Toronto-area animal rescue organizations and vendors converged on Trinity Bellwoods Park on May 25 for the sixth annual Party 4 Paw Pet Fair hosted by Guardian’s Best Animal Rescue Foundation.
The event strived to educate the public about animal care and adoption and celebrate a decade of rescue efforts.
Despite a rainy start, the event ran from noon to 6 p.m. and drew a crowd of pet enthusiasts and supporters of animal rescue efforts.
The event featured a variety of vendors, rescue organizations, and health check-up camps for dogs.
Anna Cheung, one of the volunteers for Guardian’s Best Animal Rescue Foundation, said the organization's decade-long commitment to animal rescue is not an easy job.
“We have been raising money to help rescue, buy food and supplies, pay vet bills, and implement neuter and spay programs for cats,” Cheung said.
“I have been volunteering with the organization a couple of times and help with the events we organize,” she said.
She said the foundation, active since 2012, operates in Toronto and Montreal, focusing on fundraising efforts to support local and international animal rescues.
Additionally, Eddie’s Network, a volunteer-run lost dog response team that operates in and around Toronto, was present at the event.
Eibhilin Good, one of the administrators for Eddie’s Network, showcased the collaborative spirit among various organizations dedicated to animal rescue and welfare.
The loss of her dog sparked her motivation for joining the organization.
“We have rescued about 550 dogs, and about 76 per cent of the dogs make it home. Unfortunately, the rest are either never found or might have passed away,” Good said.
She said the organization works to convey information to help reunite lost dogs with their owners.
“We create posters, pass on information to other volunteers and the public about the lost dog, and try to reunite the dogs with their families as soon as possible. While there’s poster blindness in Toronto due to so many posters, we try to take them down once the dog is found,” she said.
The event also featured Rabbit Rescue Inc., an organization working towards saving rabbits that are often euthanized due to overpopulation.
Brittany Hamilton, the adoption and foster manager of Rabbit Rescue Inc., said the group rescues rabbits across Ontario and Quebec.
“We rescue the bunnies and have foster homes all over the GTA and surrounding areas,” Hamilton said.
“There’s a big problem in Ontario. People buy rabbits and when they no longer want them, they just dump them,” she said
“We created a database of teams in over 80 cities across Ontario and Quebec of people who would catch these rabbits for us,” Hamilton said.
She said Rabbit Rescue Inc. has been active for 22 years, taking care of vaccines, neutering, and spaying.
The organization is always looking for people to adopt or foster bunnies to prevent them from being killed without reason.
Guardian’s Best Animal Rescue Foundation has been organizing these events since 2019. Cheung said they're committed to ensuring every animal deserves a better life.
