In 2016 after reading the story about an Amercian English Coonhound named Kelsey on the Team Dog Rescue facebook page, I felt so drawn to him that I decided to adopt.  Kelsey was completely shut down and had been moved from shelter to shelter in Ontario in an attempt to find him a home.  No one wanted a dog that was so shut down.  Then in walked his savior Team Dog Rescue. 

​

The volunteers took one look at this poor boy who could not make eye contact, would not eat if someone was in the kennel area and knew they had to pull him.  They did and I adopted him.  It took 3 years but he is the happiest, most loving boy.  Every family that meets him asks if he is available for adoption.  That's why I believe every dog deserves a family.

​

A Team Dog Rescue volunteer travelled to the Dominican Republic on vacation and found a dog almost dead on the beach covered with Mange.  She reached out to the local rescue who came to help this poor dog, they named her Leeza.  When the volunteer returned from holiday and explained the situations that rescue volunteers faced every day in the DR, it was decided that Team Dog Rescue would gather donations.  I volunteered to accompany the items to the Dominican Republic and hand them to the rescue.  Shipping items unaccompanied to any 3rd world country is difficult.  

​

While I was in the Dominican Republic the rescue had a 3 day mass spay/neuter clinic scheduled.  I was able to volunteer removing air tubes from the dogs after surgery and monitoring them in recovery.  It was quite an experience traveling around with the volunteers delivering food for street dogs, going into a very poor community to deliver donated clothing and do another small spay/neuter clinic.  It was an amazing experience.

​

When it was time for me to leave the rescue asked if I would accompany a dog to Canada.  Of course I said yes, and as it turned out I was accompanying Leeza to the volunteer from Team Dog Rescue who saved her.  

​

So starts my dedication to rescue, helping homeless and abused dogs and puppies from the Dominican Republic.

​

I soon learned that it was the female dogs and puppies that no one wants in the Dominican Republic.  Male puppies can be sold for a few dollars on the street but no one wants the females as they get pregnant and eat more food and are expensive to spay.  Often the Mom dogs and puppies get thrown in the dump when they are not wanted.  Many also just leave the puppies to die, or in the case of our recent rescue story, the puppies were thrown in a storm sewer under the road.