We are a Canadian dog sanctuary and rescue specializing in senior, disabled, blind, medically complex, and overlooked dogs. We also support families, shelters, and rescues through foster care, sanctuary, and second chances.

Every dog deserves to be seen beyond their past. Whether blind, elderly, disabled, abandoned, or rescued from conflict, every life has value. 

Sanctuary gives dogs the time to heal, decompress, receive medical care, and simply be dogs. Some remain with us for life, while others move on to carefully matched forever homes.

Our priority has always been the dogs most likely to be overlooked:

Senior dogs. Disabled dogs. Blind dogs. Trauma survivors. Long-term shelter residents. And dogs whose needs make finding the right home more difficult.

Our goal is not to move the greatest possible number of dogs.

Our goal is to make thoughtful, sustainable commitments to individual dogs we believe we can genuinely help.

Sometimes that dog is ten minutes away.

Sometimes they are somewhere else in Ontario.

Sometimes they are across Canada.

And sometimes they are across an ocean.

The distance does not determine whether that dog matters.

At this time, New Leash On Love Sanctuary is not open to public visits.

The sanctuary is a privately owned and privately funded home and property, and the safety and privacy of the dogs in our care comes first.

Many of our dogs have histories of neglect, abandonment or trauma, while others live with anxiety or behavioural challenges. We also have an established pack, and protecting the delicate balance, routine and sense of safety within that pack is an important part of their care.

For these reasons, we keep the sanctuary’s location private and limit access to approved caregivers and professionals.

The sanctuary is their home first.

That doesn’t mean you can’t meet the pack! We offer other opportunities to connect with our dogs, including community pack walks, adoption events, fundraisers and other public events. Follow along on social media for upcoming dates.

There are lots of ways to be part of our work — and every bit of support helps.

You can:

• Sponsor a sanctuary dog and help with their ongoing care
• Donate toward food, veterinary care, medications and rescue costs
• Foster or adopt and help us make room for another dog in need
• Join a pack walk or community event
• Donate supplies through one of our community partners or donation drives
• Support Marley’s Mission and our life-saving veterinary, rescue and crisis-relief work
• Follow, share and engage with us on social media — sharing our dogs genuinely helps them get seen
• Partner with us as a local business, organization or community supporter

And sometimes the easiest way to help is simply to tell someone about us. Every share, introduction, donation, foster and adoption helps us keep saying yes to dogs who need somewhere safe to land.

Because they are often the last to be chosen. We believe age and disability never diminish a dog's worth.

Absolutely. Most of the dogs in our care are local Ontario surrenders or shelter dogs, many with complex needs.

This is one of the most important questions we can answer about our work.

New Leash On Love Sanctuary is not an international rescue instead of a local rescue.

We do both.

We adopt locally. We support local shelters. We take in local owner surrenders. We help families in crisis. And when our resources, relationships and capacity allow, we also work across borders to help shelters in crisis connect appropriate dogs with adopters.

International rescue does not replace our local work.

We actively help dogs in our own community.

We regularly hear from families who love their dogs but suddenly find themselves without options.

We have helped local dogs whose circumstances changed because of:

• Moves or housing changes

• New babies

• New puppies entering the household

• Family or financial crises

• Behavioural or aggression concerns

• Aging caregivers

• Medical needs

• Disability

• Seniors whose circumstances suddenly changed

We recently welcomed an elderly Pyrenees/Golden Retriever mix through Lab Rescue after he needed somewhere safe to land.

A few months ago, we also welcomed Angel Dumpling, a blind dog from Northumberland Humane Society, into our sanctuary family.

Those are only two examples people may have seen publicly.

We have also helped countless local surrenders behind the scenes — dogs left without options after moves, babies, new puppies, behavioural challenges and major life changes.

Whenever we can help a family before a dog enters an already-overburdened shelter system, that matters too.

So why help internationally?

Because sometimes suffering happens outside our postal code, and helping is within our reach.

When we have the capacity, an appropriate placement and trusted rescue partners, we may cross borders to help shelters in crisis connect a senior, disabled or overlooked dog with an adopter.

Sometimes that dog has been waiting for years.

Sometimes they are elderly.

Sometimes they are blind or disabled.

Sometimes they have survived severe trauma, conflict or displacement.

Sometimes they have simply been passed over again and again.

And sometimes helping one dog leave a shelter creates desperately needed space for another animal coming in.

We do not believe compassion needs a border.

We do believe it needs responsibility, capacity and accountability.

We prioritize seniors, disabled dogs, blind dogs, long-term shelter residents, and those with complex medical or behavioural needs.

Yes. Collaboration is one of our core values. We work alongside shelters, rescues, veterinarians, businesses, volunteers, and community organizations.

Through private donations, fundraising, sponsorships, grants, and our own contributions.

Foster, sponsor a dog, donate supplies, volunteer, share our posts, fundraise, or become a community partner.

Yes. Sponsorship helps provide food, veterinary care, medications, and enrichment.

Donations support veterinary care, food, medications, transportation, enrichment, sanctuary operations, and community outreach.

Yes. When possible, we organize relief efforts for animals and families in crisis, including wildfire relief for Indigenous communities and their pets.

We believe compassion doesn't have borders. We believe seniors deserve soft beds, disabled dogs deserve adventure, and every overlooked life deserves to be seen. Everyone chooses a different corner of the world to make a difference. This is ours.

Because suffering doesn’t stop at a border.

We don’t believe kindness is a limited resource or that helping one community means turning away from another. Some people dedicate their lives to local shelters. Others protect wildlife, support humanitarian aid, or conserve the environment. We believe every one of those efforts matters.

Our calling is to care for overlooked dogs—locally and internationally—and to work alongside others who are doing the same in their own communities.

Our goal isn’t to decide whose suffering matters most. It’s simply to reduce the suffering we have the ability to reach.

This is a completely valid question — and one we consider carefully for every dog.

Not every dog is able to fly. Each dog is medically assessed before being cleared for travel. For example, Maze has cancer and cannot fly, and Saffi had a heart murmur that needed to be assessed before travel. If the risk is considered too great, the dog stays. Their welfare always comes first.

Our rescue partner in Lebanon cares for more than 1,500 dogs. They do not euthanize dogs simply to make space. They rescue animals who have been abandoned, shot, severely injured and affected by conflict — including dogs requiring extensive reconstructive care.

With ongoing conflict, displacement and economic hardship, shelters continue to fill. Every dog who is safely adopted creates a space for another dog to be saved.

We might once have wondered whether moving a senior was worth the stress too. Then we met dogs like Houston and Gordo.

They showed us how much life can still be waiting on the other side of a shelter gate.

For a senior who is healthy enough to travel, the flight may be a stressful day ,  but it is their last difficult journey toward a very different life: quiet mornings, soft beds, individual attention, proper medical care and the dignity of growing old somewhere safe.

We have watched seniors arrive tired and go on to become stronger, healthier and happier than we could have imagined.

There is no perfect rescue system, particularly in a country experiencing conflict and economic hardship. But our rescue partners are like family to us. We trust them deeply, take every possible precaution, and make these decisions dog by dog.

Once you experience what happens when you give a senior that chance, you understand why the time, money, emotion and effort are worth it.

For the dogs medically cleared to travel, we hope the flight is their last hard journey, and their first one toward freedom.

In many ways, animal welfare and human welfare are deeply connected.

If you care about animals, you also have to care about the circumstances affecting the people who love and care for them. Housing insecurity, poverty, domestic violence, war, displacement, access to veterinary care and the rising cost of living can all determine whether someone is able to keep their animal.

Many animals entering shelters aren’t there because someone stopped loving them. Sometimes a person simply ran out of safe or affordable options.

That is why rescue can’t only be about removing an animal from a difficult situation. It can also mean helping families stay together, supporting community resources, providing crisis relief and reducing barriers to responsible animal care.

And yes, policy matters. Housing laws, funding for shelters, access to affordable veterinary services, animal-protection legislation and social supports are shaped by governments and elected representatives.

Your voice matters. Your advocacy matters. Your vote matters.

We believe caring about animals and caring about people aren’t competing causes. Compassion works best when it includes both.

Because rescue doesn’t have to be either/or.

We help dogs in Canada too. But our sanctuary has also built a trusted relationship with an international rescue partner whose dogs face circumstances that are very different from what we typically see here — conflict, displacement, extreme overcrowding and years spent living in a shelter.

Some of the dogs we bring to Canada have waited many years for a home. Seniors, disabled dogs and “lifers” are often the hardest to place locally, while here we may have the right home, foster or sanctuary space waiting for them.

Bringing one dog out also creates a desperately needed space for another animal to come in.

We don’t believe a dog’s life becomes more or less valuable because of the country they were born in. We simply help where we have trusted relationships, the resources to do it responsibly, and a realistic opportunity to change a life.

And whenever we can, we help close to home too. Rescue isn’t a competition over which dogs deserve saving. There is room for all of us to pick a corner and help.

Our local work continues whether or not we occasionally participate in an international rescue mission.

In fact, much of our local work happens before a dog ever reaches a shelter.

Helping a family safely surrender a dog, finding an appropriate foster, supporting a difficult transition or helping a local dog find a new home can all reduce pressure on shelters.

We also believe strongly in supporting other rescues rather than treating animal welfare as a competition.

We love organizations like Golden Rescue and respect the work they do.

Different organizations have different specialties, partnerships, resources and populations they are equipped to help.

There is room for all of us.

We do not believe rescue has to be “local versus international.”

A senior dog in Ontario deserves safety.

A blind dog from Northumberland County deserves safety.

A dog sitting in a Canadian shelter deserves safety.

A family desperately trying to avoid surrendering their dog deserves support.

And a disabled or elderly dog who has spent years waiting in a shelter overseas deserves safety too.

Animal homelessness is complex.

It is connected to housing, poverty, veterinary access, breeding, displacement, war, education, community resources and countless other human circumstances.

No single rescue can solve all of it.

Our responsibility is to work ethically within the corner we can reach.

That means supporting local shelters.

Helping local families.

Taking local surrenders.

Providing sanctuary.

Finding fosters and adopters.

Supporting other rescue organizations.

Responding to crisis when we can.

And, when it is responsible and within our capacity, helping a dog beyond our borders.

We will never be able to help every dog.

But when helping one is responsible, sustainable and within our reach, we believe their life is worth showing up for.

Local. International. Shelter. Surrender. Senior. Disabled. Overlooked.

They are all dogs.

And every one of them deserves the dignity of being seen.

It’s a valid question, and one we consider with every dog.

Age alone does not mean a dog is unable to travel. Each dog is individually assessed and medically cleared before flying. If a dog has a serious or life-threatening condition, or something such as a significant heart murmur that makes flying unsafe, they stay. Their welfare comes first.

For dogs who are cleared, the flight is one difficult journey in exchange for the opportunity to spend the rest of their lives somewhere quiet, safe and loved.

Our rescue partner cares for more than 1,500 dogs and does not euthanize for space. Conflict, displacement and economic hardship continue to bring more animals through their doors. Every dog safely adopted creates space and resources for another dog who needs saving.

We have watched seniors arrive tired and go on to become stronger, healthier and more alive than we imagined. They get soft beds, individual attention, quiet mornings and, most importantly, dignity.

For our lifers, we hope this is their last hard journey and their first one toward home.

We would love to help everywhere, but responsible rescue also means knowing our limits.

New Leash On Love is a small sanctuary in rural Ontario. Our resources, funding, foster network and sanctuary space are limited, and we already have dogs—many senior, disabled or medically complex—depending on us every day.

We currently focus on the corners we can responsibly reach and on rescue partners who understand our sanctuary, our pack dynamics and the types of dogs we are equipped to support.

We absolutely see the urgent pleas coming from U.S. shelters, and we hope that as our funding, volunteer network and connections grow, our reach can grow too.

For now, saying yes responsibly sometimes means having to say no—because every dog we commit to deserves everything we promised them.

We may not be able to save every dog. But we can make sure the ones we say yes to are truly safe.

Usually, nothing is wrong with them.

Lebanon’s ongoing conflict and economic collapse have created circumstances that are difficult to imagine from Canada. Families have been displaced, people have lost their homes or been forced to leave the country, and many have had no choice but to surrender dogs they deeply loved.

Our rescue partner is not a kill shelter. They continue caring for the dogs who come through their doors, which means dogs can remain there for years while more continue arriving.

Seniors, mixed breeds, larger dogs and dogs with disabilities are often overlooked the longest. In a shelter caring for more than 1,500 dogs, months can become years — and for some, nearly an entire lifetime.

Animal rescue also doesn’t have the same charitable infrastructure, funding and resources available that we are fortunate to have in Canada. The need is enormous and the resources are limited.

There isn’t necessarily something “wrong” with a lifer.

Sometimes the only thing wrong is that nobody chose them.

So we do.

Like any rescue dog, they need time to decompress and adjust. We recommend keeping the first few weeks quiet, structured and predictable, allowing them to learn their new home, people and routine without overwhelming them.

Some may need house-training and basic training, just like any other newly adopted dog. Everyday experiences may also be completely new. Some may never have regularly ridden in a car, lived inside a home, walked through a neighbourhood or met many people outside the shelter.

We recommend crate training as a positive skill and safe space, particularly during the transition. Give them somewhere quiet that belongs to them and never use the crate as punishment.

At first, clear away shoes, garbage, food and anything tempting or unsafe to chew. A dog who has never lived in a home doesn’t automatically know the difference between their chew toy and your favourite shoe. Provide appropriate chew toys and calmly teach them what’s theirs.

Many of our dogs have spent years living around other dogs and are actually highly socialized within a pack. Once they’ve had appropriate decompression time, we encourage adopters to gradually continue positive socialization. Safe walks, enrichment, training, new people and appropriate interactions with other dogs are important for their mental and physical wellbeing.

Most importantly, don’t expect them to arrive knowing how to be a house dog.

Give them structure, patience and time to learn — just as you would any other rescue dog.

They come back to us.

This is a fundamental part of our rescue model.

Every dog placed through New Leash On Love is contractually required to be surrendered back to us if their adopter can no longer care for them.

They are not to be surrendered to another shelter, independently rehomed or passed from home to home.

We remain responsible for the dogs we place.

Responsible rescue does not end on adoption day.

That means supporting adopters when challenges arise, helping with transitions and remaining a permanent safety net if circumstances genuinely change.

We understand why seeing a dog wait months—or even years—can be upsetting. But New Leash On Love is not a shelter. We are a sanctuary and rescue support organization.

We support dogs in several ways: local surrenders, shelters and crisis-relief efforts here at home, and, when our capacity allows, international rescue partners.

For senior, disabled and overlooked dogs, we can help tell their stories, increase adoption visibility, assist with finding appropriate homes and fosters, and provide sanctuary when needed.

We don’t control how long a dog has been waiting before they come onto our radar. Often, we are stepping in because they have already been waiting.

When we take responsibility for a dog, that responsibility is lifelong. If an adoption does not work out, our contract requires that the dog comes back to us—not to a shelter, not rehomed privately, and not passed along. We will arrange foster care or provide a permanent place at our sanctuary.

We may not be where their story started. But once we say yes, we make sure they always have somewhere to come home to.

There are several excellent resources for canine mobility equipment. Not every disabled dog needs a wheelchair, and not every dog needs the same kind. The goal is to find the support that allows that individual dog to move safely, comfortably and independently.

Wheelchairs can include:

• Rear-support chairs for hind-leg weakness or paralysis

• Front-support chairs for dogs with front-limb disabilities or amputations

• Quad/four-wheel chairs for dogs needing support at both ends

• Custom wheelchairs for unusual anatomy, amputations or complex injuries

• Braces, orthotics and 3D-printed supports, which may be a better option for some dogs

Wheelchair & Mobility Resources

Tysons Love and Hope on Wheels
A nonprofit providing loaner wheelchairs to pets with mobility challenges, including dogs with paralysis, amputations, degenerative myelopathy and other disabilities. They have helped dogs in Canada and can provide guidance with fitting and adjustments.

Determined as Diesel
An Ontario-based special-needs and senior-dog resource with experience helping disabled dogs and families navigate mobility equipment and wheelchair needs.

Walkin’ Wheels / Handicapped Pets Canada
Adjustable canine wheelchairs available in Canada, including rear-support and four-wheel/quad configurations. A useful option because some systems can be modified as a dog’s mobility needs change.

K9 Carts
Specializes in canine mobility equipment, including custom-built wheelchairs. They offer options for dogs with front-limb disabilities as well as rear and more complex mobility needs.

Eddie’s Wheels
Custom-built mobility carts designed around an individual dog’s measurements and physical needs. This can be particularly helpful for dogs whose anatomy doesn’t work well with a standard adjustable chair.

A wheelchair isn’t automatically the answer.

Some dogs use their chair every day. Others only need one for longer walks, exercise or rehabilitation. Some disabled dogs are perfectly comfortable getting around without one.

Dogs with unusual amputations, deformities or injuries may actually function better with a custom brace, orthotic or 3D-printed support rather than a traditional wheelchair.

Whenever possible, work with your veterinarian, rehabilitation professional or experienced canine mobility specialist to determine what equipment is appropriate and to ensure it fits correctly.

The goal isn’t to make a disabled dog move like an able-bodied dog. It’s to give them the tools they need to live their fullest life.

Before travelling, the dogs receive comprehensive veterinary care, including:

• Spay or neuter

• Microchip

• Rabies vaccination

• Canine distemper

• Adenovirus

• Parainfluenza

• Parvovirus

• Leptospirosis

• Canine coronavirus vaccination

• Blood work and infectious/vector-borne disease screening, including heartworm and other regionally relevant diseases

• Flea/tick treatment and deworming

• Dental cleaning when needed

• Full veterinary examination and assessment before travel

The vaccination records shown include Vanguard Plus 5/L (distemper, adenovirus type 2, parainfluenza, parvovirus and leptospirosis), Defensor 3 rabies vaccine, and FirstDose CV canine coronavirus vaccine.

Not every dog is cleared to fly. Dogs with serious or life-threatening medical conditions—or a condition such as a significant heart murmur that makes air travel unsafe—do not fly. Their health and safety always come before an adoption or travel plan.Heartworm and Lyme disease are not present in Lebanon, so these are not routine concerns or testing requirements for dogs coming from Lebanon.

The dogs’ health and ability to safely withstand travel are taken seriously. Dogs with serious or life-threatening medical conditions, or significant heart murmurs that make flying unsafe, do not fly. Their welfare always comes first.

Because disease risks vary by region, screening is based on diseases relevant to Lebanon. Dogs are tested for:

• Leishmania (Leishmaniasis)

• Ehrlichia (Ehrlichiosis)

• Anaplasma (Anaplasmosis)

• Babesia (Babesiosis)

Adopting one of our dogs is a commitment—and surrendering them back to us is part of that commitment.

Our adoption agreement includes a contractual obligation that the dog be returned to New Leash On Love if the adopter can no longer safely or responsibly care for them.

They are not to be privately sold, surrendered to another shelter, given away online or independently rehomed without our involvement.

We understand that life circumstances can change. Asking us for help is not a failure. We would much rather receive the call than discover one of our dogs has been passed from home to home.

When we say a dog is safe for life, we mean it.

Once a New Leash On Love dog, always a New Leash On Love dog.

No. Blindness is a description, not a diagnosis.

Dogs can lose vision gradually or suddenly, in one eye or both. Causes include cataracts, glaucoma, progressive retinal atrophy (PRA), sudden acquired retinal degeneration syndrome (SARDS), retinal detachment, neurological disease, congenital conditions and physical trauma to the eye or brain. 

Some of the dogs we encounter have also survived severe physical trauma.

Every dog’s blindness should therefore be understood individually. A veterinary examination—and sometimes a veterinary ophthalmologist—is important because some eye diseases can also be painful, even when vision cannot be restored. 

Blind Dog Resources

Muffin's Halo⁠ — A wearable bumper/halo that protects a blind dog’s face and head while they learn to navigate. Their organization also works with Second Chances for Blind Dogs to redistribute donated halos. 

Down to Earth Dog Lady⁠ — Positive-reinforcement trainer Erin Marion specializes in puppies and dogs who are deaf and/or blind and teaches guardians how to build communication systems with them. Her Instagram is @downtoearthdoglady. 

First: don’t adopt them because you feel sorry for them.

Disabled dogs generally don’t experience their disability the way humans imagine it. Blind and deaf dogs can have excellent quality of life and often adapt extraordinarily well. 

What they need is a person willing to learn what their particular dog needs.

That means being prepared financially for veterinary care, medications, mobility equipment, rehabilitation or specialist appointments when necessary. It also means having the time and patience for training, environmental adaptations and follow-up care.

Most importantly, adopters need the right attitude. Don’t continually treat a disabled dog as fragile or incapable. Give them safe opportunities to explore, exercise, problem-solve and be dogs.

They are usually far more capable than you think.

Blind dogs create what we often call a mental map of their environment.

Consistency is incredibly helpful. Keeping furniture, beds, water bowls and major pathways in predictable locations allows the dog to learn the layout and move through it confidently. Veterinary guidance specifically recommends maintaining a consistent home layout and using textures, scents and tactile markers to help dogs navigate. 

Rugs can identify doorways or rooms. Different flooring textures can signal stairs or boundaries. Verbal cues such as step, stop, careful, left and right can become incredibly useful.

Protect stairs, pools and dangerous drops while they’re learning.

And don’t assume every blind dog needs a halo forever. Some benefit enormously from one during transition; others quickly learn their surroundings and barely appear blind.

Like any rescue dog, they need time to decompress and adjust. We recommend keeping the first few weeks quiet, structured and predictable, allowing them to learn their new home, people and routine without overwhelming them.

Some may need house-training and basic training, just like any other newly adopted dog. Everyday experiences may also be completely new. Some may never have regularly ridden in a car, lived inside a home, walked through a neighbourhood or met many people outside the shelter.

We recommend crate training as a positive skill and safe space, particularly during the transition. Give them somewhere quiet that belongs to them and never use the crate as punishment.

At first, clear away shoes, garbage, food and anything tempting or unsafe to chew. A dog who has never lived in a home doesn’t automatically know the difference between their chew toy and your favourite shoe. Provide appropriate chew toys and calmly teach them what’s theirs.

Many of our dogs have spent years living around other dogs and are actually highly socialized within a pack. Once they’ve had appropriate decompression time, we encourage adopters to gradually continue positive socialization. Safe walks, enrichment, training, new people and appropriate interactions with other dogs are important for their mental and physical wellbeing.

Most importantly, don’t expect them to arrive knowing how to be a house dog.

Give them structure, patience and time to learn — just as you would any other rescue dog.

Adoption fees vary depending on the dog and the country they are travelling from.

Costs can depend on:

• The country of origin and its travel requirements

• Veterinary examinations, vaccinations and required testing

• Flight and transportation costs

• Whether the dog is a senior or has a disability or special needs

We want adoption to remain accessible, particularly for the dogs who are hardest to place. Senior and disabled dogs will typically have an adoption fee around half that of an able-bodied dog, depending on their circumstances and travel costs.

Because every dog’s journey is different, there isn’t one universal adoption fee.

Please email us about the dog you’re interested in and we’ll provide their specific adoption fee and explain exactly what is included.