Last fall, RAPS received complaints from concerned residents about poor conditions for an adult cat at a pet store in Richmond. This poor animal had been caged, and, as an adult animal in a pet store, had little hope of being purchased at the $699.00 that the store was asking. To bring her relief, two dedicated RAPS volunteers went and purchased the beautiful cat from the pet store. This sweet cat, named Crystal, was brought back to the RAPS City Shelter, spayed and then adopted to a wonderful home. The new owners even donated the cost of the purchase to RAPS to offset the cost to the RAPS volunteers. This story is such a prime example of the responsibilities that animal rescue workers and volunteers must take on in order to save animals, because not only do animals need rescue from back alleys and abandoned garages, but also from situations in plain sight of the general public. We are so glad that Crystal is free to begin a good life.
Monday, January 19, 2009
Adult Cat Rescued from Pet Store
Last fall, RAPS received complaints from concerned residents about poor conditions for an adult cat at a pet store in Richmond. This poor animal had been caged, and, as an adult animal in a pet store, had little hope of being purchased at the $699.00 that the store was asking. To bring her relief, two dedicated RAPS volunteers went and purchased the beautiful cat from the pet store. This sweet cat, named Crystal, was brought back to the RAPS City Shelter, spayed and then adopted to a wonderful home. The new owners even donated the cost of the purchase to RAPS to offset the cost to the RAPS volunteers. This story is such a prime example of the responsibilities that animal rescue workers and volunteers must take on in order to save animals, because not only do animals need rescue from back alleys and abandoned garages, but also from situations in plain sight of the general public. We are so glad that Crystal is free to begin a good life.
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
Rajah, 160 lbs. Alaskan Malamute, finds a perfect home
Rajah came to RAPS well over one and a half years ago. He had been chained in a yard by his previous owners, and was untrained and aggressive as a result of his shaky beginnings. Through the patience, dedication and hard work of RAPS' dog trainers, within a short time Rajah was expertly learning commands, but that was only the beginning of Rajah’s success story! Rajah had a long way to go before he could be adopted. For another year, staff and volunteers worked with Rajah to help him get along well with people and dogs alike. As the months went by, the love and care that Rajah received was evident in his new friendly demeanor. No longer did he bark at visitors to the RAPS City Shelter. But where was the right forever home for such a large dog from a working breed background? RAPS staff looked long and hard for a place where Rajah could be the dog he was meant to be -- a happy, well-trained Alaskan Malamute -- and that home has now been found! Rajah now resides in Whistler, playing in the snow and even pulling a sled! Rajah and his dedicated owner are the perfect match! We are so delighted that Rajah came to RAPS, because his story is a perfect example of why RAPS is so dedicated to no-kill sheltering.
Rescuing Dogs the Easy Way by Eric Lagally
Why do you volunteer at or support RAPS? One volunteer tells his story.
On a Saturday morning, my wife and I were driving to the RAPS Thrift Store. It was raining buckets. As we approached an intersection, suddenly we both saw motion to our right. A very large yellow dog and a smaller black one were sniffing near the street. They were soaking wet. My wife decided to call RAPS at the City shelter to let them know we thought we had seen strays. Carol Reichert, the RAPS Executive Director, quickly informed her that they’d been chasing these two all morning, all over the city! She asked if we might track them until Animal Control could arrive. I made a U-turn, but, as is often the case with strays, they had moved on and were nowhere to be found. We drove back down No. 4 Road, we drove up and down Granville, and could not find them anywhere. Disappointed, we returned to our original route, and suddenly, there they were! Tires screeching, I spun the car around and parked on the side of the road. We jumped out into the pouring rain to try to catch the dogs and hold onto them. We immediately realised that these two dogs were among the sweetest dogs in the city. They trotted over to us, relieved to have someone notice them. We made a snap decision, and opened the back door of the car. The two dogs hopped right in! With our new hitch-hikers, we made good time to the city shelter. Our passengers were a 100-pound golden retriever mix and a slightly smaller, 60-pound black lab.
The car quickly started smelling like the large amount of wet dog present, and we cracked the window. Phew! As we drove, the lab put her head down between the front seats and fell asleep! They were exhausted, and so relieved to be warm! The 100-lb dog had a collar as it turns out – it read “Junior”, and had an address in Surrey! We dropped the dogs off at the shelter. The word went out, and soon these two adorable animals were picked up from the shelter by their very relieved owner. It felt fantastic to have helped rescue two sweet dogs, and added another chapter to the reasons I volunteer at the RAPS City Shelter.
On a Saturday morning, my wife and I were driving to the RAPS Thrift Store. It was raining buckets. As we approached an intersection, suddenly we both saw motion to our right. A very large yellow dog and a smaller black one were sniffing near the street. They were soaking wet. My wife decided to call RAPS at the City shelter to let them know we thought we had seen strays. Carol Reichert, the RAPS Executive Director, quickly informed her that they’d been chasing these two all morning, all over the city! She asked if we might track them until Animal Control could arrive. I made a U-turn, but, as is often the case with strays, they had moved on and were nowhere to be found. We drove back down No. 4 Road, we drove up and down Granville, and could not find them anywhere. Disappointed, we returned to our original route, and suddenly, there they were! Tires screeching, I spun the car around and parked on the side of the road. We jumped out into the pouring rain to try to catch the dogs and hold onto them. We immediately realised that these two dogs were among the sweetest dogs in the city. They trotted over to us, relieved to have someone notice them. We made a snap decision, and opened the back door of the car. The two dogs hopped right in! With our new hitch-hikers, we made good time to the city shelter. Our passengers were a 100-pound golden retriever mix and a slightly smaller, 60-pound black lab.
The car quickly started smelling like the large amount of wet dog present, and we cracked the window. Phew! As we drove, the lab put her head down between the front seats and fell asleep! They were exhausted, and so relieved to be warm! The 100-lb dog had a collar as it turns out – it read “Junior”, and had an address in Surrey! We dropped the dogs off at the shelter. The word went out, and soon these two adorable animals were picked up from the shelter by their very relieved owner. It felt fantastic to have helped rescue two sweet dogs, and added another chapter to the reasons I volunteer at the RAPS City Shelter.
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