July 21, 2024
Cluck Cluck, Who’s There?
The OHS is sometimes called the cat and dog society — understandable as cats and dogs are the animals we most often help.
However, there’s never a dull day at the shelter and we sometimes receive unexpected, surprising guests. Meet Fancy, a Polish chicken who was found wandering a Stittsville neighbourhood and needed help.
A caring community member brought Fancy to us, and our team, never missing a beat, worked together to figure out how to help our feathered friend. We’re not prepared to accept chickens and other livestock and don’t have the resources to provide ongoing support for these animals, so Fancy’s arrival meant an immediate dash to set up temporary lodging and then coordination to figure out a permanent placement for her. This has become more difficult as some of our previous placement partners have stopped taking chickens due to increasing concerns around avian influenza. Fortunately, we were successful in finding a great new rural home for Fancy.
Fancy’s story is one of so many reasons I’m grateful to be a part of the caring team at the OHS. While it’s certainly not every day that chickens come into our care, whenever they do, our informal team motto comes out: “We’ve got this.” Our amazing team worked hard to make sure that Fancy had the care she needed and had a bright future ahead of her.
From time to time, there’s a call to allow Ottawa urbanites to raise chickens in their backyards. We support the City’s strong stance on this position, which recognizes the significant potential impacts on community health and safety, rodent management, and other associated issues. There are many important considerations, but for the OHS, the consistent care and welfare of the chickens is our top priority and reason for opposing the keeping of urban chickens. While it may seem like a great idea on the surface, few people have a plan for what they’re going to do if their chicken gets sick, or what to do with their chicken when she stops laying eggs. We know, we’ve lived the results.
Fancy is a rare case at the OHS, but well worth writing about. We’re thankful our team was able to help her, and we’re thankful for our caring community, whose generous support allowed that to happen. And, we’re thankful to the City for taking a strong position on urban chickens. Without this, we would have many more Fancies to worry about.
Sharon Miko
President & CEO