Jananas

I’ve mentioned it a little bit before here (like in my blog post about my new fence) and significantly more than a little bit to my friends, but I am looking to adopt a dog this winter. Because I’m a planner, I’ve been looking into Ontario-based rescue groups and senior/large breed rescues (as I adore both). I came across Newf Friends in my search and subscribed to their blog. I wasn’t sure at the time if a Newf would be the right dog for me, but I wanted to keep them in mind as I had good experiences as a child with a friend’s family dog (who was a lovely Newf).

Late last week the group posted a plea for help to Liam get to his new home. They needed drivers to take shifts driving a dog named Liam from Lindsay, ON to Zanesville, OH on Sunday. Jason and I were driving from Toronto to Columbus, OH on the Saturday so I got in contact with the rescue group to offer a drive from Toronto all the way to Zanesville (which was an hour or so out of our way, but would make the entire thing much easier). From working with Toronto Cat Rescue I have some experience with how much work can go into trying to arrange multiple volunteers and have difficult it can be to arrange drivers. This way, the group had much less worry and work. And we were a little bit selfish because we got to hang out with an awesome dog all day!

Saturday morning, Liam was dropped off at our house in Toronto by the man who had been working with him. We had a brief lesson on handling and Liam’s particular issues, and otherwise enjoyed getting to hang out with dogs. Around 11:40, we headed out on the road. Whenever we stopped (about every 1.5-2 hours, for gas/water/bathroom/walk breaks) we took turns walking Liam around a little while the other pumped gas/bought water/used the restroom. By doing this, we were able to make sure that Liam didn’t have an opportunity to practice his escape artist skills, after all the last thing you want to do is lose an animal you’ve been entrusted with!

The border crossing was easy as anything. We had everything ready – paperwork for his rabies vaccine and a letter from the rescue group saying that we were authorized to transport Liam. We also made sure that his food & treats were still sealed and met all border crossing requirements (i.e. no beef!). We didn’t want to get held up by something we could prevent with a little planning and preparation. When we got to the border, the guard was more concerned about the fact that we were leaving on a 9 week trip to Asia then the fact that we had a dog with us. All the guard asked was what we were doing with our dog while we were traveling. We responded that he was staying with friends and that was the end of that. I’m glad that it was easy (and that we didn’t volunteer more information than necessary) as I don’t think the guard we got would have really understood Liam’s situation.

The first part of the drive through the States was pretty standard. We tried a new route through eastern Ohio and got a little turned around a few times, so sadly it took us about an hour longer to get Liam to his new family than we’d expected. However, one of the roads we ended up on was a nice country road so we were able to put the windows down a little bit for some nice air flow through the car. This was one of the only times Liam actually sat up – he spent the rest of the time comfortably sleeping in the backseat (and yes, he took up our entire back seat!).

About 8pm on Saturday we arrived at the meeting point with Liam’s new family. They are awesome people who really care about animals and their well being (mental and physical). Liam was a little bummed that we left and we both felt like we got sad puppy eyes. We had joked in the car about just continuing on our drive and taking Liam home with us because he was such a nice, well behaved dog on the drive. But, we also both recognize that we’re not the right people in the right situation to provide Liam with the help that he needs and that the home he’s gone to seems perfect for him. But maybe we’ll be able to find a Newf that is right for us when we’re back.

This last picture is of Liam with his new family. We had a little trouble getting a good shot, as dogs as prone to moving right as your snap a photo. I also think that after 8 hours on the road and two hand offs, the poor guy was a little tired and stressed out.

We’re both very glad to have been able to help out and to have been a part of helping Liam start his new life.