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Save Our Scruff
Save Our Scruff is a non-profit organization founded by Laura Bye in 2014. As a registered charity, the organization is based in Toronto, Canada, works to locate dogs from all over the world who are living in various circumstances that need to be rescued and rehomed. Their main goal is to diminish dog overpopulation and homelessness across the world. The organization brings in dogs of all size, ages, and breeds, while working alongside volunteers, foster homes, trainers, and veterinarians as they provide care and rehabilitation to the animals as they see fit.

History
Save Our Scruff was developed and created by Laura Bye in 2014 after a personal struggle to find meaning in her life. Bye found an advertisement for a fostering opportunity on Kijiji which fit the void that she was looking for. Fostering animals to prepare them for adoption allows the animals to get used to human interaction with minimal commitment. Bye found and fostered a pair of Chihuahuas that proved to be difficult. This exposure to animals in need of rescuing and a new home resulted in Bye taking the time to learn about the fostering, adoption, and rehoming process. This ultimately lead to the development of the organization “Save Our Scruff” a Canadian registered charity.

The organization was developed alone by Laura Bye, and reaches out all over the world to homeless dogs. The organization is active internationally and will bring dogs back to Canada, running them through the same process in order to get them ready for adoption. If there are no opportunities to rescue and rehome Bye likes to work to open up spay and neuter clinics where they can to help with the overpopulation that occurs.

Overpopulation: Spay and Neuter Clinics
The main reason why veterinarians and animal rescue organizations suggest that pet owners spay and neuter their animals is to reduce overpopulation that happens within the animal population.

The spay and neuter process happens through a surgical procedure that takes place at the hands of a certified veterinarian. The spay and neuter processes are different as one (spay) is tailored to female animals, and the other (neuter) is tailored to male animals. The procedures are done when the animal is under general anesthesia, and antibiotics are often prescribed by the veterinarian as preventative measures.

The spay process that is done to female animals is when the entire reproductive system, uterus and ovaries, are removed.

The neuter process that is done to male animals is when the testicles are removed.

There are other locations around, specifically in Ontario, Canada where you can bring animals to get neutered and spayed. The Ontario Society for the Prevention and Cruelty of Animals (OSPCA) and Humane Society work with The College of Veterinarians of Ontario (CVO).

Save Our Scuff contributes to the spay and neuter movement by producing fundraising campaigns that aim to open spay and neuter pop-up locations that offer the service to those who would like to bring their animal in, but cannot bring them to a vet. These clinics works worldwide alongside the organization, and they recruit volunteers to travel alongside the organization to help with the intake of animals and the functionality of the clinic. The organizations also work’s off of monetary donations, and well as supply donations that ensure that the animals that are brought in are able to be taken care of.

The founder Laura Bye is an advocate for spaying and neutering animals even if the organization cannot rescue them.

Benefits
The benefits of spaying or neutering your pet apply to the animal, the community, and the owner.

Benefits for your pet include the reduction or health issues that animals can experience in their life time, eliminates the possibility of cancer of the reproductive organs (ovarian/uterine cancer in females, and testicular cancer in males), overall eliminating the risk of difficult and expensive reproductive medical emergencies that can happen if the organs are left inside of the animal.

Benefits for the community include the prevention of unwanted animals, stray and or homeless animals wandering onto properties, stray animals harming animals and wildlife they come in contact with, the and the anger and fear that can be produced when they come into contact with humans that do not understand their behaviour.

Benefits for the animal owner include having a more affectionate animal, unwanted behaviours (digging, fighting, etc) are not very likely to be present as most animals will do these actions to try and fine a mate, elimination of the heat cycle and the desire for your animal to travel outside to find a mate, and often the elimination of biting from the animal.

Toronto Animal Services
Toronto Animal Services (TAS) works with the community in trying to decrease the number of homeless and abandoned animals. Toronto Animal Services also deals with intake/impoundments, live animal outcome, animal placement, and euthanasia.

In 2014 TAS took in 2,700 dogs, including 1,605 strays, 793 surrendered animals, as well as 7,939 cats. Out of those numbers combined in 2014, 592 were adopted.

Shelters
Currently, Toronto Animal Services have three locations across Toronto, in the North, West, and East. The shelter locations remain open seven days a week with hours from 10:30am to 6:30pm and only close on statutory holidays, Remembrance Day, and Easter Monday.

Toronto Animal Services also provide shelters for animals that are brought in to their various locations where they are able to provide licensing services, take in surrendered and homeless animals, run a lost and found program, adoption programs, vaccinations and microchipping services, spay and neuter services, and volunteer and donation program.

Save Our Scruff visits animal shelters across the world, and will bring animals back to Canada who they find within them or on the streets and they are able to provide the care they need. The rescuing on animals helps control the population of animals that end up on the street as these animals are placed in foster homes where they await their adoption.

Toronto Animal Services Euthanasia Policy
TAS will closely assess all of the animals that they obtain. Euthanasia happens after the animal has been brought back by the TSA and a veterinarian has determined that the animal needs to be euthanatized. TAS most commonly euthanatizes to end the life of an animal who is critically ill or injured. Another reason is when a stray comes into TAS possession and they cannot find an owner, and if they never do and it is humane they will euthanize them.

Toronto Animal Services have three categories in which they place dogs and cats:
 * Healthy: eight weeks or older and no sign on disease, injury, or behaviour that is a risk making them un-adoptable
 * Treatable: not healthy, but have the opportunity to improve given the proper treatment they desire
 * Manageable: not healthy, and are not likely to reach the clear status, but can still maintain a good quality of life with constant care

Unhealthy or untreatable dogs and cats are ones that are suffering from a behavioural issue that is seen as a heath issue and a risk causing them to become untreatable regardless of the care they could receive. Animals are also considered unhealthy or untreatable is they are living with a disease or other injury that cannot be cured or saved with proper care.

For the euthanasia process, TAS uses the method of injecting the animal with a mix of different medications and sedates. The two-step process happens when the first injection containing the medication and sedates is injected intermuscular into the animal, and the second injection containing other medication shuts down the animal’s systems. This whole process takes anywhere from two to five minutes.

TAS also works with the Toronto Humane Society, a no-kill shelter, who’s euthanasia rate is 5.16%. in 2015 Toronto Humane Society had euthanized 14 dogs, 143 cats, and 30 other species.

A 2015 study shows that adoption rates increased while euthanasia rates decreased. This included the number of homeless animals that showed up in animal shelters Canada wide. The animals that show up in these shelters often do not leave unless they have been spayed or neutered. This policy remains the same within Save Our Scruff, animals are spayed or neutered in order to attempt to control animal homelessness.

Fostering
When fostering an animal, the individual is agreeing to take in an animal from a rescue organization and provide them with the care they need. The length that an animal is fostered is either a set amount of time with an agreement between the individual and the organization, or until the animal is adopted. Animals may need a foster home for a variety of reasons:
 * There is no physical shelter for the animal to be placed in and therefore need to be placed at an outside location until homes are found – they have run out of room for animals that can be adopted
 * The animal is recovering from and illness or a procedure and it is not safe for them to be placed in a shelter
 * The animal is far too young to be mixed in with other animals
 * The animal has no home experience. Here they will be socialized with humans and possibly other animals making them more adoptable

Fostering a dog allows for a free spot to become available within the shelters and rescues allowing for more animals to have the opportunity to be rescued, socializing the animals, and preparing the animals for a home life that they may not be used too.

Save Our Scruff works with dedicated volunteers that agree to foster animals that come into their hands. Fostering works best for individuals that have issues with commitment and the fostering process ensures that one way or another the animal is adopted.

Foster Fail
A foster fail is when the fostering of an animal fails. This means that the individual that has already agreed to foster the animal has taken a liking to the animal and chooses to take them in and adopt them themselves. “Foster fails” are not planned, and likely catch individuals and organizations by surprised. Organizations encourage “foster fails” as it allows them to rescue more animals and place them in more homes.

Adoption
Save Our Scruff proposes an informative adoption process for every dog that passes through them. As all of the dogs are rescued from their homes and brought to Canada, they ensure that they are in good health before being put up for adoption. Once back Save Our Scruff places the dogs in foster homes where they remain until they are adopted. Every dog that passes through Save Our Scruff, if not done already is spayed or neutered to prevent any further homeless dogs.

The adoption process begins with the adoption application, where the applicant is asked to answer a wide variety of questions in order to help the organization determine if the dog is going to be an appropriate fit for your family and lifestyle. The application includes details about the applicant’s home life, their previous pet history, and aspects of their career life explaining how much time they spend at home and at work. Working with the adoption applications that they receive allows the organization to ensure that all the animals that they have are matched with families that will allow the animal to thrive in the environment and have the highest possible success rate.

The organization is only able to complete adoptions that happen within the province.

Lost Dog Prevention
Animals escaping homes and making their way into the streets is how the dog homelessness and dog overpopulation continues to grow. Animals can run away on their own, or sometimes taken from the home or while the owner and animal are in the public domain. If the animal is found often there are turned into the local animal shelter where attempt to contact the owner are made.

Save Our Scruff has a dedicated section of their organization that helps dog owners to keep track of their dogs. Some of the topics covered include :
 * General safety tips
 * Vehicle tips
 * Park safety
 * Equipment safety
 * Reasons that dogs may take off are a big part of ensuring your animal does not escape

Lost Dogs in Canada
Animals that are lost and found can be published on a website where the work with associations, pounds, town halls, and stations who help owners reunite with their dog.

Canadian Federation of Humane Societies
The Canadian Federation of Humane Societies (CFHS) work with the animal shelters across Canada that take in and work with the animals and provide the care that they need. Working together with human societies and animal shelters across Canada allows the Federation to monitor and contribute to a humane animal population.

The Federation is run strictly on donations from the community, receiving no Government funding.

Annual Reports
The CFHS publishes annual reports showcasing that work that human societies have done over the calendar year.

Reports are sent to a variety of animal and humane shelters where they are asked to be sent back, and the data is compiled giving the CFHS a more accurate description of how animal homelessness is represented within Canada. In 2015 these reports showed that fewer animals are being euthanatized within these shelters. The reports also showed that cats were treated differently than dogs were within the shelters. More owners have put time into taking their dogs to the veterinarian, being microchipped, and being collared making them easier to identify if they were to get lost.

Multiple reports are posted on the CFHS website, where the years are compared to see the improvement or decline in the animal and humane shelters. The data coming from within the shelters are specific to how many animals have made their way through the shelter, how many animals they have had to provide critical care to, and any other aspects that shelters have had to provide the animals in order for them to become a healthy adoption.

Among these reports include financial auditing that the CFHS have experienced.

Save Our Scruff Celebrity Connections
Celebrities and well-known events and organizations have featured Save Our Scruff and included them in their festivities.

A 2015 events included the app-based taxi service Uber, and the use of their services to deliver puppies to users who requested them. The event meant that users would request the driver to deliver a puppy for a 15-minute time period in order to help raise awareness for animal shelters and the animals that they bring in. The users would pay an additional fee which was donated to the rescue organizations including Save Our Scruff. The puppies that were delivered were all animals that were eligible for adoption.

Local GTA business’ have dedicated their time and advertising to help Save Our Scruff promote themselves and get the word out about dog rescues and rehome. Brunners Baksehop located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, promoted Save Our Scruff in April of 2016 as they have adopted a Save Our Scruf dog themselves. During that month, the business donated $2 CAD from every raspberry cupcake they sold to Save Our Scruff.

The organization has been mentioned in the past during interviews done with various celebrities who have either done work with the organization, or have adopted an animal from them. In October of 2016 Adam van Koeverden was interviewed following his retirement from kayaking, and his final Olympic appearance. The interview includes him discussing his life post-Olympic, and what his life has to offer now. The athlete has adopted a dog from Save Our Scruff who was from Egypt. The adoption was publicised on the athlete’s social media.

The organization is also well known to actress Hayley Atwell, who mentions the organization as a favorite local spot in an article published by The Star in October of 2016. The actress at the time was an active foster home with the organization helping the organization move one step closer to the adoption of the dogs.

In a blog post published in July of 2016, a floral designer of Wild North Flowers Katie Jordan featured Save Our Scruff at the end of their post promotion their organization, and contributed by donating 2% of their monthly sales to Save Our Scruff as they have personal connections with them.

Events
Save Our Scruff works within themselves and other organizations to establish events that either bring the dog loving community together, or to showcase the dogs that they have available hoping a family will be able to either foster or rescue them. The events are usually held at locations around the GTA where the community can register to attend or drop in.

The 2017 Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) had a section where Save Our Scruff brought in animals for the festival goers to meet and greet before, in between, and after showings. The drop-in event brought awareness to the importance and significance that dog rescue and rehome organizations have in a community.

If a business or organization does not currently have an event with Save Our Scruff they can apply through their website detailing what type of event that they would like to host. Currently there are three types of events that can be held with the organization :
 * Community event: a community event/partnership includes adoptions events, fundraisers, and corporate events
 * Individual events: more about raising money for the organizations, individual events do not find homes for the dogs, but they gather the money and put it towards items or services that Save Our Scruff proposes interest in
 * Community engagement: meeting others in the dog community and discussing topics that interest the individual and about what others are doing to help the organization