I have adopted two wonderful dogs from the Humane Society Dawson. My first one was Polar, an ex-sled dog. My roommate and I fostered him in the summer of 2007; she knew Polar and had found out he was at the animal shelter. We wanted a foster for the summer, so that we would have a dog to take hiking and adventuring. I worked and lived at the Bunkhouse, so he would sit on the front step of the hotel while I worked and I would watch tourists come up and sit with him to have their pictures taken. He was so handsome. Some of the occupants of the hotel would take him for walks while I worked my other job, however, and one day when I came home, I was informed that a girl had taken Polar and know one knew who she was. I felt a panic fill my body as I raced down the street to borrow a bike and go look for him. As I approached the old bank, I saw Polar peek around the corner. When I reached him, I grabbed his leash and told the girl to never take my dog again without asking. At that moment, I knew he was mine and that I would do whatever it took to keep him safe with me. Polar passed away in February 2014. Loosing Polar was very difficult – I was lost and heartbroken.
When Polar passed away, I had just found out that I was expecting my daughter. We were leaving on a Mexican holiday and we had started the process of planning to build a new house. When we were returning from Mexico, my partner saw on Facebook that the Humane Society Dawson needed an emergency foster for a mastiff. His line to me was, “You know we have room in our house for two dogs.” He was right, we did, and it was just going to be a temporary thing. When we got back to Dawson, I went to the Humane Society to meet Bebe and I took her home. She needed some extra care, as she was emaciated and had some healing wounds. She made herself at home very quickly and started to win us over with her quirky personality. Every time the Humane Society called to see if we needed to bring her back, we would tell them that she was welcome to stay until she was well enough to go to Whitehorse to get operated on. In April 2014, she had gained enough weight to go to Whitehorse, so we said our goodbyes and wished her luck in finding her forever home.
When she returned to Dawson from Whitehorse, she had become very stressed out and I was asked if I minded taking her for a night while they lined up another foster home for the following day. I did so gladly. The next day, she was picked up while I was at work with no issue – until I received a phone call from the new foster parent saying that Bebe would not get out of her car and was growling at her. I went over to calm Bebe down and when I went to leave, Bebe thought she was coming too. The new foster took Bebe for a walk so that I could leave. Later on that night, I received another phone call with the same problem. I went to calm her down again and told the new foster that I would just take her home for the night in hopes that it might help her de-stress. Bebe got into my car and when we arrived home, she jumped out and went right into the house and onto the couch. At that moment, although I was ready to admit it, she had decided for us that she was going to stay. And stay she did. That summer we tore down our house and lived in a RV. She stayed in the RV right alongside of us and our other dog, Grimm. Half way through the summer, we went in and signed the final adoption papers for her – there was no point in denying the truth: Bebe had chosen us and we had fallen for her. Our daughter was born in the fall and Bebe soon gained the nick name ‘Nana Dog’. She was always by my daughter’s side, and if she ever cried, Bebe would chase her tale or do something else to lighten the mood. She was the funniest dog I have ever met.
Unfortunately, this past spring, she passed away unexpectedly. We only had her for a little more then a year, but she brought us a lifetime of joy. She was my angel – she helped me heal after I had lost Polar, and helped me bring a new life into the world when I had my daughter.
My partner and I have talked about getting another dog and would like to because our home is big enough, but after having two of the best dogs imaginable, we are waiting for the right one to come into our lives. (We are always checking with the Humane Society, as you have have the best dogs)
-Jamie
We adopted Isla in August 2013 from the Humane Society Dawson. We had been thinking of getting a dog throughout the year, but the timing wasn’t right for us. We visited the shelter quite a bit at the time, and had spotted Isla among a lot of other pups. She arrived to the Humane Society with a massive abscess on her neck that slowly went down over time. She was quite timid and shy of strangers when we took her in, as well as food crazy! The latter is still a trait that she identifies by, although has learned to control her urges to a more socially acceptable level ;).
Over the years, she has gone from a crate flipping, box spring chewing, counter top smashing, loaves of bread eating dog, to a loving, sucky companion who keeps you on your toes once in a while. Even though Isla continues to be a work in progress, she reminds us how lucky we are to have come into each others’ lives. She’s a great tent or car sleeper, loves big hikes, really appreciates a good stuffy, is too dopey to ever catch the squirrels she chases, and sleeps in just like her parents. Even though we wish that she could get a job to pay for her own bills, or at least damage deposit, we really couldn’t imagine not having Isla. Thank you Humane Society for connecting us with this special, stinky pooch. Isla thanks you too!
-Tanya & Craig
I adopted Callie from the Humane Society Dawson over 8 years ago. She was a VERY hyper dog that needed a lot of attention and love. Callie is a very important member of our now expanded family. I could not ask for a more gentle soul for our Children and better guard dog for our home. I could not imagine what life would have been like, if I hadn’t brought her home with me 8 years ago 🙂
-Megan
I adopted my cat, Geddy Lee, in the winter of 2007. She was born that July, and no one knows what day because her litter was found in a bag (7 kittens about 3 or 4 weeks old). I went out to look at them when they were about 8 weeks old, but they weren’t allowed to go to homes until 12 weeks. When I walked into the cat room, Nutmeg (as Geddy was formerly known) jumped onto my shoulder from the cat tree, and I knew she was the one for me.
The kids who were volunteering at the shelter told me Nutmeg was the boldest one in the litter and wasn’t scared of anything, which was good because she was coming to live in a house with 5 or 6 people and 3 large dogs. Indeed Geddy wasn’t scared of anything and has been a loyal and awesome bud ever since. She gets along great with people and other pets and is very easy-going about life. She has traveled across the country with me by truck 4 times and has adjusted to life with a little person famously. She evens comes with us on our walks to the playground and lets my toddler cover her in blankets and put little hats on her.
Geddy is still very playful and high-spirited even at 8 years old. As long as there’s no snow on the ground, Geddy likes to be outside as much as possible. She also enjoys eating dinners, rolling in dirt, and relaxing on soft blankets and piles of laundry. Geddy also enjoys a good hunting trip for voles and mice. She is such a wonderful part of our life and I am so lucky to have my Geddy!
Thanks to the Humane Society for taking care of her as a little tiny kitten so she could be our friend and family member forever.
-Jen
Humane Society Dawson 