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Few know better than our volunteers how desperately needed a new facility is. Anyone who spends any amount of time in the Champagne Avenue shelter recognizes that a 15,000 square foot, 40-year-old building is too small and too out-of-date to meet the challenge of caring for 11,000 animals every year. Volunteers understand that despite everyone's very best effort, the only permanent solution is to move to a new and greatly expanded space.
Some volunteers have selected naming opportunities in honour of family members, beloved pets, and even in honour of all of the animals that they have helped care for at the OHS. To discuss your pledge or to learn more, please call Anna Silverman at 613-725-3166 ext. 279 or at annas@ottawahumane.ca or visit the campaign website at www.breakingground.ca.
Although the daily time requirement for fostering is not excessive (usually about an hour a day), providing the right care for each foster animal, and knowing how to handle any situation that comes up, is critical. To ensure that foster volunteers are properly equipped for their role, all volunteers must attend a foster training session before they begin fostering. If you're interested in fostering and have not yet attended a training session, please contact us now!
A highlight of the evening was the Parade of Animals, featuring nine dogs participating in the Brightening Lives program, who greeted guests with enthusiasm and shared many a lick and wag!
Volunteer drivers must have an up-to-date driver's licence and a safe driving record and be able to safely lift heavy carriers. If you're interested in this volunteer opportunity, please contact us at volunteer@ottawahumane.ca!
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April 18-24 marks National Volunteer Week and we want to take the opportunity to thank all of you for everything you do for us! From our events volunteers to those of you who take in countless foster animals throughout the year, thank you all for helping so many of Ottawa's animals to have a better and brighter future.
We are sad to announce the loss of one of our Brightening Lives dogs, Gemma, who died last month at the age of 12. Gemma was an enthusiastic and well-loved participant in the Brightening Lives program for five years before her retirement a couple of years ago. She was the beloved companion of OHS staff member Cathy Leclair and will be missed by everyone who was lucky enough to have known her.
If your address (physical or e-mail!) has changed, please let us know! We correspond with volunteers by phone and e-mail, as well as by regular mail — so if our information is not up to date, you may not be getting some of our news! It also can take up to six weeks to ensure that all of your address changes are processed, so please let us know of any changes as soon as possible by e-mailing volunteer@ottawahumane.ca |
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OHS volunteers as a group have pledged just under $100,000 to the Breaking Ground Building Campaign. This doesn't include the significant contribution of board volunteers.
Everyone at the OHS is grateful for not only the gift of time and effort for the animals, but also gifts of funds. The animals need both to ensure their care and their future. 
If you have ever considered fostering, now might be the right time to act! Summer brings an influx of animals — many of whom require some TLC away from a crowded shelter environment before they can be made adoptable. During the summer, we place an average of eight animals daily into foster homes, including many orphaned or nursing kittens. While most of our foster homes typically care for animals for about a month, orphaned and nursing kittens often require longer-term foster care lasting up to eight weeks or so. 
A big thank-you to all the volunteers who helped at the FurBall on March 27. From photographers to greeters and auction pointers, volunteers were integral to the success of the '80s-themed event, which raised over $175,000 for the animals! 
If you like sitting behind the wheel, we may have a great opportunity for you! Volunteers are needed for a few hours each week to transport animals. Travel is mostly around Ottawa, but sometimes longer distances, including picking animals up from another shelter or delivering an animal to a placement partner. Some transports are evening and weekend, although most occur during the weekday. While many trips are scheduled in advance, we also depend on many drivers to have on-call availability. 
Serge Rivard and Natasha Pinsent have become familiar faces at the OHS since they began volunteering last summer. While they are primarily known for their fantastic photography of adoptable animals, Serge and Tash have also taken on a variety of other volunteer roles, including dog walking, fostering, office work, clinic volunteer work and events! Most recently, they attended the FurBall gala, where they took commemorative photographs of guests during the event. Thank you both for everything you do!