The Sooke Animal Food and Rescue society has entered in their second year of serving the community. How did we feel in the first year? What have we learned?
In the beginning, we felt we were pulling a very heavy wagon uphill. From a very small group of volunteers starting with nothing, we are ecstatic with how much we have achieved. We knew from the start that our task would be difficult, but we never imagined to what extent.
Our first mission was to control the feral cat colonies to prevent overpopulation, but as the months passed our phone calls increased by 90 per cent. Sooke residents finally have someone to rescue the hurt pet that someone has dumped in their yard.
In our first year, we rescued 50 abandoned animals; can you imagine how many unwanted pets in the years to come? People abandon their pets because they cannot pay for their food or vet bills. Apparently, helping a pet found in somebody’s yard is not a government duty; so we have to act. And in order to act, we need help from you, the community.
The most recent and sad example was a 14-year-old boy losing his dog due to a severe skin infection. This tragedy could have been prevented just by donating hypoallergenic dog food to the boy’s mother. We have three similar cases where we cannot provide this expensive food to pet owners. The point we want to make is that we should not discriminate against those who cannot afford to buy food for their pets. In many cases a pet is the only moral support that a child, elder, abused/disabled/depressed person has. When a child is bullied in school, or when a disabled person is socially belittled, their pet is always waiting with unconditional love.
Please, open your hearts and donate to our rescue society; call us at 778-352-2999 or check our website www.safars.org.
Margarita Dominguez,
Sooke Animal Food and Rescue Society