Calgary charity steps in to help pets and owners in need

Charity helps pet owners in need A Calgary charity helps pet owners in need to provide medical attention for ailing pets.

CALGARY — Miss Boston and her owner are currently homeless, living on the streets of Calgary.

Recently, a good Samaritan who is familiar with Miss Boston and her owner's situation started to notice the nine-year-old dog seemed to have a small growth on her back that was getting larger.

That individual contacted Parachutes for Pets and informed them of Miss Boston's situation and that her owner was very concerned and stressed out over not being able to afford medical care for their furry family member.

"We were able to get in contact so we picked miss Boston and her stuffy up today and brought her to the Sanctuary vet clinic." Melissa David , founder of Parachutes for Pets tells CTV News.

Parachute for Pets is a charity with a goal to keep pets and families together by subsidizing necessary pet care for low-income individuals.

David says the veterinarians are taking great care of Miss Boston and she's undergoing a procedure to remove the lump. The dog, who has reportedly stolen the hearts of her caregivers, will then stay at the hospital to recover before being reunited with her owner.

She will also receive a homeless pet care package full of food and supplies and toys along with information and access to supports that hopefully will lead to the pair finding appropriate housing.

"We've been in constant contact (with Miss Boston's owner) with updates and we have a time and a place arranged to take Miss Boston back and that's always our goal, we definitely don't want to separate these pets and that's why we're happy to provide this program that keeps them together," David said.

As the pandemic continues and Calgarians face harsh economic times, the demand for services like Parachutes for Pets has gone up rapidly.

"A lot of times (their animals) are all they have to be honest and especially in COVID times, homelessness rates are going up daily and we get calls from people who've just been evicted along with their dog or their cat." David said.

"A year ago at this time we were sending out three to four homeless packs and hampers a month. Now, I can say by Sunday we will have distributed 27 homeless packs and we have four vet care requests going in. It's growing - it's daily."

Dr. Thusari Warnakulasooriya from Sanctuary Veterinary Hospital is the doctor who's caring for Miss Boston, says she really loves to help pets and people who are in need.

"We always make sure we do our best treatment and then follow whatever the best protocol according their health."

Parachutes for Pets is completely donation-based, Davis says.

"If anybody would like to help out they can head to our website and donate to our homeless program."