It was in early June when a young Sao Miguel cattle dog came to our shelter as a stray. With his unusual markings and perfectly rounded ears, this handsome boy, who we named Grizzly, instantly stole the hearts of the shelter staff. He was affectionate, playful, friendly, and at times mischievous!

However, as days and weeks went by, the hallmark signs of his breed became more obvious - overprotective, and often aggressive towards strangers. Finding him a suitable home was not easy, as it was important for us that potential adopters met all the requirements that had been set in place.

After four months of waiting to be adopted, a breeder we had been working with suggested a potential new owner who lives in Connecticut. It was an exciting moment for the shelter staff to finally find someone deemed fit to provide Grizzly with the care and special attention that he needed.

Without hesitation, Lindsey Narraway, Supervisor of Animal Services, along with our Animal Services Officer Jennifer Hayden, happily embarked on a 10-hour road trip, knowing that Grizzly was finally going to his forever home.

Kalina is a very sweet girl who came all the way from Montreal to find a home through us. While she did find a home, Kalina was unfortunately returned to us due to allergies. Kalina is an affectionate girl who loves attention and cuddles. She loves to explore, and is quite inquisitive. She is full of purrs and will gladly take all the love and attention she can get.

A bit on the heavy side, Kalina is on a low-calorie diet to decrease her chance of developing health issues associated with obesity. Her new family must be able to encourage her to be active and feed her only the appropriate amount of food.

She has been spayed, vaccinated and microchipped. Visit Kalina at PetValu, located at Whites Road and Highway 2.

We believe Kalina would do best in a quiet home with no other cats.

The Pickering Animal Shelter has picked up approximately 150 stray animals this year alone, and the majority of them were not microchipped.

While microchip use in pets has been around for decades, there are still a number of people who know very little about microchipping, and the purpose it serves.

So what exactly is a microchip, and why do we recommend it?

Microchipping your dog or cat is the best means of identifying them. A small silicon computer chip bead, which is about the size of a grain of rice, is inserted under the thicker skin by your pet's shoulder area. Each microchip has a unique set of numbers that will be registered to the pet owner.

All veterinary clinics and animal shelters carry a universal microchip reader, so if a lost pet is found and taken to a shelter or veterinary clinic, they are able to scan the animal. Once the pet's microchip number is obtained, clinic or shelter staff will then contact the microchip company to request the owner's information. To ensure successful return, it is important that pet owners provide the microchip company with up-to-date contact information.

We thank our donors for improving the well-being of our animals, and contributing to their bright and healthy future. Along with financial donations, we also accept animal-related items, such as dog and cat treats, dog bones, leashes, collars, dog and cat food, dog and cat beds, plus lots more - just ask!

Call 905.427.0093 or visit pickering.ca/animals for more information.