* Duke and Ella have been adopted by their foster family! Yay! *

Duke and Ella were brought into Hamilton Animal Services as strays and they were not claimed. These two were showing serious signs of neglect. Their fur was matted and dirty, their teeth are horrendous, and Ella has a large, pendulous mammary tumour that almost touches the floor when she walks. Duke is not neutered, and it’s not likely that Ella is spayed. It’s possible they were used for breeding and were discarded when they got too old to produce puppies, but we will never know…
Duke and Ella are the sweetest, friendliest dogs. Even during their time at a loud, busy shelter, Duke and Ella had a wagging tail and happy smile for all the staff.
We were very thankful that an amazing foster home stepped up to take Duke and Ella in. A vet visit has been scheduled to get a plan in place to take care of all their medical needs. Our fingers are crossed that they’re both healthy enough for the dental surgery they desperately need, or that at least Ella is well enough to have that heavy tumour removed.

Welcome to Ladybird, Duke and Ella! We’re so happy you’re here!

December 4/23 UPDATE
Big thank you to Black Dog Pet Salon for helping Ella & Duke look, feel, and smell better! They’re definitely more comfortable without all the mats and tangles.
How adorable are these two? 😍

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December 14/23 UPDATE
Ella had surgery today. She was spayed, and the large mammary tumour was removed and has been sent for testing. Hopefully now that Ella is spayed, she won’t have to suffer more tumours like the one she had.
This is a good time for a reminder to always have your pets spayed or neutered! Your pet’s long-term health can be greatly improved by simply having them fixed when they’re young. Sweet Ella wouldn’t have had to go through all this in her senior years if she had been spayed by her previous owners. Either way, we’re happy we could help her and that she no longer has to drag that heavy tumour around.
Ella’s best friend Duke is very happy to have her back home, and she’s getting extra spoiling from her foster family.
Good job, Ella!

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December 27/23 UPDATE
Duke’s dental surgery went well. The vet ended up having to remove all but four of his teeth. His teeth were so bad that they caused rot and infection right down to the bone. Poor guy had been suffering for a long time. Because the dental surgery took longer than expected, they weren’t able to neuter Duke while he was under, so he’ll have to go back in for that in a few weeks. He handled the anesthesia very well though, so he should be fine for neutering, which is a much shorter surgery.
Ella has a follow up appointment tomorrow to see how everything is healing from her tumour removal and spay surgery. She’s been doing great, and has a new spring in her step not having to carry all that extra weight around.
Hopefully this sweet pair can find their forever home once all their health issues are sorted.
We love you, Duke and Ella!

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January 29/24 UPDATE
Please send your love and well wishes to Ella and Duke for their surgeries tomorrow!
Ella is having much needed dental surgery, and Duke is being neutered. We hope these two sweethearts will do great, and that they’ll recover without issue. We know their amazing foster family will take the best care of them while they heal.
You got this, Ella and Duke!

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February 11/24 UPDATE
Surgeries went great for both Duke and Ella. They had a follow up appointment a week after their surgeries and they’re both healing up wonderfully. Unfortunately, Ella is still suffering from inflammation in her ears, so she was given medication and she’ll have a follow up appointment in another week to see how things are doing.
Otherwise, they’re both doing great!

Way to go, Duke and Ella! You’re superstars!

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February 19/24 UPDATE
Ella and Duke have been adopted by their foster family! Yay!