Snuggles is another of our cats needing a special home environment to overcome some shyness. This sweet 2 year old girl has been at the shelter for 3 months now. When she arrived she was so scared she didn’t want anyone to come near her. She is still quite shy but we think with the right person and a calm home she’ll be an amazing companion! She  feels safe in her cat “igloo” but is learning that it’s okay to venture out.  Snuggles loves belly rubs and chin scratches and giving kisses. Her ideal home will be a quieter environment. She is okay when the other cats come to say hi but likely would be best as an only pet with a patient person she learn to trust. The staff here love spending time with her, but it’s time for Snuggles to find a home where she can thrive. If you think you might be her person (as a foster or potential owner) please call the shelter to make an appointment to meet her.  Call 306-773-1806 to get Snuggles just for you!

21 dollars. It’s not a huge amount. But if everyone in our area can spare $21 – that has some real power!

We are asking for your support for homeless pets in our region with this year’s SPCA annual appeal: $21 for ’21. Your donation of $21 or more can mean the difference between life and death for a pet who comes to us needing extra medical attention. It can help with a comfortable stay for a pet while it waits for its forever home. Your $21 can cover the cost of a microchip for a pet so if it ever strays again, it have a better chance of getting home. Your $21, along with others, can help ensure that the local animal shelter can continue to serve more than 400 cats and dogs each year.

The local SPCA must raise more than 80% of its annual budget in the community from donations, shelter revenues and fundraising. The SPCA is not a service which has regular provincial or federal funding to cover core costs and we are not funded by the Sask SPCA or its fundraisers.

If you want to help homeless animals, help reunite strays and owners, and improve the lives of families through pet adoption, support our $21 for ’21 Appeal. Donations of $10 or more are tax receipted if we have the donor’s address and your donations are used locally.

Donate:
– by EFT to treasurer@spcaswiftcurrent.com  (no password required)
– online here
– in person at the Shelter, Bookstore or any SPCA event
– by mail to Swift Current SPCA, Box 1163, Swift Current, S9H 3X3

Considering fostering pets for the SPCA? Our application is available here and can be completed and dropped of at the shelter. Foster Application Download

Here’s Hayes – a special boy needing a very particular kind of home and love.

Hayes is currently in foster care because he requires a calm environment to help with his stress. This big ginger and white fellow is 6 years old and very shy and anxious so he needs a comfortable home where he can take all the time he needs to adjust to new surroundings and people and to come out of his shell. His adopter(s) should have a quiet environment (inside and outside the home) and be willing to be patient with him for as long as it takes. He may be good with other cats but dogs and young children would likely cause stress. Loud noises even outside will cause him to hide. He has no dietary restrictions or health issues we know of and has his first vaccinations so will just need to come back for a booster.

He’s been making some progress with his foster mom, coming to meet her and enjoying some cuddles and hugs so we believe he could be an affectionate companion. But we’d like to find his perfect forever home soon so he doesn’t get too bonded with his foster or have to transition back to the shelter, as we know he would not do well there. If you might even be willing to foster Hayes for a while we’d love to talk with you.

We’re not sure why Hayes is feeling the way he is right now but we hope the right person can help him past his fears. If you think you might be that person, or would like more information on Hayes or fostering , call 306-773-1806 to speak to shelter staff.

Archie is a sweet and affectionate 7 year old Staffordshire Bull Terrier who unfortunately has severe allergies and a thyroid condition. He will be an adorable, adoptable guy but will require thyroid meds and specialty food. We will be looking for a good home for Archie once we can get his conditions settled down but in the meantime we need help with his  costs which include two types of medications, special food and periodic vet care and blood work. If you can help us support Archie’s care, there are several ways to donate.

Donations will be used toward Archie’s costs and anything over what we need for Archie will go into our Hope Fund to help fund future life-saving pet treatments and care. Donations will receive a tax receipt. To donate, look up our “Aid for Archie” campaign on GO FUND ME, or donate by EFT to treasurer@spcaswiftcurrent.com (indicate donation for Archie) or by cheque to Swift Current SPCA, Box 1163, Swift Current, S9H 3X3 (indicate “Archie” on cheque).

Help us take the care of homeless pets to the next level!

The Swift Current SPCA is community-funded and community-directed animal shelter which has served our area since 1973. We are looking for new people to join us as members and potentially as part of our volunteer Board to help continue this long-standing record of service. If you are looking for a new way to share your talents in 2021 and are willing to commit some time, we would love to hear from you.

You can download a membership form here  http://spcaswiftcurrent.com/downloadable-files/

For our Board of Directors, we are specifically looking for people who:

• share our passion for the welfare of homeless and unwanted pets
• have some Board or non-profit experience or have a professional interest in building Board experience
• are able to commit time for a monthly Board meeting, two member meetings each year, and some committee work.
• can consider issues at hand, engage in thoughtful discussion and recommend other resources which they might be aware of in our communities
• are willing to also pitch in and assist as a volunteer with some of our fundraising events
• bring unique skills and contacts to the table in areas such as: finance, contract administration, human resources, construction, and planning.

A paid SPCA membership  is required in order to apply for Board membership. We are happy to take memberships and talk to prospective Board members at any time during the year. Please call the shelter at (306)-773-1806  for more information and referral on membership.

SPCA Bookstore Positions Open!
If you love books and people and can volunteer some time to help this important fundraiser for the SPCA, we would love to talk to you about the following opportunities at the Bookstore:

Bookstore Volunteers:
– 2 hour shifts available from Monday to Saturday; sorting and stocking books, customer inquiries, cash handling. Training provided.

If interested, please leave your name and contact information at the SPCA Bookstore – 37 1 st Ave NE.

We are currently seeking new foster homes for our ASK (Animal Safekeeping) program. This program temporarily places pets with anonymous families while their owners leave situations of domestic abuse and re-establish themselves. Foster families are supported by the SPCA and the pet owner will not know where the pet is placed.
For more information on the program please call the shelter at 306-773-1806 or download and complete the form here and bring it to the shelter.

Time to move that clunker parked in your driveway or farmyard?? Create some space and donate to the Swift Current SPCA through our new partnership with Donate-a-Car Canada.

Donate a Car Canada accepts Vehicle Donations for the SPCA Swift Current. Free towing is provided in most areas across Canada, or you can drop off your vehicle to maximize your donation. When you donate your old car, truck, RV, boat, or motorcycle to the SPCA Swift Current through Donate A Car Canada it will be recycled. Donate a Car Canada will look after all the details to make it easy for the SPCA Swift Current to benefit. After your vehicle donation is complete, our charity will send you a tax receipt and will put your gift to good use.
Please click here to donate a vehicle

Did you know…

• The five most common dog names: Male: Bailey, Max, Charlie, Buddy and Rocky
  Female: Bella, Lucy, Molly, Daisy and Maggie
• The ten most popular dogs (AKC, 2015) are in order: Labrador Retriever, German Shepherd, Golden Retriever, Bulldog, Beagle, French Bulldog, Yorkshire Terrier, Poodle, Rottweiler and Boxer
• A famous Beagle you might have heard about is Snoopy the dog. He was a character from the Peanuts comic strip. Everyone loved the adorable Beagle named Snoopy that was in the newspaper since 1950.
• Dachshunds were bred to fight badgers in their dens.
• Chicken or steak bones leftover from dinner can choke your dog or break and cause damage to the inside of her body. Visit your favorite pet store to find special bones that are safe for your dog to chew.
• Some dogs have coats with two layers: the beautiful hair you can see, and a hidden, second coat called an undercoat. This undercoat helps a dog stay warm and dry in cold weather and it protects his skin from the hot sun, too.
• A puppy is born without teeth. When the pup is three to four weeks old, 28 teeth will break through the gums so the puppy will be able to eat solid food.
• Dalmatian puppies are pure white when they are born and develop their spots as they mature and grow older.

If you’re already a “cat person”, you don’t need to be convinced that a cat or kitten makes a great pet! But anyone can learn to love cats, and for modern lifestyles, choosing to adopt a cat or kitten is a relatively low maintenance pet choice, particularly if you do not have a large outdoor area.

Cats and kittens are easy to care for!
Cats look after themselves much of the time. Of course they need daily feeding and lots of love, but they’re also capable of being very independent creatures. Cats are particularly good for owners who don’t have the time or the physical capability to take daily walks.

Cats and kittens are the perfect pets for indoors or outdoors!
Cats and kittens are very adaptable to any living environment. As long as they get plenty of sun & cozy sleep time, they can live indoors or outdoors. That makes them the perfect pet for apartment dwellers. (Just check with your landlord first!)

Cats and kittens have real personality!
Cats have as much personality as humans! Every cat is different, and part of the adventure of being a cat owner is finding out your cat’s quirks – its favourite place to stretch out, where it likes to be rubbed, what puts it in a good or bad mood.

Grown-up or not, cats and kittens are always happy to have a loving human companion. And they don’t care how old, young, messy or presentable you are – so don’t hold back! Come and find your fur-buddy today!

Caring for a pet has many benefits – including reducing your stress levels! Studies also found that:

• Pet owners are less likely to suffer from depression than those without pets.
• People with pets have lower blood pressure in stressful situations than those without pets.
• Playing with a pet can elevate levels of serotonin and dopamine, which calm and relax.
• Pet owners have lower triglyceride and cholesterol levels (indicators of heart disease) than those without pets.
• Heart attack patients with pets survive longer than those without.
• Pet owners over age 65 make 30 percent fewer visits to their doctors than those without pets.

Pets can ease loneliness, reduce stress, promote social interaction, encourage exercise and playfulness, and provide unconditional love and affection. Caring for a pet may even help you live longer!
A Shelter animal could be just what the Doctor ordered!

Adopting a pet from a Shelter – any Shelter – is a great step in the right direction. But why should you spend money on adoption fees when your “friend” has free animals to give away? Sounds like a deal until you think about it. Just like getting a car is not the end of the costs, all pets require some on-going expenditure to keep them healthy and safe. Our adoption fees cover initial health check, spay or neuter and vaccinations – all of which, as a responsible pet owner, you would be responsible for if you get that free pet. These veterinary costs alone could be as much as $600.00 – when you adopt from us, it’s all included! Not only would you save money by adopting from us, you would be giving a loving home to a deserving animal!

Many people automatically think of a puppy or kitten when they are considering adopting a pet. They’re warm and cuddly, and everyone wants to hold and pet them. But puppies and kittens demand patience and energy to help them become wonderful family members and companions. Older dogs or cats, however, can be as cute and lovable, and they often come with many wonderful qualities that youngsters take years to grow into.

Maybe you are reluctant to adopt a senior pet because you fear that your time with your new best friend will be short, bringing that painful time of loss closer. But the privilege of loving a senior dog or cat makes every single day special, as you and your companion share love, friendship, and a special relationship that grows stronger with the knowledge that you have given this fine old feller a second chance at life. The love that grows from this knowledge is stronger than the pain of eventual separation.
So spread the word! Adopting a senior dog or cat is a wonderful experience for you both. You will gain a faithful companion. You will save a life. And don’t forget, senior dogs or cats and senior people bring out the best in each other. They make great friends!

• When senior pets are adopted, they seem to understand that they’ve been rescued, and are all the more thankful for it.
• A senior pet’s personality has already developed, so you’ll know if he or she is a good fit for your family.
• A senior pet may very well already know basic household etiquette!
• Senior cats are often already litter trained and are less likely to “forget” where the box is.
• Senior dogs know that great outdoors is for eliminating and the house is for relaxing. Your carpet will last longer with a senior dog.
• A senior pet won’t grow any larger, so you’ll know exactly how big an animal you’re getting!
• Speaking of relaxing, senior pets make great napping buddies.
• Senior animals are some of the hardest to find homes for — so when you adopt a senior cat or dog, you’re truly saving a life.

There is also a substantial reduction in the adoption fee for any of our senior cats and dogs

We completely understand that having your pet go missing is worrying – and you’re anxious to get the word out there to try and find it. Unfortunately, we regularly get texts or emails with the minimum of information “I’ve lost my dog – if you find him let me know”
If you contact us about your missing pet, we’re more than happy to try and help – but, please, make sure you give us as much information as possible. This should include your contact info, your pet’s name and description, where and when the animal went missing (this is important!) and if it’s wearing a collar/tag/is microchipped. We get lots of calls from all over the southwest, and it is important we have the information needed to try and reunite pets with their humans. Thanks!

Let’s face it, not every animal would be a good fit for you. But we’ve also seen some unexpected matches of the most unlikely pets and people. Hence our Test Drive program. Ok, so you don’t actually drive them, but we think you know what we mean – take your potential pet home and see how things work out. Give it a fair go – don’t expect too much too soon. And if it doesn’t work out, bring them back to us with no hard feelings – we want them to go to the right home, both for the animal and the humans. So if you’re looking for a furry Ferrari or a purring Porsche, we have several racey models on the lot now. Why not drop by for a test drive?

SPCA Swift Current is a local organization dedicated to finding responsible caring life-long homes for lost, abandoned or unwanted animals. This includes preventing unwanted litters by incorporating spaying and neutering in all of our animals’ adoption fees. We are not funded by the provincial or federal government, nor are we connected or affiliated to any other shelter. We are a no-kill facility. We do not euthanize animals solely for space – only in rare cases of severe medical issues or aggression.

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