We created HHP because we believe that by working together we can accomplish so much more.  We encourage you to join our team. 

If you like to help us in any way, please contact us and let us know what you would like to help with.  Just email us at volunteers@helpinghomelesspets.com

Rob transports Sweetie to her foster home.

Rob’s interest in animals was evident almost right from the start, growing up in a family that could never say no, when an animal needed help.  He was fortunate enough to experience, first hand, that many wonderful pets can be adopted from a shelter.

Fast forward to 2002 and Rob’s family brought home their first dog Milo, a miniature dachshund.  A love for the breed soon followed and Rob began agility training and joined Canadian Dachshund Rescue as a volunteer to help rescue dachshunds.  Layla, a miniature Chocolate Dapple Dachshund, was adopted from rescue and found her forever home.

Rob, Milo and Layla now compete in agility and also volunteer as Pet Therapy dogs at a senior’s home in their hometown of Markham, Ontario.  They have made a number of TV appearances including TVO Kids, Breakfast TV, Animal House Calls and The Surreal Gourmet. Milo is the first miniature dachshund to earn his Starters Agility and Starters Game Agility titles from the Agility Association of Canada. In November 2006, Rob and Milo were pleased to be invited to join and perform with the International Superdogs Performance Team.

Margaret comforts Michael, a puppy mill survivor

There has always been a pet in Margaret’s life since early childhood.  She has had the privilege of sharing her life with a standard dachshund, a chatty budgie, goldfish, a turtle, a cat and 3 wonderful golden retrievers.  She has come full circle to her dachshund “roots” and is currently owned by 3 miniature dachshunds (all rescue adoptions – 2 from shelters where they were scheduled to be euthanized). 

Rescue is Margaret’s passion.  During her 4 years in Montreal, she was a foster home for the Quebec Golden Retriever Rescue and is a foster mom, here in Ontario, for a small breed dog rescue.  Margaret and her special needs dachshund, Heidi, also make it their mission to educate pet owners and the public about the wonderful lives that pets with disabilities can lead.  Margaret adopted Heidi after she had been found semi-paralyzed from a back injury; Heidi has a doggie wheelchair to help her get around.  Margaret is also an emergency volunteer responder with United Animal Nations, helping animals during natural disasters or large criminal animal seizures.

Accounting is Margaret’s profession, animals are her passion and it is her privilege to combine both at Helping Homeless Pets to assist all the member rescues in their ceaseless work to further the well-being of so many deserving animals.

Click here for Margaret's Blog - Dachshund Tails, life with 3 special dachshunds

Linda shows off her "Wienermeister Chair". A special creation by Shannon Darch

Barbi and Kitty Woo, the day they found her abandoned at the side of a road along the Bruce Trail.

Barbi recently adopted two beautiful rescued cats, Booker and Nala. She looks forward to working with Helping Homeless Pets to improve the lives of all pets.

While her children were still very young, Angela 'negotiated' with them for their 'approval' for her to go away to teacher's college. The deal was, when mom finished school, the family would get a puppy. That is how Copper came into their lives. A Plott hound/Beagle mix, Copper is every bit as challenging as a hound dog can be. Lead by her nose, governed by hedonism, and too clever for her own good, Copper has helped Angela become a better educator, and a master in classroom management. After all, if Angela could train and teach Copper to be a (somewhat) good girl, then she could do anything.

Some years later the family decided to foster dogs for the Northern Ontario Animal Welfare Society. Copper wasn't too thrilled when Buster moved in, hid in Angela's room for 3 days. In no time at all Copper learned how to share her family with foster dogs. Next came Zoey, a sweet gentle soul. Zoey became family dog number 2. Someone wasn't very nice to Zoey before she came to live with the family. It has taken time but Zoey has learned to trust, to play, and just be a dog. Now with 2 dogs, the family continues to foster for rescues in their area.

In the winter of 2011, Angela founded a facebook group, Northern Ontario Furry Friends. The purpose of the group was to bring together community resources, primarily those involved in rescue with a sound knowledge of animals, with pet owners who had questions and concerns. It has become a wonderful community of people who support each other, pool knowledge and resources, saved more than one animal from off the street, and has been a stepping stone for some to become involved in rescue. Northern Ontario is a large region, with communities and services spread far apart. This group has helped to bridge that distance.