Frontier Animal Society (SAFAS): Purina Canada Happy Paws & Hearts Operation Grant Report

How did this grant help your organization and the pets in your care?

This grant helped us cover three of our shelter's most critical ongoing needs: electricity, veterinary care, and food. These essentials are vital to keeping our cats and dogs safe, healthy, and comfortable.

We are a no-kill shelter that relies on donations. Although we organize several fundraisers during the year and people from the community are good about donating supplies, our budget is very tight. This grant helped cover a substantial portion of our costs for three months and all the pets in our care benefited from it.

How many pets did this grant help?

50

Please provide a story of one or more specific pets this grant helped.

Gypsy is a beautiful long-haired tortie who was living outdoors for at least a year. She was brought to our shelter along with her 2-day-old kittens — a litter of four. They were all living in a large double cage at first and whenever anyone moved back the blanket that was covering the cage to see them, Gypsy hissed. She was very antisocial!

We were gradually able to touch Gypsy with a stuffed glove on the end of a stick, then with our hands, and she eventually let us handle her kittens. Gypsy and her kittens lived in a large room at the shelter by themselves for several weeks while the four kittens played with each other and learned to socialize with humans. Toward the end of their stay with us, Gypsy would even approach us for a head rub — something she had come to love!

All the kittens have been adopted and Gypsy left the shelter this week for her new home. Because of the Purina Canada Happy Paws & Hearts Operation grant, we were able to bring Gypsy and her kittens indoors and ensure their survival. The grant also helped cover the cost of taking them all to the vet to be tested, vaccinated, and spayed or neutered.

We are pleased that we were able to provide high-quality care for this little family and send them to their new homes in good health. Many thanks to the Petfinder Foundation and Purina Canada for helping to make that happen.