Manitoba Animal Alliance provides essential care

Royalwood

Beverly Mulder has re-discovered a passion for helping dogs and cats in need.

The resident of Creek Bend Road, south of Royalwood, fostered animals in the 1990s through the Winnipeg Humane Society. With young children to raise and pets of her own, Mulder discontinued fostering until she saw an ad in 2020 from the Manitoba Animal Alliance for volunteers to walk dogs rescued from northern communities affected by wildfires.

“There was a tiny little dog, he was so scared,” Mulder recalled. “I couldn’t just leave him. I took him home to foster through MAA. Since then, my husband and I have fostered 67 dogs.”

MAA is a volunteer-run not-for-profit organization providing veterinary resources and animal care.

According to the MAA website – www.manitobaanimalalliance.com – many Manitoba communities do not have veterinarians or animal shelters. This means dogs and cats in those communities are rarely spayed or neutered, which increases the likelihood of homeless, injured and abandoned pets.

During emergency evacuations in northern communities, pets are often left behind owing to limited space on evacuation aircraft. MAA arranges for emergency personnel and volunteers to fly into affected areas to care for pets until the owners return home.

Both these scenarios lead to circumstances where families can no longer look after their pets, or the animals need medical attention in Winnipeg. MAA works with similar organizations in B.C. and Ontario to co-ordinate adoptions and find a veterinarian. Dogs and cats need foster families as they either prepare for a new home or to return to their own.

Which is where volunteers like Beverly Mulder step in.

“MAA fosters families receive all the required supplies,” Mulder explained. “For dogs, you need a fenced yard or secured dog-run and your current pets must be up to date on vaccinations and spayed or neutered.”

It is preferred that foster families have access to a vehicle take animals to or from the airport and for veterinarian appointments.

“You are never left on your own,” Mulder emphasized. “There is a network of foster families with many years of experience, even some with professional training.”

In addition to fostering, readers can support MAA through donations of cash or supplies, with events, or with transportation of dogs and cats.

“When you see these dogs starting to trust and love, it’s so rewarding,” she said. “They can’t talk, but they are thankful for the help and care with kisses and snuggles, that’s the best.”

For more information email maadogs@mail.com.