Dog rescue group seeks public’s help
Volunteers prepare for journey to Saskatchewan to retrieve 45 canines
Volunteers from a Calgary organization dedicated to saving dogs on death row are working to rescue 45 animals from Saskatchewan and bring the pooches to foster homes in Alberta.
BARC’s Rescue was recently contacted by a couple in rural Saskatchewan who have 66 dogs, many of whom need new homes.
“They’re overwhelmed with dogs,” said Debra Therrien, founder of the group.
The pets range in breed and include several types of bulldogs, as well as border collie- crosses, basset hounds, Boston terriers, labcrosses and pit bulls. None of the dogs are fixed.
Therrien said shelters in Saskatchewan are full, many due to the wildfires. After speaking with the dogs’ owners, she agreed to rescue some of the pets.
Volunteers are now preparing for a nearly 10 hour, one- way drive Friday to southeast Saskatchewan, near the Manitoba border. Crews will spend Saturday assessing the dogs before bringing them home to Alberta on Sunday.
“BARC’s Rescue is here for the world,” Therrien said.
The Calgary organization has committed to rescuing 45 of the Saskatchewan dogs. Approximately 20 of them will go to BARC’s Rescue foster homes. The remaining pets will go to other Alberta rescue societies that have already agreed to take on the animals.
Therrien said her society desperately needs more crates before Friday morning to transport the dogs, and the group is seeking donations to help make the trip happen.
“The trip is costing us about $ 3,000, and that’s before vetting,” she said, noting the society must pay for the dogs to be fixed once they’re in Alberta.
The animals are coming to Calgary as other rescue groups are reporting an increase in animals under their care and blaming the economy for the spike in pets available for adoption.
The Calgary Humane Society and Alberta Animal Rescue Crew Society ( AARCS) held emergency adoption events on the weekend. Dozens of cats were adopted at the cat- focused AARCS event, and the Humane Society deemed its event a success after 179 animals, including 125 cats and 20 dogs, found new homes.
Therrien said BARC’s Rescue has also seen an increase in dogs coming into the society because of owner surrenders, and she, too, blamed the poor economy for the upward trend.
“We’ve had a lot more ( owner surrenders) than ever before,” she said.
BARC’s Rescue is a no- kill organization committed to saving dogs, with a focus on animals affected by breed specific legislation, animals in kill shelters, and animals in other at- risk situations.
Last month, the rescue group brought 32 dogs, including 17 pit bull- type breeds, to foster homes in Calgary from kill shelters in California.