home service available for extra $10.00 per dog. Discount available for 2nd or more dogs. Check out the Foxy website under Microchip Program and complete the microchip request form.

Jeneise has fostered many of the Foxy dogs you have seen for adoption on our website over the last year and a half. She currently works at a local boarding facility taking care of the dogs and she also works at Hudson Veterinary Hospital where she takes care of the dogs and cats that are staying over after operations etc, and gets the clinic ready for business, in the early hours of the morning before the clinic opens for business. She has two dogs of her own, Benny, adopted from Rosie Animal Adoptions and Ray-Charles a blind Great Dane puppy. You can check out the Bourassa families page on the Foxy website at "Meet Jeniese, Yannick, Emilie and Adrian"
They'd be happy for you to sign their guestbook too.


Give her a call at 450-458-8678 or email her at jeniesebourassa@foxyscaninecompanions.ca to book your boarding for the summer and your grooming appointments.

Spring is in the air

Here are in May already. We took a break during April to re-group and centre ourselves, although not closed completely we did the minimum.

During March we attended the Hudson Pet Fair which was great fun and there is always a good turn out. A lot of the other rescues are there too, including Rosie Animal Adoptions, Animatch, SPCA Monteregie, Greyhound Rescue, Lucky Rescue with their cats. The day just flys by.

Ziggy found his new home at the Pet Fair, his new family had just lost their lab and were ready for a new companion. Ziggy goes to the cottage every week and foster mom and dad Victor and Helene were invited up to visit Ziggy and Howard and Suzanne. They had a great time and Ziggy is doing very well.

Todd and Roxy are still looking for their new homes. Both are fabulous little dogs. I looked after Roxy last weekend while Helene and Victor had a weekend away. Both Todd and Roxy attended our adoption day at the local IGA which is great place to do the adoption clinics. Everyone in the village comes and goes so you get to see people you haven't seen over the winter, its a great social event as well. Roxy was a huge hit as was Todd. Hudson is such a great dog town.

We are, unfortunately, having a couple of returns. Vanille, a little bichon frise, along with her new little furry brother will be returning to the Foxy family and should be posted in the next couple of weeks.

Maxwell returned to us today and is having a blast at the Bourassa family's home with Todd and their two dogs. Maxwell has done a lot of in-home training with the family and with private training and is a super little dog. He was too dominant with the younger son and after speaking with the trainers we took him back this afternoon. He will only be adopted to a family with older children and who have dog experience. I played with him this evening and he is just a great little dog. He will be posted for adoption after we have evaluated him over the next week as he is not showing any signs of dominating with Janiese's kids and had not shown any signs previously with them or their friends.

I saw Daisy, who adopted in February, locally in Hudson at the IGA. She is doing really well, her mom Wanda is very proud of her and takes her everywhere with her, she also joins Wanda when she is giving piano lessons to her students and when she goes riding. She sure lucked out with that home. Plus a couple of friends of mine see her all the time and report back on her during our conversations.

Bumped into Linda and her daughters, Katrina, posted under Goodbye Fritz, about their little papillon Roxy that they adopted from us. It was good see them again and her she is doing well. Also bumped into Johane and her husband who adopted Ralph, a little red cocker spaniel, in 2004. He is also doing great. Johane and her husband fell quite hard for the Bouvier des Flandes that we had with us at the adoption clinic. It's great to see all these people and get good feedback that everyone is doing well. Susan, who adopted Oscar emailed to today and sent us an updated pic of him. Terrific dog, Oscar, really laid back and a big cuddler. It took us while to find him his home, but it was worth the wait.

It was a very hard last two months trying to decide whether to continue or close down, the decision hasn't been completely made yet, but the problem is that when rescue is in you, its very hard to let it go no matter how much you may want to at the time. The time and dedication and support it takes on a daily basis takes its toll on your families and your health, so sometimes you just have to step back a bit and take a breather. I even wrote a final post which is saved as a draft for now until I make a final decision. It took forever to write as the tears wouldn't stop as I was writing it. Yesterday's adoption day was a lot of fun and reminded me why I do this, but then today with the news about Maxwell coming back, I begin to wonder if its time to let it go now.

Anyways for tonight I'll sleep on it again and remember that any number of these dogs would now be dead if we hadn't been there for them ....... but still the doubt is still there. As much as we all do, Rosie's, Animatch, Teddy's, Canada Pet Rescue, Boxer Rescue, Great Dane rescue, and all the others they still keep coming as fast, if not faster than we can adopt them.

Speaking of Great Dane rescue, our foster Jeniese is now the official Quebec representative for Danes in Distress with Foxy's as backup, so if you hear of any danes in distress and needing a home, contact Jim at Danes in Distress and jeniese.bourassa@danesindistress.com or call her at 450-458-8678.

Hello March

Here we are in March already. The time is flying by so quickly. It's amazing that when you are working full time at an office the day seems to never end, now there doesn't seem to be enough hours in the day.

We had a good month in February for adoptions, Winston found his new home, as did Fred, Maxwell, Yeahhhh, Codey and Daisy was adopted last weekend. Daisy was the first large dog I fostered myself, she was absolutely wonderful. This is here at the kennels. Even my husband told her, when she was leaving for her new home that she was the best dog we ever had here. Now we are fostering Roxy. She is a lovely little girl too. Very good in the house and pretty quite for a 6 month old. She was little unsure of herself but is now blossoming and getting used to the other dogs. She loves to curl up on the couch with you and cuddle up. The gang are all sitting around my feet in the office as I update the site.

Roxy and Todd came in from the local pound. Todd is cute as a button, he is a dachshund/beagle mix and quite a little character for such a small guy. He looks quite comfortable, don't you think. He has taken a liking to Ray, the great dane puppy at Jeniese's and seems to think he is also the same size, when in reality he is about 15lbs only. Vanille, came from our vets office, she belonged to the brother of our vet who is very sick and they could no longer give her the time and care she needs, so they asked us to find her a good home. She is a great little dog, who has taken a liking to Jeniese's other dog Benny who is also a large breed mix. These little dogs seem to think they are much bigger than they are. They all look like quite an odd combination playing together. Jeniese' son Adrien is fostering Todd and her daughter Emilie is fostering Vanille. Hmmmm... that leaves Jeniese..... Oh yes, I forgot she informed she is the supervisor......... look for pics coming soon on the Bourassa family foster page for pics of the family with the gang, some good pictures being taken.


We hope there are some English Springer Spaniel lovers out there as Henry is needing a new home, he is currently in Ottawa. He is very good with kids and is fine home alone during the day. His family feels he is not getting the attention he should have since they had their children and are working full time too. His current guardiens are the son of my mum's good friend and my mum has met him numerous time and thinks he is a lovely family dog.

Ziggy is still looking for his new, where are all you lab lovers out there? He is one fabulous young man, very affectionate and pretty well trained now thanks to foster parents Helene and Victor. He does need someone who has dog experience as he is still a large puppy but he will make someone a fabulous companion, he is really good with other dogs also.

We have been doing lots of running around the last couple of weeks and are now having a couple of days nearer home. Lots of cleaning up to do, food to get in the house, you know, all that boring stuff that has to get done, that keeps getting put off as doing the dog stuff is way better. Lots of paperwork to catch up on now for month-end reporting, etc.

Hope you all have a great weekend, see ya next week.