Events

-Canada Day at the Movies -Enjoy a Private Screening on Canada Day of The Twilight Saga: Eclipse or Toy Story 3 on July 1st - Be one of the first to enjoy a private screening of The Twilight Saga: Eclipse or kick back and laugh with Toy Story 3. Both movies will start at 10:00 am at the Empire Theatre located at 10909 Yonge Street in Richmond Hill. Doors open at 9:30 am. Ticket prices are $20.00 each which includes the cost of admission, one regular drink & one regular popcorn. 

- Calling all children aged 6 to 13! ANML-RESQ is holding a contest 'How has a Rescued Pet Changed Your Life? The winner will receive a $25.00 gift certificate to Chapters.

• There are 2 age groups for the contest: 6-8 and 9-13.

• We want to hear your story about how a rescued pet has changed your life.

• Your pet could be: a dog, cat, hamster, guinea pig, rabbit, budgie, horse, calf, lamb, whatever you would like to write about.

• Please tell us your story in at least 40 words or more.

• You can have your parents help you with your story.

• The winner and runners up in each age group will have their stories published on our web site. 

Rules:  The contest is open to all children between the ages 6 to 13 years of age. The contest begins October 15^th, 2009 and closes December 1^st, 2009. You can submit your entries by email in a word document or just in the email. When submitting your story, please state your age and name. Please submit your stories to: anmlresq@hotmail.com. You can also submit via snail mail to: ANML-RESQ, Box 535, Wiarton, ON N0H 2T0. Once your story has been submitted, it becomes the property of ANML-RESQ. If there are any questions or more information is needed, please send an email to anmlresq@hotmail.com.

- July 18th - Varney Ontario - Best Fundraiser of the Summer.  Bill Murdoch and Larry Miller will be in attendance. ANML-RESQ will be at the Aquacan Garden Centre Home of the biggest Muskoka Chair in Ontario [The chair that was featured in the Molson’s beer ad]. Event July 18th From 10am - 5pm. The Aquacan Garden Centre is having their grand opening and Molsons will be there with swag. There will also be a BBQ draw, face painting, hamburgers/hot dogs, bake sale table, activities for kids and much more. The Mount Forest Firework Festival will be in full swing that weekend - make a day of it! Come out and support a great cause!

- The 2009 ANML-RESQ Calendar arrived - it can be purchased at our zazzle.com storefront ... > Our Calendar can be purchased at our zazzle.com store front...>

- Niagara Dogfest. Be sure to check our beautiful lap quilt, which was especially handmade to help raise funds for Liebe's leg surgery and to help other dogs in need. The draw for this quilt will be held on July 25, 2009 at Niagara Dogfest. For more information...>

- ANML-RESQ wants to do a calendar for 2009. What do you say ... do you have a great picture of your pet? Do you want to see your pet on a calendar? Don't be shy ... get your pictures together and decide which one is the best (or two) and send to anmlresq@hotmail.com for our 2009 Calendar. Pictures will be accepted until September 30th. This Christmas calendar will showcase the great pets we have and also help to fundraise for a great cause. Please send your photos in their largest format (.jpg, .png, or .gif) - all pictures become the property of ANML-RESQ.

- Upper Credit Humane Society’s Annual Walk-A-Thon. Come join the Upper Credit Humane Society on June 22. and get your summer off to a great start. We’re back at the beautiful Cedarvale Park in Georgetown and the festivities start at 11am with the UCHS Annual Pet’s Walk-a-Thon. Great Eats will follow the Walk-a-Thon and an afternoon of fun is planned with a Treasure Hunt and Pet contests. Come on out and browse through our “village shops” brimming over with unique pet-collectibles and edibles. Date: June 22nd, 2008 at 11am until 3 p.m., Cedarvale Park, Georgetown. Contact us at 519-833-2287 or visit www.uppercredit.com for more information and Walk-a-Thon pledge sheets. Mark your calendar for June 22nd, 2008 and join us for this important FUN-D-RAISING event for all the pets at the Upper Credit Humane Society. [For more information...>]

- Low-Cost Spay/Neuter Clinic in the GTA (Greater Toronto Area). Spaycentral is working with the OSPCA to open the GTA's first non-profit, high-volume spay/neuter clinic. We have already raised 75% of the necessary funds. On May 23rd, 2008 proceeds from our BIG FIX Comedy Night and Auction on May 23, 2008. For more information ...>

- May 24, 2008 - Dog Bite Prevention Seminar I am very excited to announce that ANML-RESQ will be hosting our first-ever Bite Prevention Seminar. We will be hosting this event BEFORE the school year ended and the kids are out and about playing. We feel the more education you and your children receive about preventing bites, the safer they can be. The Seminar will be presented by Renee Robins, ACO., of the Owen Sound Animal Shelter. Renee is a very accomplished speaker and her presentations are both educational and fun to attend. A few subjects to be discussed at the Seminar are: Keep yourself, your family, children and pets, bite free; How to avoid being bitten; Know the signs of danger; and What to do if attacked by a dog All ages are welcome AND encouraged to participate in this interactive presentation (people only please ... no pets this time). The Seminar will be held on Saturday, May 24th at the Caledon Community Centre (.pdf) from 11 a.m. until 3 p.m. There will be light refreshments available for lunch and, of course, raffle draws and prizes!! More information will be available on our website in the coming days, but PLEASE mark this very important day on your calendars. I hope to see you all on May 24th!!

- Suzy is a rescued dog who needed eye surgery.  She is cute as a button and just over a year old.

UPDATE - June 4, 2008 - Suzy's doing great, barking and running around more No more pain. Loves playing with my grandson He teases her and hides on her and she just keeps on looking barking as she's doing it. I want to thank you so much for all your help and for everyone who ...[donated]... care about her. Thank you so much... Sheila 
 Background Information...>

- April 20, 2008 * Rambo Update -  gets visit from his owner Read about: (http://www.mississaugablogs.com/2008/04/odds_n_ends.html). March 1, 2008 * Munchie received the death sentence while his owners were mounting an appeal! Toronto Animal Services killed the dog and informed the media before informing the owners! Have your say about the Toronto Animal Services ...>

- Christina has Noonan Syndrome
ANML-RESQ would like to acknowledge the fundraising efforts on behalf of Christina and ask that you read her story:

6 year old Christina has Noonan Syndrome

Hello, my name is Monique Lee-Montada and I have a six year old daughter, Christina who has been diagnosed with moderate to severe autism, and in addition a rare genetic disorder called Noonan syndrome. Christina has been a blessing and a wonderful addition to our family, but along with the joy she has brought there have been many obstacles and hardships that we have encountered along the way. Due to these two conditions, Christina faces many challenges on a daily basis. Just to give you an idea, she requires assistance with walking, she has no established formal communication method and refuses any type of food orally, including liquids, so she had a feeding tube inserted when she was seven months of age. Christina requires care for all aspects of her life. We have been fortunate to receive conventional therapy from Erin Oak, but only on a consultative basis and this is just not enough. Christina will also have to wait 2-3 years for any kind of specific autism therapy (Applied Behaviour Assistance).

My little girl is extremely frustrated in her attempts to show everyone who she is and what she is capable of. Christina is trapped in her own world and it has now gotten to the point where she will have sudden outbreaks of crying melt downs and during this disturbing process she will begin self injuring behaviour. This consists of her delivering continuous blows to her head that are so hard in impact that they leave welts and bruises, not to mention the calluses that are now beginning to appear on her little knuckles. As a mother this is heart wrenching to watch. My husband and I realized that something had to be done. This just could not continue because, as the doctor informed us, this self injuring behaviour would eventually lead to some sort of permanent damage to her head. Something had to be done.

I then decided to look into some sort of drug that might assist in controlling her self destructive behaviour. There was only one drug that was approved for autism and that was an anti-psychotic medication. Although administering medications to young children is very controversial we decided, with the guidance of our doctor, that the benefits far outweighed the risks and side effects. Rest assured the day we placed her on the new medication we knew that this was only a temporary solution until we could get a better handle on the situation.

Another treatment option that the doctor brought to our attention was the possibility of getting Christina an autism service dog. This was an idea that I had thought of previously and actually looked into awhile ago but the non-profit organization that trains these dogs (National Service Dogs) were not taking applications at the time. Additionally, I later discovered that Christina did not even meet the criteria to qualify for a dog through this organization as she was not a flight risk or “bolter” so this idea was quickly put on the back burner. But I still never completely dismissed the idea of a service dog. We feel that a fully trained service dog would assist Christina in learning how to walk and how to cope with the stresses she experiences in everyday life.

Not to mention that the week the doctor made her suggestion to me someone else had as well. I felt this might have been some sort of sign that I should follow indicating that I should at least do some research once again. Through extensive investigation I was able to locate one of the best autism dog trainers in the surrounding area. His name is Wade Beattie and he had just recently decided to start a business of his own after working for many years as the head trainer at National Service Dog Association. I felt very lucky to have met him and very impressed by his resume with the 20 years experience he had behind him training guide dogs.

After many long discussions with Wade it was decided that I would attempt to obtain a young dog versus a puppy. He said that this might take a while but it could be done and I would need to have patience in order to find the right dog with the temperament and qualities required in a service dog. He also informed me that most dogs would not make suitable guide dogs; there was a possibility that I would have to go through 100 dogs or so before I discovered the right match and fit for Christina and the family!! The next day I placed an ad online explaining that I was trying to find a potential service dog. I thought that there might be someone who could no longer care for, or want, their dog and who might be willing to see if their dog would be a good candidate for the job. After a week or so an extremely loving and generous family contacted me explaining that due to certain changes in their lives they could no longer keep their well behaved and trained 2.5 year old golden retriever named Spencer. They felt that he would make a perfect service dog and would take good care of my little girl. Wade and I then went to meet him and discovered that we had a gold mine in this dog. Wade said that I could not have asked for a better dog.

Things are falling into place and Spencer is going to start intensive training with Wade March 1, 2008. The challenge we encounter now is to come up with the $15 000.00 training fee that Wade requires for his service and expertise and the life long support he offers. A small group of my friends and family realize that we have to make this work for our little angel Christina. So we have organized a fundraising dinner for Christina on April 19th at Halton Hills Banquet Hall.

I am not sure if Christina’s story, and her quest for her autism service dog, is even news worthy but we figured that capturing her journey would be a great opportunity to shed some light on autism and the wonderful way in which a service dog can enhance the quality of life of people living with autism. 
My family and I would be very happy to answer any questions or share any information you might require in order to better inform the community regarding the intricacies of autism. I hope to hear from you so that I may share Christina’s whole story in more detail. 

Thank you for taking the time to read my letter, 
Monique Lee-Montada
905 876 0052 
416 985 5218