Earlier this week, Pound Rescue in Okotoks announced the passing of their founder, Dr. Gabriele Barrie.
An outspoken animal advocate, Barrie founded the organization in 1994 with a philosophy of making every possible effort to save the lives of animals in need.
Compassion was always the core of Barrie's work. Pound Rescue's Facebook page contains nine years' worth of posts archiving the stories of animals taken in, often abandoned, sick, or injured, with the intention of giving them a better life in a loving home.
She also worked to address the population of feral cats in town, as referred to in Pound Rescue's Facebook post announcing Barrie's passing.
"She was able to implement a TNR (trap, neuter/spay, return) program in Okotoks at that time and eliminated the stray cat problem for over 20 years. Her contribution to this town and outlying areas was second to none in regard to animal welfare."
In that same post, Pound Rescue estimates the number of animals helped by Barrie to be in the tens of thousands.
A flood of condolences and memories of Barrie have been shared on social media, many from people who knew Barrie personally, and many from pet owners whose lives and the lives of their pets were directly affected by Barrie's work.
Another Foothills-based animal rescue foundation, Heaven Can Wait, posted a tribute that credited Barrie's advice as a major influence on their advocacy work.
A funeral is being held on Saturday, Dec. 17 at 1:00 p.m. at Snodgrass Funeral Homes in Okotoks.
According to Barrie's obituary page, her family would appreciate donations to Pound Rescue in place of flowers.
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