How we Started

MonStars Mastiff Rescue was `born` so to speak in late 2008. The start was basically due to a lack of Molosser specialized mix breed rescue options in Ontario. Owning a young mastiff (pictured to the right, Nova, MonStars `Queen B``, Tarra (founder and CEO), found limited resources with the problem child. Within a few months Tarra also added Isis, a Dogo Argentine to her family. Isis was adopted from a shelter and once Tarra vetted him, his outcome became very bleak. He had a heavy past with multiple medical concerns. Unfortantely in August of 2009, just over a year after adopting Isis, Tarra lost him to kidney failure. His passing brought grounding and a deeper future for MonStars. After searching, asking, training and seeking constant guidance from previous rescue experience, Tarra launched the start to what is now a long history.

MonStars ideals at inception were fairly simple; Educate, Rehab and Facilitate the rehoming. Who would have known that many years later those principles would still be present and the driving force. Although Directors have come and gone, one constant has always remained and that is the original ethics and Tarra.

MonStars is NOT known for taking `the easy dogs`.. we take the problem children. The easy dogs in shelters, have been part of our educate policy to assist with faciliation of informed adoptions. We provide guidance to shelter staff, we educate the public at various events throughout each year and we promote the elements these dogs are designed for. Molossers or `Mastiffs` are not an easy first timers breed. They require constant management, high socialization, ongoing lifelong training, higher nutritional requirements and day to day challenges. We take in the dogs whose lives have been influenced negatively in any of the above.

A rescue dog is NOTHING like getting a puppy. It comes with a history and usually one that we as a rescue have no truth of. We hear bits and pieces, we have observed certain learned or temperment behaviours, but at the end of the day a rescue is a very different choice that a registered breeder puppy. If you dont have the time, the patience or the desire... MonStars is not for you. Simple.

Where we are headed

MonStars goal has never been to be a large rescue. We pride ourselves on a tight knit group of foster homes with various understanding in dog behaviour and various levels of training and specialty.

With this comes the challenges of staying smaller. There is almost always a waiting list for both adoptables and intake dogs. This means we screen heavily, we assess regularly and we take the dogs that need our assistance, not the average household pet.

Over the last few years, with shifts in Directors and a focus on our future, MonStars has begun to partner with trusted breeders and other rescue organizations with the same ethical principles and guidelines. This makes our move into the next few years a much smoother one as we have many more resources at hand to facilitate the rescue and rehab of various dogs.

Educate. Rehabilitate.Facilitate.

Educate refers to in whole our events, our educational seminars, our training support and our outreachs. We focus at events on educating the public, promoting the positives of our breeds and advising people on how to pursue adding a Mastiff to their home. We also work jointly with various breed clubs, specialized trainers and veterinarians to ensure that the breeds we are supporting are being `protected` so to speak.

Rehabilitate focuses on the foster home based efforts of our rescue as well as the assistance to shelters and kennels with rehoming. Our foster homes all undergo a tedious screening process, are consistently assessed for handling skills and monitored by our Directors. Surprising to most, we screen them more and more often then we do if you apply to adopt. The reason for this is they are shaping the future of MonStars. They are creating the image that MonStars portrays.  All foster homes are required to attend training, attend vetting and if schedule permits come to any educational events we do.

Facilitate is our adoption process. It focuses on a multi-stage application including but not limited to; Introductory Email or Message(fb), Adoption Application, Reference Check, Veterinary Background Check, Phone Interview, Home Interview, Handling Assessment and Adoption Contract. As MonStars is not-for-profit our dogs are not `for sale`. There is no set adoption fee for all dogs. There is no listed pricing and there is no way for us to tell you `how much`. They are companion animals, you cover the cost that MonStars has incurred, within reason, to the rescue. All vetting including spay, vaccines and exams are included in adoptions (medical permitting). Also within 1 year of adoption you can expect a `Check-In`of some sort. This process, although seeming long, has been one of the keys to our 94% Adoption success rate.