Lending a helping hand

Animal voice - The success of an animal shelter goes hand-in-hand with competent, reliable and compassionate veterinary support.

The Bide Awhile animal shelter in Dartmouth is fortunate to be teamed with the Harbour Cities Veterinary Hospital in Dartmouth and the Clayton Park Veterinary Hospital in Halifax.

Jennifer Vaughan, one of the vets who has been working with Bide Awhile's animals for eight years, remembers volunteering at the shelter when she was 18 and going to university. She thought then that the shelter was a wonderful asset to the community, and is pleased today to be able to help its animals. She has always loved animals and has two cats and a dog of her own.

Vaughan says that both veterinary hospitals provide care to the shelter as needed, with a large part of the work being spay and neuter surgeries. The animals arrive weekly at the hospitals in what seems to be a never-ending procession, she says.

The hospitals provide these surgeries on an at-cost basis as their way of helping out. They can also order needed veterinarian supplies on occasion for the shelter.

Vaughan remembers a 12-week-old black kitten brought to the hospital by Bide Awhile over Christmas that was near death, having been left by the side of the road. Fortunately, the vets managed to pull her through and Bide Awhile found a good home for little Noel.

Vaughan feels a special sense of satisfaction in having spayed and neutered the boxful of puppies found by the road in Sackville in the fall. Bide Awhile found homes for all of these now healthy dogs.

Bide Awhile executive director Darrold Gould says Vaughan is a compassionate person who is always there to help when necessary.

Vaughan says she is happy to help and that the shelter's animals are always well-socialized, with some of the nicest cats she has ever seen.

llane@ns.sympatico.ca

Lesley Lane volunteers her time with animals and is writing this column to help connect great pets with loving owners.