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Greater Victoria pet charity celebrates 10 years of animal calendars

2023 Officers on Pawtrol and Firefighters and Friends hit shelves Nov. 1

Often meeting individuals on their very worst days, people working in emergency services see value in pets as pals. It’s an underlying reason Scott Treble, a former RCMP officer and longtime Saanich cop, spends his retirement time working with Balfour’s Friends Foundation. The organization cares for people by helping care for animals.

“For some pet owners their pet is their only world,” Treble explained.

It’s a small charity that started calendars with Saanich Peninsula fire departments, who remain the core of the firefighter calendar, while the police edition covers Sidney to Sooke and features both RCMP and municipal forces.

“We’ve been quietly doing what we believe to be good work for these 10 years,” Treble said. “We help people with extremely low incomes with their sick and injured pets.”

The goal is to help remove a barrier to pet ownership, because “no one should be deprived of the love of a pet.”

The foundation offers up to $500 toward an emergent or surprise veterinary bill, because of sudden injury, severe illness or infection. They work primarily on the south Island and Gulf Islands.

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While a registered charitable organization, volunteers face a couple of challenges: one is they’re solely dependent on donations and grants, and two they don’t have a high public profile like some other animal charities.

The foundation is named for a founder’s grandfather Balfour Munkley, who served 27 years in the former BC Provincial Police and RCMP and achieved the rank of staff sergeant. It’s made up primarily of officers, paramedics and firefighters, the root source of the annual fundraising calendars titled Officers on Pawtrol and Firefighters and Friends. The 2023 calendars celebrating all branches of emergency services, as well as the animals they love, are on shelves now.

Nine photographers donated their time and expertise for shoots this year, as did the uniformed models and their mostly furry friends.

Last year was the first they offered online ordering, which returns this year at balfoursfriends.com starting Nov. 1.

“It was kind of a game-changer, we started to send them across the country by mail,” Treble said.

Calendars are $15 and also available at pet-related businesses across Greater Victoria.

On the Peninsula, you can get calendars at Anicare Veterinary Hospital, Four Paws Pet Grocery and Boutique, Greenhawk Equestrian Sport, Michell’s Farm Market, Mount Newton Loan Cupboard, Puppy Love Pet Care Centre, Sidney Animal Hospital and VCA Central Saanich.

Calendars are available in the western communities at The Broken Paddle Coffee House, Serious Coffee in Millstream Village, Sooke Veterinary Hospital, WAVES Veterinary Hospital and Willow Wind Feed and Pet Food.

In the Victoria, Saanich and Oak Bay area, calendars are available at Hillside Veterinary Hospital, McKenzie Veterinary Services, Pets West, RISE Health, The Oaks Restaurant, VCA Central Victoria Veterinary and VCA Feltham Animal Hospital.

christine.vanreeuwyk@blackpress.ca


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Christine van Reeuwyk

About the Author: Christine van Reeuwyk

I'm dedicated to serving the community of Oak Bay as a senior journalist with the Greater Victoria news team.
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