In May, I read and enjoyed the book "Esther the Wonder Pig: Changing the World One Heart at a…read moreTime". I remembered reading about her story in the "Toronto Star". Esther's owners, Steve and Derek, had adopted her as a six month old mini pig and were assured that as big as she would get. Then they discovered that she wasn't a "mini" pig at all ... she was, in fact, a six week old commercial pig, which means she should have been destined to be raised and butchered. Esther grew from being the size of a sneaker to over 650 pounds! They tried to raise her as long as they could in their house in Georgetown, just outside of Toronto. They eventually bought a 50 acre farm in Campbellville, about 45km west of Toronto, and opened the Happily Ever Esther Farm Sanctuary and now take in animals that need homes. When I read about the farm sanctuary, I knew I had to visit it. They have tours a couple times a month. It was a busy summer for Gord and I so I booked my ticket for today. Krista, one of the board of directors, was our guide. As we made our way around the farm (it took almost two hours), she told us about the animals, where they were rescued from, what had happened to them and what could have happened had they not been rescued. All the animals on the far are spayed and neutered. We were warned that Esther was napping and there was no guarantee that we would see her. There was a lot of excitement when she walked out the door and into their yard (she lives in the house with Steve and Derek). It was lunchtime! It was a fun visit and I'm so glad I went. And yes, I will be back!

After an endless search to adopt a kitty, I came to this shelter. The place was spotless, and there…read morewere 3-4 employees on the job. Everyone was very helpful, courteous and accommodating. We were invited to go into any one of the adoption rooms, see, touch and bond with the kitties. I chose the kitty I wanted, filled out an adoption form, and she was mine! The shelter employees answered all my questions, gave me tips on care and handling based on my kitty's unique personality and gave me a bit of food she was eating at the shelter. It was a very positive experience. I highly recommend coming here if you are tired of running around to every rescue or pet store on a quest to adopt an animal.

Heidi always takes the best care of my cat whether it be for a night or a week I know my cat is…read moresafe and happy when Heidi's checking in. She even sent pictures of her playing with my cat when I was away for a week. The real proof of her care and connection with my cat is that when I come home he's relaxed and happy. Heidi provides peace of mind when I can't be home. Strongly recommend!

All of my dealings with Heidi's Happy Hounds have been professional, helpful and accommodating…read more Its made it possible for me to travel knowing that my two dogs are happy at home. I highly recommend her services. Jane

I've adopted 2 pets from Toronto Animal Services North Region…read more First was Riley, an 8 year old Lhaso Apso who was found wandering the streets. From his condition, it was evident he was homeless for many weeks and unfortunately, showed signs of being abused. It took a few months for Riley to build his trust with humans again, but for the 6 years we had him, he brought untold happiness to our home. Recently, I've adopted another dog...Finnegan, a 1 year old Shih-Tzu/Pomeranian mix. Finn was turned in to animal services as his owners could no longer care for him. Like Riley before him, he has personality with a capital "P"....and has, in a months time, become an old friend. When thinking of adopting a pet, why not look at an animal shelter or humane society? They have numerous animals looking for what they call "forever homes'. Some animals come with little or no background, so they are assessed and information is provided based on professional observations. Some animals are turned in by their owners, for whatever reason, and some background information is available. Some animals are rescues from a life that is unfitting anything. Besides dogs and cats, they have other animals as well, rabbits, guinea pigs...the list goes on and on. The people that I have been fortunate enough to deal with at Toronto Animal Services North have been stellar. They truly love animals and are careful to ensure that pets available for adoption are placed with individuals who can provide proper care for them. Sorry if I can't recall names, but everyone there was pleasant, knowledgable and obviously loved their jobs. They made the adoption process so much more enjoyable and they seem thrilled when one of their animals finds a new home. The cost is minimal and there are companions waiting to be found here. Please, before visiting a pet store or breeder, give a pet in a shelter a chance. You won't be sorry

The only reason I'm not giving them a 1 star rating is that they might be good at the actual…read morespaying and neutering, but I never found out! Calling them for the last 2 weeks, no one ever answers the phone, literally, not once. I'm talking calling 20-30 times per day, 2-3 calls at a time. Then their answering machine....the message is literally 3 minutes long. THREE MINUTES for what should be: "Leave a message after the tone" !!! So leaving an actual message for callback is very frustrating, as the message says so much information it kills your entire train of thought. Among other info, the message stated that they will call you back within 24 hours. It's been a week, no callback again. When we did get through to them months ago, we asked for spaying of 2 of our cats. The receptionist was very rude and we felt like she was just trying to get us off the phone so she could go back to playing Solitaire on her computer. She told us the fax number where to send all of our info and that it set up through that. Ok, so I faxed all of our information about both our cats. We did not receive any call back or anything, so after 2+ weeks passed, I got frustrated and called them again. The same (rude) receptionist picked up and said that they did receive the faxes and booked the cats for spaying. One was due to be spayed the next day, and the other in a week! Needless to say I was very upset, since they first off, booked both my cats on different dates, even though I requested they both be done on the same day. More importantly, I was upset at the fact that no one called us to tell us about the booking dates in the first place! Needless to say I cancelled. So yea, price wise this place maybe cheap, but they have absolutely NO customer service what-so-ever. Worst receptionist I've ever encountered with any business!

I adopted a rescue from Dolores Doherty in late 2015. He was a 4 year-old Beagle named Butler from…read moreKentucky, who had apparently been neglected/tied up outside most of his life. I enquired about him during a rescue event in Oakville and made sure I asked a multitude of questions. Ms. Doherty assured me Butler had no issues with being house-broken; told me there were no issues while he was fostered for 6+ weeks. (In my mind long enough that issue(s) would definitely become apparent). So, based on that and Butler's wonderful personality, I adopted him. Within a few months, Butler was peeing and pooing everywhere in my apartment. He destroyed numerous area rugs and several pieces of furniture. When I called Ms. Doherty and told her what was happening, she suggested I make Butler start wearing diapers (!!!!!). I said absolutely NOT, and I asked if she would take him back in order to find him a suitable home - preferably one where he would be in an actual house with 24/7/365 access to a backyard. The answer was no. After 10 years of dealing with the constant issues (there were more than just the indoor "accidents" all the time) and expenses like dog confinement gates for either end of my kitchen, Butler was recently euthanized. I did try to find a home for him on numerous occasions - with no takers. At least he had 10 good years with me and lived to be 14 with bad arthritis/deafness. I would NOT recommend dealing with this Rescue.

I met Doris at one if the adoption events outside of Guelph. I'd just lost my 10 year old beagle to…read morecongestive heart failure, took the day off work and drove over to check. Doris checked where I lived and saw the dog park right there. I ended up adopting a two year old from Kentucky named faith now known as Amber. Ot was pouring rain that day and she was the only one not crying. Doris you helped heal my heart and my cats hearts that day - we were all missing our old friend but we hd a new one. It's been 6 years and she's the best little thing ever thank you. I've never had any trouble with her ..except when she makes eye contact with strangers stopping them until she gets a hi. She might have lymphoma now but she's been the best buddy to my cats and I Thank you Doris.