The best thing that happened to Sammy was when her owner realized he could no longer provide proper care and surrendered Sammy to a local shelter. One look at her soar red weepy eyes and they knew she needed medical help. Thankfully they reached across the boarder from New York to Merlin’s Hope for support. We in turn reached out to our amazing followers and arranged transportation. Before Sammy arrived we booked her an appointment with Dr. Bob and discovered she was also battling a bladder infection. Antibiotics helped with that, and her painful eyes underwent surgery right away. Once feeling better, basic training started, but not for long. Sammy’s future “parents” saw the transportation post and helped…or perhaps ensured Sammy get here, so she could get to them. Being past adopters of Merlin’s Hope and having a handsome young boy who instantly clicked with Sammy made them the perfect fit.
Sometimes the best things happen in round about ways….Sweet Little Sammy is healthy, cared for, loved, has all the attention she deserves and is as happy as she could possibly be! She’s part of a family!

What a great start to the New Year !!!

Handsome boy Ozzie was our little anomaly . A mix between Chow-Sharpei and who knows what. He presented himself with all the tough traits of both breeds, the energy of a husky and the cuteness of a cuddly bear. Ozzie was picked up as a stray and it didn’t take long for us to realize why. Not only did he immediately searched for a way out, but he lacked manners and any social graces. We worked on his extreme guarding and his zero tolerance to meet new people.
This boy had a lot to learn for any chance of a forever home and yes he worked hard. Lucky for him a nice couple saw him and it was love at first sight…thankfully they fell for him too….because Ozzie was NOT letting them leave without him! When a rescue picks their people, it’s bliss. Have a blissful life Ozzie, you deserve it!

Jagger was surrendered to animal control, then transferred to a local SPCA. Once there, they quickly realized he needed more than they could provide and rescue was his only option. Jagger was extremely unsocialized and growled at the staff if they tried to approach him. He was grossly underweight, had terribly irritated eyes and his front legs were bowed likely a result of neglect. Merlin’s Hope cautiously took him in. Once in our rescue, we scheduled him for entrophian surgery. In the meantime, we worked on gaining his trust and putting some weight on his painfully looking bony ribs. Ten pounds later, a lot of time patience an persistence, healed eyes, Jagger came around. He became a full blown show-off trying to do anything to please his people. A very special couple saw him giving paw, sitting pretty and lucky for Jagger, they fell in love. We did a home visit, and the chemistry was instant. The mal-nutritious, scared homeless dog will never go hungry or unloved again, and will always have a safe warm home. Happy Adoption day Jagger, you’ve come a long way and made us proud. Enjoy all the love, kindness and yummy treats you deserve.

Samson was surrendered to the shelter at 8 months old because of multiple health issues and exuberant medical costs. A typical consequence of irresponsible back yard breeding. With a vet history 30 pages long…his future wasn’t bright, but we had faith. We immediately scheduled him for eye surgery. Following that came treatments, more treatments, good diet, the gift of sight and no more pain. Samson finally discovered what it’s like to enjoy life, just in time for a wonderful family to discover him! A picture says a thousand words, and this is one big happy family now. Happy Adoption Day Samson, you deserve all the love and happiness every puppy should have.

Nikko was a handsome 1 1/2 year old “5 point red” horse coat shar pei. Nikko came into rescue after being surrendered to the local SPCA due to family allergies. This was acutually a Lucky day for Nikko because on first examination we could determine his desperate need of entropion surgery and treatment to heal a severe ulcer in one eye. Despite the pain this poor guy must have be in, he was sweet, loving and trusting already. In three short days, he’d already earned the nickname, “Mr. Charmer”
After getting him all the medical treatment needed, along came a wonderful couple who were starstuck by Nikko the minute they set eyes on him in his Profile. After a looooong round trip to meet him. Nikko and his new mom and dad hit it off and away they went to start their new Life together…Happy adoption day to Nikko and his new family

Miss Royal Blue is now living a life of luxury fit for a queen and we couldn’t be happier for her! Picked up at as stray in Baltimore, Royal was pulled by Chow Chow Rescue of Central New York. She entered rescue lacking good manners and social graces; her bossy, over-the-top mouthy greetings and behaviours were sabotaging her adoption chances. Royal was a kennel guarder and had a nasty attitude toward strangers, which also greatly narrowed future home prospects.

Merlin’s Hope offered to help and Royal packed her queenly trunk and journeyed to Toronto for some finishing school etiquette. We immediately began socializing and desensitizing her to people, crowds, noise and everything else under the sun. Scared at first, Royal did show us that she was willing to consider changing her ways. Her efforts were all the encouragement we needed to know Royal would come around.

It’s still is a challenge for Royal to meet new people, but she’s proven to be brave and trusting She’s worked hard and come a long way and her reward couldn’t be better! Royal’s future includes a deck with a million dollar view of parkland, a sprawling home to guard, a brother to hang with, people to be loyal to, and best of all, a family who’ll love her. Congratulations sweet girl, you’ve earned it.

LeChee did everything right but had everything wrong. This sweet girl put her best paw forward when meeting and greeting people. Trouble was, she’s black, over 5 and couldn’t take a good photo if her adoption depended on it. Seemingly it did as she was in foster care for nine long months. We labeled her, “The most un-photogenic dog ever. Finally we got a decent picture of her and that was all it took to capture the hearts of a wonder couple. After learning more about her, they were determined to, “help a dog in need.” LeChee was definitely in need of a stable place to call home and people she could depend on forever. Her new family have adopted from MH before and therefore have experience with the breed…a bonus for LeChee. It wasn’t until adoption day when LeChee met her new family face to face. All we can say is, it was love at first sight. LeChee was just as smitten with her new people as they were with her. It was a long road to get to her forever home, but worth the well worth the wait. A very Happy Ending for this dear girl who finally has it all, a home, people, and love.

Stella was in a home where her people and siblings could not cope with her shar pei ways. She was only 8 months old, but frustrated and somewhat overwhelmed, the owner’s surrendered her to rescue in hopes she would find a better life with another family. After evaluating this girl and giving her the direction she needed to keep her manners in check, we found her the perfect loving home. Stella can relax and be herself with her new family who understand the breed and love everything about her! Congratulations Stella..Happy Adoption Day !!

Buddy sat quietly in his kennel at the shelter waiting in his for his owner to come. His owner wasn’t coming, he’s the reason Buddy was there. Before releasing him, the shelter staff shaved his hind and tail area because of excessive matting. Thankfully Buddy was co-operative…even sweet about it. On behalf of Merlins Hope, Critters & Cabs transported this charming boy to his foster home. In our care, he was placed on a good diet to help with his dull dry fur. Here, he also had much to learn such as the joys of a dog walks which consequently included learning good leash manners. Buddy also had to learn to cope with other dogs which he did dejectedly. Lucky for him, a nice gentleman looking for a companion took one look at Buddy and knew they were meant to be. From now on Buddy, one of the sweetest gentlest, easiest chows will always happily be “Top” dog. We’re happy these two have each other and know that Buddy will never be abandoned again…….Happy Adoption Day

It’s always hard to loose your best friend, and most loyal companion. Often people guard their broken hearts instead of opening them up to another. This family lost their precious chow-baby but knew their hearts would heal and expand adopting from rescue. They packed up their vehicle, and drove from Newfoundland to Toronto to meet their new addition Zara. Zara came into rescue after her family broke apart, but was lucky enough to find her forever family, who will love and cherish her as all little angles should be. Zara who’s new name is Harley could not ask for a better fur-ever family….Happy Adoption Day !!!