Chanel is in good hands, even though she's whining and straining at her leash. At the other end, with a good grip, stands a smiling and patient Joan Heal of Bright Eyes Dog Rescue.

Heal, Chanel, and other representatives of Bright Eyes were in Weyburn on Saturday, raising money and promoting the unique foster dog program for southern Saskatchewan.

"We get dogs from all over the place." said Heal. "We get them from surrendered people, people that have passed away. Like, there's a lot of different ways that dogs come into our care."

Heal had driven down from Regina, and helped set up a barbecue outside Pet Valu, which was celebrating its recent expansion. A new grooming service, called Groomingdale's, offered nail trimming at the event, with proceeds donated to Bright Eyes.

Chanel waiting for a home."Everybody loves dogs" Heal said with a laugh. "That's why I love going to these adoption events, too, because everybody's so happy to see you. They're always happy to see the dogs, and they contribute a lot."

Heal said a lot of care is taken with the animals before taking them to a foster home. "We always hold them for 2 weeks. " she told Discover Weyburn. "They get spayed, neutered, they get all their shots, any medical attention before they're even posted. "

During those two weeks, the dogs are assessed for any special needs, and to determine if they are good with cats or children.

All that medical attention is expensive, and paid for through donations. According to Heal, they have paid $7 thousand in the first three months of this year.

Kaylee Matisho from Weyburn was helping out with the barbecue. She takes in foster dogs, and kept the first one that came into her life. "I love dogs. And, it makes me feel better to help out dogs than go out and buy one." said Matisho. "I fostered my first one, and I adopted my first one, and she's a Husky, and she's a rescue from La Loche."

Currently, Bright Eyes has 60 dogs in foster homes across southern Saskatchewan.

For more information on fostering or adopting dogs, contact the Bright Eyes Facebook page, or check out their website. CLICK HERE.