What happens when you cross Edmonton’s No. 1 news team with adorable dogs? Big smiles, warm hearts, a fabulous gift for Global News fans and pet lovers alike, and an impressive cash donation to one of our city’s important causes.
The 2018 Global News Hounds Charity Calendar features your favorite Global News anchors and their four-legged friends, including some very sweet Edmonton Humane Society alumni.
The calendars are now available for $20 each at Global Edmonton Studios – 5325 Allard Way and at Corus Radio – 5204 84 St.
Global News is proud to donate 100 per cent of the proceeds to Give Me Shelter to make the holidays a bit brighter for women and children seeking refuge in one of the Edmonton-area women’s shelters. The calendar also supports the Edmonton Humane Society through awareness and encourages people who are looking for a pet to consider a forever home for a dog through the humane society.
Everyone has a story, including our Global News Hounds. Here are some fun facts on the special dogs featured in our calendar.
How did your dog get her name?
Carole Anne: “Scooby” started as a nickname between my best friend and me back in high school. We never call each other by our first names, it’s always “Hi Scoobs.” Or “Hi Scooby.” On my wedding day, in her speech, she said she was so happy I had found a great man, and that Connor was now officially part of the “Scooby Club.” When Connor and I eventually bought a dog, naming her Scooby was the obvious choice…especially in light of Scooby Doo, the cartoon.
What is Scooby’s favorite treat?
Carole Anne: She loves her Frisbee. She likes her Frisbee more than she likes food.
Does Scooby have a great trick, or something quirky, that makes you smile?
Carole Anne: She will fetch for hours, until her nails bleed, especially if her Frisbee is involved. Once she chomps down on it, you can literally lift her up in the air, and she just dangles from the Frisbee.
How did Scooby become part of your family?
Carole Anne: My husband and I weren’t big fans of dogs. The only breed we thought was cute was the French Bulldog, but we wanted a white one and a female, which is hard to find. We waited for months and contacted several breeders. One day, I called a breeder in Viking, told him what I was looking for, and he said, “You won’t believe this, but we just had a litter of one; a white female.” It was meant to be.
What is one thing that Scooby has taught you?
Carole Anne: Scooby has taught us, unconditional love. She’s definitely down on the totem pole now that we have two kids, and she doesn’t always get the attention and affection she deserves. Yet, she’s still so pumped to see you when you walk through the door, and she always wants to cuddle.
How did your dog get her name?
Quinn: Cassie was named when we got her. We were going to rename her, but it just fit her personality so well.
What is Cassie’s favorite treat?
Quinn: Anything that I happen to be eating.
Does Cassie have a great trick, or something quirky, that makes you smile?
Quinn: She has such personality. It’s amazing how many emotions she can portray. She is such a princess. Cassie does what Cassie wants and it always makes me laugh. Puppy eyes is a real thing with this one. She will manipulate me to take her with me all the time. It’s so hard to say no to her; she’s too darn cute.
How did Cassie become part of your family?
Quinn: My husband and I found a puppy on a dog adoption site and I went to a meet-and-greet to see the puppy. Cassie was there and looked at me with her big, brown eyes and I couldn’t visit any of the other dogs. Cassie had been in foster care for three months. She was really scared at first and wasn’t too sure about me, but I wasn’t going to let her go. I forced her to eventually love me. I’m thankful to Heart Prints for introducing us and allowing us to have Cassie in our lives. She’s been the best thing to happen to us.
What is one thing that Cassie has taught you?
Quinn: Cassie has taught me to slow down and enjoy life. She looks at me and convinces me immediately to sit down and pet her and I don’t get anything else done in a day.
How did your dog get his name?
Mike: Cozmo was named after the character Cosmo Kramer from Seinfeld.
What is Cozmo’s favorite treat?
Mike: His mother insists that he eat healthy like her, therefore, his fave treats are apples, carrots and peanut butter.
Does Cozmo have a great trick, or something quirky, that makes you smile?
Mike: He won’t come in the house even if it’s -20 C unless you give him a treat.
How did Cozmo become part of your family?
Mike: My son Derek had been asking for a dog for years and we finally gave in when he turned 13 years old, assuming that he’d be old enough to take care of him. Needless to say, he’s always loved the dog, but we do all the work.
What is one thing that Cozmo has taught you?
Mike: Love should be unconditional.
How did your dog get her name?
Gord: Daisy was already named. We got her from a rescue society in Sherwood Park called NASAP (Northern Alberta Society For Animal Protection).
What is Daisy’s favorite treat?
Gord: Cheese and homemade chicken jerky.
Does Daisy have a great trick, or something quirky, that makes you smile?
Gord: Daisy loves to sing with me, especially the blues.
How did Daisy become part of your family?
Gord: My wife, Deb, spotted her on the NASAP website for adoption when she was nine months old. The rest is history. She’s now 10 years old.
What is one thing that Daisy has taught you?
Gord: Daisy has taught me how to relax. She’s a good stress reliever. She also keeps me exercising — walking and constantly at her beck and call.
How did your dog get his name?
Kent: Doug is a pug. I mean, what better name could he have? There’s an Instagram pug with the same name. But he’s the O.G.
What is Doug’s favorite treat?
Kent: Any kind of food. He loves it all, except for mushrooms. He leaves those alone.
Does Doug have a great trick, or something quirky, that makes you smile?
Kent: He loves to chase his ball. When the ball is out, nothing else can get his attention. I love watching him chase that thing.
How did Doug become part of your family?
Kent: Doug is my step-dog. I inherited him and he has turned me into a dog person. He’s the one.
What is one thing that Doug has taught you?
Kent: He reminds me to enjoy the simple things. He loves to wrestle and roughhouse and when you play with him, you can’t help but have fun. Good guy to have around after a long day.
How did your dog get his name? Bear now goes by the name of Baxter. He is the third dog we have adopted from the Edmonton Humane Society. We have always believed that a new life deserves a new name. We have three boys, who were very excited about getting a dog. There was much debate over the name and we finally picked the one that everyone was happy with. As usual, Mom won out.
What is his favorite treat? Food wise he like pretty much anything. He is quite found of treats like pigs’ ears.
Does Baxter(Bear) have a great trick, or something quirky, that makes you smile? Baxter has boundless energy for play. His favorite games to play are a tug of war and chase the ball — although he is not always that good at giving it back. He will bring us a ball or rope and climb up on our lap until we agree to play (as I am typing now I am throwing a ball for him). If he could convince us, he would play for hours. Our two oldest sons like playing monkey in the middle with him.
How did Baxter (Bear) become part of your family? Finding Baxter was a bit of good luck. We agreed to adopt a dog in need at the end of the school year but never quite got around to making the visit to EHS. We finally took the plunge on the Labour Day weekend. When we arrived at the EHS, all the dogs had been adopted or were in the process of being adopted. Our boys were quite disappointed. En route to EHS, we had overhead on one of the radio stations that a few dogs had been brought to one of the local pet stores for an adoption event. We decided we had nothing to lose so headed over to the pet store. When we got there, the EHS workers were just getting ready to pack up to take all the animals back. They had Baxter (Bear) on a leash and let the boys take him for a walk around the store. It took them about 10 seconds to get hooked and we adopted him on the spot. We have no regrets. He’s a great dog with a wonderful personality and he’s great with kids.
What is one thing that Baxter (Bear) has taught you? I think all dogs teach us about unconditional love and acceptance.
How did Virgil get his name?
Daintre: We actually had the name before we had the dog! Lol, we loved the name because it is not very common and a bit old-fashioned. We searched for a dog that suited it.
What is Virgil’s favorite treat?
Daintre: He is currently a bit fan of fish skin jerky… yes, very stinky!
Does Virgil have a great trick, or something quirky, that makes you smile?
Daintre: He knows a handful of tricks but funny enough he can tell time and will rest his paw on my leg when it approaches lunch and dinner time. Within minutes of noon and 6 p.m. every day!
How did Virgil become part of your family?
Daintre: My husband found him on a Canmore animal rescue group’s website. He was only a five-month-old puppy when he was found at a dump in southern Alberta with a wire around his neck. They were looking for a mom with a litter of pups when he came bounding out of the bush towards them. Although we were told he had his dinner, another dog’s dinner and possibly another dog’s dinner… he was a perfect car companion for the four-hour drive home! We don’t know what his first five months were like, but know for sure he is going to be loved and cared for the rest of his days!
What is one thing Virgil has taught you?
Daintre: A walk every day is good for the soul.
How did Tucker get his name?
Margeaux: Tucker is so unique because he’s basically two dogs in one! His hair can grow really really long, and he doesn’t shed, so half the time he is extremely shaggy with long wild hair. Then, when it gets too long to tame, we shave him right down and he becomes unrecognizable! We like when he’s shaved because he cuddles us more, but we like his long hair too because it’s so cute!
What is Tucker’s favorite treat?
Margeaux: Whenever I’m chopping fresh vegetables, Tucker’s right at my feet waiting for handouts. He especially loves cucumber and bell peppers.
Does Tucker have a great trick, or something quirky, that makes you smile?
Margeaux: When Tucker was a wee puppy he’d come into bed with us and lay across the top of our pillows on our heads. At 70 pounds, he’s a big guy now, but sometimes he’ll still jump our bed and go straight for the pillows. You either get a big kiss on the forehead or his bum in your face. Obviously, I’d prefer the first option!
How did Tucker become part of your family?
Margeaux: My husband surprised me with Tucker on Christmas Eve 2014. We were walking into my parents’ house and they asked what we were naming our new dog and Tucker just popped out my mouth! He just seemed like a Tucker. We’ve nicknamed him Tucky.
What is one thing Tucker has taught you?
Margeaux: Not to judge a book by its cover! Tucker can be a bit intimidating because he loves to bark and has long unruly hair. But behind his rambunctious first impression is the kindest, cuddliest, happiest dog around.
How did Daelen get his name?
Kevin: Daelan had his name when we adopted him from the Lakeland Humane Society. He already responded well to it so we kept it!
What is Daelen’s favorite treat?
Kevin: Daelan’s absolute favorite treat is Rollover! His next favorite is anything that smells like meat!
Does Daelen have a great trick, or something quirky, that makes you smile?
Kevin: His quirky moments show up every day when he eats his dinner. He noses his dish into the middle of the kitchen, lays down and pulls his dish close to his mouth and takes his time eating.
How did Daelen become part of your family?
Kevin: The kids and I were on a fishing trip up north. One day it was too windy to go on the lake so we decided to visit the SPCA. The dog bonded with the boys almost instantly – so after two more visits and some paperwork – we were heading home with a husky/shepherd cross!!
What is one thing Daelen has taught you?
Kevin: Daelan is great – he is kind and patient and he has helped give the kids some responsibility. They promised to clean up and feed him and brush him – and so far so good! The three of them have bonded and are each others’ friends and companions!