what we do
Brex is carried to safety after
his rescue.
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.
hart volunteers work with
community liasons to gain the trust of stray dogs.
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 a Registered Charity on December
7, 2005. Our Registered Charity number is (#86666-1408
RR-0001).
A community dog
recieves a hug from a hart volunteer.
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
problem.
Once rescued, hart
dogs are fostered by loving families until adoption.
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 and
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.
A group of community dogs waiting
for food.