Darla went from being an abandoned street pup to summering in Muskoka
This St. Bernard charms everyone she meets. Victoria DiPlacido cuddles up
Cydney Prusky and Jay Katzeff had fostered nine pups between them before Darla — and they knew right away that she was different. The St. Bernard (likely a mix, but they can’t say for sure) arrived in Canada from Puebla, Mexico, where local rescue the Doggo Project found her hiding in the roof of an abandoned building. At only 80 pounds, she was emaciated, recalls Prusky, and had mange, eye and ear infections and a skin infection that caused such severe itching she’d scratched off most of her fur. Still, when the couple was matched with Darla through the Ontario-based Canine Haven dog rescue, it was a foster fail at first sight.
“I’ve had so many dogs, but I’ve never had one like Darla, where everyone she meets — and maybe it’s because she’s so big — remembers her and loves her so deeply,” says Prusky of the charismatic and calm-tempered doggo. Case in point: on the third day of fostering Darla, Prusky and Katzeff took her to the vet to be microchipped. A staff member was so taken with the (approximately) two-year-old dog that she put in an application to adopt her that day. “She was like, ‘I’ve never met such a perfect dog’ — and this is someone who interacts with them all the time,” says Prusky. “We had to put up a fight to keep her.”
Prusky and Katzeff became regulars at a west-end Pet Valu where they would lovingly bathe Darla, twice weekly, with anti-fungal shampoo. Soon enough, her signature white-and-brown St. Bernard coat grew back in fine form. Pre-COVID, Darla would spend her days with family while Prusky and Katzeff went to work. The front-desk staff at the Yorkville residence where her parents would drop her off welcomed Darla with handfuls of treats. On the weekends, she would head up to Muskoka, where she found great joy in lounging on the dock, wading through the water with sticks and the occasional boat ride. In the winter, she adores a snowy hike.
These days, Darla is happiest strolling at a leisurely pace through High Park or playing with her best buds, Fillmore, a black lab, and Cheddar, a bernedoodle, in Cedarvale Park. She doesn’t need much, say Prusky and Katzeff — just food and cuddles. (Admittedly, it’s a lot of food: “Darla’s never met a type of food she didn’t like,” says Prusky. “When we make broccoli, we take the florets off and she eats the stalks like a bone.”) “If you’re having a bad day, you can hug her and she rests her head on your shoulder like a human might,” says Prusky, who often sits on the floor with Darla (the perfect pup does not jump on furniture) and allows the dog, now a healthy 120 pounds, to lay across her until her legs fall asleep. “She just needs to be snuggled,” adds Katzeff. “No one appreciates love more than Darla.”
‘‘ having If you’re a bad day, you can hug her and she’ll rest her head on your shoulder like a human might.