A cry in the cold: How a puppy named Miracle found her second chance

It’s roughly -35 C with the windchill in the dead of winter when a volunteer animal rescuer hears the cries of a three-month-old puppy coming from a dark, cold and empty garage.

When she finds the puppy, it’s fluffy fur is white and creamy and it has large paws and supple limbs, but it’s injured.

Read more:

• WATCH: Aggressive pack of dogs has Allan mayor ‘panicking’
• Provincial laws need to change to help dog problems like in Allan: SUMA
• Meet the therapy dog bringing comfort at Saskatoon vaccine clinics

Miracle was run over by one of her owners on Feb. 7, 2025. Angels of Hope Animal Rescue raised $5,000 to pay her life-saving vet bill. (Angels of Hope Animal Rescue Inc.)

The owners of the Husky-Pyrenees-Malamute mix had called Angels of Hope Animal Rescue after they had run the puppy over.

“’My partner ran over the puppy and we’re not taking it to the vet’, — the call was received by one of the volunteers who said there was no urgency, no responsibility, no concerns for the animal suffering,” recounted Shantel Stewart, who heads up the rescue based in Esterhazy.

The puppy, later named Miracle, had three fractures in her pelvis and one through a growth plate in addition to a broken femur.

She was a part of one of many litters the group had been called in to rescue from these same owners, as they repeatedly asked them to save their puppies.

Miracle’s siblings were taken into the care of the rescue, but their owner refused to hand over Miracle before she was injured. (Angel’s of Hope Animal Rescue)

One of those calls was recent, and while the rescue’s protocol is to have all the puppies be surrendered, the owners refused and kept one — Miracle.

The puppies already in the rescue’s care were full of worms.

“Our foster had to physically help pull some out of their poor bums,” said Stewart about puppies ranging from two to five pounds at five weeks old.

One of Angels of Hope’s recents rescues has little to no nails left, and Shantel Stewart said they do not know the cause. (Angels of Hope Animal Rescue Inc.)

Stewart highlighted the worms meant that for Miracle’s mom and the other pups  “parasites are eating their stomachs and all the nutrients they get are just being eaten by parasites.”

Stewart said the cycle just keeps repeating with these owners. They’ve tried educating them, as well as providing resources and support.

“The reality is, I did have my community volunteer speak with this person after and this person thought that putting the dog in the garage so that it wasn’t vulnerable to other packs of dogs or the cold outside was the right thing to do,” said Stewart.

(Video by Shantel Stewart)

Deeply concerned, Stewart said there is a stray dog epidemic in Saskatchewan and change needs to happen.

“Our rescue (is) small and we probably, on average, have rescued like 500 to 700 animals a year — that’s dogs and cats,” said Stewart, adding that their largest seizure to date was 30 dogs from one home.

Stewart made the decision to save Miracle and gathered community donations to pay the $5,000 vet bill.

Now, weeks since the incident, the puppy is safe and has found her forever home. But it’s just a solution for one, not for all.

Stewart explained they’ve tried calling official channels about the issues, but have had little to no success.

Chief Animal Protection Officer and Executive Director of Animal Protection Services of Saskatchewan, Don Ferguson, said they have animal abuse call protocols to follow.

These protocols include:

• The information is received, assessed and a file is created
• Priority calls (dead or dying animals) require a 48-hour response
• Priority two calls require three to five business days’ response, and one not exceeding 14 calendar days
• The investigation can then take from the same day to months.

Ferguson said that February is the busiest month for the service  due to the cold weather and increased nutritional requirements for livestock and companion animals.

He said in the last three months, Animal Protection Serves had received 931 phone calls, 150 online submissions and 172 calls for service.

Ferguson said stray dogs fall under municipal legislation and are handled by Animal Control, saying Animal Control protects humans from animals, and Animal Protection protects animals from humans.

Animal distress includes abuse, suffering, neglect and deprivation of food, water, care, shelter, veterinary care or protection from injuries, heat or cold, according to Ferguson.

“This is literally how we found the litter,” said Stewart. “Two moms, seven babies. Four of them had several toenails completely fallen off. All full of worms.”

(Video by Shantel Stewart)

Stray dogs a ‘deeply rooted issue’

Stewart said, “The stray dog epidemic in the communities we serve is a multi-faceted, deeply rooted issue.”

Stray dogs for Stewart include an abandoned, injured or neglected animal, or someone who wants to surrender their animal.

“We’re seeing, you know, packs of starving dogs, and they’re attacking other animals because they’re desperate.”

The weekend they saved Miracle the organization also rescued 25 other dogs — and they have a waitlist for rescues.

“Most of our volunteers live 40 to 90 minutes away from the communities we rescue from,” she said.

The Angels of Hope team consists of three to four core members, some of whom are retiring.

Stewart said the solution isn’t as simple as spaying and neutering as many animals as possible.

“It’s just not as simple as charging someone, banning them from having pets, even tying dogs up, as some bylaws suggest.”

“The crisis is so far gone that we don’t even know who owns many of these dogs anymore,” she said. “They’ve been roaming, reproducing, shifting between households for so long.”

Stewart added three of the four communities they serve are trying to implement some solutions, like spay and neuter programs.

“Community members only have to pay $50 for a spay or neuter and then they can take their animals to their vet appointments,” she said, adding that transportation is a problem as the closest vet is typically a 45-minute drive from many of these communities.

Another problem, Stewart says, is the lack of enforcement of bylaws.

“We’re always responding to emergencies because there’s no consistent infrastructure in place to manage these issues at the community level,” she said.

The solution Stewart proposes is having a dedicated animal welfare coordinator in each community that is a paid position.

(Video by Shantel Stewart)

Angels of Hope calla for volunteers

In January, the rescue did a call out on social media for more volunteers.

“We’re seeking dedicated volunteers from Regina, Esterhazy, Melville, Weyburn, and surrounding areas,” said the Facebook post. This includes Sakimay, Cowessess, Kahkewistahaw and Ochapowace areas.

The rescue listed 17 different volunteer positions ranging from short-term foster homes to people with flatbed trailers.

“In addition, we’re prioritizing animal wellness education and strengthening relationships with the communities we serve.”

Read more:

• WATCH: Aggressive pack of dogs has Allan mayor ‘panicking’
• Provincial laws need to change to help dog problems like in Allan: SUMA
• Meet the therapy dog bringing comfort at Saskatoon vaccine clinics