It was a long journey, but over 50 dogs and puppies from Northern Ontario and Manitoba have arrived at Ontario SPCA and Humane Society animal centres following a re-homing initiative by a collective of SPCAs and Humane Societies working together to find the animals homes.
Working alongside communities with an overpopulation of dogs, as well as Save a Dog Network Canada, the United by Animals teams travelled to Kenora and Dryden over the weekend to pick up these animals in need of homes. The Ontario SPCA’s community engagement team brought with it pet food, which was donated by Pet Valu, to feed animals in Northern communities.
United by Animals is comprised of SPCAs and Humane Societies across the province, including the Ontario SPCA, who are working together for the well-being of animals. Supporting the work of the Animal North Network, members of United by Animals are providing essential animal services to Northern communities, including transporting animals to be re-homed and supporting the delivery of animal wellness resources before the harsh winter weather arrives in the North.
As a group, United by Animals has transported close to 400 animals in the past month, including 100 cats and dogs transported by the Ontario SPCA. Many barriers exist in the North that do not exist in the South. A lack of access to basic animal wellness services, such as veterinarians and spay/neuter services, has contributed to uncontrolled growth of domestic animal populations across much of Northern Canada.
“Winter weather makes it very challenging to get animal resources to many Northern communities. United by Animals is taking urgent action, working with Northern Communities, to supply much-needed resources, such as food, supplies, spay/neuter and animal wellness services and animal rehoming and transport,” says Daryl Vaillancourt, Chief, Humane Programs & Community Outreach, Ontario SPCA and Humane Society. “Through our donors’ generous support of the Urgent Animal Care Fund, our partners in the Animal North Network and our amazing staff and volunteers, transports such as these are made possible.”
For more information on how you can get involved, or to donate, visit AnimalNorthNetwork.ca or follow the journey on Facebook @AnimalNorthNetwork
To view animals available for adoption, visit ontariospca.ca/adopt
