Anyone who has ever owned a pet knows what it is like to experience the unconditional love of an animal.
In return, the pet owner will do whatever is necessary for the well-being of this family member. Unfortunately for many people, their circumstances are such that they can’t afford the unexpected cost of a necessary treatment or procedure.
That is where the Farley Foundation, based on the name of the family dog in cartoonist Lynn Johnston’s series For Better or For Worse, can offer some assistance with the help of donors.
On Sunday the Airport Animal Hospital held a customer appreciation day and fundraiser for the Farley Foundation.
Veterinary technician, Tori Chatelaine, says the foundation has many uses.
“The money we get from the Farley Foundation can help our patients. The type of people that we are helping out are people who unfortunately can’t afford their vet bills. So it’s mainly targeting people who are seniors who don’t have an income apart from the government, people who have been injured at work who can’t work any more, and don’t have that job to support their kids, themselves, and their pets. And pets are not cheap,” said Chatelaine.
“This money can help those who are in a bad situation, and give them that choice to not have to put their pet down or give it away. We can actually help them keep their pet with them much longer.”
Pet owners wanting help, are required to fill out an application form to determine if they are eligible for financial assistance.
“It’s mainly anybody who is on a government type income. So seniors, people who are on WSIB, or disability, anything like that is important. We’ve had clients that have gotten injured at work, and we want to help them out.”
All the proceeds from the customer appreciation barbecue and raffle will be reinvested into the Farley Foundation.
“If we can do whatever we possibly can to help our patients, we will do it. This is our first time doing a big event like this and I’m really pleased by the response we received. We’re hoping for $3,000. That can be used up pretty quickly depending on the emergency.”
Donations are still being collected.
“We have a little jar that people can always put money in, so people can drop by and do that. October is actually Farley Foundation month, and we’ll have more things to raffle off during that month. The more people donate throughout the year, even if it’s just a little, all adds up,” said Chatelaine.
Airport Animal Hospital is located at the bottom of Airport Road in North Bay.
