(All photos courtesy of Dog Tales Sanctuary)
Rescue dogs deserve a good life, and do they ever get to live the life at Dog Tales Rescue and Horse Sanctuary.
So, if you're ever out in King City, you should take that opportunity to spend time at the paradise.
Dog Tales Rescue and Horse Sanctuary, founded in 2014, is a world-renowned animal rescue is on a picturesque property. The property includes kilometres and kilometres of walking trails, a therapy pool, a grooming spa, a pig mud bath, a horse paddock, a fenced play area, and a splash pad — not for you, for the dogs.
It also provides rescue animals with medical care, training, and, naturally, lots of love.
You may have heard of Dog Tales from animal-loving friends who have rescued a dog. (That's actually how I discovered it. Shout out Finley!) Or you may have heard of it thanks to the new docu-series "Dog Tales Rescue," currently airing on Gusto TV on Thursday nights.
The docu-series follows the day-to-day operation of sanctuary co-founders and animal lovers Danielle Eden-Scheinberg and Rob Scheinberg as they care and rehabilitate sick, elderly, and abused animals.
Along with a dedicated team of 50 passionate staff, the sanctuary accepts local surrenders and works with shelters both domestically and abroad searching for animals in need of help.
But this isn’t your typical dog spot.
In fact, Danielle has gone above and beyond combining her passions for design and animals to create a welcoming, beautiful space for the dogs, horses, staff, and visitors looking to adopt.
Each dog has a different room with beautiful beds, dressers, books, and art.
The sanctuary also has a personal chef — who cooks vegan meals — on site for the staff who receive two meals a day. Of course, they eat it in a gorgeous Pavilion.
Everything from the walls to the wood on the floor, to the washroom and the antiques, is remarkable.
But more remarkable is how it was all handpicked and designed by Danielle, who doesn’t have a background in interior design. She simply has an expert eye, and plenty of patience to see a project through.
So, we sat down with the couple to talk about how they went about making the combined 100-acre property seem like a welcoming home.
How many acres is your property?
There are two parts and they’re 50 acres each. Fifty acres for the dogs and horses, and the other for the other horse.
Why this specific location?
We looked at a few locations. But we loved this one. The scenery. The views. The proximity to Newmarket and Barrie and Toronto. It’s pretty central.
How many dogs can you have in the space at one time?
Currently, it's 83 dogs. We have a permit for 129 dogs and try to keep it at 120.
How did you go about personalizing and designing each of the dog's rooms?
I really wanted to create some kind of home environment, which is why I used dressers and dog beds in each of their rooms.
The dressers are left open because I wanted to give them the opportunity, if they wanted, to go in and hide. This allows them to go in and out.
We teach them to go on the couches, and those are their dog beds. Rooms like this — with artwork in the background and that feel at home for the dogs — show rescue dogs in a different light. A canine room doesn’t have to be depressing and grey. It can be a normal home environment, nice and colourful.
We use glass indoors and not bars. And we stayed away from stainless steel because the dogs don’t appreciate that. [Danielle] designed all the various dog beds and got them custom made in a different country. The beds chosen for each dog are done so based on their needs (size, disabilities, etcetera...).
Tell me a bit about the room that your volunteers eat in.
The Pavilion.
We built the Pavilion from scratch. We got rid of the old barn. It took us seven months. I just started to look at pictures and shows for inspiration. I just mixed things together and hoped that they worked. Made decisions on the spot.
Where did you source all the amazing knick-knacks around your property, like the collection of hand-held mirrors in one of the washrooms, and the collection of various silver teapots on display in the Pavilion?
Antique markets that Rob and I travel to. Some we found online from different countries. It’s mainly antique markets.
For the kennel, there’s a lot of mirrors and frames. I bought them all from every flea market in Canada.
“She literally emptied out every single antique and flea market in Canada, which is why she had to start sourcing stuff online,” adds Rob.
What’s your design background?
None. That’s my second love: furniture and design.
Can you tell me a bit about the stables you’re creating?
In Europe, there’s a European stable so horses can go in and out by themselves. I am designing it now but will use a designer to do it with me.
What’s next for the property?
The 50 acres connecting to us.
We’ve been in the planning process for two-and-a-half years now. We’re planning on building an animal hospital for dogs, cats, horses, large and small. It’s going to be unique in Canada. The equipment will be top of the line. The cost will be affordable to the community.
