This winter has been a busy one for the local animal rescue shelter and it looks like it will only get busier.

The first two months of 2022 have been extremely cold, and 61 animals have found shelter and food through the Steinbach and Area Animal Rescue (SAAR).

People are noticing animals struggling in the cold and trying to get help for them.

Daisy was found unwanted and alone on a frigid night. There were no fosters to take her in so she spent time in a kennel while she waited for a foster family. (Photo Credit: Facebook/Steinbach Animal Rescue)

“People are calling us to see if we have places for them,” says Graham Pollock, Foster Coordinator with SAAR.

Pollock says they take in as many animals as they can but that is limited by space.

“We rely solely on volunteer fosters and their homes,” he says. “We have no building, no shelter yet. Hopefully that’s coming down the road sometime. But we don’t have a place right now where we have a whole bunch of rooms to keep them.”

When animals are placed into foster homes, some are adopted quickly while others wait a while.

And there is a waiting list for animals to come into care.

President Michelle Neufeld says they often run into situations where there are no foster families for dogs who come into care.

This either means the rescue cannot take them in, or the dog has to board at a kennel. Those fees are costly and additional donations help support such situations.

With the extreme cold weather this winter, SAAR has rescued a high number of animals who suffered from frostbite, mostly cats.

_kittens.jpg" alt="2022 03 saar foster3 kittens" width="770" style="display: block; margin: initial; width: 100%; float: none;" role="figure" />Newborn kittens currently in rescue. (Photo credit: Facebook/Steinbach Animal Rescue)