Sam Hamil, Melissa DiGiovanni, Lisa Gladwish and a specific group of their friends are fervently looking for Tiramisu and Crème Brule.
No, they aren’t obsessed with desserts.
Rather, they are the proud owners of much-loved puppies, adopted from a litter of 12 that arrived at the Sarnia & District Humane Society in October 2023 and given names as sweet as their dispositions.
Each was named by the humane society’s Dani Edmondson and together they were called the Dessert Puppies. At just a couple of weeks old, the 12 Shepherd/husky mix pups were known as Croissant, Creampuff, Macaroon, Shortbread, Éclair, Biscotti, Cannoli, Gelato, Caramel, Cheesecake, Tiramisu, and Crème Brule.
“It was close to Christmas, so Dani thought it was festive,” explained humane society operations manager Nicole King.
“Naming puppies from the same litter with a theme makes it easier for us. We like to group them when they are up for adoption,” said King. “Right now we have the Tree Puppies and the Bird Puppies.”
The Dessert Puppies were found with their mother, Katie, under a truck at Aamjiwnaang First Nation. They were only a couple of weeks old when they arrived at the shelter.
The pups were well socialized from the get-go, said King. “Our volunteers, our staff and everyone out at The Fox and Hound (Canine Retreat) were very hands-on. And Mama Katie was a very sweet dog.”
Once they were old enough to adopt out in late November, the pups were quickly claimed by 12 Sarnia families. However, mom Katie went to a home outside the area.
Soon, several Dessert Puppy owners – previously unknown to one another - began spotting each other at the Fox and Hound or at the Germain leash-free dog park.
“I was at Germain Park with Olli – short for Cannoli – when another owner approached me and asked if I got my dog at the humane society and if she was named for a dessert,” said Lisa Gladwish.
“Melissa (DiGiovanni) knew as soon as she saw Olli that she was a Dessert Pup.”
That happened again and again.
By July, eight of the Dessert Puppy parents were meeting regularly at the dog park or for special play dates with the pups.
“The dogs are like little kids,” Gladwish said. “For us, it’s very social – we’ve met some of the most incredible people. And it’s fun for the dogs too. They love to play together.
“It’s just so sweet.”
As far as the group knows, all but Olli were renamed by their owners.
Melissa DiGiovanni adopted Croissant and renamed him Blaze. She quickly found four of the Dessert Puppies at Fox and Hound puppy socials. That got her thinking about getting the owners of all the Dessert Puppies in contact with one another.
“How great would it be if we found them all,” she said. “The litter is so different, some are white, some are red, some dark, and they range in weight now between 45 to 75 pounds.
“But when one of them sees a sibling, they know right away.”
Sam Hamil owns Chester who was originally named Macaroon.
“Chester is very chill. He always has been although he chewed walls when he was a puppy. He was so bad,” she said. “But he’s grown out of that.”
When Chester sees a sibling he immediately greets him or her and they congregate together, Hamil said.
“We’ve become like investigative detectives trying to find them all,” said DiGiovanni.
One owner was driving along Christina Street and spotted a pedestrian walking a dog that looked like a sibling. Sure enough, that’s how Gelato – now Reuben – joined the group.
Most recently, an appeal on Facebook was seen by the owner of Cheesecake (now Ollie).
But with the pup’s first birthday party looming, two are still missing in action.
The group hopes to find Tiramisu and Crème Brule so that all 12 pups can be reunited in time for their Sept. 22 birthday celebration.
“Pup” cakes, which are some kind of peanut butter and banana treat with potato and yogurt icing, and “barkcuterie” boards are on the party menu along with some refreshments for the humans.
It would be great if they can also find the dogs’ mom but it’s not believed she is still in the immediate area, said Hamil.
The search for all the Dessert Puppies has become a bit of an obsession, she added. The humane society is also helping where it can.
Anyone with information that could help locate the last two pups is asked to contact her at 519-333-9353.