'Pandemic pets' overwhelming Ontario pet rescues
Birdie is a delightful, happy dog, with a complicated and expensive health history. It’s from a congenital birth defect, which means she doesn’t gain weight, has miniature eyes and an altered gait.
“The most recent blood work for Birdie cost us $600, and that’s on top of the $3,800 in bills we already have for her,” says the founder and owner, of Adopt-A-Pet Pet Rescue Lucknow, Kathi Newell-Nicholson.
Birdie is one of 20 dogs and more than 70 cats in Newell-Nicholson’s care. As an animal lover, she founded Adopt-A-Pet Pet Rescue in Lucknow, Ont. 24 years ago. She’s accepted hundreds of pet surrenders over the years, but “pandemic pets” have pushed her pet rescue to the limit.
Kathi Newell-Nicholson holds “Dylan,” an adoptable dog through Adopt-A-Pet Pet Rescue Lucknow. (Scott Miller/CTV News London)
“A lot of people bought animals that were ill suited to them, and a lot of the dogs weren’t trained or vetted, so now they’re wanting to give them up to rescues, but rescues just don’t have the capacity to take more owner surrenders in,” she says.
With just a handful of foster homes for her nearly 100 surrendered pets spread across Southern Ontario, Newell-Nicholson is need of some help, whether it’s volunteer drivers, foster homes, food, litter, or simply money.
“The vetting and food bills are really a lot more than the adoption fees, ever are,” she says.
With foster homes as far away as Guelph and London, Newell-Nicholson says along with taking in Ontario pet surrenders, she’s also worried about Canadian and international pets, now that Canada is banning dog imports from 100 countries, starting in September.
Two adoptable dogs from Adopt-A-Pet Pet Rescue Lucknow, in Goderich, Ont. as seen on July 29, 2022. (Scott Miller/CTV News London)
“Some of those countries have bounties on these dogs, where you can bring them the tail, like a coyote bounty here. They will poison them, and put glass in their food, as well,” she says.
Newell-Nicholson says she simply needs some help to keep up with the growing pace of unwanted pets, both in Ontario and abroad.
“I’m an animal lover. I just don’t want to see an animal put down, if there’s another option,” she says.
To learn more about Adopt-A-Pet Pet Rescue Lucknow, you can visit the Adopt-A-Pet website or visit them on Facebook.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Several flight attendants from Pakistan have gone missing after landing in Canada
Multiple flight attendants from Pakistan International Airlines have abandoned their jobs and are believed to have sought asylum in Canada in the past year and a half, a spokesperson for the government-owned airline says.
BREAKING Ottawa public school board, 3 Toronto-area school boards launch lawsuit against social media giants
The Ottawa-Carleton District School Board and three school boards in the Toronto-area have launched legal action against social media giants, accusing them of "disrupting students' fundamental right to education."
Doctors visiting a Gaza hospital are stunned by the war's toll on Palestinian children
An international team of doctors visiting a hospital in central Gaza was prepared for the worst. But the gruesome impact Israel’s war against Hamas is having on Palestinian children still left them stunned.
Crypt near Marilyn Monroe and Hugh Hefner could fetch US$400,000 at auction
A one-space mausoleum crypt in the vicinity of Marilyn Monroe and Hugh Hefner will go on auction Saturday, when it is expected to reach between US$200,000 and $400,000.
This Toronto restaurant is no longer accepting tips. Here's how it's going
A Toronto restaurant introduced a surprising new rule that reduced the cost of a meal and raised the salaries of staff – tipping is no longer accepted.
A Nigerian woman reviewed some tomato puree online. Now she faces jail
A Nigerian woman who wrote an online review of a can of tomato puree is facing imprisonment after its manufacturer accused her of making a “malicious allegation” that damaged its business.
Premiers not being truthful about carbon tax, Trudeau says while sparks fly in Ottawa
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says Conservative premiers across the country are 'not telling the truth' when it comes to the carbon tax. Trudeau's comments came as fresh sparks were flying in Ottawa at a recalled House of Commons committee.
Far North police 'dispatch' polar bear stalking schoolyard
Police and local hunters in an Ontario Far North First Nation community have “dispatched” a polar that was showing abnormal behaviour and treating the area as a hunting ground.
What new auto insurance reforms will mean for Ontarians, if they get introduced
Ontario has among the highest rates for auto insurance premiums in Canada -- just below Alberta and Nova Scotia -- however, the introduction of an insurance reform in the provincial budget could soon lower prices.