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

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

Barbi Lazarus
Rescue Coordinator
Believe it or not, Barbi grew up petrified of dogs and didn’t share her life with any pets until high school, when her family brought a dog named Heidi and a cat named Kitty Woo into their lives. Although fearful of dogs, she always had a love for animals; even though she wouldn’t go near a dog, she was still fascinated enough to begin doing class projects about them as early as grade three! Her dedication to the well being of animals extends far beyond companion animals, as Barbi has been a vegan for over ten years, and currently works as a Donor and Volunteer Resources Coordinator for the Toronto Vegetarian Association. She was active in the fight to stop the Markham Rodeo, and has sat on Markham’s Animal Care Committee.

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.

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

Maise thanks Rose for rescuing her from Katrina and finding her a new forever home

We now all know the terrible devastation that Hurricane Katrina brought in 2005. The loss of both human and animal life was very tragic. I was honoured to be able to assist in the rescue effort with the dog rescue campaign at the Best Friends Animal Society Camp in Mississippi and brought 5 dogs home with me to be adopted. In total 18 puppies and 3 adults came into my home from Katrina and were adopted out to wonderful families.

I am passionate in my desire to help our four legged friends and have made wonderful connections over the years aiding me in raising awareness, funds and donations. I will continue in my passion towards the ultimate goal "no more homeless pets ".

Pawsitively Christmas is an event that I started in 2006 to raise funds and promote awareness of pet rescue It's my special baby and it's growing every year.

Linda Collier and I are great friends and work well together, we are constantly trying to find ways to help us raise ever needed funds. If you have an idea, no matter how small, how silly it may seem, please do not hesitate to drop us a line.....we like to run with best of them.

I want to thank all of the rescues and volunteers that are part of HHP for welcoming me into this amazing group of people