It takes a village... to give pets a second chance

Hi, my name is Kinoue. I first came to the SPCA Laurentides-Labelle in April. At that time, I was left to fend for myself. I was miserable and so skinny that no one could have guessed I was pregnant and almost ready to deliver. My human friends took me in, nursed me and helped me take good care of my eight pups. They're all adopted now. I'm still waiting for my turn but I feel so much better nowadays. In fact, I feel so grateful that whenever I have a chance, I take care of other pups and play with lonely adult dogs. I like them and they like me too! 

What I've learned during these past few months is that it takes a whole village to give pets a second chance. The shelter takes in abandoned, injured or neglected cats and dogs, and cares for them from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m., 365 days a year, with little resources but a whole lot of determination. This is certainly essential during this period of the year, when the shelter is more than full, with approximately 175 cats and 20 dogs. So, along with the SPCA LL's eight employees, there are at least 40 active volunteers and countless individuals and organizations lending a helping hand. They feed us, play with us, groom us, pet us and clean our cages, they take dogs out for fresh air three times a day, they wash loads and loads of dishes, towels and blankets and they keep the building really clean to avoid spreading viruses. When we don't feel well, they give us medicine, or bring us to and from the vet. They also make sure that we're spayed or neutered in order to slow down pet overpopulation. And I'm not even going to mention all the paperwork they have to deal with - yuck! 

This is truly a labor of love. Some will readily spend nights in the freezing rain to rescue a lost dog. Others spend months organizing Gimme Shelter, the annual fund raising event for the SPCA LL, or ask for special donations throughout the year to help severely injured animals who would have to be euthanized without fresh funds to pay for surgery. Many volunteers also take families of kittens or pups in their home and nurse them, day and night, until they're ready to be adopted. Employees get scratched, bitten and growled at, and yet they never give up on us. 

This love and energy is a must to keep the SPCA LL among the few no-kill shelters in the province. If this team didn't value life the way they do, I most likely wouldn't be here today, just like hundreds of other cats and dogs in this area - just like your pet, maybe. But animal care, and especially vet care, costs a lot of money, and yet the team doesn't receive financial assistance from the government or other SPCAs. 

So if you want to be part of the village that helps give a second chance to pets, you can adopt from the shelter, lend a hand to Gimme Shelter and/or give time, food, accessories or money directly to the SPCA LL. However, be aware that if you want to make a donation to them, you have to send it directly to the shelter in Ste. Agathe! If you send money to the Canadian SPCA in Montreal, your funds will stay in Montreal and Laval. Only the funds sent to Ste. Agathe can be used by the SPCA Laurentides-Labelle. 

You can visit the shelter at 355 Demontigny, in Ste. Agathe, every day from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m, go to their web site at www.spcall.ca and make a donation online. Thanks for helping them save more lives!