Putting on the ritz for dogs in need

[oneh2obabe]

Chandeliers dangle over plush sofas in freshly painted, wood-panelled rooms adorned with portraits, ornate mirrors, gilded urns and polished dishes.

“Oh! It’s beautiful!” a woman exclaims.

“This isn’t where they live, is it?” another whispers.

A man takes it all in with disbelief.

“These are for the dogs?!”

Welcome to Dog Tales Rescue and Sanctuary, a lavish new home for hapless hounds located on 20 hectares of rolling fields and woodland in King City. On Sunday, more than 500 people gathered here for a grand opening ceremony complete with oysters, champagne and performances by Grammy nominee Jewel and the Juno Award-winning Sam Roberts Band.

Maggie, a rescued Neapolitan mastiff, is shown in the opulent surroundings of Dog Tales Rescue and Sanctuary.


“We’ve built something special here,” Dog Tales co-founder Rob Scheinberg says of the sanctuary. “We want the dogs to feel like they’re in a home away from home.”

Dog Tales is the brainchild of Scheinberg, a well-to-do property owner, and his actress wife, Danielle Eden. For years, the couple donated to and worked on animal welfare projects in Israel and Canada. They even keep a pack of rescued dogs at home.

“We just wanted to do something grander, and do it for ourselves,” Scheinberg says, as he pets Napa, a Neapolitan mastiff rescued from the streets of Israel.

“She couldn’t even walk when we found her,” he says. “Now she’s running in the fields in King City.”

For six months, the couple personally oversaw the construction of Dog Tales, which currently houses more than a dozen dogs and four retired horses. Eden even took it upon herself to decorate the kennels, which include antiques, custom-made sofas and doggy divans. By shunning the bleak metal cages of most animal shelters, she hoped to create a space that would help troubled dogs grow accustomed to life at home in order to prime them for adoption. She also wanted the kennels to be a place where rescued animals could feel safe and have fun.

“I don’t know if they care about it, but that’s what I was trying to do,” she says with a laugh. “I’ve always loved animals — always. More than normal people, I think.”

The sanctuary is opulent, to say the least. In addition to stalls that can house up to 87 dogs, the property’s grounds also contain stables for as many as 40 horses. Gentle music can be heard wafting from speakers indoors and out, and near the sanctuary’s entrance stands a tiered fountain where water jettisons from stony horses’ mouths.

“I’m a little envious, to be honest with you,” Sam Roberts said before his performance. “This is as beautiful a spot as you could ever hope to end up, whether you be man or dog.”

Once the sanctuary becomes fully operational next month, it will be overseen by 10 full-time staff members. The animals, Scheinberg says, will mostly come from Ontario, Quebec and Israel. Scheinberg and Eden even plan to take trips to northern Ontario to rescue neglected dogs from reserves.

The couple also sees Dog Tales as a sanctuary of sorts for humans, too. People are encouraged to visit the sprawling property and play with the animals, even if they don’t plan on adopting one.

The entire sanctuary is funded by private donations, including substantial personal contributions from Scheinberg and Eden. Scheinberg wouldn’t divulge an exact amount on Sunday, but he said the project has cost “north of a million.”

“Crazy is good sometimes, if you do it for a great cause,” Scheinberg said with a smile.

[JLives]

My dogs eat cat poop. They don't need or want fancy.

[oneh2obabe]

Your dogs have a home - these ones don't.

[JLives]

I totally skimmed this post. Didn't realize they were rescues. I'm glad they have comfort. The cat poop comment stands.