VETS, VET TECHNICIANS & ASSISTANTS NEEDED We invite you to join us in helping the animals in need! Have you ever wanted to help make a difference in the lives of animals in under-privileged communities? Members of the Canadian Animal Assistance Team (CAAT) share a tremendous passion for the humane treatment and well being of all animals. We have been providing professional veterinary care to low income communities in need since 2005. In the past four years, our key focus area has been with First Nation communities on Vancouver Island and in North-western British Columbia as well as Inuit communities in Nunavut. We area making great strides in dog and cat overpopulation and disease issues. The communities that we have worked with have seen a significant reduction in the number of dos in need of re-homing, the number of litters of puppies and kittens born each year and are working toward local changes in how animal care issues are addressed. We are continuing to work in these areas but WE NEED YOUR HELP! We are in need of veterinarians, veterinary technicians, humane educators, and assistants, these projects are a major TEAM effort! As a member of one of our teams, you will have the hands-on opportunity to be personally involved in the welfare of the animals that are greatly in need of help in these communities. Please, join us now to help the countless animals and provide them with the treatment they need and deserve. The more volunteers we have to join us in our mission, the more animals we are able to help. To become a member, it is as easy as going to our website here and filling in a membership application form and sending in your $50 membership fee for a one year membership. As a member you will receive our announcements about upcoming projects and you can join us on one of our Animal Health Care Clinics. See the testimonials below from some of our current members. Get involved! You wont regret it! WHY WE DO WHAT WE DO Current members describe what it is like being a member of the Canadian Animal Assistance Team… Liz Bartlett, DVM “As a veterinarian that has been a team member on several CAAT projects, I am always excited for the next opportunity to go. My compassion for animals, veterinary education and skills developed through experience are used in a practical way to serve the needs of pets and people who are less privileged. This rewards me with feelings of gratitude, satisfaction and joy. Every trip brings new situations and experiences that are not part of daily practice in a veterinary hospital. Strong bonds are formed quickly between team members as they work together. It is encouraging to see improvement in the condition of the pets and in changed attitudes toward the care of pets when we return to communities multiple times. I would strongly encourage any veterinarian to become involved with CAAT.” Aliesha Timms Wilson, RVT “I think the best way to sum up my reason for volunteering my time is that it allows me to help animals who wouldnt otherwise receive the veterinary care that they need. It also gives me an opportunity to work with a wonderful set of Veterinarians, Animal Health Technologists and Assistants. It gives me a change from the normal routine of a Veterinary Hospital. We never know what to expect, but take the challenges as they come. I have made some really good friends through CAAT and hope to make more. “ Rob Spooner, DVM “I’ve had the pleasure of being on several CAAT projects over the past 5 years, and every one has been an incredible experience. The camaraderie that develops, even over a weekend, working with a dedicated team of volunteers is quite incredible, and always leaves me with a sense of accomplishment and renewed dedication to my profession when a project has finished. “ Darci Burtch, RVT “Taking the skills that I have learnt in my professional career and applying them to a volunteer organization that has the same goals as myself is a great feeling. Just knowing that I am able to make a difference in the lives of people and their pets who would otherwise have no other option is so meaningful.” Graeme Linton, DVM “Great teams of people all working to the same goal. Grateful, generous people who are generally happy for everything we do and there is nothing more satisfying than re visiting a community and seeing the same happy and healthy pets a year or two later.” Shari Eng, assistant “Ive been involved with CAAT for many years now and just came back from my first project. Being a CAAT member has helped me grow on so many levels. Nothing else can replace the reward you get from doing work that matters.” Cori Stephens, DVM “Being a part of a CAAT project is a way for me to give back to the communities in and around my area. I have yet to participate on an out of province project but look forward to having the time to go on one. I love the team approach of the CAAT projects and the fact that I just get to do surgery all day surrounded by a great animal health team. I have been in mixed practice for 9 years and not a project goes by where I don’t learn something new. I also get to meet new people, experience new cultures, and continue to be amazed by the important role companion animals play in our lives.” A LETTER OF THANKS Planted by Valerie Ingram and Alistair Schroff to honour CAATs work over the last 4 years This past June, our team finished our fourth and final Annual Animal Health Care Clinic in Burns Lake, British Columbia. Valerie Ingram and Alistair Schroff, founders of the local Lakes Animal Friendship Society, were instrumental in bringing CAAT to Burns Lake. They also provided constant, reliable support for our team and for local volunteers every year. The following is a letter of thanks from Valerie and Alistair for all the CAAT members that have contributed and for all the donors, sponsors, and supporters throughout our four years of work in this North-western British Columbia village. “We want to express our sincere gratitude to the Canadian Animal Assistance Team for partnering with us over the past four years to improve animal health and welfare in Burns Lake and across Northwest BC. Your teams have spayed and neutered close to 600 cats and dogs in Burns Lake alone, health checked, vaccinated and dewormed many more. You have brought top-notch veterinary care to lower-income families and shown them how important veterinary care is for their beloved animals! The work of the Canadian Animal Assistance Team has been instrumental in helping us reach achievements such as: Significant decrease in animal related bylaw complaints in the Village of Burns Lake 75% decrease in impoundment numbers at the Village of Burns Lake pound (comparing average annual impoundments after the clinics began in 2011 to the prior five-year average) Savings of close to $9000 annually ($36 000 so far!) for the animal control budget in the Village of Burns Lake (a combination of reduced impoundment costs and spay/neuter costs for unclaimed animals) 56% decrease in surrenders from our area to the Turtle Gardens Animal Shelter in Topley, our nearest dog shelter Significant improvements in animal care, as noted anecdotally by the veterinary team and volunteers at the Community Animal Care Events These improvements have been maintained even as we have reduced the number of clinic days in the past two years. We did not have to turn anyone away from this year’s clinic, so are very confident that CAAT has helped us move out of “crisis mode” to where we hope to create ongoing local programs to maintain the population. CAAT shares our belief that education is a huge part of making life better for animals, their families and our communities. We look forward to continuing to work with the CAAT education group to make great education resources for host communities – resources that can be used before, during and after an animal care event and supplement the tremendous education that occurs at the clinic. The teams you have sent to Burns Lake have done a great job of educating the public, and have been wonderful role models and ambassadors for the veterinary profession! We simply cannot thank CAAT enough for all that has been achieved. We look forward to working with CAAT as the community animal care events are brought to more communities across Northwest BC. In addition to helping those communities, you will be helping Burns Lake by reducing the flow of animals from overpopulated areas.” As we left Burns Lake we said our goodbyes with mixed emotions. Over the four years, dozens of CAAT members participated in these projects. We all met the local people and their pets, helped provide the services that were so greatly needed, and we all became very invested in making a difference. We leave with a feeling of accomplishment and pride in making such a difference in the lives of the animals and the people of this community. We also leave with a feeling of sadness at having to say goodbye to the new friends we have made, both human and furry. Thank you to Valerie, Alistair, the Burns Lake Veterinary Hospital team, all the CAAT members that have participated over the years and all the local volunteers who worked hard to make these clinics a reality each year! You have made a difference in animal welfare in Burns Lake for years to come. WHATS IT LIKE, BEING PART OF CAAT? by Angela Watt, RVT To define any experience is a very hard thing to do. To define a CAAT experience is to tell you it changed my life. My first CAAT project was in Baker Lake, Nunavut. Who willingly chooses to spend their summer vacation going to a remote Northern community to work? There were many people who asked me exactly that. My answer, CAAT team members. I will also add that when one project finishes, we cant wait to find out when the next one will start. I went back to Nunavut three years in a row! On my last project I joined the team heading to Grand Turk Island (a project where CAAT was assisting the Turks & Caicos SPCA to provide veterinary services on the island that has none). I went from a project in the far North, to one in the far South. This experience gave me a chance to see how a project can benefit a completely different community. I had no idea what to expect; my only experiences with CAAT had been helping the same sled dog community for three years. I figured that with the hot weather, different people, and different dogs the island community of Grand Turk was bound to be completely different. I was wrong. Working as a CAAT team member in any community brings a very similar experience. You have been brought to that community because people care about their pets and cannot access veterinary care. For most, their pets are a part of the community, part of their life, and part of their family. The love and appreciation is a universal thing. People shed tears when their pets are sick, they give smiles and hugs of appreciation when you offer your help, and they make you part of the community as a way to say thank you. It doesnt matter where you go. CAAT is an organization that allows techs, vets, assistants, animal lovers in general, to share their knowledge and talents with communities and people that are in desperately in need of our help. We take for granted so many things in life, from something as simple as running water, to knowing that if our pet gets sick we have somewhere to go. Being able to offer my knowledge and experience to someone in need gives me the most incredible feeling. By giving a moment of time in my life, I am able to change someone elses life in an amazing way. And in turn, without even knowing it, they change mine. Each experience with CAAT, even when I dont leave the province, gives me a new outlook on life. Being part of a CAAT team is like joining a second family. You work together, you eat meals together, you share stories, you explore new places of the world, you laugh, you cry, you never forget who these people are. My regular job is in surgery and anesthesia, as a registered veterinary technician. I have gone from a referral practice, with all the bells and whistles, to practicing field medicine with a stethoscope; and the only thing that disappoints me is when I have to get on the plane to go home. CAAT changed my life. Being a team member has given me a greater outlook on life. If you had asked me about planning my vacation time four years ago, my answer would be very different than it is today. CAAT has given me a bigger smile, a bigger family (in more ways than one), and I couldnt be more thankful. Thank you CAAT! VANCOUVER ISLAND PROJECT COORDINATOR
Posted on: Wed, 27 Aug 2014 23:26:56 +0000
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