About Us

History of GPRO

The Guinea Pig Rescue Ottawa (GPRO) has been saving the lives of Guinea Pigs since 2019. You might ask why Guinea Pigs need rescuing? Well to put it quite simply there are many animal welfare issues that arise when it comes to poor breeding practices, uneducated pet stores, animal cruelty and many more heartbreaking issues. 

These animal welfare issues are a result of misinformation and not enough education. We are a no kill shelter and we provide a sanctuary for Guinea Pigs for as long as it takes for them to find their FURever home. Many guinea pigs come to us sick and we make sure they are healthy before adoption. With this being said we decided that it was time to take action and help educate our community about Guinea Pigs needs, and how rewarding it can be to have these little guys as companions. 

 

How We Started 

We came across our first glimpse of the harsh reality of these little ones when we were at PetSmart shopping for our pet lizard Uromastyx named Red. 

We saw a small Guinea Pig that looked extremely scared and malnourished. We quickly adopted him on the spot! Upon returning home we researched all we could about Guinea Pigs' conditions in pet stores and classified ads and this is when we knew we needed to take action. The overwhelming information we found about mistreatment in stores, abandonment by owners and euthanizations in shelters brought us to tears. ! The more we researched, the more we found that even our local Guinea Pigs were being mistreated. A quick search on our local classified ads showed owners using language such as “Guinea Pig for sale, "need gone ASAP" or " need gone or euthanized.”

This broke our hearts and immediately had us running around the city responding to these ads, even coming across situations where guinea pigs were left outside in boxes. During the warmer seasons we got many of these types of calls as people mistook these little creatures for wild animals, but the harsh reality is that these animals cannot survive on their own. Bred to be household pets and companions, Guinea Pigs are not something you can just throw away and forget about. As we became more known around Ottawa, we started getting a lot of sick guinea pig surrenders because some owners could not afford medical treatment and vet visits. We paid out of pocket for surgeries and vet visitation and medication. 

Guinea Pigs across Ottawa needed our help urgently! We got to work and began our rescue program by starting in our home, however we quickly ran out of room even with many adoptions, since the number of surrenders was growing so rapidly.

The adoption process ensures that families and individuals are ready to care for a small pet like a Guinea Pig and have the right knowledge for them to live happy and healthy lives. Thus, we had to relocate the Guinea Pigs to an apartment.

At that time, we could no longer depend on volunteers because of Covid, so we had to hire a staff. The rescue continued to grow, and our landlord decided that they had to leave. It turned out to be a blessing in disguise as we ended up in the basement of a commercial space, where the rescue is located. It was an even bigger facility with sufficient space to enable us to offer educational programs and other services.

Now, we continue to operate and offer these sweet Guinea Pigs the most needed care, including vet visits, behavioral, socialization, and rehoming. Each one receives specialized attention at the rescue. We have a compassionate staff, volunteers, and an RVT tech who visits them bi-weekly for their medical check-ups. We are blessed to have a community made up of some of the most generous and caring individuals who support our cause to protect and love the Guinea Pig.

Our main focus is to help the abandoned and mistreated Guinea Pigs and to educate new families and the general public about Guinea Pigs and their proper care. They deserve love; they deserve to live!

We are a not-for-profit and no-kill shelter. Our goal is to become a self-sustaining and operating rescue that focuses on rescuing, protecting, and educating about Guinea Pigs, continuing the mission to save them. A rescue that is operated and maintained by the compassionate Guinea Pig lovers of the Ottawa community.

The Story of Snow

In November 2021, GPRO was notified about a very sick guinea pig at a pet store in Bayshore Mall. As a rescue, we try not to support the larger problem within the pet trade, but this situation was different, and we knew this little pig would not survive much longer. One of our volunteers stepped in and brought him to safety.

Snow was later diagnosed as a lethal guinea pig, a condition caused by genetic issues from improper breeding, which meant he was blind, deaf, and faced many serious health challenges.

Despite everything, Snow thrived. He became our most social pig, experiencing the world through his incredible sense of smell. He was full of spunk, joy, and silliness, and he touched everyone who met him.

Although Snow was never up for adoption due to his medical needs, he lived a beautiful life with his amazing foster, Melodie, and his dear friend Sophie, who always helped nurse him back to health.

In Spring 2024, Snow passed away while on the way to see a specialist. His loss was deeply heartbreaking for GPRO and our supporters.

Snow reminds us why we keep going. His resilience, courage, and joyful spirit continue to guide us as we prepare to rescue even more beautiful souls. 

Thank you for being part of our journey.

🤍 In honour of Snow, always.

 

Our Team

Founder: Karawan