The Ottawa Humane Society (OHS) is applauding a guilty plea and sentencing. Tammy Doucet was charged in December 2010 under the Ontario SPCA Act with permitting an animal to be in distress and failing to provide food, water and general care. Doucet pled guilty in court on January 27, 2011 and was sentenced to a ten year prohibition from owning or caring for animals. She was also ordered to immediately surrender a cat currently in her possession to the OHS, pay a $2,000 fine, and serve one month house arrest on weekends.

OHS Inspectors received a call about a starving dog that was living in a crate 24 hours a day. They found the dog in a filthy wire crate, lying in its own feces and urine. The dog was emaciated and could barely walk. A vet at the OHS confirmed it was suffering from severe emaciation and dehydration due to inadequate food and water.

Please help fund these critical investigations by making a gift to help protect the animals.

Staff at the Ottawa Humane Society were scrambling to find enough foster homes with trained volunteers for eleven tiny, abandoned puppies, found near a dumpster at the Canadian War Museum.

A Good Samaritan found them in two boxes during the worst snowstorm of the season, and brought them to the OHS. The puppies were examined by a veterinary technician and most appeared to be in good health. Some were placed on special diets to help their digestive systems. Soon afterwards, they were all placed in foster care for two to three weeks until they are made available for adoption in mid-March. If you are interested in adopting one of these puppies, please drop by the OHS Adoption Centre weekdays from 12 - 7pm, and Saturdays from 10am - 5pm to complete an application to adopt. Only people who are the best matches for the puppies will be contacted, once they are ready. (For more information about adopting animals from the OHS, visit our online Adoption FAQs)

You can help by making a donation for these puppies and other animals requiring urgent care, to assist with vet check-ups, vaccinations, sterilization, and food. Visit the OHS Donation page to make a donation.

Last month, groundhogs predicted an early spring. And spring means a dramatic increase in the number of wildlife calls the OHS receives. Wild animals are more active at this time of year, building nests, searching for food or having babies. Our agents are dispatched regularly in the springtime to rescue orphaned or injured groundhogs, squirrels, raccoons and more—all without government funding to pay for any of these calls. Often wildlife that appear to be orphaned are actually animals that are doing just fine on their own. Learn more about wildlife and what to look for before calling our emergency line.

If you have wildlife animals in your home, it's best to remove them before any babies are born. Listen for sounds of scurrying in your attic or walls, and look for damaged building materials, such as shingles or eaves troughs that could indicate attempted entry.

Visit our website to get information about wildlife and wildlife control companies.

Join us for a glittering and elegant evening of Hollywood glamour for Ottawa's animals at the seventh annual Ottawa Humane Society FurBall on Saturday March 26th, 2011.

Be seen amongst Ottawa's elite on the red-carpet and savor a gourmet meal under the stars in the Great Hall of the National Gallery of Canada, all while helping animals in our community.

This must-attend event is almost sold-out. We have a few corporate tables left and a limited number of individual tickets. Tickets can be purchased online or by calling 613-725-3166 ext. 263.

How can you support someone who has lost their companion animal? Besides your kind words and being there for them, one of the most touching acts is to make a gift to the Ottawa Humane Society in their pet's honour.

Tribute e-cards - make your pet tribute gift online and send an instant e-card with your personal message of sympathy.

To make a pet-tribute gift over the phone, please contact us at 613-725-3166 ext. 263.

For cheque and cash gifts, please complete and mail the tribute form. A sympathy letter will be sent to the family.

Twizzler is a beautiful four-year-old Golden Retriever, who came to the OHS through an OSPCA investigation. She had severe entropia, a condition where the dog's eyelashes are inverted inwards. Twizzler's eyes were becoming badly scarred due to the eyelashes repeatedly rubbing against her eyes, and she had difficulty seeing. Without treatment, she was doomed to go blind.

The OHS vet put Twizzler on eye medications to keep her comfortable until surgery. Twizzler has now had successful surgery on her eyes and will be moving to a foster home where she can recover in comfort. She is all wags and kisses now that she can see again!

Please help Twizzler, and other animals like her in need of treatment, by making a donation.