What To Do In An Emergency Situation

On Saturday Morning (Feb. 11th) SCAPA got an emergency call regarding a cat who was believed to have both legs broken. This cat had spent all night, unable to move, in someone's driveway. When Dolores and Gwen approached, the cat hissed (as any injured animal would do), but once they gave him some food and showed them they were there to help by petting him gently and speaking to him softly, he was more than happy to accept their aid. What they then came to realize was heart-breaking.

The cat was literally frozen in the ice on the driveway overnight. Both of his back paws/legs and rear end were frozen in ice. Several buckets of warm water were required to free this poor creature. Once freed they wrapped him in a warm blanket and rushed him off to the veterinarian.

Once at the vet clinic he received warm saline solution via IV and was wrapped in blankets and heating pads. The circulation has begin to come back to one of his hind legs. Here he was aptly named Trooper. Trooper will be heading to Corner Brook tomorrow for some X-Rays where it can be further decided what medical care he needs.

The story of Trooper brings up a point well worth discussing: What do you do when you find an animal in desperate need of help.

Whatever you do, DO NOT just leave the animal there to fend for itself!

You can:

-Get as close to the animal as possible to see what the issue is. A hurt animal will most likely give you a warning (hiss or growl) in an attempt to protect itself. You can take the time to approach slowly, with food, to show you mean no harm. If it's cold and exposed to the elements you can cover it with a blanket while you get help.

-Contact SCAPA. 643-2811 and LEAVE A MESSAGE! But don't stop there...

-If it's after hours and you cannot get a hold of SCAPA there are other places you can call that will get in contact with SCAPAs volunteers any hour of the day/night.
These places are:
Police Station 643-2118 or 643-2119
Fire Station 643-2176
Local Vet Clinic (they have an emergency line!) 283-3200


PLEASE, whatever you do, do not leave an injured animal to fend for itself. While we are a small shelter and cannot help every animal in need, we will NEVER allow an animal to suffer the way Trooper did. We will ALWAYS find a way to help.

Trooper's story could have had a very different ending. And his fight isn't over yet. We will keep everyone posted on his situation. If you would like to donate to Trooper's medical bills you can get in contact with us or do so one of the following ways:

Anyone from the Corner Brook area wishing to donate money can drop it off at Alteen's Jewellery on Broadway, in an envelope labelled with his name.

You can call the vet clinic at 709-283-3002 to make a credit card donations over the phone.

Or send an email transfer to janh1@nl.rogers.com , sending a separate email with the answer to the security question. The same email can be used for PayPal transfers.


We will be updating the paypal and email information some time tomorrow. This is a trusted volunteer's account being used temporarily while we set up our own Paypal.

Help Us Help Trooper!

Dog Behaviour at SCAPA

It has recently come to my attention that there is a common misconception about our dogs at SCAPA and their behaviour. As someone who is very interested in dog training and behaviour I would like to address this issue and clear up any concerns that may prevent people from adopting one of our great four-legged friends.

Misconception: Our dogs bark when people approach therefore they are aggressive.

This is not the case. Yes, our dogs do bark when people approach the shelter. This is typical dog behaviour and is NOT a sign of aggression.

Dogs bark for a number of reasons, some of the main reasons our dogs bark are as follows:

Territorial Barking: Bottom line, SCAPA is their territory. Their home. They bark to alert others (dogs and workers) to the presence of visitors. While there isn't a single aggressive dog at SCAPA, we do have a few shy dogs who are afraid of strangers due to their past circumstances. These shy dogs engage in territorial barking as a way of alerting you to stay away from them. However, with a little attention and showing them you mean no harm they will warm up to you.

Attention Seeking Barking: This is as straight forward as it sounds, some dogs bark at people or other animals to gain attention or rewards, like food, toys or play. Rewarding this behaviour will encourage this type of barking.

Greeting Barking: Some dogs bark simply to say hello. You can generally tell this is a greeting bark by his body language; relaxed, wagging tail, excited behaviour.

Socially Facilitated Barking: Some dogs will bark because they hear other dogs barking. Dogs are social animals and this is very natural. At SCAPA we currently have 14 dogs. So when one begins to bark most of the others begin to join in. They may even do this when they hear dogs barking off in the distance.


All of these behaviours are also seen in most dogs, not just shelter dogs. While training can reduce the amount of barking, it will NOT eliminate barking altogether. Barking is a way of communication for a dog, like speaking is for us, and to expect them to never bark is not only unrealistic, but it is a denial of their very nature. For those who expect a dog never to bark I suggest that you re-consider owning a dog. Please keep in mind that certain breeds are more inclined to bark than others. For some it is part of what they were bred to do. It is hard-wired within them, it is instinct. And training NEVER trumps instinct.

(Please note that because of the number of dogs we have and the nature of a shelter we do not do barking related training with our dogs. This type of training is best done once a dog has been adopted into a forever home.)

If you are interested in adopting any of our dogs and have concerns about their behaviour please inform us so that we can address the issue and clear up any misconceptions you may have. Often times meeting the dog is enough to show you how friendly and harmless our dogs are. If you would like to meet one of our dogs we can set up a time to do so. You can even take the dog on a walk to get to know him/her a little better.

If you do not know what a behaviour means, do not assume. Find out!

Safe and Sound

While there are currently no long term placements available at SCAPA for abandoned cats it doesn't stop the volunteers and caring individuals from finding a warm and safe place for these, otherwise hopeless, animals.

By reaching out, not only to the Bay St.George area, but to the entire province and occasionally beyond, SCAPA is able to continue helping animals in need.

Some recent success stories:

Allie, the kitten rescued yesterday and featured in our previous post, is now safe in a foster home with Julia in the Corner Brook area.

This is Shawna, who was recently abandoned outside in this cold weather. She was originally thought to be pregnant, but after her vet check up we were relieved to find out that she wasn't. She tested negative for Fiv/Felv, has been spayed and vaccinated. Shawna is now warm and safe in foster care with Sonya in the Corner Brook area.

Remember Cloud? Here she is in her foster home. She has recently been tested, spayed and vaccinated and returned to her foster mom, Hollee.

Thanks to Sonya & Julia for taking these animals into your home and keeping them safe. And a special thanks to Hollee and her boyfriend, who met Gwen half way to Corner Brook to transfer these beautiful girls to their foster homes!

Now a tale of a forever home. Meet Smokey, a 5 year old indoor, male, neutered cat who was recently tossed outside without a second thought because a child had come into the picture. Smokey lived in the warmth for 5 years until one winter's day he was tossed outside and never permitted back indoors. It wasn't long after we caught wind of Smokey's story and people began to share it through the online community of facebook, that Viola stepped forward and gave this gorgeous little guy a forever home. Smokey is now living well with Viola and her family, passing his time watching the fish bowl, following his new family around and taking turns sleeping with the 4 children despite having his own bed. Thank you for opening your heart and your home Viola!

Thank you to everyone who made the lives of these 4 cats better with your kindness. What could have been 4 very sad endings have become 4 hopeful beginnings.

When you think on the successful endings and new beginnings created because of SCAPA, I urge you to remember that this is only possible because of individuals, like yourself, willing to give something back and care about the life of another.



“Sometimes I would like to ask God why He allows poverty, suffering, and injustice when He could do something about it. But I’m afraid He would ask me the same question.” -Anonymous

URGENT: Foster or forever home needed.

Meet Allie:

Allie is a 6 month old female cat that was rescued just this morning by SCAPA. Allie had been tossed out, as her owners were moving, and left behind to fend for herself. SCAPA got wind of her situation this morning and rescued her from the cold. She was immediately brought to the vet clinic where she tested negative for Fiv/Felv and then vaccinated.

Allie is very sweet despite her situation. An immediate foster or forever home needs to be found for Allie. If you can open your heart and home to her please contact us. If you cannot, please spread the word.

A sincere thanks from SCAPA & Allie!

A Trip To The Vet

While the season of spending more than you have has ended for most, it certainly hasn't for SCAPA. For each successful re-homing of an animal, there are many more that need our help. Visiting the veterinarian is part of keeping the animals healthy and ensuring the best possible chance for them at a new life.

Anyone who has owned an animal knows how costly vet fees can be. With animals both in the shelter and in foster care needing check-ups, shots, tests, and surgeries the bills pile up rather quickly.

We have 6 animals currently needing veterinarian care, their appointments are set for January 25th. These animals are as follows:

Ozzie, 6 month old male cat, needs: Test for Fiv/Felv, vaccination, neutering, and worm treatment.

Neko, 6 month old male cat, needs: Test for Fiv/Felv, vaccination, neutering, and worm treatment.

Sissy, 1yr old female cat, needs: Test for Fiv/Felv, vaccination, spaying, and worm treatment.

Bella, 6 month old female, cat needs: Test for Fiv/Felv, vaccination, spaying, and worm treatment.

Cloud, 6 month old female cat, needs: Test for Fiv/Felv, vaccination, spaying, and worm treatment.

Roxy, 2 year old female dog, needs: Check-up, vaccination, spaying, and worm treatment.


As SCAPA is a 100% volunteer organization we do not have such luxuries has having a veterinarian on staff. These vet visits will cost SCAPA approximately $1200. I have included some donation information on the right hand side of the page for anyone inclined to donate. There are several options listed. And all donations are tax deductible! We also are planning a bake sale around Valentine's to help with some of these costs (more information on that when the details are ironed out).

Please remember the support of the community and SCAPA volunteers allows us to keep saving the lives of abandoned and abused animals in the Bay St. George area!

See For Yourself

I'd like to take a post to talk about some of the misconceptions surrounding SCAPA.

Unfortunately, in a small town, the rumour mill is strong and the words of others can have a devastating effect. As stories are passed around the community in what seems to be a never ending game of telephone, we're left wondering where these stories originated and why isn't anyone bothering to come find out for themselves?

This is something I encourage everyone to do. In fact, it wasn't until I did this very thing that my entire opinion surrounding SCAPA had changed.

Like so many others, I fell for the rumours. I believed that SCAPA was over crowded, that it was dirty, that the animals were unhealthy, and that we would perhaps do better with a government funded shelter, the SPCA. How wrong I was!

Once I finally went to see for myself and spent sometime in the shelter, with the animals and with Gwen and Dolores, who spend their days volunteering and running the shelter, my thinking did a complete 180.

While I can sit here and tell you that there is no over-crowding and the animals all have plenty of space and comfort, they are vet treated, that while the building is an old building it is cleaned on a daily basis and renovations made as needed and that because we have SCAPA instead of an SPCA all of our animals have plenty of time to find a forever home suited to their needs, I encourage you to go find out for yourself. It's only once people open up their minds to the truth that they can begin to help make a difference!

Volunteering with SCAPA has made a positive difference in my life. Nothing feels better than helping those in need. If you are interested in volunteering please get in contact with us.

(If you are interested in stopping by please do so between 2-4pm. While there are volunteers on site at other times, they are too busy with the daily tasks of the shelter to take visitors until these hours.)

A New Beginning

Hey folks! It's been a while since the blog has been updated, so I'd like to let you know what's going on. Beginning with this post, I will be taking over the writing of the blog. My name is Jaime and I am a shelter volunteer. A big thank you to Linda, who created and wrote for this blog prior!

I've changed the layout a little so I'd just like to draw your attention to a few things. Over on the right we have a few photos of some of our beautiful animals that are currently up for adoption. If you click on their picture you will be brought to our Flickr page where you can see more photos, as well as get some information on the individual animal itself. I will continually be adding to this section.

Below the pictures you will find our contact information. You may notice we have a new email address added. This email will get you in contact with myself. If you would prefer to speak to our Shelter Manager, Gwen Samms, her email is listed there as well. And if you'd like to do things the old fashion way you can call the shelter directly during day time hours.

Now, back to what you're all here for, the animals! They all had a wonderful Christmas! We had some great donations over the holiday season from some very kind people who kept the Christmas spirit alive. A special thanks to each and every one of you!

Some more great news, a recent adoption. A little dog, named Shaky, was adopted this past week. Shaky was found wandering in a neighbourhood, wet and cold, begging to be fed. The wonderful ladies of SCAPA picked him up, got him vet checked, cleared up his fleas, stuffed his belly and showed him that not all humans should be feared. Shaky will now be living with the Follett family in Robinsons!

More good news! Meet Cloud, a female kitten who was found abandoned by Kippens River. Those who found her and temporarily homed her were going to have her put down very soon if a home couldn't be found. A big thanks to Hollee in Corner Brook, who contacted SCAPA and agreed to foster this little gal. This is Cloud on her way to her new foster home.


While these 2 have had the luck of finding a home, be it temporary or permanent, I'd like to remind everyone that there are many more still looking for homes. There are still animals that need help, vet care, food, shelter and love. If you are able to donate I encourage you to do so. Remember that no amount is too small! And if you cannot donate, there are other ways to help. Volunteer your time, your skills, or help spread the word!

A special thanks to Mr. Simon, who did just that. SCAPA recently had a new heater installed and needed it hooked up to the thermostat. Mr.Simon volunteered his skills as an electrician and did the job.

I'd like to thank everyone for reading & supporting. Remember, together we can make a difference!