Received the following from Jessica at Heavenly Creatures today:

Patches, Rocky, Gus, Bandit, and Lady are five homeless dogs who URGENTLY need our help. Please read their story, and help us spread the word about them – they deserve to be rescued!

Pictures of the dogs can be found on our website.

THE DOGS' STORY

We've been contacted by kind people, who are working in a remote Labrador community, and are DESPERATELY trying to save the lives of five homeless dogs who have found their way to their doorstep.

As the dogs have no owners, they rely on these kind people for food and affection.The dogs live outside 24/7 except for the occasional time when the people working there take them in.

There are no vets in this community; the closest vet is a plane ride away. Owing to the lack of spaying and neutering, there are literally homeless dogs and puppies everywhere.

The only method of animal control in this community is death by gun.

Though they are used to living outside, these dogs are tame, and make FANTASTIC pets.

Over the last seven years, Heavenly Creatures has rescued over one hundred dogs from this community, and we are always amazed at how well-behaved, gentle, and kind the dogs from this community are, despite their backgrounds.

THE PROBLEM

At the end of this month, these people are leaving the community for good, and these homeless dogs will have no longer have a reliable source of food.

They can't bear the idea of having to leave the dogs behind to starve to death.

They are willing to sponsor the shipping for the dogs, if Heavenly Creatures can find foster care for them or raise the money to board them in kennels until foster care is found.

Here's a bit about each dog:

PATCHES

Patches is the newest dog, and is in the worst shape of the bunch. He is emaciated, but you can't tell how thin he is from the pictures because of his thick coat. He looks to be a Border Collie mix.

We're told that he is deathly thin, sweet, submissive, and that he is not going to last outside much longer. He has been living under someone's stairs, huddled there for warmth.

LADY

Though Lady is not much more than a puppy, she has already had a litter of puppies, and we're worried she'll be pregnant again soon. She was completely emaciated and days away from death when she found these people.

Many puppies in this community are born outside, and die outside; they freeze to death or are killed by people. Lady should not have puppies outside again – her last litter was never found.

GUS

Gus has a recently-injured eye, and possibly damage to his vocal cords. They tell us: “Gus barks its very distinct, it sounds as though he may have damage to his vocal cords. He sounds more like a seal than a dog.

ROCKY

Rocky is everyone's favorite. They say “Rocky LOVES to be brushed and go for walks. He has one blue eye, and one brown; he looks like a bear and he's super cute. He also loves to come into our house and relax.”

BANDIT: A submissive male dog who gets picked on by the other dogs. He is young, and looks to be part Siberian Husky or part Malamute.

FOSTER CARE NEEDED!

Can you temporairly or permantly open your heart and home to one of these furry orphtemporarilyre mpermanentlylarge size. If you can help, please call us at 739-0077; info@heavenlycreatures.ca

HOW TO DONATE TO THE DOG'S CARE

Rescuing these dogs will cost a substantial sum, and we simply can't afford it alone. Heavenly Creatures already has ninety animals in our care, and so are funds are currently very low.

To have five medium-large dogs spayed/neutered, examined, and set up with supplies is going to be in the vicinity of $2000 - $3000, to say nothing of boarding fees if foster care can't be found for them all quickly, or if they require any additional vet care.

Please help us make a difference for these dogs. You can donate to their care by calling St. John's Vet. Clinic at 722-7766 or by visiting the clinic on Freshwater Rd; they are open until nine p.m. during the weekdays (you simply tell them that you'd like to make a donation to HC's account for "The Labrador Dogs"), and three p.m. on Saturdays.

You can also donate through Paypal (see our site), e-mail money transfer, or by sending a cheque (Heavenly Creatures, P.O. Box 882, Station C, 354 Water St., A1C 1C0).

For all of the ways to donate, please visit:
http://www.heavenlycreatures.ca/donate.asp

Thanks in advance for any and all gestures of kindness.

Jessica Rendell
President, HC