Barrhead Animal Rescue Society is starting to collect the right ingredients for a successful recipe.
Earlier this year, the society staved off closing its doors. Founder and president Terry Colborne contemplated the idea when his health started to fail, but he has since regained much of the strength sapped from him through his illness.
“I’m about 80 per cent there,” Colborne said. “Six months ago, I was probably less than 50 per cent of the way there. Each week that goes by, I start to feel physically stronger.”
BARS is in a better position today than it was six months ago, he said. It helps when it continues to gain the community support it needs to be successful. For example, a number of new people have signed on as foster homes and opened their doors to dogs and cats either surrendered or rescued by the local society.
Stacie Bos has helped find homes for three dogs since she and her family first took in Sandy and Princess Jelly Bean earlier this year. Bos said originally, she and her daughter were looking at BARS to adopt a dog, but they knew of the need for foster homes. Neither Bos nor her daughter have any regrets after choosing this path. Most recently, Bos was fostering Teddy, a dog that was finally adopted out to a deserving home during BARS’ information session at the Blue Heron Fair Days.
“I love animals, and we’ve always had animals in the house,” Bos said. “We were thinking about adopting, but I said to my daughter, ‘why don’t we go to BARS and see what they have and give an animal that really needs a home,’” she said. “The experience has been great, and we both decided we’d keep doing this instead of getting a dog of our own, or at least until my daughter decided she wants to keep one of the dogs.”
Bos said she and her family has been lucky enough to have fostered some “really amazing” dogs. She encourages others to open up their own hearts and become foster families to dogs and cats in need of a good temporary home.
“(Fostering) is great for people looking for the companionship of a dog,” she said. “Where would these animals be without BARS? They’d be getting injured or abused. This is an amazing organization. Fostering animals is very fulfilling and rewarding, and I can’t believe I’ve never done it before.”
Not every animal that comes under the care of BARS is abused, but they all need the attention they receive through the society and its foster homes, Bos said.
“When we first brought home Teddy, he wouldn’t even wag his tail, but now he’s a happy-go lucky dog.”
BARS has also enlisted the aid of a local dog trainer to help solve any behavioural issues exhibited by rescues or surrenders. Heather Aasman, owner and operator of Companion Connections, has agreed to provide discounts to the society.
“I want to help BARS out as much as I can,” Aasman said. “A lot of the reasons people won’t take rescues is because of their behaviour, and this is the best way I can think of to help out. I have worked with a few of the BARS dogs already,”
Aasman operated a dog-training business in Edmonton, but moved to Barrhead because it was always her family’s plan to live here. They had purchased land several years ago, and waited to move until their house was finished.
Business is a bit slow, she said, but that’s because not a lot of people know about her services. Companion Connections has been up and running for about three years, but Aasman said she has been training dogs for about 10 years.
“This is something I am doing because I enjoy it,” she said. “I need to make enough to maintain equipment.”
Aasman carries a two-year diploma in Animal Health Technology, and she is certified as a dog trainer by the Animal Behaviour College.
Her connection with BARS happened one day while working at the Barrhead Veterinary Clinic. Colborne had brought in a foster dog, and the two talked about the agility meetings she was doing.
“I told him about my business, and that’s when we started talking,” she said.
Aasman is offering a 50-per-cent discount for group classes to any BARS foster dogs. Agility classes run once a week for five weeks, and the first class would be free for any dog from the society. This interaction allows Aasman to see what the best fit is for the dog, she said. BARS dogs will also get the discounted group rate if they are by themselves. Aasman said she is also trying out a new incentive program, and for every person referred to Companion Connection by BARS, the society will receive a small refund on classes. For more information about Aasman and her services, visit companion-connections.com.
Colborne said he is grateful for the help that the many volunteers have put toward BARS. The past six months have seen some “phenomenal” growth, he said.
“We are getting support from across the region, with foster homes in Edmonton, St. Albert and Thorsby,” he said.
BARS will have to limit its open-door policy for a while, Colborne said. At one point, there was almost 30 dogs under the care of the society.
“We will have to put a freeze on surrenders for now,” he said. “We have to focus on rescues, which include dogs facing euthanasia.”
July was a relatively slow month in terms of adoptions, he added, with no more than one cat or dog going to a new home. More animals were coming in than were going out, and it was “scary,” he said. However, things are starting to turn around.
BARS is now gearing up for its annual general meeting in September. Anyone interested in getting involved with the society can contact Colborne at 780-307-6590.
