August 2017

Who will YOU walk for?!

On Sept. 24 join me, Teddy, your spokesanimal for this year’s Provincial Education & Animal Centre Friends for Life! Walk^TM presented by Pedigree.

Our Friends for Life! Walk will be held at Provincial Education & Animal Centre at Woodbine & Mulock and you don’t need to bring a dog to participate! You don’t even need to own a pet! The Friends for Life! Walk is a meaningful way for you to give back to your community by raising funds to helping animals in need.

Will you join me? You can sign up for the walk here.

Be sure to follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to keep current on the latest FFL! Walk news, contests and giveaways.

Not able to walk? You can still support animal friends in need with a special gift here.

Fundraise & WIN:

Register and raise a minimum of $100 online before Sept. 4 for a chance to win one of two Instax Cameras. Self-donations count towards your entry. Register now and start raising funds for animals in need! 

What should you do if you see a pet in a hot vehicle?

Every summer, the Ontario SPCA receives hundreds of calls about animals left in hot vehicles. Unfortunately, there are still pet owners who aren’t getting the message about the dangers of leaving pets unattended in vehicles. Parked cars can quickly reach deadly temperatures, even on relatively mild days with the car parked in the shade and the windows slightly open.

So what should you do if you come across an animal left in a hot vehicle? Find out in this video with Ontario SPCA Inspector Scott Sylvia. He discusses the dangers of leaving pets unattended in vehicles, consequences for owners and what you can do if you see an animal in distress.

Please take the time to support the No Hot Pets message and take the pledge here to show solidarity for this important campaign.

Partnership with Revera Retirement Living helps animals in need

The Ontario SPCA Provincial Education & Animal Centre is pleased to be partnering with Revera Retirement Living to help support animals in need.

If you refer someone to a Revera Retirement home in the GTA and that referral moves into one of their residences, Revera will pay $1,000 to the new tenant. For the animal lovers in your life or those looking to make a difference for animals in need in your community, that money can be directed to the Ontario SPCA Provincial Education & Animal Centre in Stouffville by asking Revera to make the cheque out directly to the “Ontario SPCA Provincial Education and Animal Centre.”

This is another great way that you can make a difference and support Animal Welfare. Your support directly helps to provide much-needed veterinary care and surgeries for the animals in our care.

To participate, ensure your referral mentions your name to the Executive Director or Sales Consultant at the Revera Residence that they move into. Please note that this offer ends Dec. 31, 2017 and is subject to change without notice. Certain conditions and restrictions apply.

Support from our friends at Blackbaud

We were delighted to have the Blackbaud team join us at the Ontario SPCA Provincial Education & Animal Centre on July 6 for some much-needed assistance.

The team from Blackbaud donned gardening gloves, picked up rakes and layered on the sunscreen as they pulled weeds and helped level the gravel in the outdoor dog runs – all the while smiling and enjoying their time helping the dogs at the Provincial Education & Animal Centre.

We are extremely thankful for Blackbaud’s help. Thanks to their team, the dog runs are neat and tidy for the dogs to enjoy the outdoor weather and fresh air. Outdoor time is important for mental and physical health for the dogs staying at the Animal Centre, which helps them find their forever homes even faster.

Thank you again from the Animal Centre team and from all the dogs using their refreshed outdoor space!

Interested in volunteering? Visit our website to learn about volunteer opportunities.

Don Cherry offers support
for pitbulls headed south
to find new homes

The Ontario SPCA recently welcomed hockey icon Don Cherry, who paid a visit to the Society’s Provincial Office in Stouffville to wish a group of pit bulls well on their journey south to find new homes in Florida.

In October 2015, the Ontario SPCA uncovered an alleged dogfighting operation near Chatham, Ontario. Several dogs were removed during that investigation and assessed by the ASPCA, world leaders in dogfighting rehabilitation. Seven of those dogs immediately passed the ASPCA’s assessments, but due to lengthy court proceedings remained in the Ontario SPCA’s care until they were recently released from the courts to be rehomed.

In addition, one of the animals removed from the alleged dogfighting operation gave birth to 11 pit bull puppies while in the care of the Ontario SPCA.

After being spayed and neutered, the first group of these dogs was transported to two facilities in Florida by the Ontario SPCA and a team from Dog Tales Rescue and Sanctuary, which funded the transport.

Pit Sisters, a behavioural and dog training program with the mission to find challenging dogs new homes, will be taking 10 of the dogs and Dogs Playing for Life will be taking four of the dogs.

Shelter Health Pro
website set to launch
new content

By the end of 2017, the Shelter Health Pro website, shelterhealthpro.com, will be almost doubling in size and scope with the launch of the Environmental Needs & Behavioural Health section. You may have noticed the button on the home page with this title.

This portion of the Shelter Health Pro website will include material relating to stress reduction and behavioural enrichment for a variety of animals in our care. Shelter medicine experts and the Ontario SPCA believe that the physical and medical needs of the animals we care for are just as important as their environmental needs and behavioural health.

This new section will contain information gathered from the most reliable and current sources. It will have a similar format to the current section on Shelter Health Pro and will include menu options for: 

• Facility Assessment
• Animal Assessment
• Make A Plan
• Stress Reduction
• Enrichment and Socialization for Cats and Kittens
• Enrichment and Socialization for Dogs and Puppies
• Enrichment and Socialization for Small Animals and Birds
• Training and Behaviour Modification

Stay tuned for website launch announcements.

Amazing donation received: Sun shades for our dog runs

We want to extend a huge thank you to Marybeth Jordan who donated six sun shades to the Ontario SPCA Provincial Education & Animal Centre to be used for the outdoor dog runs!

Marybeth’s generous donation provides shading and shelter from the summer sun for the dogs housed at the Provincial Education & Animal Centre so that they can enjoy some cool outdoor time and the fresh air!

Marybeth is a long-time supporter of our animal centre and we are so grateful to her for providing this amazing resource for the dogs in our care. Thank you again, Marybeth, from the team at Provincial Education & Animal Centre and all the dogs using the dog runs.

Want to help the animals in our care? Visit our website to learn more about ways to give.

Name the foal and you
could win

We have a beautiful foal in our care, but he doesn’t have a name. Help us name this cute little colt and you could win.

In March 2017, Dee, a Quarter Horse-cross mare, came into the care of the Ontario SPCA through an investigation. When she was examined by a veterinarian, we learned she was in foal. Her baby was born last month and now needs a name.

Submit a caption with what you think the name should be and you could win an Ontario SPCA prize pack, including a Velvet the horseplush collectable, and a $100 gift card to Greenhawk Harness & Equestrian Supplies