what we do
The humane animal rescue team (hart) is a non-profit
organization committed to:
- rescuing stray, abandoned, and unwanted dogs from rural areas
(including First Nations) surrounding Edmonton, Alberta and placing
them in permanent homes;
- providing programs that promote responsible pet ownership, and
prevent cruelty to animals; and
- promoting spay and neuter initiatives that reduce
the number of unwanted litters.
Established by a group of dog lovers in
2003, hart received a Certificate of Incorporation under the
Alberta Societies Act on November 12, 2003 and qualified as
aRegistered Charity on December 7, 2005. Our Registered Charity
number is (#86666-1408 RR-0001).
We strive to keep our operating costs
low, allowing us to assist more dogs. Therefore, we rely entirely
on the generosity, skills, and compassion of a volunteer network to:
- provide foster care, socialization, and basic training to
prepare rescued dogs for adoption;
- coordinate the adoption of rescued dogs through a matching
process of the dog's needs to lifestyles and personalities of
adopters;
- administer medical assistance to rescued dogs;
- respond to calls for dogs in need by traveling to rural
locations to perform rescues;
- provide food to field volunteers for the dogs who cannot yet be
rescued;
- prepare and deliver outreach programs and initiatives that
promote responsible pet ownership;
- raise funds to support hart activities; and
- build awareness about hart and about the overpopulation
proble
hart does not operate out of a
facility; instead, we rely on a network of foster homes,
volunteers who open their homes and hearts to a rescued animal
until a permanent home is found. Supplies such as leashes, collars,
toys, dishes, food, treats, and crates are provided to our foster
homes.
A loving, safe, lifelong home is the goal in hart's
re-homing efforts. A multi-step adoption process is followed to
ensure the best match possible between the needs of the dog and the
lifestyle of the potential adopters. Many of hart's adoptable
dogs have been rescued from harsh situations and are
therefore adopted out as companion animals to be loved and
protected for the rest of their lives. The time we take in the
adoption process and the fact that we visit each potential adoptive
home is unique to our organization.
The reward for hart volunteers is always the same: wagging tails
and wet noses when lonely, scared or sick dogs are transformed into
happy and healthy companions.
Brex is carried to
safety after his rescue.
hart volunteers work
with community liasons to gain the trust of stray
dogs.
A community dog recieves
a hug from a hart volunteer.
Once rescued, hart dogs
are fostered by loving families until adoption.
A group of community
dogs waiting for food.