Tessa and Ashley Lee grew up on a farm near Whitecourt, Alta. and always had animals around. When they took their pets to the veterinary clinic, they noticed a huge population of stray cats and dogs being housed at the clinic waiting for adoption.
“In the area around Whitecourt, there isn’t a Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals like in Edmonton, so the vet clinic has to take them,” says Ashley. “They don’t have a lot of space and because of that, the animals had to be euthanized.”
The girls started to foster some of the pets at their home and soon, they set up the Whitecourt Homeless Animal Rescue Foundation to help more of the animals find foster homes.
“We don’t have a facility. We run strictly out of foster homes,” says Ashley. “We like running foster homes better because the animals get accustomed to living in a home. It’s better than living in a kennel.” The foster pet parents are all volunteers who take care of the pet until adoption.
