When puppies call, RedRover answers
June 17th, 2014
When RedRover Responders volunteers arrived in the Estrie region of Quebec to help care for rescued puppy mill dogs, they knew they were going to be able to give them a fresh start. After being removed from the puppy mill property, many female dogs arrived at the temporary shelter pregnant or with very young puppies. During the course of the RedRover Responders deployment in Quebec, a number of female dogs gave birth to their litters and there were also young puppies present, so it became necessary to set up a nursery for the new and expectant mothers.
And who better to care for fragile young animals? RedRover Responders volunteers are trained to provide wholesome, loving care to all animals, and volunteers assigned to the nursery during this deployment were no exception. They provided the new and expectant dog mothers with clean cages, warm bedding, nutrient-rich food, fresh water and all the attention they needed to ensure the new families had the healthiest and most comfortable start in life. These tiny babies, some who had not yet even opened their eyes, depended on RedRover Responders volunteers and the other emergency shelter workers to meet their needs and provide their tiny bodies with the best care possible, giving them an excellent chance to one day grow into happy, healthy dogs. These volunteers were able to care for these furry new lives thanks to the tremendous foundation of care built by RedRover supporters like you.
Once the local agencies had a plan ready and enough workers to maintain the shelter on a daily basis, the RedRover Responders volunteers demobilized and returned to their homes. Some made their way east, to other regions of Canada, and some drove south, returning to their northeastern hometowns in the United States. However, when the RedRover Responders volunteers left the emergency shelter in Quebec, they left something behind: an invisible mark, an imprint, on all the animals and the lives they touched. Tiny babies learned what it meant to be comforted by a human. Fearful adult dogs learned to be a little less scared, and expectant mothers learned more about trusting good people. This is the legacy of a volunteer. Though they may return home and no visible part of them remains, the lives they’ve touched, both human and animal, can be the greatest forever gift someone can give.
This joint effort between agencies from the two countries marks the second time RedRover has assisted MAPAQ in the rescue of puppy mill dogs from Quebec. According to HSI/Canada, “This is the fifth rescue in seven months by HSI/Canada and MAPAQ, and the second biggest in Quebec history.” (More Than 200 Dogs Rescued from Estrie Puppy Mill : Humane Society International. (2014, May 23). RSS. Retrieved June 11, 2014, from http://www.hsi.org/world/canada/news/releases/2014/05/quebec-puppy-mill-rescue-052314.html)
