The coordinator of Little Paws Rescue Society is concerned a scammer may be soliciting donations in the non-profit group’s name after a donation box, business cards and brochures were stolen from a Port Moody veterinarian.
Anyone with information about the distinctive pine box that looks like a miniature dressing table with paw print decorations is asked to contact the Port Moody police with file number 19-962.
“They — the thieves — could be setting up shop somewhere else, saying they are collecting for Little Paws when they are not,” said Julia Beaton, founder of the 20-year-old small dog rescue agency.
The donation box was a long-time fixture on the counter at the Port Moody Animal Shelter and was likely stolen between Feb. 16 and Feb. 19.
“It’s the only donation box we have, they do all our dogs for us,” Beaton confirmed.
Losing the money and the box, handmade by a volunteer, is disappointing, Beaton said, because fundraising is extremely important to the agency that adopts out small dogs left behind in divorces, deaths, illness and other life circumstances.
More worrisome, however, is the possibility that someone is using the items to go door-to-door collecting money in the organization’s name.
“We don’t go door to door,” Beaton said, “We never have to beg, steal or borrow because we are so well supported and well-recognized."
Little Paws obtains dogs from B.C. owners, fosters them at a local home, and then advertises the dog is available. Adoption fees help cover the costs of caring for the dogs, including medical visits and dental work.
For more information about the society, the theft and adoptable dogs, visit the website or visit them on Facebook.
