Bear’s Buddies Sanctuary

05/19/2026

We are looking for some helping hands to build five dog bungalows for our animal sanctuary and non-profit doggy daycare 🙌

We have been so blessed to have one incredibly dedicated and talented volunteer working on these shelters, and we are hoping to bring in a few more helpers so we can get them finished, open our doors, and start welcoming the animals who are waiting for us.

If you have any construction or carpentry experience, or even just a willingness to show up and get your hands dirty for a good cause, we would love to hear from you!

We are located in North Qualicum off the old highway. Send us a message, email us at [email protected], or call/text (236) 979-5454 to get in touch.

05/14/2026

Meet Noah. 🐾💛

Noah is a 15-year-old Cocker Spaniel who was brought to a veterinary hospital two years ago to be euthanized. He had a severe deep tissue skin infection and a broken pelvis. His owners loved him, but didn't know there was another option. Thankfully, the hospital reached out to us.

We were able to speak with Noah's family, and with their blessing, we brought him into our care. We treated his infection, supported his recovery, and gave him somewhere to land.

That was two years ago.

Today, Noah is still with us. He is still spry, still curious, still full of life — and he plays with dogs half his age like he has something to prove. 😄

This is why Bear's Buddies exists. Not just for the end, but for the living. Noah could have been gone before he ever got to feel what it's like to have someone fight for him. Instead, he gets to wake up every morning in a beautiful place with people who love him and a whole pack of friends.

There are so many more Noahs out there. We are building this sanctuary so that when the next call comes in, we can say yes. 🌿

05/09/2026

We had the pleasure of meeting Debbie today, who stopped by to donate supplies for the animals! 💛

Our hearts are so full from the generosity and support that keeps pouring in. Thank you Debbie and thank you to everyone who has shown up for us lately. It means the world to us! 🤗

05/07/2026

It took us a couple of days to actually believe it🥹

WE DID IT! 🎉 🙌

We launched this fundraiser not knowing what the future held for us and Bear’s Buddies. And what came back to us was something we are still struggling to put into words.

Strangers from across Canada and around the world. Sharing. Donating. Praying. Cheering.

We had a goal to raise $70K in a week and not only did we reach it…we surpassed it!

We are overwhelmed with gratitude in a way we have genuinely never felt before. You helped us realize a dream that is going to change the lives of so many animals who have nowhere else to go.

Thank you. From every corner of our hearts. 💛🐾

If you would like to continue supporting us, our fundraiser is still open and every dollar from here goes directly toward building the sanctuary and welcoming the animals who are waiting for us.

Donate at: https://www.zeffy.com/en-CA/peer-to-peer/a-permanent-home-and-peaceful-ending-for-animals-who-have-nowhere-else-to-go

05/05/2026

We are so, so grateful.

We didn't know how people would respond when we finally decided to publicly ask for help. The answer has been overwhelming in the best possible way.

We still need $70,000 by May 7th to secure the land that holds everything together.

Every share, every donation, and every kind word is getting us closer.

Thank you to everyone for your support!

🔗 Link to the Everything Nanaimo article is posted in the comments.
💛 Donate at zeffy.com/en-CA/peer-to-peer/a-permanent-home-and-peaceful-ending-for-animals-who-have-nowhere-else-to-go

05/04/2026

This is the very first of three (or, hopefully, 6…) cat houses going up on the property! 🐱

This one is for our geriatric residents. The babies with diabetes, end stage kidney disease, and the chronic conditions that need the kind of ongoing, whole-body care that most facilities unfortunately can’t offer. The second house will be dedicated to cats with feline leukemia and feline AIDS, because a diagnosis is not a death sentence and these animals deserve time and love for as long as they have quality of life.

Dr. Kimberly is a licensed veterinarian and Certified Veterinary Acupuncturist (DVM, CVA) with nearly 30 years of experience in both emergency medicine and holistic animal care. The animals who come here get more than just a roof over their heads. They get acupuncture, herbal medicine, food therapy, laser therapy, and the full depth of what integrative medicine can offer. We treat the individual, not the diagnosis.

While we are out here building, we are also in a race against time to secure the land that holds everything together. We need $70,000 by May 7th and every share and every donation genuinely moves us closer. 💛

Donate at: https://www.zeffy.com/en-CA/peer-to-peer/a-permanent-home-and-peaceful-ending-for-animals-who-have-nowhere-else-to-go

05/01/2026

We've spent two years building something really special here in Qualicum Beach, and we can't stand the thought of losing it.

Bear's Buddies is Vancouver Island's first hospice and palliative medicine sanctuary for companion animals, and this is the first time we have ever asked the public for help.

We need $70,000 by May 7th to secure the land that holds everything we are building. We know this is a big ask. Every dollar goes directly to securing the land, and if we are unable to get there, every donation will be refunded in full by August 31st.

If you are able to donate, we would appreciate it so much. If not, please share this post with someone who loves animals. That means just as much to us. Thank you 💛

Donate: https://www.zeffy.com/en-CA/peer-to-peer/a-permanent-home-and-peaceful-ending-for-animals-who-have-nowhere-else-to-go

04/30/2026

The last part of LL Cool Fluffy's story.

About a month after he arrived, LL stopped eating and would just look at us and make soft cooing sounds. We kept taking him on his walks in the forest, where he'd cuddle into our arms and take everything in, like he wanted to remember all the new things he'd only just discovered.

On his last day, Keith picked him up and walked him slowly around the property, cradling him close. For about 30 minutes, LL just gazed up at Keith with this look of complete contentment, and then quietly, in the arms of someone who loved him, he took his last breath.

After 13 years of neglect, he got 5 weeks of forests, beaches, and being held. We believe Bear was waiting for him on the other side, ready to show him even more. 💛

04/29/2026

This is the first time we have ever asked publicly for financial help.

We have been heads down building something really special here in Qualicum Beach for years now, putting everything we have into it because we believe in it completely. Dr. Kimberly has invested nearly 30 years of veterinary experience and over $500,000 of her own money into this. We have secured another $900,000 in funding alongside that. The buildings are going up, the animals are already in our care, and we are so genuinely close.

We just need $70,000 by May 7th to secure the land title that holds all of it together, and that's honestly why we're here.

Bear's Buddies Animal Sanctuary is Vancouver Island's first geriatric and hospice sanctuary for companion animals. A permanent home and a peaceful ending for the animals who have nowhere else to go — the ones who end up in veterinary hospitals with no options, the ones the system has run out of answers for. We are the yes when no one else is.

Every dollar donated goes directly to securing the land. Nothing else.

If you're able to donate, you can support us at: zeffy.com/en-CA/peer-to-peer/a-permanent-home-and-peaceful-ending-for-animals-who-have-nowhere-else-to-go

Every single action before May 7th moves us closer, and we are so grateful you are here.

Thank you so much 💛🐾

04/29/2026

Dear family, friends, and our animal-loving community,

We have been building something very special here on Vancouver Island, and, with much humility, we are reaching out to the public for help in getting it across the finish line.

Bear's Buddies Animal Sanctuary is a permanent home and a peaceful ending for the animals who have nowhere else to go. For senior, medically fragile, and unadoptable companion animals who end up in veterinary hospitals with no options...we are the yes.

Dr. Kimberly and her husband Keith, along with their family and friends, have personally invested over $500,000 to launch this vision and secured an additional $900,000 in external funding to date. The Buddie Lodge, our doggy daycare and boarding centre, is nearly complete, and every dollar it generates will go directly back into animal care, creating the kind of financial stability that means we can stay focused on what matters most. Dr. Kimberly's mobile veterinary clinic, H.E.A.R.T., is also preparing to launch, bringing her three decades of emergency surgery and holistic veterinary expertise directly to families across Vancouver Island, particularly in remote areas and during emergencies when people need someone to show up fast. And at the heart of the whole property, the Bear's Buddies Headquarters building is going up right now. This is the home where the sanctuary dogs will live alongside Kim, Keith, and the staff and volunteers who care for them every day. Getting the building on site came with unexpected expenses, and that is what brings us here today.

We need to raise $70,000 by May 7th to secure the land title that holds it all together.

This is the first time we have ever asked publicly for help.
Every dollar goes directly to securing the land. Nothing else.
For every dog who spent years waiting to be held.
For every cat whose owner couldn't afford to give them a fighting chance.

For every animal who deserves a good ending.

Please help us get there. 💛

Donate at

A Permanent Home and a Peaceful Ending For the Animals Who Have Nowhere Else to GoThis all started with a dog named Bear.Bear was Dr. Kimberly's best friend. He was also the emotional support animal for every patient who came through the doors of her veterinary clinic. He had this gift for walking u...