companion animals Archives

Great Work by Winnipeg’s Manitoba Mutts!

Published on February 11, 2013 by Lia in Blog

At Animal Alliance / Saving Dinah, we were thrilled to learn about Manitoba Mutts Dog Rescue (MMDR), a 100% volunteer run dog rescue based in Winnipeg.

We take in dogs from all over Manitoba who have been abandoned, abused or surrendered at no fault of their own. At Manitoba Mutts Dog Rescue, we believe every dog deserves to be treated as a cherished member of the family, and we do our best to provide as many dogs from our province with this experience.

In just over two years, the MMDR team has grown from four board members to a dedicated team of over thirty, illustrating the need for such a service in the province and the eagerness of Manitobans to lend a helping hand.

Interested in saving the life of a Manitoba Mutt? Browse their website for opportunities to adopt, foster and donate. The story of Rennie is just one of many – if you think she’s right for you, call MMDR today!

RENNIE – 1 year old Border Collie X

Hi there! I’m RENNIE! I came into care at MMDR from Winnipeg Animal Services where I was shutting down. What I really needed was a loving foster family to take me in and to show me what it was like to live in a home with people who love me.

I am a very happy and sweet girl who loves people very much. I am weary of other dogs and need time and proper introductions to get along well with them. I am scared of them and have tendency to lunge becaue I think I need to protect myself. I would do best as the only dog in a home, or in a home with a family that is very patient and has dog experience. My current foster home has 2 dogs and I have become very good friends with one of them, and the other has learne to just ignore me and we co-exist just fine. I would much rather prefer the companionship of people over other animals though. I also have a very high prey drive and could not live in a home with cats or other small animals. BUT if you have kids in your family I assure you I will be just wonderful and in love with them!

I have TONS of potential and love to learn! I am an extremly smart girl (I am a border collie cross after all) and given the proper experienced home who will give me tons of love, exercise, training and patience I will thrive and become the perfect family dog. Consider giving a girl like me a chance… my foster mom told me that I really deserve on. I promise that I won’t let you down. -Rennie

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Purrs to Calgary’s MEOW Foundation!

Published on February 4, 2013 by Lia in Blog

Animal Alliance’s Saving Dinah explores the issues of lost, abandoned, and stolen animals. The research laboratories that buy pets—conveniently and falsely labeled “unadoptable”—from local pounds, and use them in experiments that can be agonizing, often leaving the animals maimed or dead. So we’d like to give two paws up to Calgary’s MEOW Foundation, another in Canada’s growing list of wonderful groups working to better the lives of abandoned animals!

Michelle Caplan, Manager of Marketing & Fund Development for MEOW, recently wrote us with a synopsis of just some of the work these compassionate people are doing:

MEOW Foundation is the only rescue organization in Calgary offering the three-pronged approach necessary to reduce and ultimately eliminate the homeless cat overpopulation problem. Together, our programs control the cat population at the source while promoting responsible pet ownership. We’re also building the foundation for a society that cares for all companion animals, one city at a time.

Our Three Core Programs:

Rescue and Adoption – Our Rescue and Adoption Program cares for and re-homes stray and abandoned cats and kittens. All cats admitted to the program are spayed/neutered, vaccinated and microchipped, and given shelter at our Adoption Centre or at a foster home.

Spay/Neuter Assistance Program (SNAP) – SNAP subsidizes the cost of feline spay/neuter surgeries for Calgarians financially in-need and promotes responsible pet ownership.

Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) - Our TNR program is specifically designed to assist feral cats who do not have the level of socialization necessary for adoption into homes. Cats in this program are humanely trapped, spayed or neutered, microchipped, and returned to their neighbourhoods. Trained community caregivers provide them with the essentials necessary for survival outdoors.

Why is TNR so important? On average, female cats have three litters of 4-6 kittens a year. Kittens born to feral cats often remain unsprayed/neutered and outdoors, further increasing the homeless cat population. MEOW Foundation’s TNR program effectively and humanely controls and reduces Calgary’s feral cat population, while providing these cats with the essentials necessary for survival outdoors.

Check out the amazing support from MEOW for one lucky little kitty – Oliver Twist:

Oliver Twist came to MEOW at the end of November after his rescuer noticed him hanging around with no place to call home. Soon after his arrival at MEOW’s Adoption Centre, it was apparent he wasn’t doing so great. When he went into be neutered, it was discovered he was missing several teeth, and had 3 broken ones that needed to be removed. Oliver Twist also had a mass on his neck and lip. The mass on his neck was removed and sent off for testing, and a drain was inserted. Unfortunately, the lab results for his neck mass showed it was cancerous. Throughout his extensive surgery and recovery, Oliver Twist was a trooper. He is now happy, safe, and receiving the care he so desperately needed. While the mass on his neck was successfully removed, MEOW can’t offer a long term guarantee the cancer won’t return, what we do know is that he deserves a loving home, so check Oliver Twist out on our Cat-a-logue!

If you would like to send your best wishes and donate to Oliver Twist’s recent surgery costs, visit www.canadahelps.org and select our Healing Hands Fund.

For more information about MEOW’s TNR Program or to report a feral cat colony, please email tnr@meowfoundation.com. Please note: Due to limited resources, MEOW is only able to offer TNR services to cats within the city of Calgary.

THANK YOU, MEOW, for all you do for the animals!

Tags: abandoned animals, animal rescue, Calgary, companion animals, homeless cats, Meow Foundation, spay and neuter, TNR

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Pound Rescue, another amazing group in Alberta!

Published on January 31, 2013 by Lia in Blog

There is no shortage of great stuff happening for the animals! Just check out another great group in Alberta, Pound Rescue, helping lost animals be reuinted with their families and abandoned animals find new loving homes. Pound Rescue is an all-volunteer run organization, working with various communities and other rescue groups.

cat-clinic-2-150x150 Like other groups and individuals, Pound Rescue is also addressing the issue of feral cats. When we contacted Pound Rescue, Exective Director, R.J Bailout reported “We are doing another large round up next weekend of 40 cats on a property, we hope ot have them all captured over night and TNR over two days”.

For anyone who has been involved with feral cats, this is a typical scene:

On Sept. 19, 20, 21, 2011, Pound Rescue collaborated with AARCS (who we wrote about on Monday) & the Meow Foundation (who we’ll write about next week) in a compassionate trap, neuter & release project for nearly 60 cats on an acreage.

Through abandonment and recent litters, there was a population of cats that was almost 90% female. The numbers were escalating at an alarming rate and together the groups realised that if we didn’t provide help quickly, the 60 cats would turn into 300 cats!

Within no time at all, traps were gathered from every corner of the city, kennels stacked to the ceiling in many volunteer vehicles and we were off! Multiple trips were made back and forth to humanely capture all of the roaming cats and to ensure that everyone was treated and spayed/neutered. Each cat was vaccinated, dewormed, tattooed and surgically altered. The population is now stabilized through our humane program and they can now live out their lives as happy, community feral cats. The people who dwell on the acreage with the cats have been looking after them for years and will continue to do so. The cats have shelters and are provided with food and water daily, as well as given veterinary care if they become injured or ill.

We love this kind of community collaboration! Congrats to Pound Rescue, AARCS and the Meow Foundation for a job well done! And good luck with your trapping this weekend!

Pound Rescue can only continue to do projects like this with your support! Donations toward their spay & neuter program can be made through Canada Helps.

Tags: Alberta, Alberta Animal Rescue Crew Society, companion animals, Meow Foundation, Pound Rescue, TNR

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