No Surrender Ottawa

11/18/2024

Just a reminder that it's still the season to make sure your pets are protected from ticks.

We've had two dogs in our care get bit by ticks in the last week, both in the city. That's very unusual for November in Ottawa so keep an eye out and make sure your pets are protected!

10/11/2024

This dog is no longer active on the OHS site. Please contact OHS directly for further information.

FOUND DOG - , ON - October 10, 2024
From: Erin McGarry

***Now at the Ottawa Humane Society

Found dog (injured) - Found intact male husky on the side of Drouin Street in Casselman last night. Brought to Alta Vista by a Good Samaritan and being kept comfortable until Bylaw pick ups to transport to OHS today. Sweet boy!

ORIGINAL POST:
via PM

10/11/2024

Good morning! Shep had an unpleasant evening -- induced vomiting, activated charcoal, an IV to replace the fluid she lost and help flush her system out -- but a good night.

We are EXTREMELY fortunate that Sheps' fosters a) saw her eat the mushroom and got her away from there before she ate more b) acted as soon as she showed any symptoms, c) had the presence of mind to hunt for and secure the piece she threw up in the first round of sickness.

(Consider this a PSA: if your pet eats a mushroom and is sick, and then "seems fine" -- they are not fine. Go to the vet. And don't be like us -- try HARD to get an uneaten specimen to take along.)

With the help of a very kind volunteer mycologist -- thank you Spike Mikulski for very kindly examining photos of 1/3 of a mushroom, *after* it had spent an hour or so inside of a dog! -- we've narrowed it down to a probable culprit and it could be a lot worse.

Next steps: Shep's fosters are out where they were yesterday, looking for an intact and undigested specimen to hopefully confirm the ID.

Shep needs to stay at Animal Emergency & Specialty Hospital for observation until we confirm the ID, if we can, and then until we're sure it's out of her system and there is no ongoing damage.

So, probably another 48-72 hours.

It won't be cheap, and of course the day before we paid for two spays. No regrets, they needed doing, but .. yeah, we've had better weeks and if you are able to donate or boost we will be extremely grateful.

Help support No Surrender Ottawa by donating or sharing with your friends.

10/10/2024

***Sending up the bat signal again***

Hoo boy. Just as one good doggo got sent home from her spay, we had to rush another one, who was vomiting after eating a mushroom, to the emergency vet. We're covering expenses for the people who love these dogs so much, since they can't swing it alone, and we'd so deeply appreciate anything you can pitch in by PayPal ( https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=CSYSXF2SCZM4J ) or e-transfer ([email protected]) to help.

Please share widely!

Help support No Surrender Ottawa by donating or sharing with your friends.

10/02/2024

Big dog fosters needed!

While our intake is not officially open, we are trying to help very urgent local shelter dogs in need.

Currently, there are 4 large breed dogs with a time limit sitting in local shelters. We would only be able to help if a well-matched and experienced foster home came forward in or around the Ottawa area, willing to travel to our vet in West Ottawa.

Mastiff x, intact Male. Boisterous, pulls on leash and as silly as you can imagine. Was good with a well-balanced female spayed and a neutered smaller male. He is a large dog so strong, big-dog experience is a must. Requires detached home, and definitely needs a fenced in yard. No kids as we have no knowledge of him with kids but older teens should be fine. He's out of time. Please apply and mention Theo if you would like to save this young guy's life. *He's been networked with other rescues and is dwindling in the shelter, waiting for over 6 months for a placement*

Great Dane, intact Male.
Teenaged, silly and sweet but strong. Under weight. Was also good with the well balanced dogs but did not like the intact mastiff mix (go figure). Would also need big dog experience. Requires detached home, and definitely needs a fenced in yard. No kids as we have no knowledge of him with kids but older teens should be fine. He's out of time. Please apply and mention Grady if you would like to save this young guy's life. *We have networked him with Great Dane rescue but due to a time-constraint we are including him here*

Blk Shepherd (pictured), Female intact.
Sweet gal, typical Shepherd personality. Barks initially at everyone but warms up with kindness and food, haha. Very happy once out of kennel. She does have ongoing gastro issues so does need to see a vet. Townhome or detached, ideally with a fenced in yard as well. No kids as we have no knowledge of her with kids but older teens should be fine. She's out of time. Please apply and mention Isabella if you would like to save this young gal's life. *She is being networked with rescues but due to time-constraint, we are also sharing her*

Medium-sized dogs:

Aston (male neutered, 40lbs) is looking to come back into our care after a failed adoption, through no fault of his own. **This is a tough situation for the adopters, so no judgment, please.** Teenage dog, excited to see dogs on leash (barks), doing well with crate training, friendly and playful with dogs. Townhouse or apartment. Fenced Yard ideal, or lunge line that is supervised in country. Dog savvy older kids only. Urgent as he may need to go to boarding :(

Hound mix, male intact approx 20lbs - very emaciated. Not much is known but was found in deplorable condition/situation. Hound experience would be beneficial. Detached home and fenced space or supervised lunge line in country. Likely good with dogs, but not tested yet. Teens and up as no info on interactions with kids. Is not urgent yet but needs placement soon. No name but reference Hound dog on your application.

As you can see, we have many larger breed urgent dogs in shelters that would really love to keep on goofing off, cuddling up and learning, but due to irresponsible breeding, a lack of research on the buyer's side, and all-around bad decisions by humans, these shelter dogs are now at risk.

To apply to save them or another dog in need (we match based on your home life, experience and needs), please apply soon:

https://www.sitwithme.ca/foster/application/

Thank you for sharing. Your clicks could save lives.

09/26/2024

If it's in the paper, it must be true: https://centretownbuzz.ca/2024/09/no-surrenders-closure-leaves-a-gaping-need-in-a-homelessness-crisis/

After struggling forward for a year, No Surrender is closing down.

We're down to 3 dogs and 4 cats, plus two dogs that will likely need temporary foster care in future. We will continue to support and love those pets until they're safely home. After that, our team will be turning to other ways to help vulnerable pets and their owners. As Marna told the Centretown Buzz, this job is simply too big for a handful of volunteers.

But we haven't been without an impact. You all have helped us get a lot done over the last few years.

We've fostered over 100 pets since we started in 2021. Almost all went home to their people.

In a handful of cases, their person had to make the decision that they weren't going to be able to take them back. We're glad they got to take their time and think it through, and that in most cases they were able to meet or communicate with their pet's new person.

In the case of some of our medical fosters, their person sadly died. We're glad that these clients had the comfort of knowing their pets were safe and would be loved.

And we did a lot more than fostering. We've run medical fundraisers, we've walked dogs, we've helped people find and pay for training, we've referred people to other organizations for food and supplies, and we've helped people struggling to give their pets the life they know they deserve.

Over the next few weeks we'll be sharing some photos and stories here, as well as a list of local resources that will also be available on our website.

We'll help and food pantries find ways of coordinating pet food donations without No Surrender's assistance.

Each fall since 2021 we've collected coats and boots for the dogs of people who are living on the street or otherwise in precarious situations, and we'll be doing that this year as well. After that, hopefully this initiative can also continue independent of our organization.

has expanded their mission statement to cover medical fostering, but they can't go into residences to collect pets. Our volunteers will be working with hospitals to fill that gap. We'll also lobby organizations that support people in crisis to find ways to include their pets.

Messages by phone, email, and FB will still reach us, but our foster care is permanently closed. We'll be doing non-urgent work on Wednesdays and Fridays only. We are beyond exhausted, and we desperately need to rest and catch up on our lives.

Thank you all, again, for everything.

Community, Health, News, September 2024 No Surrender’s closure leaves a gaping need in a homelessness crisis September 18, 2024 Marna Nightingale with Tonka, who was fostered because his owner was ill. Sadly, the owner has since died and Tonka has been adopted by his foster. (Jack Hanna/The BUZZ) ...

09/12/2024

It’s Jersey draw day!!!! Congratulations, Gord Petruic! You are the winner of this amazing jersey! (Adorable dog not included) 😉 Thank you everyone for supporting No Surrender Ottawa!

08/31/2024

Our intake is still closed and I don't have an available foster who has the situation Nico needs, but I know someone out there has a couch and some love to help him make the most of the time he has left.

UPDATE:

We are SO thrilled (and relieved) to bring the news that Nico is currently in a trial temporary foster home. If everything goes well for the remainder of this week, Nico will stay where he is. We are very hopeful and will update at the end of the week.

Our next big challenge is raising the necessary $$$ to remove two lumps.... We are brainstorming fundraising ideas as we speak...

Thank you to everyone who contacted us, both privately and on this page, offering to step up for Nico in whatever way you can..We are grateful beyond words for your kindness and compassion when it is needed more than you could ever know.

Emergency Request for help

One year ago we met Nico, a 9 yr old brindle Staffordshire terrier. He was very sick and desperately needed help.

Thanks to the compassionate generosity of our supporters we were able to provide Nico with life-saving abdominal surgery that he desperately needed and deserved.

Today, we are devastated to learn that Nico’s owner, the only family he has ever known, has passed away, suddenly and unexpectedly, leaving Nico homeless and with no family.

Nico and his owner were a bonded pair, having lived their entire life “on the streets”, with only each other. He has never known being separated from his human, and is used to constant human company.

We are urgently seeking a safe haven for Nico to live out his senior days.

Ideally, someone who works from home and with no other pets.
Despite Nico’s tragic story, he is happy and adapts instantly to new people and places. He asks for nothing except to be by someone's side and go for the occasional walk.

Nico’s medical needs will be provided for. He just needs a safe place to feel loved for whatever time he has left.

08/28/2024

Once again we feel the need to post this and remind people of the dangers of letting their cats roam. This is not criticism as we realize accidents happen and we are also aware that not all cats are happy being kept inside and can develop behavioural and physical difficulites. Try to see it from our perspective, it's not only alarming but very distressing to have so many posts being moved to our Rainbow Bridge album and seeing photos of cats that have been killed on the road or attacked by wildlife come through messenger. It isn't easy to open that message to see a mangled cat, it is heartbreaking and emotionally draining. Our admins spend countless hours trying to help reunite pets, we don't want to see so many of them deceased in our PM's.

THERE ARE WAYS YOU CAN GIVE YOUR CAT THE BEST OF BOTH WORLDS. They can be safely secured with a good harness and leash and let outside under supervision and also taken for walks. There are also many models of outdoor catios online that can enable them to enjoy the outdoors but also stay safe. They range from high end to very easy low cost enclosures using scrap lumber and chicken wire. Here is a link to some models. https://catiospaces.com/
PLEASE SHARE!

08/17/2024

I'm sorry. We have the worst news imaginable.

After 48 hours on fluids Bentley was doing so well the vet wanted to discharge him a day early. His blood and urine looked great. His kidneys were normal.

He was happy and energetic and he and his person, who had been more-or-less camping at the vet for two days, went for a walk and were cuddling and playing tug, and Cat and I went to the store for kidney food and treats and chewies for him and then went to take them home, and you guys, we were so happy.

And I walked in and Bentley tried to get up to greet me with his usual barrage of kisses and he couldn't.

There was nothing we could do to fix it.

The vet looked him over carefully and said, very gently, that there were tests we could do — but we weren't going to find anything we could fix.

We are pretty sure it was congestive heart failure. His big old heart had loved so hard for so long it just plain wore out.

We were able to keep him comfortable for a couple of hours so we could love on him and a couple more of his favourite people could get there. And then he let us know he was tired, and we let him sleep.

I knew Bentley before No Surrender existed. He's been his person's emotional support dog, their rock, their North Star and their partner in adventure, for a very long time.

We think he was ten, but he may have been older. He loved hikes, and camping, and swimming.

He loved and trusted his person with every cell in his body, unconditionally and forever.

He loved meeting people. He loved attention: I don't think I have ever seen a dog enjoy being at the vet so much. He loved chewies, and tug, and treats.

He was wary of strange dogs, but the ones he loved, he loved a lot. He loved kids. He loved and was loved by so many of his person's friends and community.

He did not love his boots, but he did enjoy taking them off when nobody was looking.

He loved me, and I loved him back. I loved him so much.

We are so grateful to everyone who donated, boosted, or just took a moment to wish Bentley well. We're grateful to VCA Ottawa for the amazing care they took of him from the moment we carried him in until the end.

08/16/2024

UPDATE!!! G, Baby Girl has been found safe!!!!

Missing cat, near Kent and James street. They were on the way to the vet when his pet carrier broke. Please keep your eyes out.

08/14/2024

Your amazing generosity through GoFundMe, PayPal, and etransfers has gotten us a little more than halfway to our goal - thank you so very much to everyone who has reached out to help, we're so grateful to be able to count on you! ❤️❤️❤️

Please enjoy a dose of Levi's extreme cuteness, since he's recovering really well - the swelling around his wounds is much reduced and he seems to be in less pain, since he's sleeping less and his personality is starting to shine through again! Belly skritches are once again a must, as you can see...

More updates to come. Please continue to share this post and the previous one, and if you can spare some funds, donations continue to be accepted at

GoFundMe: https://gofund.me/cc6ab566
PayPal: paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=CSYSSXF2SCZM4J
Etransfer: send to [email protected]

08/13/2024

How your email finds me.
I love each and every one of you, but we're still a long way underwater here.

08/11/2024

*** URGENT ***
A weekend involving two trips to the emergency vet is not a good weekend.

One of our lovely client dogs had to get injuries stitched up overnight; another collapsed earlier today, suddenly unable to move, and is still at the vet, awaiting an EKG.

The cost adds up to $3000…and counting.

With our ordinary expenses already scraping the bottom of the financial barrel, our volunteers have been paying for veterinary expenses out of pocket—and this is way more than we can absorb. We urgently need your help to support a couple of good, gentle boys and the people who love them so dearly.

Any funds you can contribute would be so very greatly appreciated. We've set up a GoFundMe at https://gofund.me/cc6ab566 , and we also gratefully accept donations by etransfer (to [email protected] ) or by PayPal ( https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=CSYSXF2SCZM4J ).

Please share widely!