Finding Them Homes began as an accidental rescue in Barrie, ON. So, how do they travel 800 km to save dogs that come into their care?

 

What is the story behind your rescue?

​We started, not as an intentional rescue organization, but as a couple of friends trying to save a few dogs from northern Ontario from a premature end because, seemingly, there was no alternative. Before long, word got out to a few other people up north also looking for an alternative for some stray dogs. There was no organization at this point and as word spread, more people got in touch with me, Julia, to try to help more dogs. My sister, Lisa, also got involved as the workload grew. It wasn't long before we realized that we not only needed more volunteers, but we needed some organization to help us cope with the growing task list, and we have grown tremendously since July 2014 when we got our charitable status with the Canada Revenue Agency.

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What kind of rescue work does Finding Them Homes do?

​We work with First Nations communities in remote northern Ontario to rescue stray, abandoned, and surrendered dogs. We also conduct spay and neuter clinics, 12 to date, in these communities since there is little to no access to vet care.

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What are the geographic challenges that come from rescuing animals from such a large area?

​One of the key challenges is transportation over huge distances and the remoteness of the communities we work with. Rescued dogs are flown out of the majority of communities (mostly to Thunder Bay) in crates that have [been] previously flown there. Volunteers drive our donated van from Barrie to Thunder Bay, and return with the rescued dogs. Sometimes volunteers coming through Thunder Bay will bring along a rescued animal, [and] also pick up rescued dogs from many other communities such as Cochrane, Timmins, New Liskeard, Sudbury, Sault Ste. Marie, Wawa, etc.

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Travel to these communities to conduct spay/neuter clinics also poses similar challenges. A team of volunteers (usually eight, including a vet, vet techs, and assistants) drive 14 hours north and then fly 1-2 hours further on a chartered aircraft to conduct the clinic. Charters are quite expensive ($10 - 15K). All vet care is provided at no cost to community members.

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Do you work with other rescue organizations? If so, how important are they to your rescue?

​Yes - we work very closely with Northern Reach, based in Thunder Bay. They organize most of the transportation of crates to, and rescue dogs, from the remote communities, and provide temporary foster care while assembling enough rescues to fill our van. We also work occasionally with other rescues when there is a large influx of dogs that we don't have enough foster homes to accommodate them all.

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What are the challenges associated with spaying and neutering stray/feral dogs?

​In almost all cases, we don't know their medical history. Our vet has discovered females that are pregnant when they're just on the verge of being spayed. Quite often, the dogs are suffering from serious injuries which must be attended to before (or sometimes during) spaying/neutering. Northern dogs also suffer from parasites and worms that are not found in southern dogs.

 

What lessons have you learned from working in the animal rescue world?

Our primary lesson is that there are many, many people with a real heart for dogs and are willing to support rescue organizations with not only their money, but also their time and compassion.

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What have you learned from working in the various communities?

​We have experienced first-hand the challenges that First Nations people face in caring for their animals where there is no vet care, and dog food costs four times as much as in the south. They care equally as much for their dogs, and selflessly surrender them when they see their dogs need care that can only be provided down south. We have also experienced, first-hand, the openness and hospitality of community members when we conduct a clinic.

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What is your most recent happy adoption story?

​Our most recent happy adoption story to date would be Juniper. She came into [our] care in Thunder Bay after a severe unknown head injury. She had lost hearing and sight on one side, as well as an unbalanced gait in her back end. To top it all off, she was pregnant. She could not deliver her pups on her own, so a c-section was required. She lost two of her six babies, and could not cope with being a mother on top of all her injuries.

Needless to say, she regained her gait, her hearing and her eyesight, and was adopted before some of her pups. She is so happy and doing so great now, and we couldn’t have asked for a better home for her.

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