Meet 23 cute dogs from Canadian rescues and shelters

Nalha

"From the streets of Cancun Mexico to the Beaches of Toronto—meet Nalha! We fostered this pretty girl and right away she stole our hearts, so we went through with the adoption. In the matter of days she was house trained, plus she sits, lies down, shakes both paws, spins, plays fetch and loves to play with all the other dogs down at the beach. She is the best thing that has ever happened to us." –Megan Evans

Follow Save Our Scruff on Instagram.

Frankie

"This first year with Frankie has been an amazing, crazy rollercoaster of emotions. I’ve never felt purer love or had more meltdowns. I feel so lucky to have been on the journey with him. His favourite thing is to go on off-leash walks and the second he hits grass or fresh snow he gets crazy zoomies and bounces like a little bunny. It’s adorable." –Lauriana Mandody

Follow @feralfrankie

Sofia

"Sofia is chill. She sleeps most of the day and is pretty calm (except for her nightly bout of energy that lasts about 10 minutes before bedtime). She also sleeps in! I can’t imagine my life without Sofia and I guess that’s the bittersweet part about adopting a senior dog. We won’t have as much time with her as we would with a younger pup, and so we cherish every single day.” –Justine Iaboni 

Follow at @schnoodlesofia

Rena

“A small puppy was recently delivered to my door after a long journey from Texas. Malnourished, weary-eyed and incredibly cautious, the little Belgian Malinois had no idea how lucky she was to be alive. With a reserved yet endearing disposition, her big pointy ears and kangaroo-like bounce, she got a lot of attention. In fact, when I said I was "just fostering" people responded, "You're in trouble.” It was after several of these encounters that I realized my naiveté. In less than one week I had pulled a classic "foster fail" move and signed the adoption papers. Best fail ever.” –Anon.

Abl

“We’ve had Abl in our family for 14 years now and he is the sweetest old man. Even though he’s getting up there in years, he still loves to go on long walks on the outskirts of Winnipeg. He’s always had a strong hunting instinct and is very loyal. I love visiting home because I get to see him.” –Andrea Karr

Reggie

"We went to the shelter to visit with a dog we'd seen online, but were encouraged to look at Reggie, a five-year-old black Lab-border collie mix who'd been with them for more than four months. Having two young kids, we worried and wondered what was wrong with him; why had no one adopted Reggie after so much time? It's a fact that black dogs and cats are often overlooked, and that had been the case with Reggie as well. He is the gentlest soul. We tried everything we could that day to rile him up—covering his eyes, holding his muzzle—and nothing did. In the five years he's been with us, he's been the perfect protector (code for: he barks loudly when people he deems "suspicious" walk by the house, but we don't mind) and our constant companion." –Sandra Martin

Bailey

"After having such a great time with Reggie, the mature dog we adopted three years before, I started to feel familiar pangs, not unlike the tickle in my insides when I thought I might be having second thoughts about my own personal one-child-only policy. In the end, I had a second baby—and adopted a second dog. Bailey is the most universally beloved pooch I've ever met, absolutely thrilled to meet every dog and human we come within 100 metres of on our twice-daily walks. Bonus: he's brought out Reggie's playful side. Now, just as I couldn't imagine not having two kids, I can't imagine not having two dogs." –Sandra Martin

Cash (left) & Cannon

“Cash and Cannon are two loyal brothers from Alabama that currently live north of Toronto and are learning to track and retrieve ducks. They always have their noses to the ground—I believe that’s the coonhound in them. At only 10 weeks old, they are teaching me more about loving and caring for something than I’ve learned in the last 30 years of my life. Cannon is the perfect sidekick. He’s the fastest puppy I have ever seen. Cash is the definition of dominant and sets the pace so Cannon doesn’t get too carried away.” –Joshua James 

Mu

“Mu has brought so much joy and love into our home. My daughters are learning about responsibility, patience and, best of all, about giving and receiving unconditional love. Mu's calm and gentle demeanour suits us well and she has settled in easily and gently. She is my first ever dog and I was unprepared for how heartwarming, how joyful and how beautiful this would be. What an incredible surprise and such a wonderful gift to our family.” –Susan Dawson

Rolland (left) & Rookie

“Rookie and Rolland are the perfect black-and-tan duo. Rookie has been with me since a young pup and has had many foster dogs come and go over the years, but we all knew Rolland wasn't going anywhere once he came into our home. These two have quickly become the best of friends. They enjoy long walks, stopping to sniff anything and everything. They are super low maintenance, very easygoing and cuddle the perfect amount.” –Allison Wills

Riley

“It always brings us such joy to see Riley make small milestones. In this case, walking on metal surfaces like the grate in the photo. It terrified her a few months ago.” –Kate Duncan

Rowdy

"Our first few months with Rowdy were tough. Over the year, we've done obedience classes, socialization and private lessons. With lots of persistence and even more love, he's slowly become more comfortable and confident. We've also learned that Rowdy loves to do tricks. He gets so excited seeing us cheer him on after he’s mastered a new move. Adoption turned out to be a lot more work than we ever expected, but it's also been so much more rewarding and we can't imagine our life without him." –Anon.

Jello

“We offered to escort two pups home to Toronto from our honeymoon in Mexico, never expecting anything other than a good deed well done. Then we met Jello at the Cancun airport covered in ticks but so happy and full of nothing but love. She came home stowed safely under the seat in front of us and has been a dream since then. She loves all the littles in our family, is completely head over teakettle for her tennis ball, and is learning to stay home by herself. We love her!” –Courtney Roytberg

Rocky

“We got Rocky just a few days from NYE as foster parents and knew within that week that he was too special and adopted him right away. He came to us with a ton of awful hot spots, half a chewed-off tail and major anxiety issues. Lots of training, love and attention and Rocky is doing great and is part of the family like he has always been here. He has the most gentle, sweet personality.” –Henna Chaudry

Kona

“We welcomed Kona into our family after she was rescued from Northern Quebec. She enjoys playing in the creek, nibbling toys, meeting new friends and going for long walks in the park. She is so smart.” –Brianne Gardner

Mouse

“From day one, Mouse claimed this chair as her throne!” –Sardé Lynn

Miss Cleo

“When I get home, Cleo twerks for me. She gets really amped up and does this amazing butt dance. She’d be great in an R. Kelly music video. Honestly, she’s the best decision I’ve ever made. When I get home, we battle each other. How excited would you be knowing that when you get home from work there’s a dog hiding somewhere in your house waiting to battle you?” –Tristan Tarr

Poncho (left) and Fido

"Poncho and Fido are the best because we simply could not imagine life without them. They enrich every aspect of our lives and we are so grateful that they have made themselves a part of the family. They are incredibly quirky and can be challenging at times, as is the case with all relationships, but their unconditional love and funny personalities make them who they are. To us, they are perfect." –Devon Gerby

Godzilla

"Godzilla was our doggie in an instant. She's a snuggly little pooch with a big heart, and a lover of stinky socks. People ask if she's as ferocious as her name suggests. Well, she'd like to think so!" –Emily Milling

Cairo (bottom)

"Cairo is the perfect addition to our little family. We started by fostering him as a three-month-old pup when he was rescued off the streets of Egypt after his mom was fed poison. He arrived on December 23 and it was our first time fostering, but after having him for just a few days we knew that he was meant to stay with us. Our other dog, Cole, instantly became his comfort blanket. We have had a bumpy road with Cairo and our work is not yet done, but he has shown us that even the smallest improvement can bring so much joy. He is loving and protective of our family and will do anything for human attention. He has such a quirky personality and constantly makes us laugh." –Kate Rigby

Silas

"Silas is awesome because he is the epitome of a loyal companion. He comes to work with me everyday—earning three milk bones a day—and is my constant shadow." –Amber Funk