Winnipeg Pet Rescue Shelter needs donations

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 13/04/2020 (1983 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The Winnipeg Pet Rescue Shelter needs your help.

The no-kill shelter at 3062 Portage Ave. will remain open but it has made several changes to its daily operations, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The government shutdown has greatly affected the shelter, which takes care of animals like dogs and cats.

Without donations, the centre struggles to afford expensive medication and vet bills for the animals in their care.

Carla Martinelli-Irvine, Winnipeg Pet Rescue Shelter’s founder and executive director, said many animals come into their care needing extensive surgery.

“There’s Jack, a beautiful dog that arrived in one of the worst conditions we’ve ever seen,” Martinelli-Irvine said. “He came in with two others, while they managed to get better, Jack deteriorated. He required a lot of skin surgery, shoulder to shoulder. He’s had tubes put into him … It cost us around $5,000 to do it, and there’s more (surgeries) coming up.”

The shelter was deemed an essential service by the province, so it can remain open. They’ve enacted a number of new policies for customers, such as limiting the capacity to eight persons at once and routinely sanitizing their building. Martinelli-Irvine said they’ve experienced a large reduction in foot traffic, meaning fewer people coming to adopt and fewer people donating to keep the shelter going.

Martinelli-Irvine said many of their animals, like Jack, require constant care to keep them healthy. One medication they require for their cats costs $275 per bottle. The shelter raises money through donations, fundraising events and sales from their store.

With all of their fundraisers cancelled due to the pandemic, the shelter is asking residents for any help they can give.

Martinelli-Irvine said that this is a perfect time to adopt a pet.

“I cannot stress enough the importance of having a pet at home. Especially during (the COVID-19 pandemic), a pet can bring great comfort to anyone stuck at home,” she said.
“We need to help each other, but these animals need our help too. It’s a great opportunity to adopt.”

Martinelli-Irvine commended her staff and volunteers for believing in their mission. Their staff continue to work through the pandemic to take care of the animals in need.

Martinelli-Irvine said donors have a number of options, including their Helping Hero program, a monthly donor program that can help keep the shelter operational at a low cost. All donations are tax deductible.

The shelter has posted a wish list of items it needs, including cat litter, bleach, cat food and more.

It’s also looking for financial donations to keep taking care of their animals.

For more information, visit petrescueshelter.com