Taffy’s Legacy Canine Rescue and Rehabilitation started in 2015 in memory of Taffy, the greatest American Bulldog that ever was! Taffy was a registered therapy dog and an amazing bully breed ambassador. Taffy’s Legacy was started by a group of University of Waterloo graduates passionate about animals and started just focused in the Waterloo Region. Now our volunteer base has expanded from London to Toronto, and even stretching as far north as the Bruce Peninsula!
Taffy’s Legacy is 100% volunteer run, and working to become a registered charity. We take in dogs from northern isolated communities without access to veterinary care, and pull dogs at risk of euthanasia from local shelters in Ontario and Quebec. Our goal is to upcycle homeless dogs by giving them the tools and training they need to succeed in their furever homes.
Taffy’s Legacy sets the bar high and follows only the most ethical adoption and vetting protocols and standards. All of our dogs come fully vaccinated, spayed/neutered, microchipped, dewormed and heartworm tested. We are a bit different from other rescues in that our adoption process for dogs can take a while, our focus is to find the best possible homes for our dogs in care, rather than focusing on the volume of dogs coming through our rescue.
When dogs come into our rescue, they always stay in the home of one of our Core Team members for one to two weeks before they are placed in a foster home. We give dogs time to decompress a bit, crate train them, start marker training and condition basic leash skills to set them up for success going into foster homes. We give a basic assessment of how they are with people and dogs, their crate skills, leash skills, general energy level and personality to our foster homes before asking our foster homes to commit to a dog, as we always want it to be the best fit possible.
Once in foster homes, our dogs are always on hold for two weeks while they decompress further and we can observe what they are like in a more normal home setting. All of our fosters have access to the Training Dogs Online training program (https://trainingdogsonline.ca/) to be able to continue to work with our dogs under the guidance of two rescue-experienced trainers who have been in the industry for over 15 years each. Our foster homes also receive guidance from our Foster Coordinators, as well as all supplies, food and veterinary care is provided by the rescue.
Interested adopters can still submit applications for dogs that are listed “on hold”, however we do not do meet and greets till dogs have been in their foster homes for over two weeks as we want to be able to give the most accurate description of new dogs as possible. Realistically, it takes six months for new dogs to transition into their new homes, but we can’t keep them on hold for that long! Our adoption process consists of submitting an application, reference checks, a home visit, an interview with one of our adoption coordinators, and a meet and greet. We do not do same day adoptions, and ask that adopters sleep on their decision to adopt after the meet and greet. We always want it to be the right match for adopters and our dogs. If the dog isn’t the right fit for them, they are still considered “Approved Adopters” if a better fit comes in down the road. In fact, we encourage people to apply to be Approved Adopters if they are ready to add a dog to the family, even if the right fit isn’t on our website yet!
How can you help an organization like Taffy’s Legacy? Taffy’s Legacy is 100% foster based, and we can only help as many dogs at a time as we have available foster homes! We are always looking for foster homes to be able to rescue more dogs! Taffy’s Legacy covers the cost of all food and vetting, and provides all supplies needed. We are looking for people with strong communication, willingness to follow our foster rules and put in basic training work, and have access to a vehicle for vet visits. Have any questions? Please reach out to us at taffyslegacy@gmail.com!
If you aren’t able to foster, please consider donating to one of our great fundraising causes! We are currently fundraising with truLOCAL selling boxed meat with proceeds going towards our girl Jazzy’s TPLO surgery! https://trulocal.ca/fundraisers/207/taffy-s-legacy-canine-rescue-rehabilitation?fbclid=IwAR2KE6Lt4muVyX0fUQk6BRpb-M9j7CS_W4lCYUNqFhPCItF6nmucna1NPew
If you aren’t able to donate, please share our adoptable dogs and fundraisers on social media!
Want to learn more about Taffy’s Legacy? Check out our website or shoot us an email! taffyslegacy@gmail.com
www.taffyslegacy.com
Taffy’s Legacy Canine Rescue And Rehabilitation
Taffy’s Legacy Canine Rescue
Article by Marieke Manshanden, Foster Coordinator at Taffy’s Legacy Canine Rescue and Rehabilitation
Updated June 2022
