One of the many joys of camp is seeing dogs and their people having fun trying out new sports and learning new skills. Sometimes, I’m blessed with meeting a dog and handler team that inspires me to continue on with my own journey. Leah and Ashton are one such team. Here is their story:
“Ashton found his way to my home through Beaver Creek Farm Sanctuary. I was a little hesitant to foster a special needs dog as I was worried about how my other three dogs would react to him. I worried our Chihuahua would be a bully and my two large breed dogs would be grumpy if he bumped into them or got in the way. Once he showed up and I saw his amazing upbeat attitude and his willingness to learn I started to fall for him! Ashton was saved from a puppy mill in Ohio by Erie County SPCA. He was adopted but sadly his owner passed away which is how he ended up with BCFS which is an amazing rescue here in the Niagara Region. I was a foster home for them when they took him in and that’s how he ended up with us!
I knew within that first week that Ashton was an amazing, resilient pup. He had gone through so many big changes in his short life but was still so trusting and loving. A few applications came in for him and I felt sad and on edge every time which is something I’m normally excited about for our other fosters. As fate would have it every single person dropped out of adopting him so I knew he was meant to stay with us. He had finally found his forever home and we had found a diamond of a pup!
He is honestly our smartest pup. He figures out everything. He is the only one of our four dogs to figure out how to get around the baby gate separating the kitchen to the dog free zone (also know as our living and dining room lol). He has learned to navigate our farm like a champ which is no small feat for a blind dog as we have lots of stairs, fencing, outbuildings and obstacles. He knows where everything is - it is amazing to watch him walk, run and play like our other 3 dogs. My husband told me soon after he arrived that if Ashton could figure out how to use our doggie door we would consider adopting him. He started using it by day 3 and was completely comfortable with it around the 2-3 week mark.
“Ashton found his way to my home through Beaver Creek Farm Sanctuary. I was a little hesitant to foster a special needs dog as I was worried about how my other three dogs would react to him. I worried our Chihuahua would be a bully and my two large breed dogs would be grumpy if he bumped into them or got in the way. Once he showed up and I saw his amazing upbeat attitude and his willingness to learn I started to fall for him! Ashton was saved from a puppy mill in Ohio by Erie County SPCA. He was adopted but sadly his owner passed away which is how he ended up with BCFS which is an amazing rescue here in the Niagara Region. I was a foster home for them when they took him in and that’s how he ended up with us!
I knew within that first week that Ashton was an amazing, resilient pup. He had gone through so many big changes in his short life but was still so trusting and loving. A few applications came in for him and I felt sad and on edge every time which is something I’m normally excited about for our other fosters. As fate would have it every single person dropped out of adopting him so I knew he was meant to stay with us. He had finally found his forever home and we had found a diamond of a pup!
He is honestly our smartest pup. He figures out everything. He is the only one of our four dogs to figure out how to get around the baby gate separating the kitchen to the dog free zone (also know as our living and dining room lol). He has learned to navigate our farm like a champ which is no small feat for a blind dog as we have lots of stairs, fencing, outbuildings and obstacles. He knows where everything is - it is amazing to watch him walk, run and play like our other 3 dogs. My husband told me soon after he arrived that if Ashton could figure out how to use our doggie door we would consider adopting him. He started using it by day 3 and was completely comfortable with it around the 2-3 week mark.
When Seselle told me all about how fun Camp Doggin’ it is, I decided I needed to give it a try and I’m so happy I did. I was nervous bringing Ashton away from his day to day routine at our farm to a completely different environment. When I first emailed you Mary you were so lovely and welcoming and that was before I even met you in person. I could tell from our correspondence that you are very kind and you were 100% open-minded to having a special needs dog at camp. That put my mind at ease right from the start. I really appreciated you taking the time to speak with the trainers to find classes and activities that would be not only fun but would be safe for Ashton. I thought when I signed up for camp that Ashton would be kind of sitting on the side lines and I was ok with that. That turned out to not be the case at all and I couldn't be happier with my experience. He was able to learn and work like all the other pups at camp. Another great plus was he was able to be on a leash, something I have not worked with him very much. He exceeded my expectations and was really great on leash. He was also able to interact with lots of new people and other dogs.
All of the instructors were amazing to work with. Everyone was extremely nice, caring and welcoming. I would like to close off with how grateful I am that I was able to have such a fun filled weekend. I was able to spend time meeting new like minded people and trying different things but most of all spending some great quality one on one with Ashton and my other dog Wall-E. Life can get busy so it’s nice to take a break, hit pause and be a kid again! Also to any one out there considering fostering I say go for it. It has been one of the most rewarding experiences for myself and my husband. You are truly saving a life. Thank you to Mary and the amazing staff at Camp Doggin’ it. I’m counting down the days until next year’s camp.”
All of the instructors were amazing to work with. Everyone was extremely nice, caring and welcoming. I would like to close off with how grateful I am that I was able to have such a fun filled weekend. I was able to spend time meeting new like minded people and trying different things but most of all spending some great quality one on one with Ashton and my other dog Wall-E. Life can get busy so it’s nice to take a break, hit pause and be a kid again! Also to any one out there considering fostering I say go for it. It has been one of the most rewarding experiences for myself and my husband. You are truly saving a life. Thank you to Mary and the amazing staff at Camp Doggin’ it. I’m counting down the days until next year’s camp.”
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