Vancouver dog rescue needs adopters and fosters ahead of US border reopening

A Vancouver-area dog rescue whose cross-border operations mostly halted during COVID are in need of people who want to adopt or foster rescue dogs, now that more animals will be arriving again when the US border reopens to international travellers next week.

Thank Dog I Am Out Rescue Society (TDIAO) is also looking for travellers willing to escort the animals on flights so TDIAO can work to get those dogs a home as well.

“As people are branching out and vacationing into further destinations, we can resume using these people as flight volunteers to help bring our dogs across the border by air,” TDIAO founder Susan Patterson tells Daily Hive in a phone interview.

You might also like:
• 70+ cats and kittens seized from motorhomes near Squamish
• From fireworks to pumpkins: How to keep pets, wildlife safe this Halloween
• New dog rescue aims to bring unwanted Dachshunds from Asia to BC

“As a not-for-profit, we’ve been able to cross the border back and forth during COVID, but the problem was getting the dogs to the US from various destinations,” Patterson said.

Patterson said TDIAO is working with another rescue group, RainCoast Dog Rescue on Vancouver Island, and bringing in 25 dogs in November from California, with more dogs set to arrive from Mexico, and other parts of the world, the following month.

“For us as a rescue, knowing that the world shut down for 18 months, thousands… thousands of dogs died because there was nowhere to send them,” Patterson said.

“That was heartbreaking. Knowing what was going on because we couldn’t help was the hardest thing.”

Patterson said the dogs in need of homes multiplied during the pandemic, and there’s some shelters overseas that had nowhere to put the animals, so they had a high euthanasia rate.

Some places had different experiences in the past year and a half, Patterson said, such as in California, there was a point when the kennels were emptied — but they have since filled back up.

In Vancouver, the group said it did see many surrenders and animals being surrendered because of financial hardship.

“We took in a number of dogs from people that couldn’t afford them anymore, people that got sick, people lost their jobs, so we were doing a lot of local stuff helping people who couldn’t feed their animals during COVID.”

Now, Patterson said the groups are looking for fosters and adopters by the end of the year, especially those not planning on going away over the holidays.

If you are not in a position to adopt or be a foster parent, Patterson said the rescue could still use your help because in the new year TDIAO will be looking for volunteers who can help with picking up dogs from the airport and transferring them to homes.

Patterson said volunteers can also help with “home checks” to make sure potential homes and families are a fit for both the people and dogs.

If you want to get more involved with helping rescue animals, Patterson is encouraging you to get in touch with local groups, or checking in with organizations when you’re flying to see if they need any plane escorts.

“Rescue groups are always looking people to help them with all sorts of stuff, and I think now that the gates are opening, there will be more opportunities,” Patterson said.

If you would like to apply to become a foster, adopter, or volunteer with TDIAO or RainCoast Dog Rescue, you can find their information and contact on their websites.