The Les and Irene Dubé Good Samaritan Fund was established in 2011. Originally known as the Good Samaritan Fund, the animal care fund's name was changed in June 2020 to recognize the $1-million gift from Les and Irene Dubé of Saskatoon, Sask. Click here to read the article about the Dubés' generous gift. 

The fund's goal is to provide medical treatment for animals that are ownerless or owned by clients who can not pay for care due to circumstances beyond their control. In some instances, these medical cases also present a teaching opportunity for veterinary students at the WCVM.

Patients selected for support by the Les and Irene Dubé Good Samaritan Fund will:

• have a need for life saving procedures
• a reasonable prognosis for good, long-term recovery

Eligible patients will be:

• ownerless (including animals under the care of the Saskatoon SPCA)
• owned by clients who can not pay due to circumstances beyond their control (as determined by the attending clinician during the patient's appointment)
• attended by veterinarians at the WCVM Veterinary Medical Centre (VMC)

Requests for support: The patient's attending clinician submits a request for support to the WCVM's Les and Irene Dubé Good Samaritan Fund committee. 

This fund supports the needs of the zoo, exotics and wildlife program at the Western College of Veterinary Medicine (WCVM). Gifts to the fund are used toward education, clinical support, equipment purchases or research.