Our News


  • 18
    Jan 2012
    Pound Rescue at the Calgary Farmer’s Market

    Pound Rescue will have an information & fundraising booth at the Calgary Farmer’s Market on February 18th and 19th from 9 am to 5 pm! Please come by (near Blackfoot & Heritage) to learn about volunteer & foster home opportunies, to inquire about adopting an animal or to make a donation to help rescued animals in need!



  • 18
    Jan 2012
    Adoption Event

    Pound Rescue and AARCS will be the Ruffhouse Playcare ( 2173 – 41 Ave NE) on Saturday, February 18th from 11 AM to 3 PM with some of the dogs we have available for adoption.  Please come by to meet our pups!



  • 18
    Jan 2012
    Lilac Festival

    Pound Rescue wil be at the Lilac Festival this year on May 27, 2012!  Please stop by our table to say hi and meet some of the dogs we have available for adoption.



  • 22
    Aug 2011
    Volunteers urgently needed!

    We are in urgent need of volunteers for our cat adoptions room at BowDog (6909 Farrell Rd SE – near Chinook Centre).  The “Scratching Post” is a temporary haven for 20 – 25 of our adoptable cats.  This is a large, comfortable room filled with cat posts, toys and tunnels where the cats rule! Volunteers [...]



  • 05
    Apr 2011
    Our new barn cat program!

    Pound rescue is pleased to announce our new barn cat program to help find suitable homes for the area’s feral (wild) and semi-feral cat populations. We are looking for cat lovers who have barns or other secure outdoor structures (horse stables, warehouse, or other suitable locations) and are interested in adopting cats not suitable for [...]


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Our Thoughts On “Imported” Rescue Dogs….

This editorial is written in response to this article, which appeared in the Calgary Sun recently:
http://www.calgarysun.com/2012/01/10/calgary-animal-shelters-have-bone-to-pick-with-international-pet-rescue-groups

The Calgary Humane Society is perfectly right to say that there is a lot to clean up in our own backyard in regards to helping animals.  For decades, we have been facing a serious pet overpopulation problem that has seen little improvement.   We have failed to make meaningful changes to our laws & policies that would limit or stop more animals from being brought into this world when there are already so many that are struggling to find homes.  On Alberta’s First Nations reservations, one of which is a direct neighbour to Calgary, it is not just veterinary care that they cannot access, but basics like food, water & shelter for the animals.  Traditionally, the big shelters in this country have viewed their role in society as “cleaning up the streets” of stray and unwanted pets.  This means taking animals in and then either adopting them out or killing them.   It appears that little has changed for most of these big shelters over the decades.  Yet, many people in the animal rescue world started thinking of this as insanity – to just keep taking animals in and then killing them, yet doing nothing to stop the problem.  They believed there was a better way.  They believed that every animal deserved a chance.  They believed that it was important to spay / neuter all pets to stem the tide of homeless animals.  And thus, the no-kill animal rescue groups were born. 

With the formation of no-kill groups, a change in attitude has taken place.   It is these smaller groups who are out on the front lines, waging the war to help animals.  The small groups  operate spay / neuter clinics in Alberta with the hard-earned money they fundraise.  They are the ones who rescue animals who have been hit by cars and left to die in ditches.  They take in the seniors and the animals with behavioural or health issues, as they know these animals do not stand a chance in a big shelter.  Now, even the big shelters have started appealing to the small groups to take those animals that they themselves cannot or will not help.  Yet, apparently  the small groups are not seen as being partners with the big shelters, but rather as competition.    Instead of working hand in hand with each other, the big shelters want to fight the little ones for sympathy, donations and support.

 The problem in our backyard is not a few rescue groups “importing” dogs.  The problem is breeding – be it commercial facilities, backyard breeders and even just those irresponsible pet owners who allow their pets to have litters of puppies & kittens.   The group Actions Speak Louder has been trying to put an end to the sale of pets in pet stores as well as fighting to stop puppy mills.  They have unanimous support from the small rescue groups, but the Calgary Humane Society has so far refused to come on board.  The Calgary Humane Society is apparently angry about a few hundred dogs being imported into Alberta each year, yet they will not take a stand against the breeders who are producing thousands of puppies here each year?    These “imported” dogs are at least spayed or neutered before being placed in their new homes, so they cannot produce any offspring, but the puppies sold at pet stores and by breeders are not normally altered and can continue to breed.   The imported dogs are rescued for reasons of compassion, the ones sold by breeders & in pet stores are only brought into this world for financial profit.   Until we change our laws and bring about an end to commercial breeding and invoke mandatory spay / neuter regulations, the pet overpopulation problem will continue.  If groups such as the Calgary Humane Society would focus on the real issues instead of pointing fingers at other rescuers, their time would be better spent, for a greater purpose.

The actions of Spencer Sekyer and people like him should be commended, not criticized.   He is one of the few people who chose to confront misery and take action instead of just looking the other way & doing nothing.   Where is the compassion in attacking anyone who cared enough to save an animal’s life just because that animal was not suffering inside the Calgary city limits?   By the same token, should we not have sent help to Haiti or Japan because they are not in our backyard?   Should we not build schools in Afghanistan because our own classrooms are overcrowded?  Should we not send medical aid to war torn countries because our own hospitals need improvement?  Maybe someone should let Doctors Without Borders know that they are wrong to do what they do because we need them here more in our own rural areas.   Are we not to help anyone beyond our own borders because we have to come first?    Animal welfare, like so many other issues, is a global concern.  When dogs are rescued from Mexico, it gives the shelter workers there hope.  It says to them that we are all united in our cause and that they have friends to turn to.  Dogs in places like Afghanistan endure unimaginable suffering.  There, dog fighting is a normal form of legal entertainment and most people consider dogs to be filthy, diseased & absolutely worthless.   Yet, there are still people who feel compassion for these dogs and want to help them.  Spencer Sekyer’s actions probably meant the world to those people.  Now they know they are not alone, that people in Canada care enough to help. 

Compassion should always be celebrated.  Compassion knows no borders.  Yes, these imported dogs will have to be accommodated here in Alberta, while we have so many hundreds of our own already struggling to find homes.  But the pet overpopulation problem here is due to our own failures & shortcomings.  It is not because a kind tourist brought a dog back on their trip to Mexico or because an animal rescue group saves some Chihuahuas from death row in a shelter in California.  These poor dogs should be welcomed by all of us with open arms and inspire us to work even harder to improve animal welfare around the world.

So Many Cats Needing Homes

This summer, more than ever, we have been overwhelmed with calls about cats & kittens needing help.  Meanwhile, our cat adoptions have been at an all-time low.  Right now we have a long waiting list of cats that need to come into our rescue, but we are reaching the point where we are full and will not be able to help any of them.  We appeal to all of the cat lovers out there to help!  Maybe you already have cats but could adopt another.  Maybe you could open your home to foster cats for us.   We currently have over 100 fabulous felines in our care – kittens, adults, seniors – long haired, short-haired – every colour imagineable – barn cats, indoor/outdoor cats, house cats.   Please take a look at all of our adoptable cats at http://www.poundrescue.com/adoptions/adoptable-animals and adopt one today!!!

 

Can you help Hope?

 

Hope deserves a second chance. We know there is someone out there whose life would be complete with her. She came to us over a year ago from a Pound in rural Alberta where she had spent nearly three months. She was deprived of everything – food, water and exercise. When she was rescued, the poor girl wanted nothing but to be loved. Now after one year in our care, we are crossings our fingers and paws that her forever home will come along sooner than later.The reason why Hope hasn’t been adopted yet is that the odds are against her. First, she is an adult dog and the majority of adoptions are for dogs under the age of 6 months. Adults are the ones who always wait the longest for their second chance. Second she is a black-coated animal. Sadly, most black dogs and cats are always the last ones to get adopted. Those in rescue never understand why this is as they are no different than the other animals. The only explanation we can think of is that black coated animals aren’t very unique in appearance – but each and every one of them is different and so unique in so many ways! Finally, Hope has had issues with new people as well with with cats and smaller dogs.

Currently, Hope is in a foster home with 2 other medium sized dogs and 5 cats and she gets along great with all of them.

While they get along very well for the most part, Hope does need to be monitored while playing to make sure that she doesn’t get carried away and reminded to ignore the cats.

Hope needs an experienced home. One who has patience and is willing to take their time to understand Hope and work with her. She needs to be in a home that has structure & where she will get at least moderate exercise and lots of one on one attention as it helps calm her down. She would not do well in a home that is chaotic or one with kids as a lot of activity causes her to get anxious.

To find out more about Hope please call R.J at 403-837-7442 or send us an email to rj@poundrescue.com





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