Let's hear about Berry directly from her mom, Jen:

I'm an experienced bird owner with multiple re-homed birds in my care. I came to know of Parrot Adoptions Ontario whilst searching for a local parrot rescue/re-homing service, as my heart is always open to taking in another small bird who would fit into my home and flock. 

It is with great sadness I have to make the difficult decision to re-home this little girl, as she is too loud for my home (we have an attached neighbour complaining about the noise). I need to find her a FOREVER HOME with an EXPERIENCED BIRD OWNER that will be PATIENT and understanding of her behaviour, as well as offer a safe place for her VERY LOUD voice (apartments/condos/attached homes are not suitable). 

Her name is Berry, she is 1yr 4mos old, and I am her second owner. She is on a pelleted diet, and receives fruit and vegetable chop every other day. Diet is very important with Quakers, as they are prone to fatty liver disease. Her wings are currently clipped, but she has started to molt out some of the clipped feathers. She knows a wide variety of phrases and whistles. Berry can bite HARD unexpectedly; she is not safe to have around young children. Berry's cage will require constant cleaning, as she poops A LOT, and likes to poop in her food dish. Berry enjoys baths/showers (she has her own shower perch), and loves when I sing to her. She doesn't get along with my other birds, but currently lives in the aviary room with them when she is not out of cage. Note: Female birds can lay eggs, which can cause health issues. Hormonal behaviour needs to be discouraged.

I am going to be very picky with whom I adopt her out to. She is a beautiful, smart girl, but requires a lot of attention, training/discipline and don't want her to end up getting passed around from home to home or even worse, used as a breeder. I feel it's my duty to offer full disclosure to any potential adoptee so that she ends up in the most suitable hands/environment. 

Tell me about the process of adopting Sisu through A Dog's New Life.

The process from there was super smooth. Jessica asked me more questions about my home life and environment. I forwarded her pictures of the house and our yard so she could assess whether we had adequate space for our incoming pup. This lead to a call where Jessica asked more questions about my lifestyle, motivation for getting a dog, decompression period (the time a dog acclimates to a new environment and may display new or unwanted behaviors because everything, plainly, is so different). For once I was grateful for the lengthy applications I had filled out in the weeks leading up to our call because I had done so much research my eyes felt like they were going to roll out of my head.

Along with reviewing my application and our chat, I had to have Sisu exposed to cats to determine whether she had a high prey drive. I have four cats at home and couldn't risk an "excited or aggressive towards kitties" pup. Jessica put Sisu on a list to be exposed to cats through a foster's home. From there, she sent me photos and videos of Sisu cautiously walking alongside the cats and then sitting in front of them with her cute curled tail, completely at ease.

Once I had been approved with A Dog's New Life and I got the kitty confirmation I needed, it was time to book a flight. The dogs from the shelter need to be escorted with what's called a Flight Angel, a volunteer that flies down to Mexico and flies back with the dog or dogs. Within a week from the time of my initial chat with Jessica, I got confirmation that Sisu would be flying to Toronto from Mexico on February 14th, 2022, just in time to be our perfect Valentine. 

Jessica was extremely transparent about the entire process and what the shelter would do with Sisu beforehand to reduce the financial burden on me for vetting when she landed in Canada. Sisu was spayed, treated for parasites (common in the area and easily spread in the communal area where the dogs spend their time), given a heartworm preventative, and had blood and stool samples taken 3 days before her flight to confirm she was medically sound.

Another dog named Marisol was adopted by a woman in Alliston, so luckily Sisu wasn't alone for the flight or journey to the airport. We were to meet at customs with a form indicating that we were adopting our dogs from Mexico through the shelter and paid a minor fee to have the dogs released to us. I didn't pay Sisu's adoption fee until after she was settled with me in Canada, which was very important to me. I mean, who wants to send $500 to a random organization in another country? 

The process was amazing and the transfer that I completed the days following Sisu being in Canada was completed over etransfer. Jessica and the other staff at A Dog's New Life were with me every step of the way. Coordinating the flight. Messaging at the arrival. I still send Jessica pictures of Sisu and get her advice on doggy enrichment, feeding, and care. I cannot say enough good things about this organization. They are the real deal. They care. They connected me to the most beautiful dog that has already brought so much joy to our family. 

Meet Dana Hart, an Animal Wrangler, whose dogs also perform in film, television episodes, commercials, and model in photo shoots!

Saturday, April 23rd, 2022
12:00pm - 5:00pm
The Parkdale Hall
1605 Queen Street West, Toronto
@TorontoDogMoms

I'll be there with information and discounts for Kuri K9 Massage services, but I will also be selling copies of my children's books! Stop by and see me and all the other great vendors!

Thank you for telling me more about adopting Rufus, Liliana! Please share Rufus's story.

Rufus will be two years at the end of August 2022. He was rescued by an organization called Rescue Dogs Lebanon - Canada. 

He loves apples, steak and being with us. He has a trainer as he is very wild. He is not like a regular dog chasing after a ball. He is very curious about everything. Inspects every corner of a park and highly protective of us so managing his over excitement and recall is a focus right now. 

He lives in the Upper Beaches. We do not have a fenced back yard but he enjoys two floors and a balcony, plus multiple walks a day.

I came across (Rescue Dogs Lebanon - Canada) on Facebook. They had videos and photos of the airport arrival and an album with pictures of adoptable pets.

The founder lives in Toronto and there is a vet in Lebanon and a team of volunteers working around the clock.

Rufus was found with his mom and siblings tied up to a pole. The person that had them fed them bones (his food was licking bones) and mom was outside in the rain and heat. The volunteer convinced the man to give them up. 

So this young woman took the mom and the puppies with her. She feed them, took them to the vet and watched over them until almost four months of age. 

For those reading this who might be interested in adopting a pet from overseas, what was the process for adopting Rufus?

I saw the story (on the Rescue Dogs Lebanon - Canada Facebook page) and had had a dream of a dog called Rufus with a brown coat. My partner and I felt a connection with the puppies. I sent an email and Cynthia (the founder) called me within a week. We chatted for a good hour. I shared with her my home by video and pics of my previous dog - I wanted her to pick me!!! She liked me and asked me to complete another form, which I did. 

The application went through ok and I was able to get him and pick his name - Rufus (he happened to have a brown collar - just like my dream).

The rescue created a What's App group with the other adopter where they shared vet updates, videos, and pics. We became a family waiting anxiously for our babies.

There was a deposit paid closer to the arrival but they never asked for money right away.

We drove to Montreal Airport mid-December and all the puppies flew in with volunteers and a few other dogs, too. We met at airport and drove our baby home. 

He was scared after flying so many hours and new home. He would hide and sleep at first a lot. He was probably so sad. Every day though he was better and more playful.