Dear Editor:
It is with very heavy hearts that we announce the resignation of Rose Gingras, from our Dog House Division.
Rose is the finest animal control officer that we have the pleasure to know.
She dealt with rescue a decade before any other ACOs or shelters would even consider it.
She provides the communities she serves with a standard of excellence that rates head and shoulders above others.
Her resignation from Critteraid comes from a place of being overwhelmingly busy and constantly frustrated with the lack of support from dog owners.
Truthfully, we have pulled off more than our share of miracles.
With the way of the world, most stakeholders in “doggy world” have no time to help when asked. The time has come for Rose to step back. That means Critteraid will no longer be operating the Dog House Division.
We will refer other rescues and hope they step up and look after dogs we normally would help. Dogs that are in some fashion special — like Hailey the senior shepherd x that was miraculously adopted, Roscoe who waited for almost a year for his very own special family because he had such a unique medical condition, Creme Puff who literally went mad being crated in a small cage all his life, and Diesel who was covered in blood after his owner was murdered.
Our Dog Division has always operated in a deficit position with few volunteers.
Our fosters are worth their weight in gold — Sue, Donna, Rose, Don, Paula, Cy, Dave, and even new ones. But, for the most part, fosters are snatched up by new rescues bringing in dogs from elsewhere.
It is a sensitive subject which is literally changing the face of rescue throughout B.C.
We are one of the original “rescue” and are humbled with our efforts to stay the high road at all times.
It is our fervent desire that these new rescues will strive for those high standards.
We are still here.
In one last ditch effort to try and save the Dog House Division, we are hosting a meeting on Wednesday, June 19, 6 p.m., at the Critteraid Charity Shoppe, Summerland. It has to be a concerted effort by people who can work together as a team, have the same goals and are willing to help dogs that are often overlooked by other rescues.
Most of that work is administration.
To Rose and Don, we thank you and stand tall honouring you for all the lives you have saved, the sea of tears you’ve cried, the bites and bruises and all you endure.
We applaud you for your strength of character, putting one foot in front of the other and carrying on for this long.
We are all hopeful that people will come to this meeting.
As a board, we are defining what we need and perhaps, just perhaps, we can make another miracle happen.
We hope to see you there.
Deborah Silk
Critteraid Board of Directors
Summerland