Volunteers pull together for pets evacuated from Waterhen Lake
As 870 humans fled Waterhen Lake First Nation due to the threat of wildfires on May 15, a number of pets were rescued by the humane society and local volunteers.
Concerned about their pets, residents contacted rescue organizations including the Meadow Lake and District Humane Society. Feeling compelled to help, several of the organization’s volunteers sprang into action. Humane Society President Jillian Doucet said the first step was to see if anyone could go out and retrieve the animals.
“Owners didn’t have the option to bring the pets with them because they were being loaded onto buses and being brought to Red Cross centres in Meadow Lake and Saskatoon,” she said. “Several volunteers collected them, about 30, and by the end of that first night we had 46 dogs and one cat.”
Since those helping had no idea how many animals were coming in, Doucet contacted the City of Meadow Lake and asked if there were any facilities which with space to house the displaced animals and the city offered the local arena. Volunteers were delegated to set up kennels and to record information on each animal. While some pets were brought in by community members, a number were posted to the organization’s Facebook page and many owners responded.