Meet Lucy. Lucy was surrendered to us on February 9th, 2023. Understandably, Lucy was incredibly nervous when she came into our care. However, our staff and volunteers are not easily deterred and are used to animals like Lucy who take time to warm up. With time and patience we started to see Lucy’s big heart and quirky, playful personality shine through.

We knew that we needed an adopter who would be patient with Lucy’s progress. Days, weeks and eventually months would go by without any interest in adoption, until one day, a couple came into the shelter looking specifically for Lucy. They were committed to understanding her behaviour and gaining her trust. And after 181 days in our care, they filled out the adoption forms! The shelter staff and volunteers cried happy tears watching her leave the shelter with her new family.

Lucy is one case of many. At HSLM, we often receive animals who need training and extra patience. Thank you for helping animals, Like Lucy, get their second chance. The support from our PAW donors ensures we have the resources to care for long-stay animals like Lucy. 

Rex arrived at HSLM with open sores all over his body and had a staggered and stiff gate. The team knew that Rex would require significant veterinary care. At HSLM, we're able to help animals like Rex because of PAW donors like you.

We don’t turn an animal away because of the care they may require. We believe that second chances are important. As a PAW donor, we know that you believe this, too. Thank you for your commitment to the animals in our community who need us most.

Rex’s journey with HSLM is what we consider a “long track”. This means Rex will be in the care of HSLM for a series of weeks before he will be ready for adoption.

For long-track animals like Rex, it isn’t as easy as a spay or neuter and vaccinations. In fact, for Rex, his neuter will be the end of his medical journey and not the beginning. Rex’s sores were substantial under his body, including his groin area and an incision for his neuter would pose a significant risk of bacteria entering his body.

Although it is unknown why Rex was covered in sores, our animal health team suspects he may have been confined for long periods of time to a small area with hard surfaces. This would account for the sores and his stiff gate. In fact, Rex’s stiff gate improved quickly once in shelter care. Walks and regular movement improved his stiffness tremendously.

Our partner veterinarian began Rex’s medical care by running a series of blood and urine tests, which came back clear. Rex began antibiotics which greatly improved both his skin and his eyes.

Rex still has a ways to go until he will be ready to find his new home, but today he is much healthier, and happier!

For long track animals like Rex, having an onsite companion animal hospital (veterinary clinic) will provide a multitude of benefits, such as: more timely treatments, onsite diagnostics and streamlined follow-ups. Onsite veterinarian care allows these animals to be adopted sooner! With continued donor support, we look forward to making this possible in our new home.

Thank you for helping Rex get his second chance. We simply could not succeed in our lifesaving work without our PAW donors, like you.

All animals at HSLM depend on donor support to provide them with the care they require. We thank our donors for helping animals like Rex, and we ask for continued support to ensure we can continue our lifesaving work for our communities' most at-risk animals.

When a concerned citizen found Pip as an unattended, newborn kitten outdoors, they did their best to care for him over a period of two weeks. Observing that Pip’s health was not improving, they took him to a partner vet clinic where he was then surrendered to HSLM. 

Severely malnourished and failing to thrive, the tiny kitten was examined and then placed in one of the shelter incubators; kittens under 4 weeks of age cannot thermoregu­late, and therefore rely completely on an external heat source to keep their body at an appropriate temperature. Typically, kittens will rely on their mothers for bodily warmth, but when orphaned or abandoned, they must have a heat source at all times to keep them warm.

The HSLM Animal Health team worked diligently to nurse Pip to health through syringe-feeding and administering of medications. Their hard-work and perseverance paid off, as Pip slowly began to gain weight and energy! At this point, Pip was placed in one of our amazing foster homes where he learned how to play and just be a typical kitten. 

Looking at Pip’s “before” and “after” photos are nothing short of heartwarming. His journey to wellness and eventual placement into his forever home were most certainly thanks to the care provided by HSLM staff, volunteers, and his foster family, however, none of this would have been possible without the support of our monthly donors! Thank you for your continued support and dedication to helping animals who need us, just like Pip.

Puddy (5 years old) and Marvin (13 years old) were surrendered to HSLM in June of 2022. What makes this bonded pair of Chihuahuas unique is the fact that they are father and daughter!

Both are sweet and lovely dogs, however, due to no fault of their own, were not housetrained, under socialized and had not been seen by a vet in years. Due to these factors, this pair was in need of extra time, love and care from HSLM staff and volunteers before they could become ready to find their forever home!

Meeting shelter animals' medical, behavioural and emotional needs are all of importance. Certainly having both dogs examined by a veterinarian, microchipped, brought up to date with vaccinations, and Marvin undergoing a dental procedure was our first priority. The next challenge was addressing their extreme nervousness in the shelter environment after spending years with very limited time outside of their previous home. They both had to be slowly taught to trust new people, do their “business" outdoors and learn basic obedience.

The extra care which Puddy and Marvin received is a great example of how HSLM PAW donors make an impact on the lives of shelter pets! Nearly three months after their arrival to the shelter, these adorable dogs were deemed ready for adoption and are now living in a loving home, together.

Without our dedicated monthly donors, this level of individualized care would simply not be possible.