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Site updated February
24tthh, 2010 |
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(Our pets have been to the vet!) |
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Whatever Happened to that Cat you Abandoned ? |
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“Second Chance for has partnered with us and is donating pet food for all
cats, and kittens being cared for here. |
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ACTION
VOLUNTEERS FOR ANIMALS  Volunteers are working through out the Toronto and GTA
area, in Pickering, Markham, Oshawa, Whitby, Ajax, Richmond Hill, Brampton,
Mississauga and Hamilton . Their goals
are to: © Control stray and feral animal
overpopulation, particularly that of feral cat colonies. We trap, sterilize
and release feral cats back into their original habitats, monitor their
health and feed them on a regular basis. Cats deemed adoptable i.e. tame, are
entered into our adoption program. Cats too ill to be released or adopted are
cared for within our foster care system. © Reduce animal suffering © Discourage animal cruelty © Educate the public, especially children,
about animal welfare |
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AVA is in the news again. Below is an article found in Oshawa This
Week.....and on the internet it is at: http://newsdurhamregion.com/news/article/148511
Denise would like members to compose a letter with their concerns
regarding: · the
new Saturday Locked Door Policy at Animal Services · the
Animal Services operating hours in general Please email the letter to these
Oshawa councillors: jgray@oshawa.ca, bnicholson@oshawa.ca, rlutczyk@oshawa.ca, npidwerbecki@oshawa.ca, jkolodzie@oshawa.ca, jhenry@oshawa.ca, acullen@oshawa.ca, jneal@oshawa.ca, msholdra@oshawa.ca, tdmarimpietri@oshawa.ca, lparkes@oshawa.ca |
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Ryan
Pfeiffer / Metroland OSHAWA
-- Denise Harkins is the president of a group called Action Volunteers for
Animals which is concerned Oshawa's Animal Services recently cut back its
weekend staff, making it harder for people to adopt animals. February 11,
2010. New policy has animal lovers worried about pets at
Oshawa shelter February 17, 2010
OSHAWA
-- Local animal lovers say recent changes at Oshawa's Animal Services Centre
could make it tougher for homeless cats and dogs to find new families. The
Farewell Street facility is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday to Saturday,
but anyone who visits on a Saturday is now greeted by a locked door and
instructions to ring the bell. The
new policy was implemented after a staff shuffle that left only one employee
working weekends. Jerry
Conlin, the City's director of municipal law enforcement and licensing, said
that employee spends most of their time in the back caring for the animals,
which is why the front door is locked unless someone rings. "If
you're trying to adopt a pet, you want someone to talk to you and answer your
questions about the animals," says local resident Cathy Muir, who
recently visited the centre on a Saturday, and didn't like the change.
"(The employee) didn't really have time to spend with me...which isn't
their fault because they had to look after the animals. But, I think that
would be a huge turn-off for someone looking to adopt." Ms.
Muir went back the following Monday and is now planning to adopt a cat. But,
she says most people's work schedules wouldn't allow them to return between
10 a.m and 4 p.m. on a week day. In
a letter to This Week, self described "animal activist" Anne McColl
said the new policy reflects priorities that are "out of whack.â?¨
"The main priority should be getting these animals adopted out. One
employee can't take care of all the animals and be there to answer people's
questions and go through the adoption paperwork with them," she said. Denise
Harkin, who works with Action Volunteers for Animals -- a no-kill non-profit
group that places animals in foster homes -- recently spoke to council's
finance and administration committee about the issue. "The
City's shelter could be run so much better, it could have such a higher
adoption rate," she said. "If you look at Toronto's shelter,
they're now open Sundays as well as Saturdays. Oshawa should be doing more
not less, but it seems like they're worried about animal control more than
animal welfare."â?¨ Mr. Conlin said the City's records show the Animal
Services Centre isn't busy on weekends, with an average of five or six
customers visiting on a Saturday. He
said the change shouldn't be interpreted as a lack of concern about the
animals. "We
want to adopt every animal we have out to the public, but the number of
people wanting to adopt is less than what we bring in," he said.
"Our staff down there are very attached to the animals when they come
in, if they're sick or have to be put down, it upsets them greatly. We all
want the best for the animals." Mr.
Conlin said the City has toyed with expanded hours at the centre, without
much success. Evening hours were offered a couple of years ago, but there
wasn't much response from the public. He
said the centre's location in an out-of-the-way industrial area is a barrier,
as well as lack of knowledge -- some people don't realize the City offers animals
for adoption. Cats
can be adopted from Oshawa Animal Services for $170, while dogs are $260.
Prices include spay or neuter, first booster, microchipping and licensing. For
more information, call 905-436-3311, visit www.oshawa.ca
or drop by 919 Farewell St.
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 Email
: actionvolunteers@yahoo.com Phone:
416-439-8770 (operates on a message only basis)  |
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DID YOU KNOW? ·
“Clinics utilizing this spay/neuter model in the US
have reduced shelter admissions and euthanasia by up to 70%! “ ·
“Data collected at these clinics shows that 86% of
spay/neuter clients have no previous relationship with a veterinarian “ |
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