Doggy bag program aims to help low-income Newmarket pet parents – NewmarketToday.ca

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Local animal rescue Don't Furry, Be Happy aims to help low-income pet parents in Newmarket with the upcoming launch of its doggy bag program. 
The animal rescue founded by Donia Heider more than a year ago operates on a foster model, with cats, dogs, rabbits and other small animals available for adoption.
She said through their work, whether it's people surrendering pets, reaching out for help, or even potential adopters, they have found there are many people who have an animal but are unable to afford basic supplies or costs associated with it. 
"It's such a shame when someone surrenders their animal because, you know, they fall on hard times or they can't afford to care for them anymore. And that obviously causes a lot of trauma and stress for the animal that's leaving their family," Heider said. 
Don't Furry, Be Happy wanted to help people before it gets to that point, so it has created the doggy bag program, launching on Feb. 1. 
"I think that [animals] can be really good companions during a hard time like that. So we're hoping with this program that we kind of, take that off the shoulders and obviously our goal is to help animals in general. So this is another way of doing that," Heider said. 
Dog owners in the Newmarket area will be able to fill-out an online order form requesting items such as dog food, treats, toys, and shampoo in a monthly bag. You can also request to receive a one-time item such as a leash, collar, dog bed or certain grooming items. 
Once the order is received the bags will be put together and pet owners can arrange to pick them up in Newmarket. 
This is a win-win as Heider said the animal rescue regularly receives donations of dog food and other items and isn't able to use it all before it expires, so this program will help it reduce waste by giving out some of these items to others in need. 
On the other side of it, she said community members who want to support this program can donate pet supplies through the animal rescue. Already, there have been donations coming in after people heard about the program on social media. 
"It has definitely boosted of the donations because people see where they're going," Heider said. 
You can learn more about donating to Don't Furry, Be Happy online. 
About the Author: Elizabeth Keith
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