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RAPS to the Rescue

RAPS’ outstanding community partner Applewood Auto Group stepped up again recently to spread joy and support pet health.

In case you don’t know … Applewood provides the space for the RAPS Animal Hospital and our administrative offices FREE OF CHARGE – a value over time of millions of dollars. Two years in a row, they have donated a brand-new car for RAPS to raffle off to raise funds to save and improve the lives of more animals. The list of Applewood’s awesome philanthropy goes on and on … and RAPS is only a small part of Applewood’s generosity across the community! They are irreplaceable partners in everything we do!

Over the holidays, Applewood invited their customers to enter a draw for a $1,000 credit at RAPS Animal Hospital.

The winner was selected on January 6, and we could not be more overjoyed that this deserving family (especially their two, spirited pets!) have been selected.

For Chris and Kiri Vanderwel, the email announcing their selection for $1,000 in vet care could not have come at a better time.

Chris, a firefighter, was injured almost two years ago.

“That was obviously unexpected and changed some things with our circumstance,” says Kiri. The year-and-a-half of recovery added strain to the family, which includes rambunctious four- and seven-year-olds – plus a middle-aged cat named Piper, and Indie, a bumptious two-year-old Husky-Shepherd rescue whose overflowing love can be a handful for family and extremely welcome strangers.

Neither of the pets has any serious health conditions. Piper, who is almost 11, has a minor chronic condition that seems to be disappearing with age, and Indie has had a couple of minor ear issues because she has the floppy kind that can cause easily-treatable problems.

Piper was adopted by Kiri from RAPS. For a while, it was just Kiri and Piper, then along came a husband, then a kid, then another kid, then a dog. Piper, according to Kiri, took to the changes in her life like, well, a cat to water.

“She’s like, what the heck? Come on!” Kiri interprets for the curmudgeonly kitty. Kiri, who works at home, and Chris created a stacked series of platforms for Piper to find peace in Kiri’s downstairs office, which doubles as the feline’s “lair.”

Indie was rescued from the frigid Manitoba winter at a tender six weeks of age, went into foster care and arrived at the Vanderwel home at eight weeks.

Being an extroverted pup, of course, Indie doesn’t understand why Piper isn’t as excited to engage with a ginormous fluffball as Indie is to treat Piper like a littermate. But the two are developing an entente and spending more time in common spaces together, Kiri reports.

Indie is not particularly discerning when it comes to hoomans – she loves everyone. But, Kiri adds, Indie has a special bond with her fave RAPS Animal Hospital vet, Dr. Victoria Cruz-Mendez.

Piper’s relationship with Dr. Victoria is not quite so enthusiastic. In fact, Piper isn’t a huge fan of too many bipeds other than her mom, Kiri.

For a family facing some challenges around Christmas, the notice of the $1,000 windfall was a huge ray of light

In addition to the extraordinary expenses associated with the holidays, the pets were due for routine checkups and, annoyingly, it was time for some services on their car.

“There was a decent amount of work that we needed to get done, at Applewood, right next door to RAPS Animal Hospital.” To make the budget work, Kiri said, they decided to push the vet appointments into the new year and deal with the necessary car issues.

She is clear, though, that pet medical expenses are non-negotiable. Whatever the animals need they will get, she said. That doesn’t mean there aren’t some difficult budget impacts and juggling acts required.

Then the news came of the $1,000 win.

“It was just such a breath of relief,” she says. “The timing of it was just incredible.”

Kiri is grateful to RAPS Animal Hospital, and has effusive words for the team at Applewood.

“They’ve been incredible,” she said. “We were referred to Applewood from my husband’s coworker, another firefighter. They’re just an incredible organization. We know about their benevolence. We also have benefited from their incredible customer service. They’ve taken great care of our vehicles, they’ve taken great care of us as a family.”

RAPS is honoured to make the new year a little brighter for families like the Vanderwels. And we couldn’t do a fraction of what we accomplish without the stalwart friendship of our folks at Applewood.