Holidays tough for pet owners, too

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 16/12/2017 (3135 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

If I am famous for anything, I am famous for being crazy about dogs.

It’s not that I don’t love cats, it’s just that I identify more with dogs in the sense that, like them, I live to eat, bark at invisible things, like to stick my head out car windows and spend my time lying motionless on the couch in our den.

The notion of anyone — and this includes cats and dogs — going hungry at this festive time of year gets me more than just a little misty-eyed.

Regular readers will recall that earlier this week I asked you all to help human beings in need by donating to Winnipeg Harvest’s annual 12 Days of Giving social media fundraiser.

The way it works is, every day from Dec. 12-24, the food bank is posting videos on its Facebook page (facebook.com/wpgharvest) wherein local personalities sing about a specific item that Harvest needs to help put food on the tables of Winnipeggers in need.

My buddies Big Daddy Tazz and Jordan Van Sewell and I sang our little hearts out, to the tune of The Twelve Days of Christmas, for Day No. 3, wherein we pleaded for “three canned fruits.”

Having done a tiny bit to help humans, today I am calling on everyone within the sound of my voice to drop whatever they are doing — unless it’s a baby or a hot cup of coffee — and help Manitoba veterinarians prevent pets from going hungry this Christmas.

What I want you animal-loving readers to do is take part in the Manitoba Veterinary Medical Association’s (MVMA) annual pet food drive, dubbed “Let’s Make This Season Fur Everyone!”

The way it works is, until Dec. 21, veterinary clinics throughout Manitoba will be collecting pet food and delivering it to those in need.

Tracy Rees, the MVMA’s communications co-ordinator, told me they are hoping kind-hearted Manitobans will drop off unopened tins or bags of cat and dog food at any of the 36 participating veterinary clinics throughout Manitoba. Cash donations are welcome, too, and you can find the list of participating clinics (along with their addresses, and the recipients of the donations) online at mvma.ca. Just click on the banner promoting the food drive.

Why should you donate? Well, if my begging you isn’t enough, there are a lot of other swell reasons, including the fact that many low-income pet owners are willing to feed their pets before they feed themselves.

Rees said there’s little doubt many financially challenged pet owners do without at this festive but stressful time of year.

“Most of our clinics have clients that don’t buy themselves things because they’re taking the dog or cat to the vet,” she noted. “They’re going to make sure that dog or cat gets what it needs. You can tell these people don’t have a lot of money.

“It’s not just at Christmas that people and pets are going hungry. It’s all year round, but people are a bit more thoughtful at this time of year.”

The MVMA, the regulatory and professional body for Manitoba’s vets, wants to ensure no pet goes hungry and that low-income owners do not feel pressured to give up a pet that, in many cases, provides a reason for living.

“I think that some people, having that animal to care for, is their reason for getting up in the morning,” Rees told me.

“There’s a lot of animal lovers out there. Our vets and veterinary technologists love animals and they know a lot of people, when push comes to shove, sometimes they have to relinquish their animals. No one wants that to happen because they can’t afford to feed them.”

Rees said the pet food drive is essential because Christmas is stressful, especially for families struggling with limited resources. “Sometimes something as simple as a gift for a child can push a family into financial distress, which may translate into less food for themselves and their pets,” she noted.

“The burden can even force some people with restricted or fixed incomes to give up their much-loved pets to animal shelters at this time of year. We believe these pets deserve loving homes with their families and full food bowls… We often see people who choose to do without in order to care for their animals.”

She said cynics who claim the poor shouldn’t own pets are simply wrong, because animals improve the quality of life for everyone. Manitoba’s vets would rather support families going through tough times than see beloved pets relinquished to shelters or euthanized.

Donations to the pet food drive will be distributed to families in need, shelters, rescues and local food banks.

Earlier in the week, when I visited Winnipeg Harvest to sing my lungs out for The 12 Days of Giving social-media fundraiser, the food bank’s development associate for special events, Sarah Henry, told me the food bank also fights hunger on behalf of pets.

“We take pet food (donations) here,” Sarah explained after our video shoot. “I would feed my dog before I feed myself. It (pet food) always goes pretty quickly. People love pets.

“If people want to donate to us, too, that’s great. People will go hungry to feed their pets.”

And that’s the point, isn’t it? No one should be in that situation, especially at Christmas. So check the list of participating vets at mvma.ca and drop off some dog or cat food. It will make you feel warm and fuzzy all over, just like Rover and Mr. Whiskers.

doug.speirs@freepress.mb.ca