She's on a mission to find new homes for abandoned and homeless dogs and cats who find their way to her.

Founder of the not-for-profit organization Gerdy's Rescues & Adoptions, Gerdy Goiron and her six regular volunteers take in animals whenever the need arises.

"We are on the road nearly seven days a week and we get home 10 or 11 o'clock at night," she said, explaining that she accepts all cats and dogs as long as they are not aggressive and she feels she can find them a fitting home.

""I don't pick and choose my dogs. If I get a call and it needs help, that's what I take."

Though it became a registered charity in 2004, saving animals has been a life-long pursuit for Gerdy, who remembers taking dogs and cats home as a young girl in the Eastern Townships.

"My parents used to say, ‘Where did you get them from?' And I'd say, ‘Well, they're on the gallery. They're lost.' And my mom used to say, ‘You have to bring the dog back. It's somebody's dog,'" she said.

Now, Gerdy's Rescues & Adoptions relies on a network of friends, fosters and contacts to successfully place cats and dogs in permanent homes.

An adoption fee of $375 for dogs and $125 for cats helps recover part of the costs incurred so that the organization can help the next animal in need.

And there are many in need because Gerdy said, she feels puppy mills in the province continue to operate because current laws have no teeth.

"I was also with the Monteregie SPCA. and I went in on seizures. I have seen what puppy mills are," she said, adding that she invited elected officials to seizures on many occiasions, but none ever showed up.

"Let's say we're doing a seizure in Ste-Agathe. The (person) who's representing the government should be coming in with us, first hand, and see what is going on," she said.

The province promises harsher penalties and fines for puppy mill operators are pending within the next few months.

Gerdy also wants mandatory registrations for breeders so everyone can find out where each animal came from.

"If a do a seizure on the street or rescue a dog and it's supposed to be from a ‘breeder,' then I should be allowed to know which dog it is. The public should be allowed to," she said.

Toronto became the country's second city to ban the sale of dogs and cats by pet stores last month, after Richmond, B.C. did so last year.

Gerdy applauds the decision, but believes Ottawa or any province has yet to follow suit for financial reasons.

"Why do the pet stores support the puppy mills? Why does the government support the pet stores? They get the tax," she said, explaiing the difference between the store and her rescue organization.

"It's 375 everything included," said Gerdy. "Sterilization, complete vaccination, tested for heartworm and treatment for heartworm, (and) prevention."

Animal rescue is a tireless job, and Gerdy has been known to go above and beyond the call of duty, and even goes out at 2 a.m. to save an animal.

"There's nobody else like her who will go the distance for the animals that she does. She's just a wonderful person, in and out," said volunteer Colleen Patterson.

As the saying goes: All dogs may go to heaven -- but Gerdy is in no rush.

"If I go to heaven, I'll probably have the same job," she laughed.