2023 Winter News Update

We are long overdue for an update here and apologize to those who rely on the blog for news about the crew at SAINTS. If you use Facebook or Instagram you can follow along on either channel, too. We are @saintsrescue on both. We'll try to get more regular updates to this page, too though!

Farewells are the hardest.

In the past couple of months, our community has sadly had to say goodbye to beloved members of the Saintly Crew, both here at the sanctuary and in the care of wonderful SAINTS foster and adoptive homes.

It is always so hard let them go, though we try to take comfort in knowing that they got to experience love, respect and family in the time that they were here.

Still, it hurts...

Paris: We lost Paris on December 28th, 2022. Paris, a stunning dove, came to SAINTS in early 2013. She was our oldest aviary members and one of our longest-term residents. Paris made us better bird keepers, she showed us how sanctuary birds could thrive in an open aviary. And thrive she did! We accepted London as a friend for her a few years later.

Sam: Sam came to SAINTS in the spring of 2019 after his people moved into hospice. He spent his last few years as a much-loved family member, with volunteer Kristy and her kids. Recently, he had begun to slowly decline, and last night had a seizure he was unable to recover from. Sadly Kristy and her family had to say goodbye at the emergency clinic last night. Sam was loved dearly by his first family and equally adored by his last family. He was one lucky dog.

Gus: After a massive dental surgery, medication for cardiac disease, and a new lease on life, Gus fell in love with one of our staff members at the time, Tabitha. Tabitha took Gus home in June 2019 and has lived these last few years doted on and adored. Tabitha had to make the heartbreaking decision to let Gus go on January 2nd. His health was failing rapidly. Our hearts go out to Tabitha and her family.

Puff Daddy: Kevin lost his beloved Puff Daddy on January 2nd. Puff came to SAINTS back in 09. He had some serious behavioural issues and had already been rehomed several times by then. He spent the last few years safe and loved in his very own home. Few could have offered Puff forever, but Kevin and his family did. We are so sorry for your loss.

Koji: Koji was surrendered to SAINTS in late 2017 and found his forever family just weeks later. Koji developed pancreatitis and underwent a rapid systemic organ failure that sadly took his life. This sweet, gentle dog didn’t need eyes to see how much he was loved. We are so sorry to Koji's family for their loss.

Benjamin (Jet) (Jet): Jet ( @blackcatfatcat ) was adopted in 2017 and became Benjamin. From Ben's human, Cadi: "My sweet Benjamin died three weeks ago, on Christmas Eve. He was diagnosed with a benign pancreatic mass in early 2021, and it seems that it had recently turned cancerous. He wasn't expected to live past last February, but he & I got nine bonus months together and we squeezed in a lot of extra love & belly rubs." Thank you, Cadi, for giving Benjamin such a great life.

Jam (Jenny): Sabine surrendered her beloved Bull terrier named Jenny to SAINTS back in early 2019. Sabine moved into assisted living at that time but wanted to make sure her Jenny was taken care of. She has since passed, and knowing Jenny was safe meant the world to her. About a month later, the perfect home came along. Jenny became Jam and lived the last few years as a much-loved family member. Sadly Jam unexpectedly passed away from a cardiac event in January.

Tabitha: In early 2016, SAINTS took in one dog and six cats from the same home. Three of those cats, the shyest ones, found their forever home with staff member Andrea. In January, Andrea lost one of these girls, her sweet Tabitha. The vets discovered Tabitha had polycystic kidney disease, and it progressed rapidly. PKD has a genetic component, so Leona and Victoria will be undergoing testing as well. Andrea had to let Tabitha go before she started feeling really awful. We are so sorry for your family’s loss, Andrea. Tabitha was lucky to have found you.

Teddy: SAINTS became the forever home of Teddy, Gracie and Twosie. The family had a very close bond, and when not cozied up in their private hut and yard, they would go everywhere together. Teddy was around 13 or 14 and had recently had many health battles. On February 4th, he told our barn crew he was ready to go. All of his friends and family will miss him.

Georgia: Georgia saw our vet in early February for swelling on her jawline, which is never good news for a rabbit. She was put on pain control and antibiotics while we awaited blood work and radiology results, hoping she would be cleared for emergency dental surgery. Georgia had other plans. She passed peacefully on February 10th. We will all miss Georgia, though none more than her best friend Peaches.

Mah: For a few years, Mah and her babies all got to live together here at SAINTS, along with Deedee and the other sheep. Sadly we lost Little and Bo within a few months of each other, so only Peep and Mah remained from the original family. But, as short as their together time was, it was longer - and filled with more kindness - than many sheep experience. She will be deeply missed by us all.

It hasn't all been sad news. We've welcomed lots of lovely new faces, too.

Rescue is a revolving door. There are always animals in need of care, and for those who are senior or have highly specialized health needs, we do our best to find them space at SAINTS to get the care they need. In the past couple of months, we've welcomed some new members to the Saintly Crew.

Rufus: His senior owner was hospitalized, and somehow Rufus found his way into a very busy main road. Darting in and out of traffic, he was picked up by a family who, with help from animal control, traced his ID and contacted the owner. Unfortunately, the owner eventually realized he would not be leaving the hospital. The family was not in a position to keep Rufus long-term. Rufus needed a permanent solution and was surrendered to SAINTS today. We vetted him right away. He is 16 years old, mostly deaf, has dual ear infections, and one of his eyes has significant scar tissue from an untreated ulcer at some point. He is also dealing with a bad flea infestation that has left large parts of his skin incredibly itchy, hairless and very inflamed. We are awaiting test results for everything else. With the start of ear and eye medications and some pain control, Rufus should feel better soon. Welcome to SAINTS, Rufus. We got you covered.

Mr. T: A turtle; Mr. T lived at a business one of our employees used to work at. She had hoped the remaining employees would take over Mr. T’s care, but after the tank sprung a leak, Mr. T needed out and fast. At the shelter, we’ve been discussing possible situations to eventually bring T in, but we thought we’d have more time to figure it out. For now, T has a temporary tank beside Donny, and we have a plan for a permanent upgrade. Donny and T will not be tank mates, they’ll only be neighbours, with plexiglass dividing the shared basking landing. We suspect T is a she; the size difference is quite striking. T is nine years old, close to Donny’s age. Does anyone have a Mr. T figurine, like a kids' toy? To hang out with Donatello, the plastic ninja turtle, of course.

Rhonda: Rhonda, an alpine goat, has lived 10 of her 11 years on a local dairy farm. A family favourite, the children were determined to find a retirement home for Rhonda, so they contacted SAINTS. One of the young ladies from the dairy sent Rhonda off with a sign to hang on her new house. Rhonda will live out her days as a cherished resident of our barn and have a loving family in Chewie, Beanie & Elvis.

Pebbles: The NWTSPCA asked us to take on this puppy. His best chance is to have more testing done by a specialist. We don’t know if Pebbles has https://vcacanada.com/know-your-pet/atlantoaxial-luxation or a fracture, or something else entirely. He has seen the first vet, and her recommendation is to start with a radiologist looking at his X-rays. We did find out he has neurological damage to both eyes. He has vision, but how much we are not sure. Pebbles was lucky enough to land a foster home right away. His foster family will see him through whatever treatment he ends up needing. Pebbles was born on October 1 of last year. He’s been through so much in his short 16 weeks so far. We will do everything we can to give him the best shot at his whole life.

Baron and Glory: London tried hard to cope after Paris passed. He tried befriending Lisbon. He started hanging out where he could watch us, right at the door, just wanting company. He needs to be a part of a flock. We contacted another local shelter to see if we could transfer another pigeon in. Baron (full white) and Glory (black speckles) have been at the Delta shelter for months. They came in separately as strays and weren’t thriving until the staff put them together. Both Baron and Glory are females, and we have high hopes they will bond as a threesome. The girls are currently separated (together) from the rest of the aviary birds, they will remain apart for the weekend, and we will start introductions next week. Everyone seems quite fascinated by the two new girls; London CANNOT wait to meet his new besties! Welcome to SAINTS!

Lucy: Transferred from SARC, Lucy, the bun is at least eight years old. She’s arthritic and needs to take daily pain control medication. She is sweet as pie and cute as a button. Welcome to SAINTS, Lucy!

Ronnie: Ronnie was brought into Surrey Animal Resource Centre as a stray and transferred to SAINTS yesterday. Ronnie is about 12. He has already seen our vet so that we can figure out his medical needs. Ronnie has a heart murmur and needs perineal hernia surgery, a neuter, and a dental. He is a bit anxious, but he has been through a lot. He is very affectionate and a lovely dog. He’s got some arthritis, but he seems pretty happy! Ronnie walks nicely on a leash and is a perfect passenger in the car. And, hold onto your hat; he appears to be housetrained!

Did you know that you can sponsor a SAINT?

Each member of our Saintly Crew has their own profile page on our website. You can sponsor any animal in our crew with a tax-deductible monthly donation. Head over to the Animals section to check out their lovely faces and stories.

Happy Family Day!

We hope you are surrounded by what you love on this mid-Winter long weekend!

Our Saintly Crew get to live out their days here at our sanctuary with our animal & human family or in homes with their own families. We are grateful that we get to do this work and see that so many animals get the care and love they need and deserve. It's all made possible because of supporters and donors like you.

Thank you. We are so grateful for our SAINTS community, one great big family!

Would you like to become more involved with the animals? We are always seeking willing volunteers from the community. Head to our volunteer page and see if you think a volunteer role would suit you.