When the Animal Rescue Foundation takes in a litter of puppies or kittens, one of the first volunteers to get a call is Beth Honeychurch.
Honeychurch started volunteering with ARF ten years ago and has looked after more than 400 animals.
“The thing about dogs and cats is they have such a big capacity to love and they're just such excellent companions. So the animals play a really large part in what inspires me. But the other thing that inspires me is the whole rescue community in Calgary. It's a really large, vibrant group,” said Honeychurch.
She prepares the puppies and kittens for foster homes where they will be made ready for adoptive homes.
Rachael Barrett is with ARF and says Honeychurch’s contribution to the welfare of the animals is enormous.
“It's a lot of work even to just have one puppy and give them the time commitment and you know make sure that they're gonna grow up to be a wonderful companion animal for someone, let alone 400. She's put just an enormous amount of time, effort and resources into all of them,” said Barrett.
Honeychurch also devotes a lot of time to educating people about animal rescue and says social media is a big help.
“There’s over 3000 people that like our Facebook, it's very popular. I go into a lot of schools and talk with the kids there and many, many have heard of rescue organizations, many have heard of ARF,” said Honeychurch.
Barrett and Honeychurch are both inspired by the way people stepped up with assistance after the June floods.
“Calgary and surrounding area have been absolutely fantastic. I got lots of calls, even from outside the province, from B.C. and Ontario, people offering to purchase plane tickets to come down and give us a hand,” said Barrett.
For donating her time and her home to care for hundreds of dogs and cats that couldn't fend for themselves, Beth Honeychurch is our inspiring Albertan this week.
For more information, visit the Animal Rescue Foundation website.
(With files from Darrel Janz)
