'We have to work to get you out of here': 80 strays rescued in northern Sask.

As much as Wendy Quinn loved her four-legged husky companion, she knew the future for Zeus looked grim — at risk of freezing or starving to death, or getting shot, as one of the many strays in Saskatchewan's north.

"He was special. I certainly didn't want him to meet with a terrible end. He deserved much better, he deserved love and a home, and all of that stuff that dogs need," she said.

Quinn is from Prince Albert, but travels to Wollaston Lake to work as a nurse-practitioner at the health centre there. One of the staff had been taking care of Zeus, a husky mix and an outdoor dog, with the other staff members pitching in.

Several of the staff are far away from their families, and their own dogs, and Quinn said she was no different in that respect. Zeus filled that void while she was in the community.

"I love seeing Zeus, I love having him here; he was a comfort to me," she said. When she would walk at night from the nursing residence, to the clinic, no matter the hour of the day or night, he would walk alongside her, a protector.

Dog runs 10K to follow her 'home'

But concerns about having the dog at the complex, and the risk to patients, meant that staff were asked to stop feeding Zeus and having him as the health centre's de facto pet.

Quinn said she knew then that he was at risk of meeting an untimely end, but it was only after she came back from her Christmas holidays that she realized she had to do something.

"What really got me was that Zeus was at the airport when I landed," she said, adding that he looked more emaciated and dishevelled than before. That didn't stop him from running after her vehicle, the 10 km distance from the airport to the health complex, on a day where temperatures had fallen to -29 C with the windchill.

"That's when I said to him, 'We have to work to get you out of here.'"

A plea for help

She posted an emotional plea on social media, explaining the situation, and asking if anyone would take Zeus in.

While she hoped one of her circle might adopt him, she wasn't expecting what happened next.

"All of a sudden, social media went berserk," she said, adding within 15 minutes of her post, several people pointed her toward animal rescuers who offered help.

Jackie King, co-founder of Paws up North, was one of the people that was tagged in response to Quinn's post. She helped coordinate rescue efforts, finding a crate that could be picked up to get Zeus and connecting him with a rescue mission through Saving Grace Animal Sanctuary in Alberta.

Situation in northern Sask. 'wild'

"The situation in northern Saskatchewan is wild," King said, of the proliferation of dogs, and the response of shooting strays. A lack of animal protection officers and animal shelters adds to the problem, but she noted there are many citizens and volunteers who want to protect these animals.

"There's so many people willing and ready to help with this," she said.

Within a day of Quinn's post, King had Zeus picked up, as well as a new female companion dubbed Xena, and he was on his way to join a group of more than 80 strays in La Ronge that were being rescued and taken to Alberta for adoption.

Quinn said she was "blown" away by how quickly people responded, and how eager they were to help. 

"I'm so grateful and so touched, and I know that Zeus has got such a strong will and good heart; he's going to be a beautiful, beautiful gift to a family.'- Wendy Quinn

"I was in awe, just like completely, my jaw dropped," Quinn said. "The network just came together and boom, boom, boom. In less than 24 hours, this was a done deal."

Saying goodbye to Zeus left her feeling choked up, she said, but she knows from personal experience how much of an impact rescue dogs can have and the meaning they can create for families.

"I'm so grateful and so touched, and I know that Zeus has got such a strong will and good heart; he's going to be a beautiful, beautiful gift to a family."