Ottawa dog rescue seeks more foster homes as wildfire evacuations displace animals

Brie Moffatt is fostering four-month-old rottweiler Cooper from Rock Road Rescue as the organization seeks more foster families. (Katelyn Wilson/CTV News Ottawa)

An Ottawa dog rescue is looking for more foster homes as wildfires continue to force evacuations in northern Ontario and displace animals from their communities.

Rocky Road Rescue says it is preparing for the possibility that more animals may need temporary homes in the next few weeks.

“We are expecting probably within the coming weeks dozens of requests for intakes from Ontario and especially Quebec as well, just based on where Ottawa is located,” said co-manager with the rescue, Alycia Sevigny.

The organization says it has worked with Northern Reach Network before and reached out again Tuesday to see what help may be needed.

Northern Reach Network, based in Thunder Bay, has already taken in dozens of animals as communities in northern Ontario are forced to evacuate because of wildfires.

Paul Bishop, a board member with the organization, says he expects the number of animals needing help to rise rapidly as more communities are forced to flee.

“They’re being forced to leave their homes with little to no notice for some of them,” Bishop said. “We’ve actually been helping them trying to figure out how to get their animals out of the community after they’ve been evacuated.”

Northern Reach Network is looking to organizations across southern and eastern Ontario, asking those with room to help with animal intakes.

To help answer that call, Rocky Road Rescue is hoping to bring on more foster families.

“We are looking for more foster homes, so folks who are willing to donate their time, their home and their hearts to foster dogs until they’re ready for adoption,” said Alycia Sevigny.

Sevigny says foster families do not need a large home or backyard to help.

“We have foster families in the downtown core, in apartments. We have foster families who are more rural, in detached dwellings,” she said. “I think what really makes a good foster though is the time, compassion, the empathy, patience to really help a dog kind of transform.”

While the hope is that many animals displaced by wildfires will eventually be reunited with their owners, rescue organizations say they still need somewhere safe to stay in the meantime.

“There’s no cost to you, you’re just opening up your home and your heart, and you get all the supplies,” said Bishop. “Without everybody, we would not be able to do it and the supports been astronomical, which is amazing to see.”

For those interesting in fostering, Rocky Road Rescue says a foster application can be found on its website.

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