EAPS agents begin inspections of local pet stores

OHS inspectors have started the process of inspecting local pet stores and rescue groups under new authority provided by Ontario’s animal cruelty legislation which allows for examination of places used for animal exhibit, entertainment, boarding, hire or sale. Staff will be looking to ensure stores are adhering to proper standards of care for animals. First on the list will be our partner stores in the PAL program — our satellite adoption locations.

Letters were sent out to all area pet stores earlier this summer, explaining the new powers and announcing that we would be undertaking inspections. So far, response has been positive, especially among the stores we currently partner with.

The inspections will be ongoing over the coming weeks.

 IAMS helps build temporary shelters for cats

Summer is typically a busy time at the OHS, and despite the lack of warm weather this year, we’re still seeing many animals come through our doors.

Wendy Bull from Iams, lends a hand painting our temporary cat runs.

There are currently about 300 cats in the building, which leads to the obvious side effects of overcrowding — stress and disease.With so many animals cramped together in such close quarters, cats are at risk of contracting upper respiratory infection (URI), a potentially serious disease. In order to alleviate this, we constructed three free-standing cat runs, each designed to house eight cats. The runs provide extra temporary housing for cats who are recovering from URI, and helps free up some space in our regular cat rooms. The runs were constructed with the financial assistance of IAMS.

 Costs of keeping current building in shape

While the campaign to raise funds for our new shelter is heating up, OHS staff is also struggling with ongoing work required to maintain our current building to keep it functioning for the animals. Since the start of summer, premises staff have been busy replacing broken pipes, fixing cages, and making repairs to the building’s crumbling front steps. While no major renovations are in store for this aging facility, costly upkeep must be done to ensure the environment is safe and efficient for both staff and animals.

For more information on the Breaking Ground Building Campaign, our fundraising drive to build a new home for Ottawa’s animals, please click here.

 Pot-bellied pigs in a new straw house

Some of you may have read about the trio of pot-bellied pigs our EAPS agents found abandoned behind a home in Navan last month. For several days, our staff made daily trips to Navan to feed and water the animals, nicknamed Huff, Puff and Chinny Chin Chin in reference to the popular fairy tale. Then the pigs were moved from their temporary lodging in a backyard shed to a local foster farm, where they proceeded to grow in number when the lone female of the bunch gave birth to eight healthy piglets.

Since then, all 11 pigs have been relocated to their forever home on a farm outside of Cornwall, where they’re enjoying spending their days greeting visitors with oinks of welcome!

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