Heartwarming Dog Stories That’ll Make You Smile
They're called man's best friend for a reason!
Sweet Dog Stories From the Pages of Our Canada
Guard Dog With a Heart
Clipper was eight weeks old when he came to us. He had a happy life and was fully included in our active lives as we explored Canada from coast to coast, Clipper was a smart field dog and could always find his way even when we wondered where we were. Once in a while, we encountered bears in the bush, both black and grizzlies, mostly without incident, however he managed to keep us safe more than once. One summer, my wife and I were caretakers at a Cat-ski lodge high in the Monashee Mountains near Revelstoke, B.C. One night I had Clipper out near the lodge for his nightly ablutions. He scrambled on top of a big rock and was staring into the trees barking. I shone my bright flashlight into the darkness, and there were four pairs of eyes shining like diamonds, looking back at us. We backed away very slowly and got back to the lodge. In the morning we saw a mother grizzly with three small cubs scrounging for berries in the bushes nearby. Clipper had been looking out for us and keeping us safe. —James Roberts, Cochrane, Alberta
Read on for more dog stories shared by Our Canada contributors!
Embers of Love
We got our dog Ember, a Portuguese podengo pequeno, in March 2011. My husband is a firefighter, so that’s how we came up with Ember as her name. She is very cuddly, loves to sit on our laps, enjoys long walks at the cottage and also loves chasing chipmunks! She likes to “bury” her large chewing bone all around the house, in every corner and under the blanket in her bed, always moving it around so we can’t find it. —Carol Groeneveld, Tillsonburg, Ontario
If these dog stories have you considering adoption, our science-backed roundup of the benefits of pet ownership should seal the deal.
Puppy Love
This is my eight-year-old daughter, Averie, and our new puppy Henry. This dog has added so much laughter to our lives! Words simply can’t describe how much he was needed—I’m left wondering why on earth we didn’t add him to our family sooner. Before we got him, Averie and I would daydream about what it would be like to have a puppy around and how our lives would change—now, we can’t imagine a day without him. —Sarah Almond, Kelowna, B.C.
Find out the most popular dog breeds in Canada.
Lifelong Pals
This is my grandson, Shad, and his dog, Cruz, enjoying the dog days of summer in beautiful British Columbia. This pic was taken by Shad’s dad, Ron, about ten years ago. As Cruz joined the family even before Shad did, they were lifelong friends. Shad’s mom, Cheryl, says that Cruz (who was a Golden Retriever-Golden Lab cross) was a pro at taking food from people’s hands without them realizing it! Notably, a steak on its way to the fire pit and a Nanaimo bar. He was also very kind to and protective of his humans. —Phyllis Pavan, Grand Forks, B.C.
Don’t miss this heartwarming tale of the very special bond between a young man and his dog.
Pug Love
When our son Nathan was eight, he had to have surgery, so we bought him a pug “stuffie” for comfort. He fell in love with the breed and for years wished that we could have a real pug. To motivate him in school, I promised him a pug if he were to graduate with honours. On the day of his high school commencement, he received his diploma and we learned that he had indeed made the honour roll and also received a scholarship award. His smile as he walked down the aisle towards us said it all, “I’m getting a pug!”
Nathan’s pug is named Bailey; she is full of energy and loves to run really fast with other dogs at the park—it’s not quite what we expected from a pug! She is a very loyal companion who follows us everywhere we go. I cannot imagine our lives without
her as she has brought us so much joy. —Jennifer Gadde, Orleans, Ontario
Sheer Joy
This is Beckham, our 10-year-year old Brittany; he rejoices at every opportunity to romp in deep snow. These pics were captured while I was snowshoeing through Algonquin Provincial Park. Talk about exhibiting sheer joy! —Michael Arthurs, North Bay, Ontario
These funny dog memes are guaranteed to make you grin!
A Gem of a Puppy
This is our puppy, Jewel. She is a chocolate Lab and a bit of a clown. We have had Jewel for a year-and-a-half now; we got her soon after we had to put our other love down for medical reasons. Jewel has managed to both cheer and repair this dog-lover’s broken heart. She’s a very happy dog; she loves truck rides and occasionally likes to help herself to my husband’s coffee. She took to sitting in the lawn chair right next to us immediately; I think she enjoys our company as much as we do hers! —Monica Smits, Wingham, Ontario
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Teach a Dog to Fish…
My daughter-in-law Vanessa sent me these photos of Maple, their then-11-month-old pup, out on a family fishing trip in Paint Lake Provincial Park. Maple, a goldendoodle, has lived in nearby Thompson, in Northern Manitoba, with ‘dad’ Tim, her human ‘brother,’ Max, and ‘mom’ Vanessa since she was two months old. The family have been thoroughly enjoying Maple, now nearly three years old. As Vanessa says, ‘She is a gentle soul who loves everything outdoors, including long walks, camping and watching animal shows—and, especially, fishing, swimming and squirrel-watching. She also enjoys alerting us of everything and everyone she can see remotely near the vicinity of our house. I always have a good laugh when I see these pictures. —Bernice Nerbas, Brandon, Manitoba
Roxy to the Rescue
This is Roxy, she is a Pomchi—a cross of Pomeranian and Chihuahua. I saw her picture on an animal rescue site and even though she was in rough shape medically, I fell in love with her. I filled out an application form and was accepted, but had to wait a few months for her to heal. She has been with me for 18 months now. Roxy loves walks and cuddles. She definitely rescued me! —Karen Brading, Flin Flon, Manitoba
Read the heartwarming story of how one woman adopted her first dog at the age of 65—and gained a new lease on life.
Cuddle Buddies
This is my daughter, Claire, with our rescue dog Reacher Puppy. He is a beagle-corgi mix. He was a runaway and while chipped, his owner information was out of date and no one came looking for him. I find that so hard to believe because he is the sweetest dog alive. During the day, he follows me from room to room and curls up with me every night. Reacher gets excited with every walk, so much so that you’d think he’d never been on one before! —Jennifer Reichow, Halifax, Nova Scotia
Here are more pet adoption stories that’ll warm your heart.
Mabel the Daredevil
This is our pug puppy, Mabel. Mabel is a typical pug—she loves snacks and going for rides on anything motorized. She has a ‘snort’ for every occasion—two quick ones means she is displeased, one long one indicates boredom. Mabel is a daredevil, she leaps before she looks and has found herself in deep snow, puddles and trouble more times than we can count. In this photo she had followed me over a snowbank and completely sunk herself in the powdery snow on the other side. Born in September of 2021, this was her first taste of our wonderful Canadian winters! —Holly Rich, Powassan, Ontario
Scooter Dog
We adopted Rosco, a rescue, on Thanksgiving Day in 2019—it was one of the best decisions we ever made. He is part black Lab and part Blue Heeler and is the sweetest dog I have ever come across. His favourite activity is getting on ‘Dad’s’ scooter and heading to the dog park, where he has lots of friends. He is harnessed in, and has never tried to jump off, staying in place until unbuckled. One of the people at the local dog park christened him ‘Scooter Dog’—an appropriate nickname it is! —Kathy Holler, Edmonton, Alberta
Social Butterfly
This is our dog Georgie on a winter day. There was fresh snow on the ground as we returned from a trip and both my sons jumped out of our car and, with joyful hoots and howls pelted each other with snowballs. Georgie watched from our garden planting bench as snowflakes landed on his head. His mischievous expression says it all. Our little dog is a papillon, also known as a continental toy spaniel. Georgie is a lively and sociable to the point where our sons laughingly refer to him as a chick magnet! Georgie simply delights in getting attention. —Ada Grier, Coquitlam, B.C.
Find out which breeds make the best apartment dogs.
“Are We There Yet?”
I still laugh every time I look at this photo of my daughter’s dog, Auston, who was on his way from his home in Gatineau to visit his best friend, Billy the white Labrador, and play at the Ottawa River. I’m sure this will put a smile on a lot of faces! —Tammy Green, Harrington Harbour, Quebec
Princess Jasmine
This is Princess Jasmine, a 150-pound Perro De Presa Canario. We adopted her from our local humane society two years ago. Jasmine absolutely loves the rain and loves to play in it. She also likes to walk around with a teddy bear in her mouth when she is happy. She loves to cuddle with her paws around your neck and her head on your shoulder.
Jasmine was very fearful of everything in the beginning so we had a professional canine behaviour specialist work with us for more than a year and Jasmine has become the most confident gentle giant. She was our inspiration to start the Pet Frenzy Community website where you can read more of her journey through some of my blog posts. She had a hard life before we adopted her but today she is living the Canadian dream. We hope her story will help others and support new rescue dog owners. She’s a big part of our family. Her favourite day is Canada Day as it was the first day she realized she was safe and loved, four months after we had adopted her. It was a very special day for all of us! —Brenda Luft, Kitchener, Ontario
A Berry Sweet Pooch
This is our nine-year-old dalmatian, Nova. My husband, Jim, taught him to pick and eat raspberries, so Nova is in the raspberry patch with Jim helping out every summer. Unfortunately, not many of his berries make it into the bucket! Nova is also a pet therapy dog; he volunteers at the Grey Nuns Community Hospital in Edmonton, visiting both the palliative care and emergency departments. He also sits with elementary school kids and listens to them read—he’s a great listener! —Lynne Washington, Sherwood Park, Alberta
Don’t miss this gallery of Canada’s cutest pets.
Rainy Day Blues
Our grandpuppy Winston is not fond of the rain at all, and being in the Fraser Valley we get quite a bit of it, making it difficult to get Winston outdoors in wet weather. His parents got him a yellow raincoat in hopes of helping him endure rainy days. He doesn’t mind wearing it on his walks, contrary to the look on his face here, and we think he looks adorable in it. —Alexandra Fontaine, Mission, B.C.
Find out the rainiest place in Canada.
Close Encounter
This is Asha, our adorable Boston Terrier, curiously checking out a bee for the first time. I had to call out ‘that’s close enough to the bee, Asha!’ As you can see, she is a little bit cross-eyed. Asha is full of beans and energy. One of her funnier traits is that she loves to abscond with gardening or work gloves in nice weather, while in winter it’s mittens she takes off with—if she can get away with it! —Kim Redlin, Eastend, Saskatchewan
Gentle Pup
This was my girl, Chaz. She was a Bernedoodle—a mixed breed of 25 percent Bernese Mountain Dog and 75 percent Miniature Poodle. She was the most gentle dog I have ever had. Chaz was also great with my grandkids who are six and and eight years of age—she never so much as nipped at them. My beloved Chaz passed away last summer, just before she would have turned nine. We still miss her every day. —Janet Lance, Corbeil, Ontario
Here’s expert advice on how to plan end-of-life care for a beloved pet.
Top Dog
This is Rigo, a ten-year-old standard schnauzer who runs our household! He loves the outside even in our New Brunswick winters. I tether him to a harness for cross-country skiing and it is hard to imagine how much energy he has—he’s 50 pounds of happiness. In summer, he eagerly participates in day-long hikes and swims in Fundy National Park. We generally finish in the fall with a hike to the summit of Mt. Carleton. Although he will carry in the morning newspaper, the majority of the time, he’s busy ‘training’ my wife and me. You can set your clock by his stare for his evening feeding at 9:00 p.m. This pic shows him returning from exploring the snow tunnel that was built for our grandkids. —Paul Morrison, Hanwell, New Brunswick
Do you have any heartwarming dog stories that you’d like to share? Submit your words and pictures to Our Canada for a chance to be featured in a future issue of the magazine!
Have Faith!
Faith is my Aunt Judy’s dog, but she is really close to my family. Judy rescued Faith from the Humane Society when Faith was only a year old and has now had her for 14 years. Being a rescue dog we don’t know exactly what breed she is, but we know she is a lab mix. Faith is an excellent dog; she is very friendly to everyone including wildlife and will try to become friends with them even if they don’t want to! She prefers ice in her swimming hole and enjoys winter walks, sometimes she will even wear sunglasses when the sun is bright on the snow. —Kayla Cuddy, Harlowe, Ontario
If you enjoyed these dog stories, be sure to check out our all-time favourite dog jokes.
