Initiatives

"Building a More Compassionate Community—One Paw at a Time"

At PAACT, our initiatives are designed to keep pets safe, supported, and with the families who love them. From emergency pet food assistance and rehoming services to grief support and winter shelter building, each program reflects our belief that every animal—and every person who cares for one—deserves dignity, compassion, and a helping hand.

Together we are creating meaningful imPAACT through action, empathy, and advocacy.

Care Closet - Lethbridge

“A FREE program providing essential resources to pet owners in need.”

PAACT’s Care Closet is a donation-based charitable initiative that supports low-income individuals and families by providing essential pet care items at no cost. The initiative helps prevent animal neglect and surrender due to financial hardship by ensuring that pets can remain safely housed and cared for during times of crisis.

Distributed items include pet food, leashes, collars, harnesses, bedding, crates, and hygiene supplies—resources critical for maintaining the well-being of companion animals. This direct support alleviates financial strain, reduces the burden on local shelters, and helps families preserve the human-animal bond.

Recipients complete a brief, confidential intake form to identify unmet needs. This allows PAACT to deliver targeted support and respond to emerging patterns of need in the community, strengthening both animal welfare and social support networks.

Tail End Journey

“Helping pets find their forever homes with love and understanding.”

Tail End Journey is a charitable initiative that offers a structured, humane alternative to pet surrender by facilitating direct, home-to-home rehoming for individuals experiencing life changes that prevent them from continuing pet care. This service prioritizes the emotional and physical well-being of both animals and their guardians.

Through a compassionate, multi-step process—including intake assessments, pet profiling, public outreach, application screening, home checks, and legally binding adoption contracts—Tail End Journey ensures each pet is placed in a compatible, safe, and permanent home. PAACT manages communication to maintain transparency, dignity, and consistent support throughout the transition.

This initiative reduces the burden on overcrowded shelters, prevents pet abandonment, and preserves animal welfare by ensuring thoughtful placement rather than crisis-driven surrender. Tail End Journey serves the broader community by promoting responsible pet stewardship and safeguarding vulnerable animals from neglect or premature euthanasia.

Foster Friends for Healing

"A Safe Haven for Pets. A Bridge to Stability for Their People."

Foster Friends for Healing is a charitable initiative that provides temporary or long-term foster care for pets belonging to individuals experiencing personal crises—such as domestic violence, homelessness, hospitalization, or mental health challenges. This program ensures that pets remain in safe, stable environments while their owners work toward recovery and stability.

By connecting vulnerable individuals with screened foster families, this initiative helps prevent pet abandonment, unnecessary shelter intake, or premature rehoming. It preserves the human-animal bond and promotes emotional resilience for both pets and people during difficult life transitions.

This service offers clear public benefit by supporting individuals facing adversity, reducing strain on local shelters, and improving animal welfare outcomes. Foster Friends for Healing addresses a critical gap in community support systems by providing compassionate, temporary care that upholds the dignity of pet owners while safeguarding the well-being of their animals.

Frosty Paws Sanctuaries

"Providing Warmth and Safety, One Shelter at a Time"

Based in Lethbridge, AB

Frosty Paws Sanctuaries is a charitable initiative that alleviates suffering and promotes animal welfare by providing insulated outdoor shelters for stray and feral cats during the winter. Operated by PAACT, this initiative engages volunteers to repurpose donated and recycled materials—such as coolers, lumber, and straw—into lifesaving, insulated shelters.

This program addresses the urgent need for protection among outdoor cats who would otherwise be exposed to freezing temperatures, frostbite, and death. In 2024, the initiative distributed 39 shelters to vulnerable cats in multiple Southern Alberta communities.

In addition to direct animal care, the program promotes environmental responsibility by diverting reusable materials from landfills and fostering public participation in charitable animal care efforts. Frosty Paws Sanctuaries provides a clear public benefit by preventing animal suffering, reducing risks to public health from unmanaged cat populations, and promoting humane treatment of animals across Alberta.

Whiskers Over the Rainbow

Whiskers Over the Rainbow is a charitable, peer-based support group that helps individuals navigate the emotional impact of pet loss. This initiative provides a safe, inclusive space for individuals grieving the death or anticipated loss of a beloved animal to access emotional support, share experiences, and learn healthy coping strategies.

Facilitated in part by a graduate-level student specializing in grief psychology, the group integrates evidence-informed peer support and grief education. It is not a substitute for therapy but serves as a structured, non-clinical environment where participants gain insight, validation, and community connection during times of emotional vulnerability.

By addressing both anticipatory and post-loss grief, the program fills a critical gap in mental health support, reducing isolation and fostering emotional resilience. Whiskers Over the Rainbow contributes to public benefit by improving participants’ emotional well-being, supporting mental health literacy, and strengthening community care networks in Southern Alberta.

Whiskers Over The Rainbow Group