Saskatoon dog rescue agency looks to find pooches' perfect match

A Saskatoon-based non-profit group was looking to put a new twist on finding your perfect match Saturday at the city's Market Mall.

New Hope Dog Rescue held an event to promote its adoption services and potentially find some new homes for its canine clients, all in the name of Valentine's Day.

Putting a twist on the well-known bachelor or bachelorette auction, the group used a runway and an announcer as foster parents walked their dogs in front of potential adopters.

The announcer made sure to sweet-talk each and every dog that made its way down the runway.

"I was going through a rough patch. My dog that I had actually passed away, and I wanted to have an animal in my life, but I wasn't ready to actually have one," said Chris Garton, who's been working with the non-profit for the past two years.

Once a dog is ready for adoption, Garton and others like him will act as foster parents for a dog until a suitable adopter is found.

His current foster dog is an eight-month-old black lab named Ducky — Garton's twelfth one.

"I will always foster. I have always been a person that will adopt a dog from rescue. And this gives me the opportunity to help them work through some of their trauma," he said.

He said it's a joy and an "ultimate high" to find the dogs a stable home.

The one misconception he hopes that potential dog owners can correct is that some may think the dogs may come with issues and struggles you might not see from a breeder's facility.

"It's not where the dog comes from, it's what the dog is. They have their own personality. They're just like people. They have their own quirks," he said.

"You've just got to go with it and have an open mind and take care of them like you would anybody else."

New Hope Dog Rescue is a non-profit and foster-based organization. It's been rescuing and finding homes for dogs in need since 2003.