Bandaged Paws eyeing cancellation of dog foster program

A local animal rescue is holding a meeting next week to decide the fate of their dog foster program.
 
Bandaged Paws Animal Rescue Association is currently fostering five dogs and 75 cats. President Natasha Arsenault says they are turning animals away daily due to unavailable space.
 
“We are a completely volunteer-based rescue and we are foster-based as well. So, we only have foster homes and work out of our individual homes, that is where all of the dogs and cats stay,” she says.
 
“We have had a shortage lately of foster homes for dogs. A variety of different foster homes are needed to keep up with the requests we get.”
 
The meeting will focus on brainstorming on what the future of the dog program could look like as well as recruiting new people to take on homes. Arsenault says they will decide on the future of the dog portion of the organization that night. If they decide to cancel it, the cat program would remain.
 
“If we don’t have any foster homes that are able to step up and help us here, we are looking at closing the dog side of our rescue just due to the lack of the ability to keep it going with what we currently have for volunteers.”
 
With the SPCA closing in 2016, Bandaged Paws has felt the pressure. Arsenault says they used to be able to focus on stray dogs but they have noticed an increase in dog surrenders since the SPCA shut down.
 
The meeting is being held on Thursday, September 27 at 7 p.m. at 11517 89 Avenue. The organization is calling on dog lovers, people interested in becoming a foster home and people with a current foster home to help out.