In 2016, law enforcement in Ontario discovered 31 dogs as part of an underground fighting operation. They were taken to a shelter run by the Ontario SPCA (OSPCA). Three of the dogs were humanely euthanized. Seven were to remain at the shelter, deemed adoptable by behaviorists. The OSPCA asked the court for permission to have the remaining 21 dogs euthanized. After a social media campaign to Save the 21 went viral (of which our Angel – above – was a part), the dogs’ lives were spared. In August 2016, Rob Scheinberg of Dog Tales, an Ontario dog rescue and horse sanctuary, transported the dogs in his converted van to the Dogs Playing For Life facility in Florida. Read “Close Encounters” on page 31 of the Winter 2017/18 edition of The New Barker dog magazine.
Dogs Playing for Life, developed by renowned dog trainer Aimee Sadler, uses playgroups to help socialize, evaluate and change the lives of shelter dogs. We visited the Florida facility in January.
