April 2017
Meet Your Match® through the Ontario SPCA You could be gazing at the animal of your dreams, but you just can’t tell what they’re thinking behind that cute little furry face. What if you knew a little something about their personality and habits before you moved in together? Get ready to find a pet that suits your needs – get ready to “Meet Your Match!” A program of the ASPCA, Meet Your Match® is the only method in existence that evaluates an animal’s behaviour and interests and matches them to an adopter’s preferences so that you take home a pet you can really click with. The Meet Your Match program won’t let you go home without knowing who’s in that carrier or on that leash. Watch our video to learn more about this innovative program and see the matches it has made. Already have the pet of your dreams? We want to hear your adoption story! Enter the #IMetMyMatch video contest. For your chance to win, upload a video of your story telling us what made your pet perfect for you, or post your video on Instagram using the hashtag #IMetMyMatch and then claim your entry. The contest closes April 17, so don’t delay! The randomly selected winner will receive a $50 credit for PawsandGive.ca, our online giving catalogue, and an Ontario SPCA swag bag.
Nominate your veterinarian today for this year’s Got A Pet? Get A Vet!™ Award Help us recognize local veterinarians and their staff who go above and beyond to provide excellent care for pets and their families. From May 1 to May 21, we want to hear from you! Submit your favourite veterinary clinic for the 2017 Got a Pet? Get a Vet!™ Award and encourage friends and family to go on the gotapetgetavet.ca website to vote for the winner.  Got a Pet? Get a Vet!™ is an annual education campaign by the Ontario SPCA, in association with the Ontario Veterinary Medical Association (OVMA) and participating SPCAs and Humane Societies across Canada. It promotes and educates owners about the importance of annual veterinary checks. Just one checkup a year will help protect your pets against a variety of potentially life-threatening diseases, detect health problems sooner and help you avoid unexpected costs.
Paws & Give: Better than a chocolate bunny! Spring is finally here and Easter is just days away. If you’re looking for something fresh and meaningful to give, we have Easter and spring-themed “animal-grams” for you!  Donate just $10 through Paws & Give, our online giving catalogue, and send an eCard to your friends and family to celebrate the season, all while helping animals in our care. Or, choose a Rocky & Friends plush adoption to give in place of a basket of chocolate or trinkets. The little ones in your life will be cuddling a soft plush dog, cat or horse while you’ll have the warm, fuzzy feeling that animals in need are safe and cared for, all because of you. You can be a hero this spring!
Lenny’s road to recovery led to a new home We love happy endings, particularly when an animal has overcome so much to get to that special moment when they’re adopted. Lenny is one of those animals. Lenny is a year-and-a-half-old Labrador mix-type dog. This energetic, happy-go-lucky boy was surrendered through our investigations department in January of 2017 when his owner could no longer provide for his medical care.  When Lenny first came into the care of the Ontario SPCA, he barely had any fur. Sores and inflamed skin covered his body.      Upon examination at a veterinary clinic, he was diagnosed with Atopic dermatitis, an inflammatory, chronic skin disease associated with allergies. This poor guy was also found to be suffering from an inflammation or infection of the external ear canal. With proper care, treatment, medication and time to heal, Lenny soon recovered to good health and now has a lovely black shiny coat to show for it. Perhaps it was that gleaming coat that caught the attention of his new family. We’re thrilled to tell you that Lenny has been adopted! We wish Lenny all the best with his new family.	Partnership with Collège Boréal vet tech program celebrates 4 years This year marks the fourth anniversary of an innovative partnership between the Ontario SPCA and Collège Boréal that facilitates the sharing of resources and knowledge between these two institutions. Through this partnership, Collège Boréal became the first Canadian college to teach shelter medicine. At Collège Boréal, the Ontario SPCA presents core curriculum material to students in the Registered Veterinary Technician program, providing training in biosecurity, infection control, disease management, behavior management and the human-animal bond. “It is beneficial for a veterinary technician student to do a placement with the SPCA because it really shows you what shelter medicine is all about,” says Pierre Desjardins, a second-year student of the Registered Veterinary Technician program. “There is also a huge sense of satisfaction while working with these homeless animals. You’re all they’ve got and they let you know. Learning tips on training, on handling, on vaccinating, on intake exams and even on cleaning will also benefit a student, whether they want to stay in shelter medicine or possibly work in a clinic.”   The Ontario SPCA is proud to have a partnership with Collège Boréal as it prepares future generations for careers in Animal Welfare.
National Volunteer Week celebrates unsung heroes Ontario SPCA animal centres will be joining Canadians from coast to coast April 23-29 in celebration of National Volunteer Week. Volunteers are the backbone of every not-for-profit organization, and the Ontario SPCA relies on hundreds of volunteers across the province to help keep our animal centres running smoothly. From walking dogs and socializing cats, to driving animals to appointments and helping out at events, our volunteers dedicate their time to helping animals in need. National Volunteer Week is a time to recognize, celebrate and thank our volunteers for their hard work. This is the seventh consecutive year the Ontario SPCA, together with Volunteer Canada, has celebrated this important week. During National Volunteer Week, we will honour those who have volunteered their time to Animal Welfare and improving the lives of the animals in our care. Each animal centre will be hosting celebration events to thank volunteers, and their families, who help shape our communities. Volunteers are vital to our animal centres and we can’t thank them enough. If you would like to get involved and be part of our team, visit our website for more details.	Meet Smiley the blind therapy dog Despite abuse suffered at a young age, you’ll never find this Golden Retriever without a big smile on his face. We recently welcomed a very special guest to join us on our Animals’ Voice Pawdcast: Smiley, the blind therapy dog. Smiley the blind therapy dog, as he’s become widely known on social media, was born without eyes and spent two years living in a puppy mill, where he suffered attacks from other dogs. Even after being rescued, Smiley struggled to find a loving home to care for him. Nobody wanted him because of the challenges they thought would come with owning a blind dog. From those traumatic beginnings, Smiley never lost his calm and gentle personality. After some time adjusting to his new home, he became a certified therapy dog with St. John Ambulance. He now visits schools with his owner, Joanne George, who shares with children how Smiley was bullied for being born blind. It’s a powerful story to explain to children why bullying is wrong and hurtful. To hear Smiley’s story and the challenges of raising a special needs dog, listen to our podcast with this incredible dog and his dedicated owner.
Pet Brand Survey: The results are in… Thank you to everyone who participated in our Pet Brand Survey earlier this year. Congratulations to Cathy of Gravenhurst who was the winner of a $100 MasterCard gift card. Here are a few fun things we learned about you and your pets thanks to your participation in the survey: 41% have both a cat AND a dog in their household The most common pet name (across all types of animals) was Bella 11% of responders spend 3+ hours per week watching animal videos online (we won’t tell your boss, we promise!) The most popular toy brand was Kong The overall sentiment was that all pet suppliers and brands should support the Ontario SPCA and other animal welfare organizations – so thank you for that ringing endorsement!	Cupcakes come to the rescue to support animals in need Thanks to bakers and supporters across the nation, close to $530,000 – and counting – was raised for National Cupcake Day™ for SPCAs & Humane Societies in 2017!  To date, the campaign has raised nearly $2.38 million, proving that Canadians have a sweet tooth for cupcakes, and a love of animals.  The average cost to care for a shelter animal is $568, which means that over 900 animals were helped with the success of this year’s National Cupcake Day. The wonderful success of the day showed that animals in need across Canada can have their cupcake (pet friendly, of course!), and eat it too! Set your baking timers now for the 2018 National Cupcake Day taking place on Monday, Feb. 26

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Newshound is a free electronic newsletter published monthly by the Ontario SPCA to inform our supporters and friends of animal welfare about Ontario SPCA Community initiatives, programs, events and experiences. Contents of Newshound may be reproduced with appropriate credit.

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