Nova Scotia artist uses profits to rescue and transport animals – Halifax | 24CA News
David Johnson has been transporting animals from kill shelters and high-risk conditions to foster properties full-time for the final 12 months. He has been in every single place from northern B.C. to St. John’s, N.L.
The artist from Windsor, N.S., makes month-to-month journeys to Quebec and Ontario and drives every year to B.C. Johnson estimates he’s helped near 100 animals over the previous six years.
“I rescued one dog and after nursing him back to health, he got a permanent home. It was such a happy thing and I thought, ‘Why don’t I do this transport thing more often?’ I like driving. I like dogs. Why not do both?” he says.
Johnson finds animals in want via a number of native rescues, like Litters ‘n Critters Rescue Society.
“He’s a very selfless person. He always thinks of other people before he thinks of himself, and he always thinks of dogs before he thinks of other people,” says Shelley Cunningham, the rescue’s president.
Johnson was working collectively with Litters ‘n Critters on Sunday afternoon once they rescued a pure-bred German shepherd, Coco, from an abusive residing scenario. The five-year-old canine had been left in a home alone, residing in her personal excrement, which was reported to the rescue.
Johnson drove the animal from Halifax to Pugwash, a two-hour drive, the place she’s going to stick with a foster household till she finds her eternally residence.
“She’s just a wonderful, lovely dog. And just to imagine her sitting there, no friends, no people, no nothing, and she’s just sitting there basically rotting away. And now, just for a simple drive to Pugwash, this dog is going to have an incredible life for another five to seven years. I feel good on the inside — a little warm and fuzzy,” Johnson says.
Johnson volunteers his time and fundraises transport charges on-line by promoting prints of his authentic paintings, although he acknowledges there are lots of individuals who assist behind the scenes.
“It’s a team sport. It’s a lot of volunteers and even the people that don’t ever get talked about. People who send you a hundred bucks for gas, nobody knows who they’re there, just randomly. That’s what makes this work. It’s this team effort,” he says.
Ally Smith, the proprietor of Pet Valu in Clayton Park, works with native rescues, donating meals and different pet provides. She provided Johnson with meals for Coco’s foster household.
“He’s fantastic. We literally could not do what we do without people like him. It is amazing what all these volunteers do. There are so many animals in need, so volunteers are desperately needed to do multiple things — fundraising, fostering — or so many animals would not survive,” Smith says.
Johnson is heading to Toronto to do one other animal run subsequent week.
“I don’t care where they come from. I only care to get them home.”
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