Search Results for: mobile spay neuter clinic
Volunteer Opportunities
OHS volunteers help give Ottawa’s animals a brighter future and make our community a more humane place for all. If you are interested in joining our volunteer team, and making a difference for Ottawa’s animals, please review the volunteer opportunities and follow the application instructions.
Please note: Applications will not be processed for programs that are not open for recruitment. We have a limited number of available openings, and applicants must meet the volunteer requirements to be considered for an interview. We thank all applicants for applying, however, only candidates selected for interviews will be contacted.
2022 Media Releases
Winter Storm a Danger to Pets Ottawa Humane Society Warns (Dec. 22, 2022)
Badly Wounded, Pepper Sprayed Dog Recovering at the Ottawa Humane Society (Dec. 13, 2022)
Giving Tuesday — Donations to Ottawa Humane Society Doubled Until Nov. 29 (Nov. 24, 2022)
Santa Paws is Coming to the Ottawa Humane Society (Nov. 17, 2022)
Ottawa Humane Society Announces New President & CEO (Nov. 3, 2022)
Humane Society Says No Costumes for Fido (Oct. 20, 2022)
Haunting Event Returns to Ottawa Humane Society (Oct. 14, 2022)
Historic Wait Times for Foster Homes at the Ottawa Humane Society (Aug. 9, 2022)
Seven Abandoned Bunnies Arrive at Ottawa Humane Society (July 27, 2022)
Ottawa Humane Society Hopping with Rabbits (July 25, 2022)
Rising Temperatures Pose a Danger to Pets (July 15, 2022)
Ottawa Humane Society President & CEO Announces Retirement (July 14, 2022)
Canada Day Celebrations Pose a Risk to Pets (June 30, 2022)
Ottawa Humane Society Dog Seeking Foster Family (June 29, 2022)
Ottawa’s Biggest Event for the Animals Returns After Two Years of COVID (June 8, 2022)
Ottawa Humane Society Facing Mounting Costs as Power Outage Drags On (May 26, 2022)
Ottawa Humane Society Without Power (May 24, 2022)
Serious Danger to Pets Left in Cars as Temperatures Soar (May 12, 2022)
Battered and Bruised Great Dane Puppy in the Care of the Ottawa Humane Society (April 13, 2022)
Ottawa Humane Society Supports Partners in Animal Rescue (March 31, 2022)
Ottawa Humane Society and Ottawa Fire Services Partner to Protect Pets from Emergencies (Match 23, 2022)
Brutally Wounded Cat Rushed to Ottawa Humane Society (March 15, 2022)
Ottawa Humane Society Launches Lottery to Support the Animals (March 8, 2022)
Ottawa Humane Society President & CEO Condemns Mass Misinformation (Feb. 25, 2022)
Sought After Microchip Clinics Return to the Ottawa Humane Society (Feb. 24, 2022)
More than 40 Animals to be Spayed and Neutered at the Ottawa Humane Society (Feb. 22, 2022)
Happier Pets Are Just a Click Away (Feb. 14, 2022)
Ottawa Humane Society Warns Pet Owners to Take Caution During Cold Snap (Jan. 11, 2022)
Crisis Update
Thank you for your continued support as we find our way through this unprecedented situation. We hope that you and your loved ones are remaining safe and healthy. The COVID-19 public health crisis is not yet over. Life has not returned to normal, and it may never be quite the same. A second wave in the fall is all but assured. The story of this crisis cannot yet be fully written, but we wanted to provide you with an update since we last connected to share how we continue to navigate through these unchartered waters:
- All eligible animals continue to be sent to foster care to save space in the shelter for animals in-distress;
- All volunteer programs (except for foster) remain suspended until the fall to limit the number of people onsite and we will continue to communicate throughout the summer as we finalize operations;
- All on- and off-site programming and events remain suspended until at least Aug. 31 and our Mobile Spay and Neuter Clinic will remain closed indefinitely, likely until physical distancing restrictions have been lifted;
- Health and safety protocols, around cleaning and distancing measures, continue to be further enhanced onsite, with the installation of additional protective equipment (like Plexiglas shields, signage, extra hand sanitizer dispensers, and more);
- We have developed a longer-term sustainable staffing model: animal care staff are now divided into teams—an A and a B team—where teams alternate shifts to ensure they do not come into contact with one another, helping to protect staff by limiting their contact with one and other and securing care for the animals. If someone on a team falls ill, the second team could be called in to feed and care for the animals;
- We continue to adopt animals via appointment only to ensure physical distancing, with adoptable animals returning from foster care as matches are made, ensuring animals remain off-site until adoption;
- We continue to offer the Emergency Pet Food Program to our community. If you or someone you know is experiencing hardships as a result of the public health crisis, this program will provide a supplemental two-week supply of pet food for dogs and cats of all sizes and ages. More information can be found here.
Our community and the animals, continue to rely on the Ottawa Humane Society for help, and we continue to rely on you to help us provide it. As a result of the measures taken, our situation remains stable. We miss all of you and look forward to seeing you as soon as we are able to resume our regular programs and services safely.
You Made It Happen! Our Strategic Plan After Two Years
Admittedly, I can be pretty ambitious; not so much personally, but for the Ottawa Humane Society as a whole, and what we can achieve for the animals and our community. The OHS five-year strategic plan that was launched in April 2016 is an example of this ambition. This plan was, and remains, a very determined endeavour.
If you are familiar with the plan, in addition to enhancing our core, much of the direction has been divided into six main themes. Within these themes, I wish to share some of the highlights of our accomplishments as we near the plan’s two year mark.
“Building a better future for pets by creating better future pet owners” (Investment in the Next Generation)
We believe that real and sustainable change for animals will happen by way of the next generation. To this end, we have increased our focus on children and youth as the best hope for a more humane community. We have introduced youth tours, school field trips, and a youth counsellor in training program. This is all in addition to significant new efforts and growth in the school humane education program to more than 12,000 students in just two years. To become more inclusive, we introduced humane education in schools in French, along with camps for French-speaking youth. Our French translation is actually ahead of schedule. Beyond our expansion into Canada’s other official language, we have consulted with and begun our outreach to newcomers to Canada, to help them experience the joy of animals in their new adoptive country.
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“Pets belong in homes, not shelters” (Pets in the Community)
In order to truly help all animals, we have to move beyond just the care we provide here at the shelter. There are a lot of animals that need us, and not all of them under our roof. We are very proud to have worked with our partners to convince the city that the time of animals for sale in pet stores is over. Ultimately, the agreement dictates that only rescue animals would be allowed to be adopted in retail establishments starting in 2021. Our first forays into community-based programs: microchip clinics and our Pet Savvy adult education program have reached hundreds of low-income adults with pets and is improving the welfare of the animals in their homes.
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“Good Policies Save Lives” (Ensuring Animal Sheltering Best Practices)
I have always believed that our animal care decisions need to be based on the best research available. Fortunately, in the last few years, animal sheltering research and best practices have become more readily available, and are proving to be very valuable resources. Key among the available materials has been animal care guidelines as issued by the Association of Shelter Veterinarians. A major accomplishment of ours has been the implementation of many hundreds of their recommendations for animal care in shelters.
Additionally, we have introduced enhanced cat enrichment to the shelter and have launched a number of behavior interventions for felines with issues such as house-soiling. We have also developed and launched an orphan kitten program to improve survival rates in this highly vulnerable group. Lastly, we also began to adopt cats and kittens who are FIV+ along with the education and support for adopters taking on these compromised but still loveable felines.
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“Too many cats will live wretched lives as long as there are too many cats” (Reducing Cat Overpopulation)
To address this heart-breaking problem, the OHS launched our biggest single initiative since the construction of the West Hunt Club shelter: our Mobile Spay/Neuter Clinic. To date, the program has sterilized more than 1,800 felines.
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“We cannot continue to accept canine suffering because they act out” (Dog Behaviour Intervention)
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In 2017, we launched our new behaviour assessment regime and initiated enhanced enrichment for all the dogs in our care. As part of this, we completely revamped our dog walking program, relaunching it as canine enrichment, and adding levels of training for volunteers to provide behavioural intervention for more challenging dogs. At the same time, we launched intervention plans for dogs with specific problematic behaviours, such as food guarding.
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“Doing more with less because we are doing it together” (Partnerships and Leverage)
We believe that we can accomplish so much more in partnership than alone, and that our support for national, provincial and local partners makes a difference. To this end, we are much more engaged with our national counterpart, the Canadian Federation of Humane Societies and I have joined the board of the Association of Animal Shelter Administrators of Ontario. We also believe that animals will benefit across the board by actively sharing our knowledge and expertise with other groups. We have a lot to give, and we have given a lot over the past two years. We believe animals will be better off because of the work we have done for groups such as Ottawa Therapy Dogs, the Rideau Valley Wildlife Sanctuary and other, smaller humane societies.
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“Ottawa’s animals need us to ask for them as much as they need us to speak for them” (Investment in Growth)
We have expanded our “business” lines which raise much-needed funds and further animal welfare: more public seminars, more microchip clinics, more and varied camps. Ultimately, it is not ourselves that make all of these accomplishments possible; it is you, our donors and supporters who provide the funds that make it all possible. We are learning to tell our story to inspire both you and our community to help animals in need. To this end, we have made major investments in our PAW monthly giving program, and to tell that story of why animals are important to all of us, and how they are a part of a compassionate and kind community that benefits us all.
Thank you for supporting this ambitious plan. I hope you are proud of what you have accomplished.
Bruce Roney
Executive Director
Feral Cat Population Control
While the community rallied to help the OHS during its internal cat population crisis in August, outside the shelter, the plight of feral cats remains dire. Thousands of cats are living nasty, brutish and short lives in dozens of feral colonies across the city. Sadly, most could never live indoors despite our best efforts to socialize them. They have never lived with humans and so have never learned to trust them.
Being killed or injured by predators or vehicles, suffering pain from illness, enduring the misery of being exposed to the elements—or more horrifically, being subjected to human abuse—the threats to these sad creatures are real. At the OHS, we see the impact every day.
Feral cats are the offspring of unsterilized cats allowed by their owners to run free. Our community has created this problem, and we have a responsibility to fix it. Too many animals are suffering for us to continue to turn a blind eye to their fate.
For years, the OHS has worked with feral colony caretakers to support “Trap, Neuter, Release” programs. At no cost, the OHS has worked with caretakers to sterilize, microchip and vaccinate colony cats in their care. The demand is simply too great and the OHS recognizes it is the root of the problem that must be addressed – prevent cats from becoming feral in the first place.
For decades, the OHS has educated thousands of children and adults on the importance of sterilizing cats and keeping them indoors. Cats allowed to roam free face the same dangers as feral cats, and if they become lost their future is grim. Only eight per cent of stray cats admitted to the OHS are claimed by their owners. So to ensure we aren’t contributing to the problem, the OHS sterilizes all cats before they are adopted. Still, our efforts are not enough. As our city grows, so does the number of feral cat colonies.
Two years ago, the OHS introduced a new program whereby our Mobile Spay Neuter Clinic and services team visit lower income neighbourhoods in Ottawa where animals are at risk of not being spayed or neutered. To date, over 3,300 cats have been sterilized. The majority of cat owners served have admitted their cat would not have been sterilized if it wasn’t for our mobile clinic.
We have helped prevent many cat owners from becoming responsible for a litter of kittens. Consequently, we have also helped prevent cat homelessness and suffering. But the OHS cannot single-handedly decrease Ottawa’s feral cat population. We need your help. Here’s what you can do:
- Ensure your pet is sterilized and encourage others to do so.
- Don’t let it roam.
- When taking your cat outdoors, make sure it is fitted with a harness and leash.
- Microchip your cat, and make sure it is wearing a visible collar with an ID tag.
- Indoor cats can escape, so ensure they too are wearing a visible collar with an ID tag.
- Contact us about suspected feral cats or colonies in your community.
- Support the OHS and our mission to end the plight of feral cats in Ottawa.
By working together, we will increase the possibility of ending cat homelessness and suffering in our community.
Our Next Step in Keeping Families Together
Almost daily, we receive calls from struggling pet owners to ask if the OHS can provide veterinary care for their pet — often for a condition that earlier intervention might have prevented. Outside of our Mobile Spay/Neuter Service (MSNS) and microchip clinics, the answer has been no, but that’s changing.
This week, we piloted our first-ever Wellness Clinic and provided wellness exams, core vaccinations, microchips, and a few other basic veterinary services to nine cats and dogs whose families are not able to afford veterinary care. We talk to owners about how to keep their pets healthy and signs of illness to watch for.
Winter and Hope, two kittens who are close to six months old, are two of the animals who came to this week’s clinic. We checked their heart, eyes, ears, teeth and their overall health. We also gave these kittens their core vaccines, de-wormer and microchips.
The services we offer are preventive, helping to lower the chance that the pet will need emergency veterinary care in the future.
Like our MSNS, Wellness Clinics are heavily subsidized, only made possible by a community that cares. Your generous support, we believe, will lead to fewer animals suffering, and will help to keep more pets in the homes where they are loved.
For our pilot phase, we are working through our partners and programs to serve our most at-risk clients. Once we have completed the pilot phase, our goal is to provide our Wellness Clinics to other at-risk, income-qualified pet owners who meet the same qualifications as our mobile program.
Wellness Clinics are the next step in our mission to help more families stay together. We are here for every animal that needs us, and we will do whatever we can to keep pets with families who love them.
Sharon Miko
President & CEO
Volunteer: Community Services
Not currently recruiting.
The Ottawa Humane Society’s Volunteer Department is looking for volunteers who are interested in helping animals while supporting families in the community facing financial hardship. Volunteers are responsible for a range of tasks related to the Community Services Department. They can include but are not limited to assisting with the daily/weekly duties for the Emergency Pet Food Bank, data entry and clinic preparation for Microchip Clinics, data entry and clinic preparation for the Mobile Spay/Neuter Clinic.
Community Services Volunteer Requirements:
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- Volunteers must have strong computer skills and experience with data entry;
- Volunteers must have strong communication skills;
- Volunteers must have strong organizational skills;
- Volunteers must be comfortable taking direction and performing similar activities week to week;
- Volunteers must be able to make a minimum one-year commitment;
- Volunteers must be able to commit to a three hour weekly shift;
- Volunteers must be able to lift up to 50 lbs;
- Volunteers must be able to work with minimal supervision, once trained.
Veterinarian (Temporary 8 month contract - Part-time)
The Ottawa Humane Society has been a leader in animal welfare since 1888. We’re currently looking for compassionate and results oriented Veterinarian to join our team supporting domestic animals.
The Veterinarian is responsible for the health and well-being of animals in the care of the Ottawa Humane Society, including for owned animals aboard the OHS Mobile Spay Neuter Clinic vehicle and in community clinics. This position is responsible for performing veterinary rounds and surgical and medical treatments and interventions.
WHAT WE OFFER YOU:
Hourly Range: $57.49 – $63.53 per hour
Benefits:
- Free on-site Parking
- Veterinary food and other supplies discount
- Career Development (internships, on-the-job learning, mentorships, internal and external training opportunities) and Paid Continuing Education Opportunities (bursaries, CE allowance, membership dues, tuition reimbursement
Schedule:
- 8 months contract, part-time position: 16 hours per week, 2 shift per week (minimum)
- Occasional evening, holiday, and weekend shifts
- Will be required to be on-call during specified hours on evenings and weekends
Veterinarian
The Ottawa Humane Society has been a leader in animal welfare since 1888. We’re currently looking for compassionate and results oriented Veterinarian to join our team supporting domestic animals.
The Veterinarian is responsible for the health and well-being of animals in the care of the Ottawa Humane Society, including for owned animals aboard the OHS Mobile Spay Neuter Clinic vehicle and in community clinics. This position is responsible for performing veterinary rounds and surgical and medical treatments and interventions.
WHAT WE OFFER YOU:
Salary: $57.49 to $63.53 hourly
Benefits:
- Free on-site Parking
- Veterinary food and other supplies discount
- Career Development (internships, on-the-job learning, mentorships, internal and external training opportunities) and Paid Continuing Education Opportunities (bursaries, CE allowance, membership dues, tuition reimbursement
Schedule:
- 8 months contract (January 2024 – September 2024)
- Full time position: 75 hours bi-weekly
- Occasional evening, holiday, and weekend shifts
- Will be required to be on-call during specified hours on evenings and weekends
Congratulations Councillors on the Transportation Commission!
Last week, the Ottawa Transportation Commission unanimously passed a staff recommendation to city council that is tremendous news for animals in Ottawa. Its recommendation to council is that pets in carriers be allowed on City transportation.
This may seem like a small thing, but it is very big for pet owners. The OHS has been recommending this to the City for years. I appeared at committee way back in 2008 to argue how important this small change is. Sadly, all of the concerns I raised a decade ago are still valid today:
- A lack of transportation may be resulting in more animals — whether found or simply unwanted — being simply let loose and left to their own devices, rather than brought to our shelter.
- A lack of transportation is a barrier to those seeking to find their lost pet at our shelter, resulting in fewer claims of stray animals and the attendant increased costs for both the City and the OHS.
- Those who are unable to access our adoption programs because of a lack of transportation, increasing our struggle to rehome thousands of animals every year. We do not believe that in a city with an extensive public transportation system, that animal ownership should be predicated by car ownership.
- Animals may not be receiving regular veterinary care and sick or injured animals may not be appropriately cared for because their owners lack private transportation.
- The city’s own spay neuter clinic, and in some instances, even our own Mobile Spay/Neuter Program may not be accessible to those that lack private transportation. The result may be that those needing the service the most may not be able to use this service.
We believe that the City should support responsible animal ownership. Moreover, the City should support the choice to use public transportation. Very often, being a responsible animal owner entails the need for transportation. For a host of reasons — economic marginalization, age, disability, or a simple commitment to a green city — residents of Ottawa need and want to use public transportation. And they need and want to use it with the animal members of their family.
Everyone that cares for animals should thank the councillors* on the transportation commission for this simple act.
Bruce Roney
Executive Director
*Councillors Toby Nussbaum, Jeff Leiper, Tim Tierney, Michael Qaqish, Stephen Blais, Jean Cloutier, Keith Egli, Marianne Wilkinson
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