TRURO, N.S. — Saving lives can come with a cost, as Erin Lynch knows well.
Lynch runs Sympathetic Ear Animal Rescue and is struggling to pay the vet bill, which climbed quickly when several high-needs animals arrived.
“We had a lot of cases with serious issues,” she said. “There were some very sick kittens and pups that needed to be spayed and neutered, and there was the cost of Fred’s surgery. The vets are great; they let us have the work done when the animals needed it.”
Fred Penner, a beagle, required cruciate ligament surgery – costing around $3,000 – when he arrived. Adoption fees only cover a small fraction of the costs for care of the animals.
“The biggest thing is that we didn’t dig out from last year, and usually, we’ve been able to do this,’ said Lynch.
“We’ve been able to help more than 2,000 animals in 10 years of operation, but we’re trying to wind down and this year we didn’t take on a lot.”
In order to pay off the vet bill, which is about $17,000, the group is holding online auctions, selling a large variety of donated items. They also run a Chase the Ace at Brewster’s Bar & Grill, in Bedford, and sets up a craft table at functions.
“We’re in crisis-panic mode,” said Lynch. “We’re a small group and it would relieve a lot of stress if we could get the bill down.
An online auction is now taking place on the Sympathetic Ear Animal Rescue Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/groups/190497260979455/
People wishing to make a donation to the society can e-transfer to [email protected] or have donations applied directly to the bill at Fundy Veterinarians.