Nycki Wannamaker of Fernie loves animals - it’s why she, along with Puneet Grewal came together to found Twin Meadows Animal Rescue.
Based in the Elk Valley, the registered non-profit charity was founded to help foster and home all sorts of animals in need of some love and care.
Wannamaker explained that she had always loved animals and had lived with them her whole life.
“They’re non-judgmental, they can’t talk to us with words so we have to be their advocates and make sure they are healthy and happy and safe,” said Wannamaker.
Twin Meadows was founded to fill a gap in resources available for animals in need of a home.
“The closest rescue to the Elk Valley is Cranbrook, (and) a lot of people found it was too detrimental to drive that far for a found or injured animal, or if they had an overwhelming litter it was too far to go so they were dumped,” said Wannamaker.
“So we needed something closer.”
Twin Meadows provides a place for those animals through a network of foster volunteers that Wannamaker and Grewal reach out to when they have an animal that needs somewhere to stay.
They work hard to ensure animals are matched with the right foster care so that animals receive the best care.
Animals are assigned to volunteer foster homes based on suitability, with Twin Meadows keeping a database on the dynamics of each home, including the size of the home, fenced yards and how many other animals are in the home.
With a database of 76 foster applications, Wannamaker and Grewal are able to match animals with the best fit. Over 30 animals have been helped since Twin Meadows was founded in March of this year.
Wannamaker said that for all the work, it was well worth it.
“Making the kids smile, saving an animal or placing a previously considered un-adoptable pet is a very big reward for me. Every life saved is rewarding.”
Recently Twin Meadows has been successful in finding homes for Stormy the cat, Missy the cat, Freedom the chihuahua,Skye the chihuahua Red the husky, Jojo the beagle, Ella the lab and Mabel and her six kittens.
A recent donation of $400 from local cannabis outlet Stick & Stone would go a long way in helping foster and home even more animals, said Wannamaker.
Running an operation like Twin Meadows Animal Rescue doesn’t come cheap - Twin Meadows is a non-profit, and they are always after resources to help in their operations. The recent search and successful capture of a wayward foster, Freckles the Saint Bernard cross, was estimated to have cost around $1,000.
To find out how you can donate to or help Twin Meadows Animal Rescue fulfill it’s goals of giving homes to vulnerable animals, contact Nycki and Puneet at twinmeadowsanimalrescue.com.
READ MORE: Freckles heads home after thoroughly exploring Fernie and surrounds
scott.tibballs@thefreepress.ca
Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter