OUR STORY
HEART Rescue is dedicated to removing dogs from neglectful situations in remote communities in Western Canada and finding loving homes in the Kootenays.
Our dogs come from areas where pet culture differs from what we are used to in more urban centers, and where vetting is difficult to come by. The situations our dogs come from can be upsetting, and many of them come with issues associated with neglect such as temerity or lack of training.
HEART does NOT bring in aggressive animals.
These dogs, most of which do not have what could be considered an insulating coat, have to endure months of extreme cold with nothing more than an open-sided house built from scrap plywood. In the summer, access to water is intermittent while horsefly bites swell their ears and mosquito clouds swarm their eyes and noses.
Roving males impregnate chained females at will and predators such as ravens, coyotes, or even feral dogs snatch newborn puppies. These dogs are never brought indoors, never receive human compassion and kindness, are never exercised, and are generally suffering from malnutrition, dehydration, parasites and matted coats. Countless communities hold spring and summer culls to eliminate dogs at large.
HEART is working with frontline rescues to raise awareness and provide vet care in these communities, but it is a decades-long process. We hope to help save as many dogs as we can while we advocate for change.
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OUR MISSION
To transport dogs in need from Northern and remote Canadian communities to the Kootenays, BC, where they have a real chance at the sort of life that every dog deserves.
Using a network of stop-overs and foster homes, we work with several animal welfare organizations to move dogs from the Northwest Territories (NWT), through Alberta to the East and West Kootenays. The NWT has shelters in only three communities which work hard to re-home unwanted or neglected animals from outlying areas.
The Kootenays, aside from being a magnificent place to raise a pet, is one of the few regions where shelters sit empty and willing fosters remain dogless. The next logical step was to create a group that could ease the overwhelming burden on northern shelters, while providing amazing, devoted dogs to families in British Columbia.
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
