This New Year we’re putting the spotlight on eight of our dogs — each with their own unique needs and personalities. These are the dogs who have spent the longest time in our care, and have racked up the biggest bills along the way. We love each of them and believe in their furevers. Thank you for believing in them too.
Interested in directly supporting one of these scruffs? Click the donate button for the dog you’d like to champion to make a donation. You can also make a donation in the name of a loved one or an organization (hint: this would make a great gift for the dog lover in your life).
Scroll down to read a message from each of the dogs on our roster. On behalf of these very special dogs, Save Our Scruff wants to thank all of our supporters for your generosity.
All donations will receive an immediate tax receipt as well as a postcard on the dog they helped sponsor, which can be shared as a gift.
BARKLEY
6 years old | Hound Mix | From Dominican | In our care for six months | Total cost so far: $2,141.80
BARKLEY wants to say a big thank you for supporting Save Our Scruff. This full-time professional nap-taker, part-time casual adventure-taker would like to give lots of love to all who have donated and supported him in his foster journey. As a foster, our organization funds all the things this sweet & laid back guy needs to be comfortable and set him up for success with his future home. This means routine vetting as well as boarding costs — he spent a few months in boarding this summer, where he built up a good routine.
BARKLEY is a little older now (we love his grey whiskers coming in) and has a calming presence. Think “lo-fi beats to chill/study to” playlist, but as a dog. That’s not to say, however, that he doesn’t also get the sweetest bursts of playfulness between naps, and he’s become known for his signature happy dance. Barkley is a reminder for the importance of taking it easy and finding joy in the simple things in life.
VANIA
3 years old | Border Collie Mix | From Mexico | In foster care for six months | Total cost so far: $902.64
VANIA wants to say a big thank you for supporting Save Our Scruff. Donations go directly toward helping this excitable and task-oriented scruff as we continue our search for her furever home. As an adoptable dog who has been in foster care for six months, our organization funds her routine vetting expenses, as well as the boarding & training that she completed earlier in the year.
VANIA is active and intelligent, and her fav activities are stimulating games like fetch, tug, parkour, puzzles & obedience. She’s a reminder of the importance of enrichment for living a balanced life that’s equal-parts work (because for her, work and play are one and the same) and rest. We could all follow in her pawsteps to prioritize our hobbies to keep our brains & bodies happy.
MATEO
14 years old | Peekapoo | From Ontario | Furever Foster in our care for 1.5 years | Total cost so far: $2,423.54
MATEO wants to say a big thank you for supporting Save Our Scruff. Donations go directly toward helping this sweet old man scruff live out his years as a furever foster. This means our organization funds his vetting expenses (which can add up for a senior with particular health needs), training & grooming costs (so he can look and behave like the 10/10 Good Boy we know he is) and supplies needed for him to be safe, comfy and tail-wagging happy in his current foster home until end of life.
MATEO’s home in Hamilton is a dream come true for him — humans that love him and support his individual needs, plus a couple super-fun senior dog siblings to keep him company. He’s likely deaf and has sight challenges as well, and likes to kick back with his crew, taking naps and playing his fav game — going on scavenger hunts for food! He can be a total cuddle bug with his people, not to mention he’s cute as a button.
CURLY
1 year old | Whippet Mix | From Barbados | In our care for 10 months | Total cost so far: $8,606.08
CURLY wants to say a big thank you for supporting Save Our Scruff. Donations go directly toward helping this very special, dog-social dude while we continue our search for a home to meet his specific needs. At the start of the year, he came to us from Barbados with 29 other dogs, all of whom have since been adopted. Except for him. Until that day comes, he’s been living in a rural boarding space among other dog buddies and lots of room to run. Our organization funds his boarding costs, along with routine vetting.
CURLY is a fun furever friend…to dogs, that is. He’s not so much into humans (but through trust-building he now has one special human friend at the boarding facility). It’s nothing personal, he’s just more of a dog’s dog. He's looking for a home with a dog friend or two (that’s non-negotiable!) and humans who can respect his space and love him through his own love language. He may not show affection in the ways humans do, but we know he’s saying thank you in his own way.
humber
2.5 years old | Boxer Mix | From Cayman Islands | In our care for eight months | Total cost so far: $6,353.74
HUMBER wants to say a big thank you for supporting Save Our Scruff. Donations go directly toward helping this loving and intelligent goofball thrive in his foster home while we continue our search for his furever family. This means he’s always got plenty of toys to play with (and share with his humans because he’s a team player like that), a cozy home where he can learn boundaries and get used to all the stimuli of living in a big city, and food to keep him big & strong (i.e. strong enough to win at his favourite game: tug). Our organization funds his routine vetting as well as his boarding costs — he spent some time in board & train earlier this year.
HUMBER is very fun-loving and super clever. He’s got a whole array of tricks to show off and we can’t wait until he finds a furever home who loves being active as much as he does. His big head matches his big heart and we know he’d offer up all the dog kisses he possibly could to each and every one of our supporters if he had the chance.
CASPER
4 years old | Terrier-Collie Mix | From Ontario | In our care for more than 1 year | Total cost so far: $24,869.42
CASPER wants to say a big thank you for supporting Save Our Scruff. If it wasn’t already obvious, his big ol’ smile is in-part, thanks to everyone who has generously supported him from afar. Casper was in foster care for a year, and now he’s out breathing in some fresh rural air over at a support program in Muskoka. In other words: Casper has gone to camp for 110 days! Our organization funds his adventure, along with all boarding & training costs, as well as his routine vetting.
CASPER stands out from the crowd with his fluffy, white coat and big grin — he’s anything but invisible. He’s a great adventure buddy to take on fun hikes, ideally where he can find some water to swim in. Needless to say, the rural life is the life for him, which is why he’s gone to camp while we continue our search for his furever home.
LIBBY
2 years old | Collie/Lab Mix | From Costa Rica | In our care for more than 1 year | Total cost so far: $8,186.71
LIBBY wants to say a big thank you for supporting Save Our Scruff. Donations go directly toward helping this affectionate and driven scruff as we continue our search for her furever home. She was returned to Save Our Scruff last year and has been in foster care ever since. Recently, we decided the best call for this active girl was to go into board & train. Our organization funds her boarding & training costs, along with her basic needs like food, vetting & supplies as she finetunes her obedience skills like a scholar (she’s a smartypants, this one).
LIBBY is athletic and intelligent, and she lives for adventure — especially if the reward is lots of affection from her humans. She’s a reminder of how rewarding it can be to prioritize a dog’s learning. When we recognize her strengths (her A+ intelligence and willingness to learn) it sets a great foundation for her to thrive in her furever home.
TILDA
8 years old | Hound Mix | From Mexico | Furever Foster in our care since 2020 | Total cost so far: $30,690.60
TILDA wants to say a big thank you for supporting Save Our Scruff. Donations go directly toward helping this rural-loving scruff live out her years as a furever foster at Paws Above in King City. This means our organization funds her daily boarding costs at the quiet facility of her dreams. We also cover her vetting costs and other needs for her to be comfy & supported in boarding care (where she has really found routine, structure and humans she can trust) for the rest of her years.
TILDA’s situation is unique because well, she’s a unique gal, what can we say? We learned over time in our care that Tilda just does not do well in a city/home environment. She’s particular with people and likes to be a bit of a lone wolf (we’re sure introverted humans can relate). She found her furever in a space where she has room to run and the support to be her happiest self, thanks to the support from our community.