New Sault-area dog rescue to host meet and greet event

A new dog rescue just outside Sault Ste. Marie that's helping prospective owners match themselves up with some available pooches.

A new dog rescue just outside Sault Ste. Marie is helping prospective pet owners match themselves with available pooches.

Last July, 20-year-old Maddisyn Evans created Maddy’s Mighty Mutts in Prince Township.

“In the Sault there’s so many dogs needing help. The Humane Society is often full, other rescues get full or can’t find foster homes,” she said.

“It’s nice out here. I can hold quite a few out here in my own place – I always have a zoo and finding foster homes have been relatively easy.”

Evans currently works as a part-time pet groomer but said she wants to be a vet-tech and sees the rescue as a good way to gain experience.

She said she has about 30 dogs in the rescue and its foster families' care right now.

“We (also) take animals from up north. I have some puppies from Moose Factory, Sandy Lake – all the northern communities that don’t have that care,” Evans added.

Since opening the rescue Evans has helped more than 140 dogs find homes – all before her 21st birthday in May.

Evans looks after five furry friends and owns four dogs of her own.

“I always had baby birds, bottle-fed baby kittens, that type of thing,” she said.

“I’ve always just been a huge animal lover.”

The rescue uses a foster-to-adopt model for many of the dogs.

This Sunday Evans is partnering with a local Pet Valu to host a meet-and-greet event to help about a dozen dogs find forever home from the rescue.

The event on Jan. 19 will run from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the store’s Second Line location.

“More of our longer-term residents are going to be there, the ones that we really want to get adopted,” said Evans.

“(We will) showcase them because you might just look at them and they look like a regular old dog – but, you meet them and you just end up clicking with them.”

She said it will be nice to have people be able to actually meet them and see if they’ll be a good fit for their family.

Evans told CTV News that she is always looking for more foster homes and has dogs of all ages available.

Anyone interested in fostering or adopting can get more information about Maddy’s Mighty Mutts' social media page.