Rescues are the very backbone of animal welfare. They step in when others fail to. They pick up the pieces when the provincial animal welfare services (PAWS) fails to act.
Animal rescues play a crucial role in safeguarding the welfare of animals and benefiting society in several ways:
- Overpopulation Control: Animal rescues help address overpopulation. By spaying/neutering and finding homes for rescued animals, we reduce the number of strays and prevent overcrowding in shelters. This, in turn, minimizes the strain on resources and ensures better care for each animal.
- Ethical Rehoming: Rescues provide a safe way for surrendered animals to find loving homes. Animals are thoroughly vetted, spayed/neutered, updated with required vaccines and provided with needed medications for temporary or chronic ailments.
- Alleviating Suffering: Rescues provide a safe haven for animals facing abuse, neglect, or abandonment. These organizations offer medical care, nourishment, and emotional support. By alleviating suffering, they promote compassion and empathy within communities.
- Community Impact: Properly rehabilitated animals find loving homes within local communities. Additionally, animal rescues advocate for animal rights and promote welfare policies. Their work fosters awareness, education, and responsible pet ownership, creating a positive impact on society
Supporting animal rescues benefits not only the animals but also our shared world!
However, who is supporting rescues? In this animal welfare crisis we currently find ourselves in, rescues are overcapacity, not enough fosters and ever mounting vet bills.
When the OSPCA was the provincial agency for animal welfare they had actual bricks & mortar facilities where neglected, abused animals could be sheltered and cared for. With the PAWS Act coming in (Jan 2020), Premier Doug Ford committed to replicating that infrastructure. We are now almost 5 years in (Sept/2024) and there is no sign of this promise being met.
ANIMALS AVAILABLE FOR ADOPTION BY APPROVED RESCUES VIA PETFINDER
Petfinder is a website and searchable database for nearly 14,000 animal shelters and rescue groups across the US, Canada and Mexico to post their adoptable pets.