Hit hard by COVID, farm needs help caring for "unadoptable" end-of-life animals

They are described as the “unadoptables,” senior and special needs animals, and they need your help.

Hit hard during the pandemic because of having to cancel tours and in-person fundraisers,  the Senior Animals In Need Today Society, SAINTS Rescue, launched its “Amazing Raise 2021” fundraiser with a $48,000 goal by June 18th to help the more than 100 animals living at their sanctuary.

SAINTS’ mission: “to provide a safe haven for senior, palliative and special needs animals.”

Sheila Kullar, with the charity, says the animals receive medical attention, live in a safe and open environment, to enjoy their remaining years “being celebrated for who they are as individuals.”

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The difference between SAINTS and many other rescues, is that the goal is not to find adoptive parents for the animals because they live the rest of their lives at the sanctuary.

“Our goal is to provide a good end of life for them,” Kullar says.

The $48,000 being raised is to go toward installing two generator sets for electricity (the sanctuary is located in a rural area and is susceptible to disruptions), to replace some flooring and painting the feed room.

All remaining money will be going to vet bills. According to SANTS’ website, the charity spent $1.2-million in vet bills between 2004 and 2019.

SAINTS takes care of animals all shapes and sizes, from horses and pigs, to dogs, cats and bunnies, and they fit into three categories; Palliative care, special needs, and the short-term special care program.

Palliative care includes end-stage cancer, cardiac, liver, or kidney disease, and “care for end-of-life illness is geared towards symptom control and maintaining comfort and enjoyment of life,” Kullar says, adding SAINTS lets the animals enjoy as many as their favourite meals, swims in the pond, picnics, and runs in the field they can.

“This is why SAINTS is not a sad place. It is full of chaos, fun, and adventure. It is about letting them live as much as they want to, in any way that they decide,” Kullar says.

“When our animals reach the end of their natural lives, and we are no longer able to keep them comfortable and happy, we gently help them to pass on from this world.”

“And they are never forgotten.”

Animals with special needs, and long-term health conditions, such as diabetes, blindness, limb problems, or neurological damage, require individual medical treatments, care, and housing.

Saints will also sometimes receive animals with behavioural issues that can’t be overcome, such as extreme shyness or anxiety, and are deemed unadoptable.

The short-term special care sees animals coming in with treatable ailments, such as infections, emaciation, skin problems and broken bones.

Kullar says the annual campaign is usually 30 days, but this year’s is 45 days because some of SAINTS’ fundraisers and events have had to be cancelled because of the pandemic and more money needs to be raised.

“Most of our donations come at the end of the year and help us through the first few months of the beginning of the year,” Kullar says.

For example, “for the second year we have cancelled our Wishes 4 Whiskers Dinner Auction.  It usually brings in $60,000 so that is a huge loss to us.”

“Spring and summer are notorious for being slow for charities in terms of receiving donations.  So we needed to come up with a fundraiser that helped us through the lean months,” she says.

Kullar says SAINTS is also seeing less volunteers because of the pandemic.

To help these animals in need, Kullar says you can make a donation to the Amazine Raise online, and also spread the word about the charity, including this fundraiser.

The Amazing Raise has four teams you can choose to support, and each one is in a race to raise as much money as they can for their areas — and there is a captain for each one.

The House, for the dogs and cats, has Captain Mouse as its captain.

The MP Room, where some shy animals, birds and a turtle live, with Captain Farley.

The Barn, the barn animals, which Captain Dixie leads.

Lastly, respectively, the Shop, with Captain Smaug.

If you would like to help these animals, you can find a link here to the Amazing Raise 2021.