On October 6th, 2007 the volunteer team went on a "food run" to distribute food to as many house with dogs as we could.  We went into a yard where no people were around to find a mom with pups, a large dog chained up and her pup.  All were suffering from starvation and dehydration.  We were  later to discover the family had suffered a terrible tragedy resulting in their prolonged absence..  The sight haunted us for days.  After contacting the original family, our volunteers returned on October 12th and rescued the big chained up dog - Aries, and her pup Leo who was a matted off white little one, about 10 weeks old. 
Aries had no milk to offer him as she was in such poor condition. 

The rescue team again found the animals very hungry with no water supply available to the large mom dog.  The rescue took place and the team hurried the 4 animals in to see Dr. Mattson of the Sylvan Lake Vet Clinic.  He advised us that the Aries and her pup were far too thin to receive vaccinations. Aries is slowly gaining weight, and slowly building muscle mass again.  Her starvation was so serious that her muscle tissue was absorbed by her body to keep her alive.  She is eating at least 6 cups of dog food daily, plus special formula wet food, and drinking as much water as she wants too.  She is able to play a bit, and actually started to bound around the yard in short spurts yesterday, Oct. 24th.  She has been groomed at Doggy Do's and Kitty's Too, in Red Deer and looks gorgeous!  In short, Aries is one very happy girl.  She lives inside, sleeps on her own pillow bed, and follows her foster mom everywhere. 

Update: June 23, 2008 - Aries was adopted, but sadly was returned because the dynamic in the house with the other dogs was not working out. Aries is a wonderfully sweet dog, but she is a large dog who would benefit from someone with experience handling large dogs. Because she is a large dog (100 lbs) and can act dominate we suggest a home with no dog or children under the age of 12. She is a playful, loving, smart dog who will make a great additional to the right family. She loves to be outside because of her thick coat which keeps her very warm.  

Update: July 17, 2008Aries now lives in a foster home in Cochrane with 3 other dogs and 6 cats and gets along well with all of them, she is approx 4 yrs old and weighs approx 80 lbs. She is an extremely affectionate girl, is good on a leash and when off leash she comes when called and is very aware of where her person is. She likes her daily run, but is quite content to spend the rest of the time in the sun.

If you are interested in adopting Aries, please check our out “ Adoption Process” on the Adoptions page.

Aries : Spayed Female

Age: approximately 1.5- 2 years

Size – large/giant

Breed – great Pyrenees cross

Foster home: Cochrane

Good with kids: no  

Good with cats: no

Good with other dogs: select dog