Pets rescued from Canadian wildfires find temporary refuge in southern Ontario

Pets rescued from northern wildfires are finding temporary shelter in southern Ontario. CTV’s Alexandra Holyk reports.

More than 100 animals have been rescued from northern Ontario, where wildfires continue to burn, and given a safe place to stay while their families recover.

Two of those dogs arrived in Guelph on Saturday.

Siblings Ross and S’mores made the long trip south from a wildfire-affected First Nation, where evacuations forced residents to leave their homes — and in some cases, their pets — behind.

The relocations were part of a coordinated effort.

“About 21 or 20 rescues across southern Ontario took in 112 animals in total,” said Amber Vera, founder of Safe Paws Animal Rescue of Ontario.

The organization is one of several rescues caring for cats and dogs that were evacuated from communities in northern Ontario. While some pets are expected to reunite with their owners once it’s safe to return home, others have been surrendered by families who can no longer care for them or were found as strays.

“It really ranges, what state they’re in,” Vera said. “We’re expecting pregnant dogs, moms with puppies, young puppies, teenager puppies, adult seniors.”

The animals are being placed with foster families across southern Ontario until they can return home or are adopted.

“There’s the other branch of it, where there’s the animals that are being officially fully surrendered by their families for various reasons, as well as the stray animals,” Vera said.

Veterinary teams have also set up a temporary shelter space in Thunder Bay to help care for the animals before they make the trip south, which includes microchipping and vaccinating pets to ensure they’re protected while being moved between shelters, veterinary clinics and boarding facilities.

“So that they’re safe, so that if we move them to another humane society or a veterinary clinic, a boarding facility, anything like that, that they’re well protected,” explained Stacy Murphy, a registered veterinary technician at the Kitchener Waterloo & Stratford Perth Humane Society.

The impact of the wildfires, meantime, doesn’t end once an animal has been evacuated.

Murphy said smoke can affect pets just as it affects people and owners should take precautions when air quality is poor.

“If the air is not good for you to be breathing, it’s not good for your animal either.”

Murphy recommended limiting outdoor activity during air quality advisories, keeping dog walks short and watching for signs of respiratory distress.

“If we’re going outside with them, it’s for short walks to come back inside pretty quickly, monitoring them for signs of respiratory distress and taking them to the vet if something seems out of sorts,” she advised.

Safe Paws Animal Rescue in Guelph has temporarily paused foster applications after receiving an overwhelming response from the community, but other organizations caring for wildfire-displaced animals are still looking for temporary foster homes.

Those who aren’t able to foster can also support the rescue effort by donating pet food, supplies or money to help care for the animals while they stay in southern Ontario.

While Ross and S’mores settle into the safety of their foster home, rescue organizations continue to care for other pets displaced by the ongoing emergency in northern Ontario.