By Julia Peterson
REGINA – The Victoria Square Mall was full of wagging tails and slobbery kisses Saturday afternoon when Bright Eyes Dog Rescue (BEDR) brought six adoptable dogs to meet the public.
Puppies Honey and Bow tussled in a pen, while lab mix Bear and tawny Margaux hammed it up for the crowd. Chino and Capone, a senior bonded pair, lounged on a pile of towels. The dogs’ foster families chatted with passers-by, encouraging people to stop for pats and cuddles and pick up some information on adoption on their way out.
The event, like all BEDR’s operations, was entirely staffed by volunteers.
“We don’t have any paid employees, so everybody’s just doing this out of the goodness of their heart and their love for dogs,” said BEDR volunteer Joan Heal, who coordinated the adoption event.
“We have people that collect food, people that transport dogs to medical appointments. We have dog groomers that volunteer their time – it’s a big organization.”
Since 2010, BEDR has been rescuing stray, abandoned and surrendered dogs in southern Saskatchewan and placing them in foster homes until they are adopted. They generally coordinate between 25 and 30 foster placements at a time and facilitate the adoption of approximately 300 dogs every year.
Shelby Matthews has been fostering Margaux for the last three months. She thinks people looking for a pet will fall in love with Margaux as much as she has.
“Margaux is probably one of the best dogs I’ve encountered, and I’ve been around hundreds of dogs,” said Matthews.
“She is just so naturally amazing and loving, and that’s just one of a million reasons to adopt a dog and give it a good home … she’s kind of the perfect companion dog.”
Some dogs rescued by BEDR are likely to have a harder time getting adopted. Chino and Capone are large nine-year-old dogs. They have some health issues and are brothers who would have to be adopted together. Kayla Rueve and Graeme Andrews, who have been fostering the pair since June, hope that bringing the dogs to adoption events might convince people to give them a chance.
“People are interested in the dogs,” said Andrews. “They’re drawn to their cute droopy faces. But they are older, and they do require a bit of attention and money, unfortunately, so [there are] not a lot of applications for adoption.”
BEDR encourages potential adopters to read the dogs’ biographies online and apply as soon as dogs become adoptable, since applications are first-come, first-served.
BEDR application forms, plus a list of dogs and puppies available for adoption, are available at https://brighteyesdogrescue.com/.
