The issue of homeless cats is one that Ottawa and the Ottawa Humane Society have constantly grappled with.
I have seen the terrible things that happen to cats left to fend for themselves. Killed by predators, maimed by vehicles, succumbing to the elements, disease and starvation. These cats are often brought to the OHS, but often it is too late.
Simon, a tuxedo cat, was found wandering the dockyards of Hong Kong in 1948 by Seaman George Hickinbottom, a crew member of the British frigate HMS Amethyst. Simon was very undernourished and unwell, so the young sailor smuggled the cat onto the ship. The crew and officers were happy to have Simon onboard, especially because he was excellent at catching rats on the ship. Eventually, Simon became a mascot for the crew.
On behalf of the OHS Board of Directors, I would like to inform you that the successful candidate for the position of President and CEO of the Ottawa Humane Society is Sharon Miko. She is expected to begin in her new role in mid-November.
We’ve all seen it. As Halloween approaches, pictures of pets dressed up in costumes flood social media — dachshunds dressed as hot dogs, cats with wings, the creativity is abundant. I’ll admit, sometimes I have chuckled at these images, but I squirm as well. There is a certain indignity to the images. As a human adult, if I dress in a funny costume, I know that people are laughing with me, but the animals aren’t in on the joke. I know they are being laughed at.
Julie Laporte worked at the Ottawa Humane Society as a veterinary assistant beginning in 2004. She worked until she couldn’t any longer. You see, she became ill. Julie passed away from cancer on the 16th of January, 2013. She was 38. She left a husband and a small daughter behind.
In 2004, leaders in animal welfare came together to find common ground in what was a divided sector. Their meeting place was California, just outside the Asilomar State Park.
The results of this meeting were nothing short of amazing. Groups that were deeply divided and often mistrustful of one another created the groundbreaking Asilomar Accords, an agreement to, among other things find a way to report consistently on outcomes for sheltered animals in a community.
I was taking a walk around the shelter the other day and looking in at the animals in our care. It’s easy to feel badly for them, not having a home and family to call their own — a feeling that only grows stronger as the holiday season approaches.
While I wish these animals had never needed our help, I am truly thankful that they have somewhere to go when they need it most.
When I began working at the Ottawa Humane Society 22 years ago and for quite a few years after, the board, staff and volunteers were predominately white, with ancestry in the British Isles. To be honest, for many years, I had naively assumed this was a cultural phenomenon. That is, I had assumed that other cultures in Canada just weren’t that interested in dogs and cats, nor the welfare of wildlife and livestock.
I learned a sad lesson many years ago. A man surrendered two beautiful Borzois — a pretty unusual event at the OHS. I found out the next day that the staff were talking amongst themselves, outraged that anyone would surrender two young, healthy pets. I found out shortly after that the gentleman surrendered his dogs because he had terminal cancer. I have used this story with staff ever since. It’s a lesson in not judging people or their circumstances. This man was not a bad person. He trusted us with his beloved pets. He had faith in our ability to care for them.
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