An animal rescue group is hoping to find more foster homes in the Airdrie area to take in senior pets – the ones who are most at risk.
According to Calgary-area Co-ordinator Christa Francis, Animal Rescue Transfer System (ARTS) looks to find temporary homes for animals that are likely to be euthanized.
The organization was formed in 2010 in Edmonton, and quickly branched out to Calgary and area.
Francis said the need for homes for senior pets was recognized as a priority in 2014.
To qualify for the programs, dogs need to be at least eight years old and cats are accepted at age 10.
“We do get animals from shelters, strays or surrenders to humane societies, but we also get a lot of animals from senior citizens who have had to move into homes or care facilities and are unable to take their animals with them,” Francis said.
“Many of these animals are surrendered because of medical issues that the owners just can’t afford, making it unlikely that they will be adopted out. And a lot of shelters won’t even try, they’ll just euthanize them or contact us and hope we have a foster home.”
Especially in today’s economy, Francis said, more and more families are forced to give up their pets due to moving out of their homes or lack of funds. Thanks to donations and fundraising efforts, ARTS is able to provide necessary medical treatment to the animals that come into the program.
“As soon as we get them, they are all vet checked, vaccinated and spayed or neutered if that hasn’t been done already,” Francis said. “We often spend over $1,000 on each dog that comes in, and our adoption fees are only $260 – so that means we depend a lot on the support of the community.”
Currently, Francis said there are close to 30 older dogs and cats in the Calgary-Edmonton corridor that are in need of homes, so she is hoping Airdrie residents will consider fostering or adopting some of these animals.
“It’s great adopting a senior pet because 99 per cent of the time, they’re already house trained – you don’t have to go through that puppy stage where they are chewing on everything and making a mess of the floor,” she said.
“They’re usually really laid-back and gentle, and just because they may be nine or 10 or 11 years old, they probably have lots more good years left to enjoy.”
Sometimes, Francis said, animals are placed with foster families for as little as a month, but others have been fostered for more than a year. Occasionally, they look for a forever foster home, to provide end-of-life care for an animal that will likely not live more than a few months.
“There are animals who come in who have very high medical needs, and we’re just hoping to get them out of the shelter and into a home so they can know some love and compassion for the last bit of their lifetime,” she said.
“We do have some homes who are willing to do that, which is wonderful to see.”
ARTS is currently hoping to spread the word about the services they offer to hopefully find more foster homes or people interested in adopting an older pet.
According to Francis, they frequently bring animals to pet stores and grooming facilities on weekends, to introduce some of their dogs and cats to potential new owners.
“The more people who get to know us, the more homes we can find for these animals,” she said.
“There can never be too many foster homes – for every animal that gets adopted out, there are 10 more waiting to come in.”
For more information about ARTS senior rescue, visit their website at animalrescuetransfersystem.org
