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www.insideHALTON.com | OAKVILLE BEAVER | Thursday, December 26, 2013 | 10 Woman takes dogs from death row to new homes by Bob Mitchell Special to the Beaver For Dolores Doherty, nothing is more rewarding than matching a dog with a new owner and seeing the licks, tail wagging and smiles that go with it. She's done it more than 600 times. "It's a life changing event for the dog and the parent," said Doherty, a retired financial advisor from Oakville, who runs A Dog's Dream Rescue ( www. petfinder.com/shelters/on377) -- an organization that finds foster homes and then permanent homes for dogs that otherwise would be euthanized. "There's no doubt 100 per cent of all the dogs I've rescued would have been killed," Doherty said. "I only take dogs that would have been euthanized." At any given time, Doherty has more than 25 to 30 dogs in foster homes. She would be placing a lot more if there were more people willing to help. She averages two to six dogs per week, but right now she can't rescue any more dogs until she finds new foster parents. "There's a desperate need for more foster homes," said Doherty, who primarily rescues beagles, but also finds Jo-Anne Adams, seated, is a foster mom for dogs like Bo and Delores, both of whom are beagles rescued by Dolores Doherty of A Dog's Dream Rescue. | photo by Riziero Vertolli ­ Oakville Beaver (Follow on Twitter @halton_photog or facebook.com/HaltonPhotog) homes for black Labradors. Beagles are social dogs so they generally make ideal pets and tend to get along with other pets already in the home. "We need foster parents, who will be willing to open their heart and home to care for the dog on his or her journey to a forever home," she said. "Without fosters, we wouldn't be able to save their lives." All of Doherty's dogs come from shelters in impoverished rural areas in Kentucky and Ohio, either as strays or when their hunting days are over. "Dogs that end up in shelters down in the very poor areas of the Appalachians are doomed because there are so many dogs running around that nobody is going to pay a fee to buy one in a shelter," said Doherty, who has three rescue dogs of her own, a border collie named Shadow, an English setter named Scooter and BettyLoo, a beagle. Dogs are transported from the United States to Canada every Saturday as part of a caravan of vehicles driven by volunteer drivers taking dogs to rescue organizations. The trip takes about two days with each volunteer driving a specific leg of their journey before handing the dogs off to another volunteer driver. There are 10 to 12 legs with a stopover in Cincinnati until they reach their destination. Doherty initially became involved in the rescue efforts about five years ago through a friend, who was a transport volunteer. She drove, too, for about three years. When she retired, she thought she would have time to operate her own rescue effort. "Having experienced the pleasure of transporting dogs from high-kill shelters and delivering them to the safety of their rescues and foster homes, I decided I could make a difference in their lives," said Doherty, who opened A Dog's Dream Rescue Oct. 31, 2011. The shelters contact Doherty and other rescuers with photos of the dogs on death row. "I thought I would help a few dogs. It started small, but I ended up helping hundreds of dogs have new lives." "I grew up with beagles. So I'd see one of the beagles on death row and ask for it. I became known as `The Beagle Lady.' Whenever they had a beagle, the shelter would contact me. I just couldn't say no. It just blossomed from there." see Doherty on p.14 WE WILL BE CLOSED DEC 25,26 AND JAN 1ST Downtown Oakville: 178 Lakeshore Rd. East · Oakville West: 550 Speers Road Port Credit: 1211 Hurontario Street 50 OFF 30 OFF 15 OFF % % % Christmas merchandise Accessories Floor Models (Light Fixtures Excluded) www.housewarmings.ca