THUNDER BAY - When Christine Hyder lost her dog last year, the house felt a little emptier, and a lot quieter. But when she went to donate some dog beds to Paws for Love, she was introduced to Maizy.
“One look at her eyes and she rolled over on her big fat belly, because she was having five puppies, from then on it was a matter of about two weeks that we made the agreement to get her,” she said.
Miazy has brought a lot of love and laughter back into Hyder’s home and she said more people should consider adopting rescue animals when looking for new additions to the family.
“If everybody would just take the step and open their homes and their arms to a dog like this, it would be amazing,” she said.
On Saturday, organizations dedicated to rescuing and finding loving homes for cats and dogs were at Nor’Wester View School for the first Paws for a Cause fundraiser.
“It’s a chance for people to come out and find out if they want to adopt a dog, foster a dog, what they can do to donate to any of these rescue associations,” said Kristine Barr, a volunteer with Paws for Love and organizer of Paws for a Cause. “It’s wonderful. We’re here about awareness and having fun and enjoying the day.”
Barr said there are so many dogs throughout the region that desperately need to find homes. Because all animal rescues are volunteer based, organizations are always looking for donations and support.
“We really want to bring awareness to Thunder Bay just so everybody knows exactly how many dogs and puppies need all of our attention,” she said.
There were seven different animal rescue services on display at Paws for a Cause and all the money raised will be divided equally among them. One of the services on display was the Northern Spay and Neuter Program.
Nikki Burns, president of the Northern Spay and Neuter Program, said events like Paws for a Cause are important because people need to be aware that these services exist and are essential for the health and well-being of animals across the region.
“Each of us does something slightly different,” she said. “An event like this does that, brings us all together, lets people know who we are.”
The Northern Spay and Neuter program works with volunteer veterinarians in remote and northern communities to provide veterinarian care to animals to prevent overpopulation, starvation, and disease.
According to Burns, working with the Thunder Bay and District Humane Society and the OSPCA allows them to perform more clinics and help with major transports.
“We try to work with them so they can go out and try to collect as many strays as they can so the dogs that are left in the community are the ones that are owned and the ones we are going to see at a spay neuter clinic and that reduces the overall population,” she said.
With several high-profile rescues taking place in the region, Barr said it is not necessarily because there are more animals in need of rescue than in the past, it is because more people are starting to pay attention to the issue.
“I think sometimes it’s been overlooked,” she said. “So now it’s not overlooked and now everyone is aware of it and we are helping dogs left, right, and centre. People want dogs and now instead of going to buy a special breed, they are more aware of the rescue dogs.”
Both Barr and Burns were very encouraged to see so many people attend the first Paws for a Cause event. While Barr did not have a total amount raised during the event, she was blown away by how generous the people of Thunder Bay have been.
“I’m so happy,” she said. “Let me just say that Thunder Bay has been the best support. The donations that have come in for this event have been unreal.”
“It’s very encouraging,” Burns added. “It shows people are aware that there is a need for the kind of work that we do and they care enough about the animals that they are trying to find out a little bit more about what we do and who we are.”
For Hyder, it’s important for her to support animal rescues, because not only can they help you find a wonderful new addition to your family, there are so many animals out there looking for a family of their own.
“There’s so many dogs out there that need good homes and there’s so many people who need the love of a dog in their home,” she said. “It’s unbelievable what it can do to your home. It just brings love and laughter.”
