Sit With Me is an all breed rescue based in the Ottawa/ Gatineau area. We don't discriminate on breed, colour, age, sex, or medical need. We are mandated to help dogs in local area shelters find forever homes. We are completely run by volunteers and funded by donations.
We have been hit hard with lots of big medicals lately. If we don't manage to pay off our vet bills we will be forced to close intakes. Sit With Me cares for many deserving dogs. These are some of their stories...
Thea and Tater Tots are two young and beautiful lab/shepherd mixes. They came from deplorable conditions where some of the dogs on site were found with their mouths taped and tied shut and others were skin and bones! To say that they were neglected is an understatement. The dogs were finally surrendered to the SPCA where their paths back to health began. Many of these dogs are finding homes through the shelter but these 2 pups needed rescue. Thea needs dental surgery and poor Tater Tots needs some manners work as he is just too excited when he gets any kind of attention. Thankfully, we were able to help these pups out this time around, but our fear is that we will soon need to stop intake due to increasing vet bills.
You see, we recently took in a middle aged boy named Ben. Ben is an awesome guy who came to us from a caring Ontario shelter. He was at the shelter for months with little to no attention and his arthritis was making life in the shelter difficult. We felt horrible for Ben so we made arrangements for him to come into care so he could say goodbye to concrete floors and hello to comfy beds and tons of cuddles! Soon after coming into care we decided to get him checked out by a specialist and low and behold, Ben needs knee repair surgery on BOTH of his knees. The surgeries will cost over $5000. What could we do? This poor guy has been amazing and if anyone deserves a great life, Ben is definitely at the top of the list. He has years ahead of him. Despite knowing we would face some financial struggles, we decided to choose life for this guy. His first surgery is complete and he is recovering and awaiting the next one!
In January we took in Naboo and her beautiful litter. The pups have grown up and soon the entire family will find it's way to a breed friendly rescue and province. Already 6 of the pups are in their forever homes and mom and the remainder pups will by flying out soon. Without community support through donations, their story would have ended way too soon.
Gus is the best beagle around. His heart though is not the best. This means to live, he needs monthly medication. He was abandoned at the shelter and due to his health and his breed, he needed rescue immediately. We feel so lucky to have this gentle boy in our care.
Cara is just a pup. She is loving and kissy and waggy tailed but she suffers unfairly from a completely treatable condition. Cara has demodex mange and because it was left so long now she has a longer recovery due to secondary infections. Thankfully we had a foster waiting and ready.
Brigid is a 4 month baby lab mix. She has puppy strangles and her eyes are very weepy. She hated the kennel life and needed a loving foster home where she could recover and play til her heart's content. Well, her heart is content now that she has a foster family of her own.
Rey is the happiest dog you will ever meet. But, she too, has a struggle that she has lived with her whole life. Rey is an extreme allergy dog. Her foster family is working overtime in trying to (very carefully) find a diet that will help this girl live in comfort. So far, for the first time in a long while, Rey has hair growth all along her back!
Nori is a beautiful 5 year old husky mix. She is loving and thoughtful and we know she too has had a hard life. She was likely hit by a car or suffered some sort of blunt force trauma before coming into our lives, which meant her bones did not heal well. She needed corrective surgery to repair her injuries. She had her surgery and made a great recovery; she had just gone up for adoption! Recently, Nori took an awkward fall and fractured her leg. Now the poor girl is at the emergency vet and will be having surgery in the morning. We want this girl's life to find her forever family but unfortunately that has been put on hold.
Momma Delilah's story is also heartbreaking. She needed to be shaved down when she arrived at the shelter due to a flea infestation and poor coat condition too. She had little sores that needed to be cleaned up. But forget about her physical health. This poor girl was so scared and starved for affection. She could only crawl out of her kennel, with her belly to the ground, as she walked to freedom and into our foster care program...
These are just a few dogs we have in our care right now, that had we had to close our intake, they would not have made it out of the shelter. As a rescue, we hate asking for donations. But at the end of the day, because we focus on the dogs that will not make it to the adoption floor of the local shelters, that means we often end up with the broken dogs, sometimes in spirit and often in body. Our vet bills are huge, and we need the community support so much. Without it dogs like Thea, Tater Tots, Ben, Gus, Cara, Brigid, Nori, Momma Delilah and so many others would have ended their journeys in the shelter - no one else was coming for them.
If you can skip a few coffees or teas or hot cocoas and donate even a few dollars, that will make such a difference. We care too much about the dogs who will soon be in need at local shelters to not ask for your help. We know you all give so much already. <3
