December 2018

Local Veterinary Hospitals Give their Time at the OHS to Make a Difference for the Animals in Our Care

As a volunteer, you know that spaying and neutering cats and dogs is important and responsible. That's why each homeless cat and dog (and rabbits too!) in our care is spayed or neutered before finding a new home — to prevent adding to the pet population crisis in our community.

Did you know the Ottawa Humane Society hosts “NightOwl” events for veterinary clinics in our community to give their time and talents to helping more animals at the OHS? We were so fortunate to host two respective events this November. A big thank you to Fisher Glen Animal Hospital for visiting the OHS on November 4. Thanks to their team, 20 cats received important surgeries including: 11 neuters, 7 spays, and 2 dentals. Another huge thank you to Claire Place Veterinary Hospice for their gift of time on November 28. They helped 20 animals in need by performing 11 cat neuters, 8 cat spays and 1 dog spay.

Interested in learning more about these lifesaving events? Please visit our event page to view our gallery and learn more about getting involved.

Outreach Department Invests in Onsite Education for Children and Youth

The Outreach department has had a busy fall with field trips and camps for children and youth in our community. These programs provide participants with a behind-the-scenes OHS experience, including age-appropriate education and supervised animal visits. Recently, the OHS hosted a Take Your Kids to Work Day program for Grade 9 students who have an interest in learning more about animal-related careers. Participants were provided with the unique opportunity to learn more about the work of the OHS and the individual roles that make our organization such an important resource for animals in our community. They learned from in-house veterinarians, veterinary technicians, adoptions counsellors, humane educators and canine/feline services coordinators, and also received information about volunteering and fundraising opportunities relevant to them.

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A BIG thank you to all of the volunteers who have signed up to sell lottery tickets on behalf of the OHS!

The grand prize draw takes place on February 14, 2019 and the prizes are as follows:

• First place: $5,000
• Second place: $3,000
• Third place: $2,000

If would like to sell tickets on behalf of the OHS, please contact the Manager: Volunteers for more information (volunteer@ottawahumane.ca).

Thank you in advance for helping support this important event where all proceeds generated support the close to 10,000 animals we help every year.

PAWS 4 Wellness – No more "ruff" days at the office!

January 21, popularly known as Blue Monday, has been deemed the saddest day of the year. In 2019, we want to help turn this into the most PAWSitive day of the year! Join the Ottawa Humane Society and take a PAWS in your work day for some canine and kitten cuddles! PAWS 4 Wellness is a workplace charitable campaign whereby local companies raise money to receive an OHS animal visit.

In order to receive an animal visit, companies must raise a minimum of $1,000. OHS animal visits will be one hour in length, and will include a team building activity. Visits will be conducted by trained OHS staff and volunteers. Interested in learning more? Contact the OHS manager: events to sign up today.

VOLUNTEER PROFILE

Spreading Smiles Across Our Community

The Brightening Lives Animal Visits Program (BLAV) is an important community service that began in 1986. OHS volunteers take their companion animals to hospitals, retirement residences and other long-term care facilities where they meet and interact with the residents. Some of these residents may not receive many visitors otherwise, so this program truly does help to brighten their lives. The BLAV program also brings residents together, as they share a common bond—their love for animals.

The BLAV Program currently operates Monday to Thursday with morning, afternoon and evening visits. Visits last approximately one hour and consist of a team of two to three volunteers who visit pre-scheduled facilities, at the same day and time, each week. One of our amazing volunteer and companion animal duos are Al & Jazz. They joined the program in December 2015 and have been spreading joy and happiness across our community ever since. We asked Al why they continue to support this program, “We do it because it brings a lot of joy to the people that we visit. It is extremely satisfying to see them smile and interact with Jazz. I consider being part of the BLAV program a tremendous experience and would recommend it to everyone.” The OHS is so lucky to have them on our team—Al & Jazz always pick up extra shifts, support special events and even participate in our humane education program. Thank you Al & Jazz for bringing so much happiness to those in need!

One of the most challenging components of operating this program is finding the right animal companions to participate in visits. These dogs and cats must be friendly towards all people, other animals and adapt very quickly to new and unpredictable environments. If you, or your family or friends have some extra time and an animal who’d be perfect for this program, we need your help today. We currently do not have enough companion animals and handlers to support program needs. If interested in supporting this amazing program please contact the Manager: Volunteers to learn more.

Double the Impact of Your Gift of Time!

Thank you for your continued support and ongoing gift of time! We would not be able to continue helping so many animals, and providing so many services to our community without your dedication. Did you know there may be a way for you to double the impact of your volunteer time with us? Many employers encourage volunteerism from their employees and give money to causes where their employees are giving their time. So if you work, ask your Human Resources Department to confirm if such a program exists within your workplace. If so, we would be happy to assist with any paperwork needed. If you are retired, your previous employer may also have a matching program that you can participate in—simply contact your previous employer to learn more.

If your company does offer such a program, please let us know so we can share this information with our volunteer team. We will be posting information about companies that will give financial gifts for their employee’s volunteer time with in the volunteer lounge all year long. This information will be updated monthly, so please keep an eye out.

Ho-Ho-Ho-liday Schedule

Thank You for Joining Us!

The volunteer department held a workshop at the OHS, on October 11 on compassion fatigue. This presentation educated attendees about compassion fatigue and burnout for those who donate their time to helping others. The session focused on identifying personal warning signs/symptoms and offered effective strategies for coping and prevention. If interested in being placed on a waitlist for a future compassion fatigue workshop, please contact the volunteer department to sign up today.

On November 28, the volunteer department held another educational workshop to thank our volunteers for their ongoing care and commitment to our animals. We welcomed OHS volunteers to participate in an educational presentation and behind-the-scenes tour of the OHS. Many volunteers participated in this event, learning more about the OHS. Thank you OHS volunteers for your continued contributions to giving animals a second chance!

Happy Holidays!

On behalf of the OHS and the animals in our care, the volunteer department wants to extend our sincerest appreciation for all of your hard work and ongoing commitment to giving animals a second chance. We wish you, your families and furry friends all the best for a joyful holiday season! We look forward to spending next year with you!

Reminder: Foster Department Hours Change

Effective December 2, 2018, the foster team moved back to the winter schedule. The department now has reduced hours in the evening and will no longer be open on Sundays.

Event Volunteers: Thank you for continuing to make a difference—We Could Not Do It Without You!

A HUGE thank you goes out to our event volunteers for helping with our busiest event season of the year! Over the past two months, event volunteers have been an integral part of our success, supporting both on-and off-site events, including:

• Howl-O-Ween Open House;
• Girl Guides Event;
• Holiday Open House;
• Critter Christmas Family Event;
• Our ongoing Santa Pet Pics Event, and more!

The Standards Program Trustmark is a mark of Imagine Canada used under licence by the Ottawa Humane Society.