Heritage News – Catherine Pokrywa and Bill McCormick traveled to the Kingston airport Oct. 10 to pick up the newest edition to their family – a beautiful white Husky named Clover. The dog will be the 51st that Pokrywa and McCormick have welcomed into their home, all of them rescues and most in the final stages of their lives.
The couple operates Sheba’s Haven, a rescue shelter that focuses on palliative/special needs dogs that are unadoptable and usually elderly. It was started in 2001 by Pokrywa.
“A friend of mine took me to the Humane Society to pick up a cat, and while we were there I saw this dog and he was really decrepit,” explained Pokrywa. “I thought to myself, who’s going to adopt that dog? Well, we did. He lasted 18 months. He had a disease and he was a stray. That was how I got started. There are really no other rescues out there that do that. I take in the dogs that are still full of life but have an incurable disease.”
In 2007, Pokrywa registered Sheba’s Haven as a non-profit charity. “I just couldn’t do it on my own anymore. I needed donations to help me out. There are a lot of shelters out there that are no kill, but it seems awful to let the dog die in a shelter when they could be so much happier elsewhere. I’ve had the dogs last from five days and up to four years.”
While many may find the idea of watching these dogs live out their final days excruciating, Pokrywa finds comfort in the fact that she is providing a loving and nurturing space for these animals.
“It’s really hard sometimes,” said Pokrywa. “We actually have many volunteers that can’t even come out to the Haven because they fear they will get too attached to a dog and then when it dies they’ll be heartbroken. I always keep in my mind that I am giving them a loving home and if they die quickly, at least they had that time of love and comfort.”
Comfort is an understatement. The dogs taken in by Sheba’s are free to roam indoors or outside on the Haven’s three acre property. They are never put in kennels and they have the luxury of sleeping on beds and blankets.
“They have beds all over the house but they always try to get into our bed,” added Pokrywa. “We have one dog that is ours and he is allowed on the bed but the others always manage to get in there too. The other morning I went in there and there were seven dogs on the bed.”
The newest edition to the Haven is Clover, a blind, diabetic senior dog that came all the way from Timmins. Many shelters across Ontario know about Sheba’s and they contact Pokrywa asking if she can take another.
“Clover was a stray and they asked me if I could home her because they couldn’t put her up for adoption. There is a woman that arranges ground transport but it takes a really long time so they suggested Pilots N’ Paws. We had never heard of them before, but we were really excited when we learned more and it is such a great organization. They are volunteer pilots and they run fully on donations as well.”
Pilots N’ Paws is an organization that works to provide free air transport for animals, when needed, in Canada. Pilots donate their time and their planes to get animals like Clover to a place that is safe and beneficial for them. Bob Pearson is one of these people. He flew from Timmins with Clover on Oct 10.
“I enjoy doing it and helping people out,” said Pearson. “I am a private pilot and I do it recreationally and this allows me to get out and do some flying and help people out in the process. Clover is the 13th dog that I have transported over the past year.”
Pokrywa greeted Clover with great enthusiasm, and there is no doubt that she will receive the care and love that she needs.
“I love working with the dogs,” she said, “I get up in the morning and they just make me smile. What more can you ask for.”
http://www.kingstonregion.com/news-story/4161509-sheba-s-haven-helps-elderly-dogs-live-out-their-days-in-peace/
For more information on Sheba’s Haven visit www.shebashaven.petfinder.com and for more information on the Pilots N’ Paws program visit www.pilotsnpawscanada.com
