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Meant 2B Loved Pet Rescue Society temporarily pausing intake of animals

Adoptions, fosters have slowed down, making it difficult for society to find homes for pets
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Pictured is Tucker, a dog that is currently in foster care through Meant 2B Loved pet rescue society. (Meant 2 B Loved file)

Meant 2B Loved pet rescue in Cranbrook is temporarily pausing the intake of animals as they face mounting pressure to find suitable homes for their adoptable pets.

Meant 2B Loved is an entirely volunteer-run pet rescue society based out of Cranbrook and operates across the East Kootenay region. They take in surrendered animals with the goal of finding foster and permanent homes.

Stacie Johnson, one of several board members for the society, says that since the pandemic has slowed down, so have adoption and foster rates. The society has made the tough decision to stop taking in animals since they have exhausted all of their resources.

“This is not a decision that we’ve made lightly by any means. We’ve had a huge increase in local surrenders and the amount of suitable fosters we have has dropped right down,” Johnson said. “We had a surplus of fosters and adopters during COVID, when everyone was home, and now it is the opposite.”

She explained that many of the dogs they take in will have behavioural issues or health issues - these animals are often coming from a neglectful situation.

Johnson said that the society’s goal is to become a registered charity and find a facility so they can take in emergencies. They also hope to offer a mobile spay and neuter clinic down the road.

“We rescue animals, that’s our number one priority - making sure they are healthy, and finding them a good home,” Johnson said. “It has been stressful for us, sometimes getting a call at 11 at night saying we need to pick up this dog right now. We have all ended up with animals at our personal homes a few times.”

She says she doesn’t expect the pause on intakes to last too long, but there is some uncertainty for their future.

“We really only hope to pause intakes for four to six weeks, while we work on these goals and try to take care of ourselves,” Johnson said, adding that board members have faced verbal abuse and mounting anxiety in the past few months.

She says that the society shoulders the cost for behavioural training while animals are in their care, or foster care, and they also constantly face a mountain of vet bills.

“We are so grateful for the community for all of their donations of bottles and cans, because that is a huge portion of what pays our bills every month,” she said.

With East Kootenay veterinarians also facing challenges, Johnson says part of their reason for suspending intakes is to ensure they aren’t overwhelming vets.

As the Townsman reported back in May, the level of service and demand for service has increased exponentially for vets in the region. This caused the formation of a cooperative group of veterinary clinics in the East Kootenay, in an effort to maintain emergency services.

Bringing in more animals means more demand for veterinary services, Johnson said.

READ: East Kootenay veterinarians form cooperative to offer more emergency services

One of the best ways to help the society, Johnson adds, is to make a monetary donation or to donate bottles and cans.

A bottle drive will be held in Kimberley at Kimberley Kritters Boutique on October 1 and 15. Bottle and can donations can also be dropped off at several locations, all listed on their website. Monetary donations can be sent via e-transfer.

Another way to help is by volunteering, fostering or adopting.

“We are so grateful to our current fosters who have been so patient with us and the animals. And to the other organizations that have helped us out as well.”

In terms of becoming a foster, Johnson says it’s a large responsibility that people need to be prepared for - it’s not an easy job.

“We need suitable fosters, sometimes without other pets in the home, sometimes without children. We need people who are willing to understand the needs of these animals and work with them for a period of time. We provide fosters with decompression information and guidance on how to deal with animals that might take a while to warm up to people.”

It’s also important that adopters know some animals might need a little extra attention.

“Sometimes people will want adopt a pet based solely on looks, and not realize that it can take a while for the animal to warm up to people. If we don’t have a suitable home for a dog with behavioural issues, for example, it can make those issues worse and could potentially be dangerous,” Johnson said.

Meant 2B Loved currently has 10 adoptable cats and several adoptable dogs available.

“We have two senior Jack Russels that are so adorable. They are bonded, so need to go together, but they just had a bunch of dental work done and are happy as can be, they need a good home,” Johnson said. “We also have Tucker, who needs a foster-to-adopt situation. He has a lot of trauma, we think from abuse, but he is such a sweet boy.

“We also recently got two great pyrenees puppies out of a neglectful situation. They were so malnourished and anemic that their bodies didn’t even know how to process food. But now they are healthy, they are gaining weight, and we have started separating them so they get used to being apart. Both will soon be up for adoption.”

Anyone considering adoption is encouraged to visit the website at meant2blovedpetrescue.com. Click on the ‘Adopt’ link to view the animals that are available for adoption. From there, adopters will need to fill out some application paperwork. Their references will be checked and the society will meet with potential adopters to see if it’s a good fit.



corey.bullock@cranbrooktownsman.com

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Corey Bullock

About the Author: Corey Bullock

Corey Bullock is a multimedia journalist and writer who grew up in Burlington, Ontario.
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