SAVE THE DATE we have a spooktacular weekend coming your way on October 19th and 20th. Adoptable critters and a costume contest! It’s bound to be a fun time!
What a generous community we live in! Goal met, with special thanks to an anonymous donor as well!
Over the past few months, the NWAS has been inundated with severally injured animals. Check out Bella, Tank's and Chansey's story below. We have set up a Canada's Help campaign to help with the medical costs...more
We will be having a BBQ fundraiser at Total Pet this coming Saturday (the 22nd) from 11-2.
Bella is a super sweet, 38lb mix breed that was hit by a vehicle over the winter. She badly broke her femur....more
All of us here at NWAS want to send a huge thank you to Jillian Hestad for donating her honorarium for speaking at Houston’s International Woman’s Day to the animals at NWAS. You’ve helped provide vet care for our many incredibly critters.
Thank you Total Pet in Smithers, and the generous community we live in for filling the bins for the shelter. 1273 cans of pet food was donated, and our local store placed 3rd for all Total Pet locations across BC! Thank you all!
A HUGE shout out and thank you to Smithers Brewing Co. , Babine Animal Hospital, Smithers BC and Riverside Kitchen Co. for partnering on the 2024 Powder Hound Hootenanny fundraiser for the shelter! Over $2,000 was raised. Blaine and Deb stopped by with a cheque, and to meet with some of the pups! The Powder Hound Hootenanny was such a fun afternoon, great beer, fantastic food and music. Thanks for your support!
We have partnered with the Smithers Feed Store to have a stuff the trailer event on Saturday March 30th from 10-2. We currently have 47 cats in care, as you can imagine that many cats goes through ALOT of kibble...more
Thanks to everyone who came out and supported this event. Great food from Riverside Kitchen, cold Powder Hound beer brewed by Smithers Brewing Co, and music by Aurora Lavender and friends. Thanks to Smithers Brewing Co and Babine Animal Hospital for hosting!
We are having a huge adoption event at Total Pet in Smithers on February 17/18. Cats will be in the spotlight on Saturday from 1-4 and Sunday will be all about dogs from 10-3!
A BIG thank you to our local Royal Bank branch for selecting the Northwest Animal Shelter for a donation of $1500 last September. They also rolled up their sleeves and helped with the set up of our Garage sale! Thank you for your efforts supporting local charities!
Pictured with NWAS representatives Lorna and Jean, are Renee Van Osch, Lonny Wiebe and Terrilyn Hutchinson, as well as a few furry NWAS alumni.
Santa Claws is coming to town! Bring your pets of all varieties down to Coast Mountain GM in Smithers on December 9th to get a beautiful photo! ...more,,,
It's Back! The NWAS annual garage sale will be on Saturday September 23 at the Davidson Hall (Fall Fair Grounds), starting at 8am to approx 1pm....more
These are some of the faces (not all) that make the Northwest Animal Shelter run. It takes a lot of dedication from our Volunteers, Caretakers, and Foster homes ....
Huge thank you to Smithers Brewing Co. Babine Animal Hospital, Smithers BC Riverside Kitchen Co. And everyone that came out to this amazing event....more
Thank you Babine Animal Hospital and Smithers Brewing Company for supporting animals in the Bulkley Valley with this amazing event - March 4 from 4-8pm!
Sending a Huge shoutout and thank you to Miake at Pawsome Adventure in Houston for running another successful food drive benefitting NWAS. Pictured with NWAS volunteer Brandy.
Why spay your female dog ? You don’t plan to breed her and you watch her when she is in heat, right? You make sure there is no chance of pregnancy ?
Well… here is a size comparison for you....more
You never know what life has in store for you. You may think you do; I mean you have that great plan and all. That plan based on personal experience, disciplined and consistently applied action and well thought out forecasting. But you know, sometimes life just has other plans.....
Thank you so much, True North Raw, for your ongoing support of the Northwest Animal Shelter - we appreciate it so much! 15% of the earnings from the Grab & Go treats gets donated to pets in need, and they are highly recommended by NWAS alumni Josette and Rango.
Thank you to everyone who donated to our Betty White Challenge Fundraiser. We raised $8821.65 for the companion animals of the Bulkley Valley and surrounding areas. An extra special thank you goes to Scott and Erin Rowsell of Pro-Tech Forest Resources Ltd and Ryan and Missy Hinds of SilverKing Helicopters for your generous support.
When people are looking for a dog at the shelter they tend to be looking for puppies or young, healthy dogs. But there are many hidden treasures for those lucky enough to find them....more
NWAS needs your help! Our list of available foster homes is getting very low. We need temporary homes for dogs and cats between Topley and Hazelton. You can have other pets and still foster! Each animal has different needs and requirements. We have some long term fosters and some short term....more
In late May the NWAS celebrated the 20th anniversary of becoming a registered charity. It has taken a lot of people, hard work, and dedication to get to where we are today. It will .... more
Did you know it’s Paw Month at Total Pet? They are currently collecting donations for NWAS in store and you can put your (or your pet’s) name on a paw to go in the window! Thank you to everyone who has already donated! They will be collecting until the end of the month.
The title of these articles is a bit misleading now, when Part 1 was posted I was only fostering the 3 Runner kits. Then, to my great relief, Ivy and her 4 kits came along. For four weeks or so, Ivy took over a large part of the kitten care.....more
Ivy, the Runners feline foster mother, has been great for the Runners. They are all gaining weight and otherwise benefiting from her nursing and grooming....more
A good friend has a strong belief that our thoughts affect our lives, we can choose how we interpret various situations and if we are in need it can be useful to focus on what we want, literally “putting it out to the Universe”.
The Runner kittens and I were certainly in need.....more
The good thing about modern technology is how easy it is to get in touch with people. The bad thing is how easy it is for people to get in touch. So when the “ping” of a text message sounded at 10.30 pm on a Sunday evening I knew there was a problem, probably with the shelter.
Something Super fun and brand new is in the works for North West Animal Shelter!
We will be holding our first ever Online Auction! Fundraising has become a bit of a challenge for NWAS during this Pandemic, but our commitment to caring for animals in need, and finding the best furever homes, has never been more important....more
In order to protect our staff and volunteers, and continue to be able to assist animals in need in the Bulkley Valley, we are restricting our intake of animals to the most urgent cases only....more
A big thank you to the organizers, volunteers and those who laced up the skates for the Guns & Hoses Hockey game between the Houston RCMP and the Houston Volunteer Fire Department on Family Day....more
Looking for a fun Family Day activity? You should head to Houston for the Guns and Hoses charity Hockey Game. This year all proceeds will be going to NWAS and we plan to have a representative at the game
In the house with their family is the best shelter for dogs and cats. However, there are still dogs and cats who spend their days and nights outdoors.....more
Meet GUS. This sweet old man showed up as a stray in Houston. The caring home owner immediately recognized that something wasn't right with poor Gus.....
Thank you, Thank you, Thank you. We just cannot say "Thank You" enough to the amazing staff and management at Total Pet in Smithers. This store voluntarily showcases cats that we have available for adoption....
THE BIG FAIL
“Okay. OkayOkayOkay. Okay.. OkayOkay.”
Not sure why I’m saying this, it’s mostly for my sake. I’d hoped it might calm the excited brown blur in the pen in front of me. This small Pitbull would shoot out like bucking horse in a flurry of ecstatic wiggles when I opened the door, grimacing as her whip-like tail hit her face over and over.....(read more)
Free roaming animals and vehicles do not mix well and if ever proof is needed just talk to the Northwest Animal Shelter. In the span of a few months late last summer and fall, we took in 5 dogs and 4 cats with injuries due to motor vehicle accidents, injuries which have meant pain, suffering and major life changes for the animals and huge vet bills for the shelter....
The “Power litter” were given strong names, Electra, Diesel, Hydro, Wind, Nuke, Geo and Solar as they needed all the help they could get just to survive....
In 2013 the NWAS received a grant from the Wetzin'Kwa Community Forest Corporation to construct an Isolation/Wash Unit, where at risk animals can be segregated and animals cleaned as needed. The Community Grant Program was established to distribute profits from the operation of the Wetzin'kwa Community Forest tenure back into the community.
NWAS was the recipient of the Royal Bank Day of Service grant! On June 1, 9 volunteers came to the shelter to work, and did they ever! Grass was cut, slash loaded on a trailer, painting, fencing, and general cleanup. A big thank you to Tara, Raeleen, Lisa, Tina, Shawn, Ian, Adele, Don and Ada - pictured above with Tooley, NWAS dog available for adoption.
Mansi came into NW's care on Feb 4th, mat bound and scared after a number of winter months running loose in the country unable to be caught. Sadly her litermate disappeared, probably the victim of predators. Mansi spent a full month in foster care rebuilding her confidence and getting back to who she really is.
Roscoe came into our care with an old injury to his front leg that was not going to be an easy fix. It was suggested that extensive physiotherapy, including water therapy, might help, so we decided it would be best to get him south where there were more resources available. We, and more importantly Roscoe, had an amazing advocate agree to accept him into care.
The NWAS had an exceptionally busy summer and fall 2012, developing the shelter property and moving our portable kennels and fencing out. Much work had to be done, from clearing trees, leveling the property, putting in the water line and hydro. The kennel buildings were moved to the property, as was the Atco trailer purchased last spring
The Smithers Rugby Club helped out at the shelter property clearing slash, stumps and firewood. A BIG thank you to Martin Hughes, Deric Belke, Cheryl Gilbert, Matt Mazurek and Ben Harris for volunteering! A lot was accomplished in one afternoon (would have taken us a looooong time
Thank you to everyone who helped us with the garage sale. We made well over $3000.00 again this year. A huge thanks to those who donated and dropped by the sale, and all the volunteers that helped out! Rayla helped out again, raising almost $400 for the cause with her donation bucket! She certainly deserved her rest.
SMITHERS, B.C (June 21, 2012) - The Northwest Animal Shelter Society is one step closer to its goal of opening a permanent animal shelter in the Smithers area. They recently closed on the purchase of two parcels of land, equaling nearly 10 acres of property. The new site is within easy driving distance from Smithers, has road access, is fully serviced and has the required zoning for a shelter.
Rescue groups all over the province, the country and the world are inundated with homeless animals. The number of dogs and cats who are rehomed each year in BC alone is staggering. Thousands of dedicated people spend countless hours catching, feeding, vet checking, socializing, training, advertising, spaying/neutering and housing neglected animals