Animal rescue groups struggling to find foster homes for northern dogs

Sisters Julia and Lisa Dezoete have been driving from their home in Barrie to Timmins every weekend this spring to pick up dogs from Kashechewan First Nation.

The two are president and vice-president respectively of Finding Them Homes James Bay Pawsitive Rescue. For the past ten years the non-profit organization has been working with five remote northern Ontario communities to rescue stray or abandoned dogs.

It has been able to re-home 3,500 canines in that time.

This spring it's rescued 20 dogs and puppies from Kashechewan First Nation during that community's annual flooding and evacuation.

"Honestly, in these communities, they just don't have any other options," said Julia Dezoete.

"There's no shelters up there. There's no SPCA societies. They just don't have any other choice of what to do with these dogs," she added. Julia explained that when overpopulation of stray dogs happens there could be aggressive dogs trying to mate with female dogs that are in heat. 

Lisa Dezoete said they have volunteers in each of the communities they help, and the organization is able to send food up to help with the dogs still there needing to be re-homed.

Once each dog is rescued it goes to a foster home temporarily until it can be adopted into a forever home.

But the Dezoetes and their animal rescue group says they're having trouble with that part of the process this year. There aren't enough foster homes to help.

"It's becoming extremely hard for us to find open foster homes to take these dogs," Julia said.

"So unfortunately, some of them are having to wait until we have an available foster home," she added.

Until more foster or adoptive families are found, Julia said any dogs needing to be rescued must remain in the remote northern community.

Because of the lack of foster homes, Finding Them Homes has been working with other animal rescue partners to help distribute some of the dogs to their respective fosters.

"It's been amazing just opening up their eyes to what is actually happening in our own province and that these northern dogs need their help as well," said Julia.

One of the partners that's been helping with the rescues from Kashechewan First Nation is 4-Champ Animal Rescue in Sudbury.

Founder Heather Watling said they've taken 25 dogs from northern Ontario this spring and placed them in foster homes to eventually be adopted out. 

"That's really low," she said of the number of dogs. "And the reason is lack of fosters. We used to be able to do so many more."

"I think a lot of people went and adopted dogs during the pandemic, and now either their dog is having behavioural issues or they're focused because things are starting to actually open up and they're not stuck at home," Watling said.

"People just aren't as involved."

No kennels, only fosters

Watling said although 4-Champ Animal Rescue has a kennel property, those are not used for the dogs rescued from northern Ontario. They are required to go to foster homes.

"Putting them into a kennel setting would be mentally traumatizing to them going from running loose and being just a dog to being contained."

"The transition would be really hard on them, so we try and make it as smooth as possible," Watling said. 

4-Champ Animal Rescue provides supplies, vet care and guidance for each dog. The fosters just need to provide a home, stability and routine, until the dog is adopted.

"Basically, we just need you to provide a home, stability and routine," Watling said. "We just need people to open up their homes and give one of these dogs a stable home."

And a backyard is not required.

"As long as you can take your dog for a walk, we don't require [fosters] to have a yard," she added. 

Both 4-Champ Animal Rescue and Finding Them Homes are non-profit organizations run on donations.

Lisa Dezoete said it costs about $250 to bring each dog from its northern Ontario community. That includes a little over $100 to fly each crated dog to Timmins. Then the cost of gas to drive the group's van from Barrie to Timmins and back. 

"We get all of our funding through donations and any fundraising that we do," Lisa said.

"Nobody is paid in our rescue. We are all volunteers and we just bank on the fact that people love us enough to keep donating."

"Northern dogs are really great dogs," Watling said.

"They rarely come with behavioral issues. They love children because that's what they grew up around and get to know, and a lot of the time, these dogs adjust quite quickly into these new settings — as long as they're given the stability and routine."