COMMUNITY ASSISTANCE & PET SUPPORT PROGRAMS IN BC
HELPING ANIMALS – AND THE PEOPLE WHO LOVE THEM
At RAPS, caring for animals also means caring for the people who love them. We know that families sometimes need support to provide the food, veterinary care, temporary housing or other essentials their companion animals need.
Our community assistance programs help keep animals healthy, safe and together with the people who love them. From veterinary financial assistance and spay and neuter programs to pet food support and temporary care during times of crisis, RAPS works to remove barriers that can put the human-animal bond at risk.
VETERINARY CARE & FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE
We also know that caring for animals means caring for the people who love them. Companion animal guardians sometimes need support to provide the best possible care. That’s why, in 2018, we opened the RAPS Animal Hospital — a nonprofit, community-owned veterinary facility built with one purpose: saving and improving as many lives as possible.
RAPS Animal Hospital helps make high-quality veterinary care more accessible while supporting the broader RAPS mission.
By removing the profit motive from veterinary medicine, the hospital reflects our core belief that animals and their people deserve accessible, compassionate care. Because of this model, we have been able to dramatically expand the amount of veterinary care available to our community.
A range of financial assistance, discounts and payment options may be available through the hospital to help eligible families access the veterinary care their animals need.
Spay and Neuter Programs
RAPS provides affordable spay and neuter services for animals throughout the community, including feral and stray animals supported by RAPS and partner rescue organizations. These programs deliver thousands of dollars in assistance each year, offering affordable, humane care while preventing overpopulation.
By stopping suffering before it starts, we create healthier animals and healthier communities.
SUPPORTING ANIMAL RESCUE ORGANIZATIONS ACROSS BC
We work alongside rescue organizations across the province and even further afield, welcoming animals into our facilities to receive high-quality veterinary care, fostering, shelter, and a path to permanent homes.
By sharing our resources and expertise, we strengthen the entire animal-welfare network — because collaboration saves more lives than any one organization can alone.
PET SUPPORT FOR FAMILIES FACING CRISIS
We support people in transitional housing, facing homelessness, or experiencing domestic violence — situations where companion animals are often at risk of being left behind or harmed.
Because most emergency shelters do not accept pets, we provide safe, compassionate boarding so families can stay together during difficult times.
For those facilities that do accept animals but require vaccinations or veterinary documentation, we help cover those essential health needs.
Our goal is simple: no one should have to choose between their safety and their beloved companion animal.
For many people, their pet is their strongest source of comfort, stability, and connection. We work to protect that bond.
HELPING ANIMALS STAY WITH FAMILIES
Climate change and increasingly severe weather events can put both animals and their people at risk. Wildfires, floods, evacuations and other emergencies may force families from their homes with little notice, often creating urgent challenges around pet-friendly accommodation, food, veterinary care and temporary animal care.
RAPS works to help keep animals safe and families together during times of crisis. Where possible, we provide or connect people with resources such as temporary care, pet food, veterinary support and other assistance that can help prevent the unnecessary surrender of a beloved companion animal.
For people already facing financial hardship, housing instability or displacement, an emergency can make caring for an animal even more difficult. Our goal is to reduce those barriers and protect the bond between people and their pets.
Because in a crisis, animals are family too.
Pet Food Bank
The opening of the RAPS Animal Hospital, in 2018, marked a new chapter in our history, but our commitment to animals — and their people — has always been at the heart of what we do.
The RAPS Pet Food Bank provides nutritious pet food to people who need a helping hand, helping keep companion animals healthy and together with their families.
Support is provided with no questions asked because no one should have to choose between feeding themselves and feeding the animals they love.
Because caring for pets should never come at the cost of caring for your family.
Stronger animals. Stronger Communities.
These programs deliver direct support to animals and their people. But more than that, everything we do is about strengthening community and honouring the powerful, symbiotic relationship between species.
Because at RAPS, community care is mutual — animals help people as much as people help animals.
How RAPS Community Assistance Programs Are Supported
We acknowledge the financial support of the Province of British Columbia.
Revenue generated by RAPS Thrift Stores also helps support community assistance and animal welfare programs. By shopping, donating and volunteering at our social enterprise thrift stores, members of the community help turn reusable goods into resources that save and improve the lives of animals.