The OHS has been very busy over the past couple of months hosting events and supporting third-party community events. These events raise funds for the animals and their success would not possible without the support of dedicated volunteers like you!

Howl-O-Ween — Thank you for helping host our spook-tacular Howl-O-Ween event on Oct. 31. The children thoroughly enjoyed cupcakes, visiting with Brightening Lives animals, searching for scary-scavenger-hunt clues, and more!

Ottawa Pet Expo — The OHS was delighted to be the official charity for this year’s Ottawa Pet Expo. Thank you, OHS volunteers, for helping support our information and retail booths, as well as helping the public take home a one-of-a-kind “Paw-casso.” Thanks to your participation, we raised more than $7,000 to continue giving animals a second chance at a bright and healthy future.

Santa Pet Pics — Santa Paws is posing for holiday pet photos at the OHS until Dec. 20 before heading back to the North Pole to prepare for Christmas. Thank you for helping out with registration, sales, photography and for making this year’s festive fundraiser a memorable experience for all!

Warm Hearts Lottery — The OHS is selling tickets for our annual lottery, where all proceeds raised go towards helping the animals in our care. Volunteers have been busily selling tickets at mall kiosks throughout the city since November. Thank you volunteers for helping support this fundraiser and raising funds to help give more animals a second chance! Tickets are still available for purchase, so get yours today!

Holiday Open House — Thank you for donating your time and supporting this year’s annual Holiday Open House on Nov. 29. You helped make the afternoon a jolly good time for all attendees by greeting guests, serving refreshments, processing donations and more.

Critter Christmas—Volunteers welcomed families to the OHS on Dec. 6 for an afternoon of joy and merriment. Thanks to your help, children enjoyed decorating cookies, visiting cats and searching for cheerful scavenger hunt clues.

A very special thank you to the OHS Auxiliary and Critter Crafters teams who sold baked goods and crafts to support the animals in our care at both our Critter Christmas and Holiday Open House.

Thank you again for all of your hard work and dedication. Your participation and support not only help to raise funds they also generate community awareness of the work that we do, the services and programs we offer, and promote the animals that we have available for adoption.Contact us if you're interested in participating next year!

• Wear your snow cleats (located in the Volunteer Lounge) and non-slip grip boots, which provide extra traction to help you to walk safely.
• Wear your safety vest to ensure visibility during the day and in the evening.
• Wear your head lamp when walking in the evening to ensure greater visibility.

If you have any safety concerns, please inform the volunteer department immediately. Thank you dedicated dog walkers for continuing to endure the winter weather to keep our dogs healthy and happy 

Thank you for your ongoing gift of time! HO-HO-HO-pefully some of these opportunities are of interest to you. Please contact the volunteer department if you are interested in expanding your role:

PAW stewardship: Want to help spread the word to OHS donors and help us thank them for their support? We are looking for volunteers to help us call donors to thank them for supporting the animals and share wonderful and heart-warming examples of how their support is helping to save animals lives. If you enjoy conversing over the phone and doing basic data entry, look no further as this is the perfect opportunity for you!

Microchip clinics: Did you know the OHS hosts a monthly microchip clinic, allowing members of the public to get their pet microchipped in case the pet gets lost? Next year, in addition to our onsite chip clinics, we will be launching offsite clinics to help reach more pets in our community and we need your help! If you are interested in helping support the administrative logistics and would enjoy greeting clients and pets, please contact the volunteer department to get involved today!

Reevin Vinetsky and his lovely canine companion, Lulu, have been volunteering with the Humane Education School Program for over a year. They visit elementary and secondary schools across Ottawa to teach children about animal safety, care, and welfare. The program provides age-appropriate lessons to students in Grades 1 to 12, and Reevin especially enjoys presenting to the primary grades. Questions and comments from this younger demographic always fascinate him, he said. Reevin not only enjoys presenting, he also relishes the opportunity to share his dog Lulu with the classroom, further instilling love and respect for animals in the children they work with. Thank you Reevin and Lulu for your dedication to helping create a future generation of responsible pet owners!

This charismatic pair is part of our larger team of OHS volunteer humane educators who provide meaningful, empathy-building lessons in both English and French to nearly 10,000 students a year!  The program continues to expand each year to reach more children and youth, and we are always in need of more OHS volunteers to join our growing team of humane educators. Interested in helping create a more humane community for all? Contact the volunteer department today for more information.
 

On Oct. 27, dog walking volunteers joined us in celebration of all their hard work and commitment to the dogs in our care. Volunteers learned some new tips and tricks through our educational workshop on dog stress, body language and canine enrichment. Thank you dog walking volunteers for donating more than 7,000 hours of your time each year, while braving endless weather conditions, to help enrich the quality of life for dogs awaiting adoption.  

In May, we launched the second year of the in-house orphan kitten program. This program is dedicated to helping young, highly vulnerable, orphaned kittens thrive in a shelter environment while awaiting placement into foster care. Our dedicated team of volunteers provides a loving and nurturing environment to tiny kittens, giving them a fighting chance at survival. Thanks to your help, more than 240 kittens have been given the chance for a bright and healthy future.

This program is winding down for the winter, but if you would like to be placed on a waitlist for the spring launch, please contact the volunteer department to get involved and help save more lives.

National Cupcake Day, the sweetest day of the year, is returning on Monday, Feb. 29, 2016. Please join an incredible community of caring animal lovers who will bake cupcakes to share with friends, family and co-workers to help raise critically-needed funds to help more animals. Together, let’s fight cruelty with cupcakes. Visit www.ottawahumane.ca/cupcakeday to register now!