After an extensive four-month period of caring for animals displaced by the devastating wildfires, our teams successfully returned the last of the remaining owned animals to Little Red River Cree Nation at the end of September. With our large vans now empty in the far north, we seized the opportunity to extend assistance to a partner shelter. Northern Lights Regional Humane Society, facing significant capacity challenges and having to turn animals away, welcomed our offer to help.

AARCS transport teams spent the night, and bright and early the following morning, they emptied the shelter, including 18 dogs and 31 cats! Each animal was carefully loaded into our temperature-controlled vans for the lengthy journey back to Edmonton and eventually onward to Calgary.

Witnessing the collaboration between animal welfare organizations is truly remarkable. Both organizations, with the support of PetSmart Charities of Canada, were able to create space for the Northern Lights to open their doors again to accommodate more animals. By transporting 49 animals to larger centres, we facilitated their adoption into loving homes shortly thereafter.

Thanks to PetSmart Charities of Canada’s support, through their generous grant of $30,000, AARCS has been able to move thousands of animals around the province each year! Our fleet of five vehicles is on the road nearly every day helping to save lives. Today we are grateful for the collaboration and partnerships within animal welfare that are making an impact on the lives of so many deserving animals. Here are a few of the faces from the transport mission from Northern Alberta.

Deanna Thompson

Executive Director, AARCS