Sophie’s Dog Adoption is tired of rescuing people from the clutches of Paws for Life. Since Melissa Di Stefano has started her lucrative business of reselling dogs from pounds and or puppies from puppymills under the name of Paws for Life almost three years ago, Sophie has been receiving calls from frantic people whose hearts went out to these “dogs on death row” that she has posted all over the net.
The problem these people face is they are getting a dog directly from unknown pounds whom absolutely no one knows anything about, have not been seen by a vet and many have parasites and some end up having behavioral issues that these people don’t know how to deal with.
Unfortunately, despite their numerous attempts to reach Melissa and or her staff / volunteers, they either get no response for weeks at a time or are told to tough it out until… And that’s where it usually ends until they call Sophie to the rescue.
Shadow is another perfect example, the woman who is stuck with this dog and has asked Sophie for help is now receiving threats from Melissa that they will charge her with theft if she does not KEEP this dog (in heat, very dominant, and very intimidating for this poor woman who is totally inexperienced).
Any suggestions from anyone out there to help with this particular situation is welcomed.
Shadow has been with this woman for a month now with no help from Paws for Life. Sophie went over to bring her a crate, toys, food and a decent leash as none was supplied.
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Sophie's Dog Adoptions is run solely by me, Sophie. I have been rescuing for over 15 years, one dog at a time and have placed over 600 so far. All my dogs are sterilized and vaccinated before adoption, and all applicants are fully screened before adoption. I believe in making the right matches for each dog and each family in order to give these dogs a real second chance. You can reach me by E-Mail: info@sophiesdogadoption.com or by Phone: (514) 523-5052 Please allow up to 48 hours calls and or emails will be returned in order of importance. 
Hello,
I had been scouring rescue sites for months looking for a second dog to adopt and let me tell you I was CONSTANTLY horrified at what I saw on PAWS FOR LIFE.. FIRSTLY…their URGENT PLEAS were very disturbing and I could NEVER believe the dogs that were slated to be P.T.S. (puppies, very popular breeds, adorable looking dogs, etc.) WHO makes these decisions, ANYWAY??? PLUS, their website SUCKS…they offer absolutely NO INFORMATION WHATSOEVER on the animal. EVERY DOG IS CUTE AND CUDDLY…(as per their vague descriptions)… Is it a male, a female (one dog changed sexes within a few days), how old is it? Is it altered? Is it child or cat friendly?…absolutely NO VALID, IMPORTANT INFORMATION given on the pets, EVER!!!…THEN when you e-mail them…WELL, their people skills SUCK as much as their website, SHORT, CURT, UNINTERESTED in POTENTIAL GUARDIANS….The ENTIRE experience left me with a bad taste in my mouth!
Are you kidding me, they are rescue dogs on death row. They also have kennel cough and other issues what do you expect top of the line well known breeder dogs. Why do you care if you do not want to deal with them then don’t but how dare you put them down for what they do. I do not see much activity of dogs and fostering/adoptions on youe web site… Really if you have nothing good to say…You know the rest!!!!
The urgent pleas are because these dogs are going to be gassed, they do not have much info because alot of these dogs are strays what do you expect. Would you rather they make up a cute little happy story so it sounds better. These dogs and cats are desperate and when you get them they are thankful and probably not feeling great so maybe they seem cute and cuddly. Your damn right there web site is disturbing…Hello welcome to rescue. As for their e-mail response back they are busy trying to get these animals out and safe getting foster homes and transport ready for these poor desperate animals. The bad taste in your mouth is probably a very lucky thing for these animals, god forbid you would get a less than perfect dog!!!
Why does she care? Because places like Paws for Life only hurts the real rescues and how real fostering should work.
The goal is not to use and abuse humans, it is to ask for their help. Every dog found in a Quebec pound will end up on death row if not adopted regardless of where they are actually sitting.
-Rick
Well i have never had an issue with anyone from paws for life not once, I fostered and then adopted and they were supportive of me at all times and very helpful. If you don’t want to have anything to do with them as a rescue then don’t!!! Take the energy that is used to downgrade this rescue and put it to something useful.
Hi I have gone to a pound for paws for life and I can tell you that the dogs they rescue are going to die. You can go to the pounds yourself if you do not believe them, the one I went to was in St Hubert. They are just not allowed to disclose the location of the pounds on account of the contracts they signed with said pounds. The pounds have made them sign contracts stating they are not allowed to tell anyone where the dogs come from because the pounds do not want any troubles. In fact they had worked for years without letting any rescues access and therefore killing almost all the dogs that came in before paws for life. I can also say that I represent a lawyer who has agreed to help paws for life and can assure you that what you did today although seemingly a good act was in fact helping someone break a contract they signed, and as such you may be responsible for the costs (over 400$) paws for life has paid to get this dog out of the pound and properly cared for by a vet. The goal of pet rescue is to better animal wellbeing, not make pretty websites and certainly not to smear the good work of others.