LEASH Dogs Arrive in Vancouver

Five new B.C. foster parents spent the first full day with the newest four-legged additions to their families, all of the animals rescue dogs from Thailand.

The dogs were rescued from the illegal meat trade in the Asian country, their new lives here made possible by two non-profit groups – Soi Dog Foundation and Vancouver-based LEASH Animal Welfare Society.

“These guys came from horrible conditions where they were bound into cages, loaded onto large trucks and headed towards a border,” said Cassi MacDonald, a LEASH Animal Welfare Society Team Member.

This is the first time the organizations have worked together on an operation such as this and they say it’s gone even better than they could have imagined.

“It feels surreal for it to actually be happening right now,” said Melissa Schauermann with LEASH. “We’ve been talking about it and seeing the pictures and seeing them here and actually physically here is just amazing.”

Dogs settling in to life in B.C.

The dogs are now in their foster homes, spread out across the lower mainland.

Even though she’s a little timid, nine month old ‘Cherry’ is settling in to life with her loving foster parents.

“She’s been gone and flying and the journey has been long for her, so she’ll come around. In a few days I’m sure she’ll be just fine,” said Deanna Desjarlais. She and her husband will be taking care of ‘Cherry’ until she’s ready to be adopted.

LEASH has been rescuing dogs from other provinces and even south of the border since around 2008, but the story of these dogs is a special one. There’s already a line of people wanting to adopt them.

“Even though some might be timid, some might be unsure of the new environment, I think people are so compassionate here in BC that they’re gonna want to work with a dog like that regardless and bring them into their home,” said Christina Hamfelt, the organization’s volunteer adoption coordinator.

Once the dogs are ready to be adopted out, the information will be posted on LEASH’s website.