Two central Alberta animal rescue shelters have the chance to receive a big donation.
The Paws & Claws Animal Rescue Foundation, located in Red Deer, and the Saving Grace Animal Society, located in Alix, are among the 100 entered in the Nutram Vote For Humane Kind contest.
Nutram Pet Products, located in Elmira, Ont., will donate $5,000 to the top 10 registered pet shelters, as decided by community voters.
Voting is open until Sunday.
Jasmine McBride, Paws & Claws fundraising and events co-ordinator, said donations are “more important than ever” right now.
“Adoptions are up, which means statistically, returns and surrenders are up as well,” McBride said.
“We’ve seen not only an increase in owner surrenders, but also in injured animals, which are much more expensive when needing care.
“In the last week or two alone, we’ve had over 30 animals surrendered to us. It’s kitten season now, so that includes moms and their litters, and lots of dogs coming back, which is hard on them.”
The animal rescue shelter has lost some of its “bigger in-person fundraisers” due to the pandemic, she added.
“The in-person events are when we can connect with sponsors, meet new people and really get our name out there. With all of those cancelled, we’ve had to be a lot more creative – bottle drives, and we’re doing a plant fundraiser right now,” said McBride.
Donations can also be made directly to Paws & Claws by visiting www.pawsandclawsanimalrescue.ca.
Erin Deems, executive director at Saving Grace, said it has been busy during the pandemic.
“Adoptions have certainly increased – the demand for people rescuing animals has definitely increased,” Deems said Thursday afternoon.
“But so has our … intake. We’ve seen a lot of animals come in, so we’ve been working like double-time trying to make sure all the animals are getting everything they need, all their proper vetting and then finding new homes for them.
“It’s been really busy, but we’ve been able to see a lot of dogs off to their forever homes, which is promising.”
Deems said the shelter has brought in many dogs with “major” medical needs over the past couple of months.
“Any kind of donations are greatly appreciated because … with our amount of intakes, it’s really increased our veterinarian bills. We’re looking at anywhere from $35,000 to $45,000 a month.”
Deems said general donations, which have decreased during the COVID-19 pandemic, are being accepted as well. Visit www.savinggracecanada.com for more information.
Canadian residents are able to participate in the Nutram Vote For Humane Kind contest once a day. Visit www.nutram.com/ca/vfhk_faq or woobox.com/r7hkcb to vote.
sean.mcintosh@reddeeradvocate.com
Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter