Tag: Helping pets

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animal welfare News/Blog Pet adoption Promoted Uncategorized

Animal rescue standards of practice – have your say!

British short hair cat and golden retriever

The Animal Welfare Network of British Columbia (AWANBC) is currently seeking public feedback on draft standards for rescues. Follow this link for more information and to submit comments – https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/9G8NSQ7

The AWANBC, of which the Vancouver Humane Society is a member, aims to enable animal welfare organizations to work together and to support strategies around specific projects and initiatives associated with companion animal welfare.

One such AWANBC project is focused on creating rescue standards of practice. To date, there are no criteria required for groups to be involved in animal welfare or rescue and there is no accountability for these organizations. Meanwhile, the number of animal rescues and shelters across the province continues to grow. While many have high standards of care, others may have practices that put animals and the public at risk.

Without standards of practice, any group can self-identify as a rescue and it can be difficult for the public to determine if a rescue group is reputable or not. AWANBC has identified this as a pressing animal welfare and public safety issue and has worked to develop Animal Rescue Standards of Practice.

Follow this link for more information on the standards and to submit comments – https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/9G8NSQ7

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News/Blog

Spike kept his tail thanks to our generous donors

Spike means a lot to his family. The black and white tom cat was just a kitten when he was adopted by a single mother and her children following a difficult family break-up. Spike’s guardian Allyson said it was a hard time for her children. “I desperately wanted to bring some joy and comfort into their lives,” she says.

Spike was happy to oblige and quickly became “everyone’s friend.” He loves attention, “nudging and pushing against your legs” and even blocking your path until he’s noticed, says Allyson.

Unfortunately, Spike had an altercation with another cat (or possibly local wildlife) and had a bad bite wound on the underside of his tail. The wound became badly infected and required immediate treatment, as there was risk the tail would need to be amputated.

As a single mom on a fixed income, Allyson couldn’t afford the cost of the medical treatment Spike needed so she asked for our help.  We were able to provide financial support through our McVitie Fund and Spike was treated right away.  His infection was addressed and, thankfully, there was no need for an amputation.  Spike recovered well and his grateful family is breathing a huge sigh of relief.

Our McVitie Fund saves lives!

The McVitie Fund is one of our most important projects, which provides emergency medical care for sick or injured animals.

We receive several phone calls a week from worried guardians asking us for financial help. Unfortunately, there are very few options available for low-income guardians in emergencies, that’s where our McVitie Fund comes in. The fund aims to keep beloved animals in their forever home instead of being surrendered to over-burdened shelters or unnecessarily euthanized.

Once again, a wonderful anonymous donor has agreed to match all donations, up to a total of $25,000, received towards the McVitie Fund from now until April 30th 2020. Your donation will be doubled through our challenge grant, meaning we will be able to help even more animals!

You can donate here.

Thank you!

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animal welfare compassion fundraising News/Blog Promoted

Thank you, Scotiabank!

team-pic-2016
Our amazing VHS team

We love Scotiabank! Every June, we participate in the Scotiabank Half Marathon/5k Charity Challenge. This is a huge event, and something that we would never be able to afford to do ourselves – so we are very grateful for the opportunity. Scotiabank takes care of all the logistics, and all we have to do is recruit runners and raise money for animals!

VHS has been participating since 2011 and every single time, the sun shines and we have a lovely run (or walk!) through Stanley Park. This year we hit an all-time record – we raised $41,850!! This included a $2500 (2nd) prize from Scotiabank for the highest amount raised per runner.  Our thanks goes out, not only to Scotiabank, but to all the participants and donors who made our biggest fundraiser of the year the best yet.

Thank you!!!

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News/Blog

Wizard needed some medical magic

Wizard and his brother, Snowy, are inseparable. Since joining their guardian’s family they have been valuable members and a source of all things cute. When they aren’t cuddling the afternoon away together, they can be found cleaning each other or play fighting out a typical sibling rivalry.

Wizard and Snowy bring so much joy to their family members – two young girls and their mother, who live on a very limited income. The two cats had recently seen the vet for vaccinations, microchipping and neuters – a necessary vet visit, but one that can be pricey when on a limited income. So it was especially unfortunate when Wizard managed to get out of the house soon afterward and was found limping in pain, bleeding and crying. It seemed he had been struck by a vehicle and his family rushed him to the emergency clinic.

The vet determined Wizard had a badly broken leg and required corrective surgery. The timing couldn’t have been worse, given the recent vet bill his guardian had just incurred. His family was determined to do everything they could for their beloved Wizard, but they needed help. This led them to reach out to VHS for assistance and thanks to our generous supporters, Wizard underwent the surgery he desperately needed and has since made a full recovery, with Snowy by his side.

Donations to our McVite Fund (which currently will be doubled thanks to a challenge grant!) help animals like Wizard. There are few options available for low-income guardians in emergencies and the McVitie Fund aims to keep beloved animals in their forever home instead of being surrendered to over-burdened shelters or unnecessarily euthanized. Please help save a life today by contributing to the McVitie Fund!

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fundraising News/Blog Promoted Scotiabank Uncategorized

We reached our goal – thanks to you!

team pic 2016

On Sunday, June 26th, Team VHS ran for the animals in the Scotiabank Half-Marathon & 5k. This year marks VHS’s sixth year participating in the Scotiabank Charity Challenge. Thanks to our amazing team of runners and all of the generous donors who sponsored our team, an incredible total of $39,100 was raised to support VHS’s work to help animals.

The Scotiabank Charity Challenge is the most important fundraiser of the year and it enables us to continue our work to protect animals from exploitation and abuse, whether it’s due to factory farming, captivity or entertainment. The funds also allow us to assist low-income guardians in getting their pet spayed/neutered or in emergency situations. Learn more about our campaign work and how you can get involved!

We couldn’t do this important work without you! From the entire VHS Team, thank you to everyone who participated and sponsored our team in the Scotiabank Charity Challenge. A big thank you to West Coast Monograms for the great team t-shirts!

VHS at the Scotiabank Half Marathon and 5K

Vancouver Humane Society at the Scotiabank Half Marathon and 5K!

 

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compassion Cruelty-free fundraising News/Blog Promoted Scotiabank Uncategorized

Meet the VHS team!

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New video gives a behind-the-scenes look at VHS

VHS celebrated its 30th anniversary last year and we’re proud of our history. But we’re focused on the future and working hard to make life better for animals in the years ahead.

Meet the people at VHS who are taking this work forward in this new video:

 

Help us continue this important work for animals now and into the future by sponsoring Team VHS in the upcoming Scotiabank Vancouver Half-Marathon & 5k! On Sunday, June 26th, VHS will be participating for our 6th year in the run. It’s our most important fundraiser of the year and we rely on our supporters to help us make it the most successful. Please help us reach our goal by sponsoring our team. We’re 86% of the way there, with 5 days left!

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animal welfare News/Blog Promoted

Fort McMurray fire – animal rescue

Dog cat iStock_000025076373Large

The fire and evacuation in Fort McMurray is, of course, having an impact on animals.

If you would like to help, donations can be made to the Fort McMurray SPCA along with the Alberta Spay Neuter Task Force, which are helping to coordinate an effort to keep pets and livestock with their families.

VHS has donated to each of these groups, whose efforts we appreciate in this challenging emergency. Our thoughts are with the people and animals who have had to leave their homes.

Categories
animal welfare compassion fundraising News/Blog Promoted Uncategorized

Lola & Susie receive help through VHS’s McVitie Fund

There are few options available for good pet owners who fall on hard times. Sometimes all it takes is an unexpected circumstance, like an injury at work or being laid off, which can make covering an equally unexpected vet bill for your pet overwhelming.

That’s where the Vancouver Humane Society’s McVitie Fund comes in. It’s our goal to help animals and people in need and to keep cherished pets in already loving homes, instead of being unnecessarily euthanized or surrendered to already crowded shelters.

Through donations to the McVitie Fund, VHS has been able to help provide emergency care for close to 1500 animals to date. We’ve also helped spay/neuter over 4200 animals, in an effort to address the pet overpopulation issue.

lola and susie2Lola and Susie are just two of the many animals helped through your generous donations. These two mean the world to their guardian, who tells us they are not only important members of his family, but play a crucial role in his mental health. So when Lola and Susie both developed a chronic skin issue, he worked tirelessly with the vet to resolve the problem. It seemed the source was likely environmental and due to issues with the building he and the dogs lived in. After little was done to rectify the situation on the part of the landlord, the three moved to a new home. Due to his limited income, their guardian reached out to VHS for help in getting Lola and Susie’s skin issues cleared up once and for all. Thanks to VHS’s supporters, Lola and Susie were able to get the treatment they needed and are now on the mend. Their caregiver is beyond grateful for the support of complete strangers during a tough time.

lola and susie

This is just one example of the many cases we assist with through your support. An incredible VHS supporter has issued a matching gift challenge through which donations made to the McVitie Fund before April 30th, 2016 will be matched, up to $20,000! This means we can help even more animals in need of emergency care.

Please, donate today, double your impact and encourage others to contribute to this much-needed fund. Help us help animals in need, like Lola and Susie.