It may be hard to believe, but the holiday season is right around the corner. This means that we are recruiting volunteers for Santa Pet Pics, and we need YOU!

This year's photo dates are the weekends of Nov. 20–22 and Nov. 27–29. We're looking for volunteers to help with photography, photo printing, registration and sales. If you can help with one or more days, please let us know. Ho ho ho!

Contact chief elf, christinew@ottawahumane.ca for more details.

Our clinic staff have noted some exceptional effort lately from our foster volunteers. Cats and kittens coming back to the shelter are arriving in stellar condition. Everything from body weight to shiny, healthy coats is just about perfect! This means the animals are healthy enough to go into surgery right away, decreasing the amount of time your foster animal spends in the shelter prior to finding a new home. On behalf of all the clinic staff at the OHS, thank you to all our foster families for their great work!

An important reminder to our foster volunteers — to keep your own animals safe from any illness that your foster animal may have, even if he's not showing signs, please ensure you keep your foster charges isolated from family pets and observe good hygiene (hand washing and wearing a different shirt) after caring for fosters.

As OHS volunteers, your gift of time is one of the best ways to help the animals in our care. Volunteers are also our most financially generous group — giving over $129,000 to the animals last year.

Some of the most popular ways that volunteers have contributed financially include:

• Becoming a monthly donor (PAW program). It's easy, flexible and spreads your gift over the year. For more information or to sign up, click here.
• Support animals in need directly via our Buddy and Belle Fund.
• Attend one of our special events. Buy a ticket or a table at our FurBall. Sign up for the walkathon and raise pledges. Form a team, raise over $500 and become a VIP walker.
• Make a tribute gift to the animals — there are so many occasions where you can help the animals with a tribute gift. Some examples include in memoriams, weddings, birthdays, graduations, retirements, anniversaries and holidays.
• Designate your United Way gift to the animals. It’s a great way to help your workplace campaign and the animals in our care.
• Double your money for Ottawa's animals and see if your company will match your gift. For a list of matching gift companies click here.
• Hold an event for our animals. We have some ideas to help get you started.

If you would like to change our communications with you (mail, phone or e-mail), please contact us.

Head collar Halties and gentle leaders are mandatory on every dog walked at the shelter. It's imperative that no dog leave the building without a Haltie, whether the animal is going to the dog run or out to the front lawn. Consistency is important for dogs in a shelter, and providing good obedience training with the use of Halties calms the dogs and helps them focus on their training.

To control the transmission of disease, we ask that volunteers not share Halties between dogs. Please ask the adoption supervisor if a dog is missing a head collar before you take the dog out of the kennel.

Thank you for your help!

This Brightening Lives Animal Visits team has been together for several years. Their weekly visits include those to the Union Mission and Shepherds of Good Hope. This tight-knit team includes from left to right, Monique Pecht (with her yellow Lab Sealgair), Solange Sakalauskas who visits with an OHS-staffer's dog, Jessica Sencan (with her cat Milo), and leader Steve Wills (pictured here with his Golden Retriever J.R.). Together, they share the benefits of animal companionship with isolated members of our community!

For information on this program contact us.

Christmas
fostering

Once again, we'll be looking for temporary foster homes for our adoptable dogs over the Christmas holidays.

If you're planning a quiet Christmas at home and could share your space with a canine companion for one or two weeks, please let us know by Dec. 15. We'll be matching up and sending dogs home in the days leading up to Christmas.

Get your tickets!

We're looking for a group of amazing volunteers to lend a hand at upcoming Senators games selling 50/50 tickets.

The commitment will be between 4-5 hours, includes free parking, dinner, loads of Sens volunteer perks, and you get to watch some great hockey to boot!

To sign up for games on Nov. 7 and 21, or Dec. 16, 19 and 28, please e-mail us.

Feature creature

Bear is an eight-year-old husky who charmed the staff of the OHS, and now is charming the hearts of his new owners. This calm and loveable dog is doing exceptionally well in his forever home, and just loves to be hugged and kissed. A favourite spot for smooches is his marshmallow nose! Bear is quite popular with the kids in his new neighbourhood and receives many compliments while out on his daily walks.