Like so many others in our uncertain times, our rescue is facing challenges that we have never even anticipated looking at.
We are struggling to find our footing both financially and in helping our communities. Covid 19 precautions are absolutely essential for the safety of all our people. #stayhome #saferathome #flattenthecurve are our best chances at preventing our healthcare systems from being overloaded.
The economic impacts have been swift and severe for so many, including those of us who personally make up Zoe’s Animal Rescue. As a non profit that only exists because of donations and constant fundraisers, we are seeing our income stream dry up.
To operate at the level we currently do, we usually need about 20,000.00 dollars a month to:
- cover the veterinary costs of animals in care, including spays and neuters and emergency surgeries and dentals,
- offer veterinary supports to animals whose families are unable to pay for needed surgeries and spays and neuters,
- buy pet food and supplies like puppy pens, cat litter, litter boxes, crates, toys, treats and pee pads, and
- hire excellent force free trainers to help with any behavioural problems that make it so a pet is very adoptable.
(Can you help with a donation? Click here.)
We are fortunate that we have no paid staff to have to fundraise for.
At the same time, we are seeing the need for our help increase dramatically.
With so many rescues and helping agencies reducing their services or shutting down completely we are getting more and more requests for help and to intake unwanted animals. Worse, kitten season is already here and it will be a rough one. So many unwanted and uncared for kittens will be born.
As of this writing, Covid 19 concerns have caused the city of Edmonton Animal Control to cut back drastically on it’s services and they are not intaking healthy animals. Please check their website for the most current information.
So please ensure that your pets are IDENTIFIED. If they get out this is the best chance they have of getting home again. Make sure they are microchipped. They are wearing a safety buckle nylon collar with engraved tag and license and are tattooed if not microchipped.
Please make sure they are up to date on all shots. Roaming cats and dogs can become infected with rabies among other diseases. Keep them and the public safe.
It is a TOUGH time right now. The good news? That is why Zoe’s Animal Rescue exists.
We are some of the many people who help in tough times and tough places and with tough cases.
We already know what happens when we don’t help.
So how will we manage? What do we do?
Right now we are going to try and fundraise in real time for each animal that we intake or help.
We will be asking for money a lot and including the people whose animals we help and the people who surrender to us, so that we are not simply going deeper into debt.
We are also asking our foster homes to help by providing supplies to us whenever they can (for donation receipts) and to help fund raise for their foster animals costs.
We are going to try and be careful and cautious and not forget to follow our hearts because we are scared or sad.
Despite the pandemic
- we are still a animal rescue that takes in animals in need,
- we are still going to help animals and people with veterinary costs and food, and
- we are still going to fix when and wherever we can.
There are still going to be unwanted puppies and kittens to save, feral cats to fix and people to help.
We are OPEN for intakes. We are OPEN for adoptions.
To be as safe as possible we have dramatically changed some of the ways that we do things.
How are we handling adoptions?
- We are doing as much as is possible to adapt to the safety requirements of the pandemic by using technology to our advantage including doing all home checks by face time etc,
- we ask all our fosters and adopters to visit Alberta Health and get familiar with social distancing and rules for gatherings and apply them to all social situations including meet and greets and animal transfers,
- we strongly encourage our foster homes to make the safest choice for them when it comes to foster animal meet and greets,
- we welcome ideas that protect our fosters and vulnerable members of our communities and also ensure that we are still maintaining the highest of standards for homing our animals,
- we are all still working tirelessly to provide the best care to our animals and to help others take care of theirs, and
- we are deeply grateful to the staff of our vet clinics and pet food stores that are doing the same.
If you need help, for animals or for people, please let us know and we will do our best to connect you to assistance
Thank you all, take care of yourselves and lets help take care of each other.
We will be offering tips, info and supports on how to help found animals and strays and feral cats.
All as carefully and safely as can be done.
Our resources are limited but our goodwill is not.
We will always try to help you.
Stay home.
Practice social distance.
Take care of yourselves and each other.
Stay safe
Practice social distance.
Take care of yourselves and each other.
Stay safe
