Margaret Leathley’s cats were always the apple of her eye.

That love led the Burnaby-raised Leathley to the not-for-profit Regional Animal Protection Society cat sanctuary years ago as a volunteer, and most recently, gained her a spot in a popular TV show, Pets & Pickers.

The second season of the docuseries, Pets & Pickers, is being aired on Animal Planet.

The term win-win may be over-used – but for White Rock born-and-raised television producer Tyson Hepburn it’s the most accurate description of his brainchild series Pets & Pickers.

The Earl Marriott grad’s inspiration has been to combine two of documentary TV’s most potent audience-generating genres – shows about people helping animals and shows about ‘pickers’ finding unexpected treasures among the contents of abandoned storage lockers – in one.

Popular Animal Planet show returns for a second season.

Cat sanctuary manager Shena Novotny featured on second season of Animal Planet’s Pets and Pickers

A Nanaimo woman is featured on TV screens for Animal Planet’s Pets and Pickers.

Shena Novotny has been working at the Regional Animal Protections Society in Richmond since 2016. She’s the manager of the cat sanctuary and the adoption centre at the non-profit animal hospital that’s being featured in the reality series.

The second season is set to air on Animal Planet starting Saturday, May 6 at 5 p.m. Pacific Time.

Pets & Pickers on Animal Planet kicked off second season this weekend

When Alisa Verwoerd was a teenager, her cat Buddy had to spend a week in the care of an Abbotsford veterinarian.

It was in that week, while she was treated with care and dignity as a pet owner, that she decided to go into the business of animals. She was already an animal lover — Buddy had been adopted as an adult cat into her family through the SPCA.

Korean government delegation visits Richmond animal rescue

A delegation from a local government in Korea recently paid a visit to Richmond’s Regional Animal Protection Society (RAPS) to learn about their animal welfare practices.

The College of the Rockies will start working with the Regional Animal Protection Society (RAPS) to rehome 14 feral cats living on the Cranbrook campus.

College officials said the RAPS Cat Sanctuary is situated on three acres where about 400 cats, with most being formerly homeless or feral, live together in a clean environment.

The Richmond-based charity’s thrift store has been closed since early September.

Plans to re-open Richmond’s animal charity thrift store in time for Halloween were nixed when it became clear an engineer’s report would not be ready.

“It was a huge disappointment,” said Pat Johnson, communications manager for The Regional Animal Protection Society.

‘Awful’ pet custody battle has taken a ‘mental toll’ and ‘physical toll,’ said owner.

B.C. is looking into modernizing the Family Law Act (FLA), and animal activists are hoping the law will recognize pets as family.

Animal law lawyer Rebeka Breder, who sits on the board of Regional Animal Protection (RAPS) based in Richmond, and who founded the first animal law firm of its kind in Western Canada, hopes B.C. will lead the way in Canada by recognizing pets as family.

The Richmond Animal Protection Society is appealing for financial support from the public after a car crashed into its thrift store — taking its key source of revenue out of commission.

The crash happened Saturday when the driver of a red vehicle lost control and collided with the store. Luckily no one inside the store was hurt, but shelves came crashing down and merchandise went flying inside the store.

The only person hurt was the driver.

No one was hurt inside the Francis Road store, but items went flying when the car drove through the wall.

The Regional Animal Protection Society (RAPS) is calling on animal allies for support after a single-vehicle accident Saturday resulted in extensive damage to one of the organization’s two thrift stores.

Month long giveaway fundraiser launched Aug. 15 provides opportunity to win one of four prizepacks.

B.C.’s Regional Animal Protection Society is teaming up with Chilliwack-based pet food company, Petcurean, for a month-long fundraiser for homeless cats and dogs.

The fundraising giveaway campaign launched on social media on Aug. 16 and will run through to Sept. 6.

Richmond Centre for Disability (RCD) is highlighting the importance of job opportunities for people with disabilities and a local store manager could not agree more.

Karen Kamachi, manager of RAPS Thrift Store, said the job fair is not only a chance for people with disabilities to find a job to gain work experience and other skills, it also helps build their confidence in the real world.

Ever wondered what happens to feral cats?

The Regional Animal Protection Society (RAPS) was founded in the 1980s to rescue and re-home stray cats in Richmond. 

RAPS now operates one of the largest cat sanctuaries in North America, in addition to the full-service RAPS Animal Hospital. 

The sanctuary is home to over 500 cats and kittens and is open to the public on Saturdays and Sundays from 1 to 4 p.m. 

Month-long “Companions for Change™” event supports over 500 animal shelters and animal charities across Canada

Pet Valu Holdings Ltd., the leading Canadian specialty retailer of pet food and pet-related supplies, today, begins Pet Appreciation Month, its biggest, annual “Companions for Change™” initiative. For the month of June, over 600 stores in the Pet Valu family will be raising funds for Canadian animal organizations that provide critical support to local animals in need. On June 18 and 19, many stores will host National Adoption Weekend to help find the right forever homes for homeless pets in their communities.

The RAPS cat sanctuary is a one-of-a-kind facility in Canada

Discovery Channel has a new TV series called Pets and Pickers highlighting the work done by the Richmond-based Regional Animal Protection Society (RAPS) on May 10 in an advance, fundraising screening before the series makes its on-air debut May 12.

Come for the paw-ty, stay for the purr.

The animal hospital’s low-cost veterinary care is funded by the sale of donated items

Karen Kamachi never dreamed that managing a thrift store would lead to her appearance on a TV series.

“It’s not what I expected out of my job,” said the North Surrey resident, who is featured in Discovery Channel’s new “Pets & Pickers,” a docu-series that follows a unique animal hospital in Richmond and two thrift stores that help fund its operation.

Canada’s only cat sanctuary is reopening to the public this weekend in Metro Vancouver, and it’s an excellent opportunity to meet a new fur-end.

Regional Animal Protection Society (RAPS) Cat Sanctuary is welcoming back guests to its Richmond haven starting on Saturday, April 30, and every weekend after.

The sanctuary was closed for two years due to the pandemic. RAPS CEO Eyal Lichtmann told Daily Hive that he is excited to open its doors to feline fans again.

A Richmond thrift store that donates its proceeds to help sick animals was robbed of all its cash, leaving vulnerable employees and critters in a risky situation.

Karen Kamachi, store manager for the RAPS Granville Avenue location, says her assistant manager called her in a panic when she came into work on February 9.

“The door was wide open. At that point she called me panicking, saying, ‘Karen, you have to run over here. We’ve been robbed,’” she said.

Ensure Companion Animals are Part of the Plan

At the heart of estate planning is caring for people — self-care, in the form of establishing your directives, and leaving provisions for the people you love.

For two out of three Canadians – who include a companion animal among their loved ones – planning for their well-being when we are no longer able to care for them should also be part of the planning process.

RAPS CEO bites back at allegations of putting profit ahead of animal welfare

Dear Editor, Re: “Animal contract takes us back 13 years,” Letters, Dec. 10.

It has been an honour for the Regional Animal Protection Society (RAPS) to operate the City of Richmond Animal Shelter since 2007. We made Richmond a “no-kill community” and we are immensely proud of the lives we have saved and improved over the past 13 years.

In the spirit of Giving Tuesday, a Richmond-based animal welfare charity will choose a worthy recipient every Friday in December to receive 100 per cent subsidized in-hospital care to pets whose families are affected by hardships due to COVID-19.

Thanks to a generous donation, the Regional Animal Protection Society (RAPS) is able to fully subsidize in-house veterinary services for four very needy pets during the month of December at its animal hospital.

It’s that time of year again. The holiday season. Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, New Years, etc.

The ever-lasting question of “what should I get for that special someone” and yes, that not so special someone too. Let’s face it, we all have them.

Good Samaritans found Blossom running loose around No. 6 and Blundell roads one evening in September and brought her to the RAPS city shelter. The German shepherd-lab mix was in horrible condition and very underweight. She was suffering from terrible mange, most of her hair was missing except on her back, head and neck. She had scabs all over her body, she was bleeding in a number of places and she kept chewing her skin because she was so itchy. She had all sorts of fluids discharging from her skin. And she smelled horrible.

RICHMOND, B.C. — Numerous animals are now in the care of the Regional Animal Protection Society after being found abandoned and living among urine and feces in a home in Richmond.

A neighbour called RCMP on Friday night when they heard barking for several hours and had concerns for the welfare of the animals.

A Cats, kittens, and dogs were rescued from squalid conditions at a Richmond home Friday, after neighbours reported their guardian has been unable to get back to Canada since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The animals, 10 in total, were taken by the Regional Animal Protection Society, which is now caring for them.

Ten animals were taken away from a Richmond home after a “horrific” case of animal neglect.

The Regional Animal Protection Society (RAPS) seized six cats, two kittens and two small poodle-like dogs from the home on Williams Road on Saturday.

Animal welfare officials seized 10 animals on Saturday in a case of shocking animal neglect in Richmond, B.C.

Eight cats and two dogs were seized from a home on Williams Road.

The owners had left the country before the COVID-19 pandemic hit and handed their pets’ care to friends or family.

A Richmond-based animal society has set-up a livestream video of how their kittens are spending their days after being rescued.

On Sunday evening, the Regional Animal Protection Society (RAPS) started at Facebook live “kitten camera” to share with the community.

A Richmond-based animal charity is asking the public to dig deep after rescuing dozens of kittens and cats from a hoarding situation.

Animal welfare organization says rescue comes at a tough financial time

The B.C. SPCA will limit public access while the Regional Animal Protection Society will offer no-interest plans for pet owners facing financial challenges.

It might sound like over-indulgence, but veterinarians are taking a very serious look at Canada’s first hyperbaric chamber for pets, in Richmond.

After a serious car crash on the way to a Richmond food bank last week, a veteran is waiting to find out what his best friend’s future is going to look like.

A homeless veteran of the Canadian Coast Guard is pleading for help after being involved in a serious car accident along with his dog, Rocky.

Gregory Wright and his terrier were on their way to a food bank last week when the accident happened.

Meet Rocky, he’s an eight-year-old Staffordshire terrier with big brown eyes that will melt your heart.

He is also a support dog for a Metro Vancouver veteran suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder and currently homeless, living in an RV, after being renovicted.

The no-kill charity that runs Richmond’s animal shelter is asking for the public’s help after a homeless man’s beloved dog was badly hurt in a car accident.

The Regional Animal Protection Society (RAPS) stepped in to help Greg Wright, who was involved in a rollover crash just south of the Massey Tunnel last week, along with his dog, an eight-year-old Staffordshire terrier called Rocky.

If you can’t get enough of cats you’re going to want to pay a visit to Canada’s only cat sanctuary located right here in Metro Vancouver.

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RAPS and Pets OK BC are calling on the province to end “no pets” policies that pose challenges for renters in a market with a vacancy rate that is less than one per cent.

Both groups made submissions to the province’s Rental Housing Task Force established in April by B.C. Premier John Horgan and led by Vancouver-West End MLA Spencer Chandra Herbert, who will serve as the premier’s advisor on residential tenancy.

If you can’t get enough of cats you’re going to want to pay a visit to Canada’s only cat sanctuary located right here in Metro Vancouver.

Richmond’s Regional Animal Protection Society (RAPS) a non-profit, no-kill animal services agency runs the cat sanctuary, which houses over 500 cats.

The cat sanctuary serves as a home for cats that are not the best candidates for adoption.

An outbreak of rabbit hemorrhagic disease, which is highly contagious, has hit the Richmond facility

An outbreak of the highly contagious airborne virus, rabbit hemorrhagic disease (RHD), has spread to the Richmond Animal Shelter, forcing officials to euthanize the no-kill shelter’s entire population of rabbits.

An animal shelter in Richmond, B.C., has been advised to euthanize all 66 rabbits in its care after confirmation that several animals have tested positive for rabbit hemorrhagic disease.

The virus can cause death within hours and the Regional Animal Protection Society, which operates the Richmond Animal Shelter, says it was likely introduced by infected feral rabbits that were found dead on the property.

Richmond animal charity forced to cull its rabbits due to virus outbreak

The Regional Animal Protection Society (RAPS) – which prides itself on its no-kill policy – has been told by the Ministry of Agriculture to euthanize the remaining 66 rabbits in its care, after the highly contagious rabbit hemorrhagic disease (RHD) struck its No. 5 Road shelter last week.