Top dogs

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This article was published 29/06/2024 (550 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Tara Maslowsky grew up around dogs and always wanted her own. So, during the pandemic, she moved into a pet-friendly place; 10 days later, she brought Chloe home. Maslowsky quickly fell in love with the large Labrador-husky mix.

Soon after, her love of dogs expanded into an interest in helping out the larger community.

“I didn’t realize how much I could love an animal,” she said. “I just wanted to give back and get involved.”

She joined Manitoba Underdogs Rescue as a volunteer, and three years later became the events co-ordinator.

“It is its own community; the people have become some of my best friends,” she said. “We all have the same love and passion for saving the dogs. We love what we do. Especially as volunteers; none of us have to be doing this. It’s a passion — we want to help.”

With a volunteer team of more than 600 people, the foster-based registered charity and non-profit organization rescues, rehabilitates, cares for, and finds permanent and loving homes for Manitoba’s unwanted animals.

Maslowsky appreciates the people she works with and continues to be inspired by her colleagues at Manitoba Underdogs.

“Our foster and volunteer base are some of the most incredible human beings I’ve ever met. They deal with overnight placement, emergencies — they’re not scared to help. The work we do wouldn’t be possible without them,” Maslowsky explained, noting that in addition to fostering, there are many volunteer opportunities, including working events and taking animals to vet appointments.

“There’s tons of ways to get involved, and everybody in that group will step up,” she said.

“Our mission is to rescue, rehabilitate and provide vital care to dogs … (given) the dog overpopulation in northern remote communities, dog attacks, dogs being hit by cars, females in heat, no access to vet care, no dog food. We try to build relationships with them. We drive out there. If you haven’t been up North you have no idea what’s going on … it’s sad, there are a lot of homeless dogs; they’re cold and skinny. We want to be able to bring every single dog we can into care and into loving homes.”

Founded in 2011, Manitoba Underdogs began working alongside Manitoban communities to bring dogs in need into care, providing foster and veterinary assistance, and advice and support to fosters and adopters, with the goal of maintaining successful relationships between dog and owner. The rescue also partners with local organizations to help control the animal population in Manitoba.

Maslowsky is grateful to be part of a group of people making a positive difference in the lives of animals and communities.

“We see between 60 to 80 dogs through our Fix It program annually, on top of our remote clinics. These 60 to 80 are about 75 per cent for in-house clinics (spay or neuter in the city) and 25 per cent for additional medical needs (injuries or illness with prolonged stays before being returned). We continuously provide assistance to five communities, working on a relationship with a sixth, and have helped dogs in many other capacities.

“In 2023, we fixed over 450 dogs who stayed with their families in northern communities in Manitoba. In addition to vetting help, we support families with food, giving away over a thousand bags of food a year, weighing over 25,000 kilograms, roughly.”

Last month Manitoba Underdogs Rescue was thrilled to take ownership of a custom Land Rover Defender 130 at Land Rover Winnipeg.

The overwhelming support of the community during a 15-day public vote gave them the backing to win — in the animal, wildlife & marine welfare category, from Animal Planet — the 2023 Defender Service Awards presented by CHASE.

The organization was cited for its tireless dedication to rescuing, rehabilitating and rehoming Manitoba’s unwanted dogs — a testament to the hard work, passion and unwavering commitment of the volunteers and supporters.

According to Maslowsky, the custom vehicle is a symbol of hope and progress in the organization’s ongoing mission, “empowering us to expand our reach and impact, ensuring that more animals in need find their way to loving homes.”

As finalists in the competition, Maslowsky and a colleague were flown out to Texas by the company for a weekend at a ranch, where they got to see top-notch vehicles. The two had no idea what to expect, and as they sat down at this dinner they learned they’d won.

“It was incredible. Did this really happen? Did we actually go to Texas and actually win this whole thing? Now it’s here and its ours,” Maslowsky recalled excitedly, adding that the fully customized vehicle came complete with the Manitoba Underdogs logo and numerous accessories.

“For the final reveal, they flew us out to North Carolina, to show us the vehicle,” she said. “Land Rover owns property there and we got to take the vehicle they gave us and learn how to use it. The eight-passenger vehicle has advanced suspension, so the vehicle will raise higher and there are different driving modes for dirt, sand, ice and snow.

“Our community came through and we are just forever grateful. In the wintertime, dog care doesn’t stop, and it’s not always safe in the winter. Now we don’t worry about getting stuck. We have peace of mind being able to support our mission.”

Visit: www.manitobaunderdogs.org

fpcity@freepress.mb.ca