Tuesday December 10th, 2013
Word count: 1,971
Jennifer Wallace
Dog adoptions in Ottawa
For some people in Ottawa, adopting their first pet can be a big decision, but whether the decision is instinctual or well thought out, you can be pleased to find out that Ottawa has made a huge effort with different organizations in finding homes for dogs in this city.
One of the most obvious places people first look for to adopt dogs are at the Ottawa Humane Society, (Ottawa’s SPCA; Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.)
The humane society helps raise awareness on their website for dogs that need to be adopted and they take care of certain procedures before the dogs are adopted such as micro-chipping, having it spayed or neutered, and providing the new owner with six weeks of pet insurance with Petsecure upon making the purchase. You can also ask the dog to be held overnight at the shelter for a $25 fee while you prepare your home for it.
Adopting a dog at the humane society can cost anywhere from $290 – $350; age and breed of the dog come into place. The reason it’s cheaper to adopt a dog here is because a lot of the extra fees are included in the cost and the dog is ready to go. However, if the dog is not suitable to be spayed or neutered at the shelter it will be the responsibility of the new owner.
When people come to the humane society they usually tell the workers which dog they’re interested in and fill out an adoption form to see if they would make a good match, they can look online at the dogs prior to coming in on the Ottawa Humane Society website.
But just like a lot of places, the younger and smaller the dogs are, the first they are to go. The popular breeds and puppies are adopted within hours of becoming available and most other dogs are adopted within two days.
People that are breed-specific coming to the humane society have an option to fill out a form for a program called “the pet request,” and you have a two month request period to wait for a specific dog you want. You can renew the application if you have not found the match.
The OHC even has a Shelter Transfer Program that accepts animals from other shelters. The animals come as far away as North Bay, Gatineau and Kingston.
“There’s a lot of other places people can look to adopt dogs, but we prefer that people come to us for dogs that need homes,” said Natalie Pona, manager of communications at the Ottawa Humane Society. She said it’s important that people consider the humane society when purchasing a pet instead of buying one.
Pona explained that if people are interested they can also volunteer to be a dog walker, “Our dog walking program always works out very well, we are looking for volunteers right now.”
Ottawa’s Humane Society’s most recent annual report from 2012 showed that with the help of supporters and the community the humane society found new homes for 3,602 animals last year. There were 2,235 animals adopted from their West Hunt Club road Adoption Centre and 77 placed through the Partners in Placement program. There were also 90 special needs adoptions.
Ottawa’s OHC receives a surprising number of 450 calls a day and open seven days a week with different hours for the weekend.
Another interesting fact is that each year the Humane Society finds new homes for 3,700 cats, dogs and small domestic pets. Most of the animals OHC receives are stray or surrendered by their owners.
“We don’t have as much difficulty finding homes for dogs as we do for cats from what we’re seeing,” explained Pona.
But there are so many things that come into place when deciding to adopt a dog such as the right type and size home for the dog, the type of breed the owners should get, and if the families overall lifestyle and schedules make a good match for it.
People are being more breed-specific now, and there has been more of an increase towards buying mix-breed dogs in Ottawa. People think “mutts” are healthier and unfortunately people are being misinformed about how healthy different breeds of dogs are.
It actually has nothing to do with if the dog is purebred or mixed, but is determined by the health of the dog’s parents. However, the shine towards mix-breed dogs will continue to rise in Ottawa. Of course, every breed has its ups and downs and every city is different.
One Barrhaven resident in Ottawa who works as a volunteer canine foster mom for a few rescue organizations in Ottawa, explained some trends she notices “Breeds come and go with each decade and the breeds are a lot different than they were 20 years ago,” Amy Roberts said.
“Labradors were overbred and became very unhealthy than they were 40 years ago and so people started to pull away from Labradors,” Roberts said.
Roberts works more specifically with dogs with behavioral issues consisting of hyperactivity, bite-histories, or general misbehaviour. She works with normal happy dogs too.
“I’ve been involved in helping to locate, transport, evaluate, foster, train and re-home these dogs,” Roberts said. “I’ve also been involved in fundraisers and awareness events and have some knowledge in the internal working of the rescue process as well.”
All of Ottawa’s rescue organizations are foster based, and the dogs are put into foster homes before they find new homes.
Some of these organizations include “BARK” which deals with all kinds of dogs, “LOYAL” which deals with smaller dogs, and “Catahoula” which is generally mixed breed dogs but if they get a Catahoula dog they find a home for it first. Another good Ottawa based organization is “Hopeful Hearts” which typically works with special needs dogs; they are usually ill or seniors.
“Two of the rescue organizations I work with take in dogs from around the world and globally it’s not as much of an issue as people think. I’ve been with dogs from the police, Nunavut, China, Alaska and dogs from places all over the States,” Roberts said.
But aside from dog adoptions, many stereotypical things remain the same, such as families adopting dogs where there kids have already moved out; “empty nesters,” people having kids at a later age and adopting dogs first, and younger couples and families are generally getting medium to large sized dogs.
People need to understand the commitment involved. One of the big issues is people don’t have the money to get their pet spayed or neutered and then can’t take care of the offspring.
Many rescue organizations in Ottawa find that one of their biggest competitions is that dogs are now being adopted online, and people are even using things like Kijiji to adopt dogs. Just like a lot of places Kijiji has a much greater need for cats to be adopted but there are still dogs that need homes too.
It’s important that people don’t get the wrong type of animal for where they live because many find the dog cute when it’s a puppy and when the puppy starts chewing on things, peeing on the floor, or the couple has a baby, they get rid of it.
“I like animals and I have all the facilities and shelter now,” said Laura Fagan, a Mitch Owens resident who works for an old age home in Ottawa. Fagan took on the responsibility of owning 3 dogs, a goat, a cat, a sick rescue horse, and a healthy horse, a pot belly pig and a pony.
A photo of Laura Fagan’s pets she has adopted : Photo taken by Jennifer Wallace
With 2 college-age sons all grown up she has the time and energy to commit to the animals when she’s not working, and over the course of just a few years gave a home for these animals.
Laura Fagan looking after the horses outside: Photo taken by Jennifer Wallace
A distance picture of the horses from inside the barn: Photo taken by Jennifer Wallace
One of the horses drinking water outside: Photo taken by Jennifer Wallace
Laura Fagan’s dogs playing outside with the horses: Photo taken by Jennifer Wallace
One of the pony’s she adopted she’s just taking care of for the winter from a neighbor down the road; the pony was very sick when she got it and underfed so she has to keep a large horse blanket on it to keep its body warm.
The white pony, with the warm blanket to keep its body warm: Photo taken by Jennifer Wallace
Fagan’s keeps the horses, pony, goat, pig and the cat in a big barn in their backyard each with their own stable and during the day lets them run around outside, the dogs however stay in the house at night with the family.
Laura Fagan tending to one of the horses outside: Photo taken by Jennifer Wallace
Laura Fagan’s horses outside: Photo taken by Jennifer Wallace
“We had a part-Husky part-German Shepherd from the humane society, excellent dog except for the Husky part of him, but he took off across the road and was hit by a car,” Fagan said. All of Fagan’s dogs that she adopted are from the humane society.
One of Laura Fagan’s dogs she adopted from the humane society: Photo taken by Jennifer Wallace
One of Laura Fagan’s smaller dogs she adopted: Photo taken by Jennifer Wallace
Another picture of the small dog: Photo taken by Jennifer Wallace
Fagan explained that she wasn’t going to adopt anymore animals but found it really lonely and loves animals for their companionship. “I had this huge orange ‘pumpkin’ cat when I was living in an apartment in Victoria, B.C., I always had cats though and it didn’t make sense to have a dog then when I was living in an apartment,” Fagan said.
One of Laura Fagan’s cats she’s adopted who has its own stall in the barn: Photo taken by Jennifer Wallace
Other ways people can adopt in Ottawa is at Algonquin College’s adoption program. Algonquin works with the SPCA in Gatineau; which picks up stray dogs that are sent to the college. Algonquin’s vet program takes care of them like they would in any other shelter, they are neutered or spayed, and a real veterinarian comes into the college to help the students in monitoring the esthesia when the dog is in surgery.
Last year Algonquin’s adoption program had around two adoptions a week but now have around one adoption every other week. Just like other organizations in Ottawa, they have been more successful in adopting out the smaller breeds. The dogs are generally adopted through the general public.
“A lot of cats get adopted by students in the program because they get attached to them,” said Caleigh Jerry, a second-year Veterinary technician student at Algonquin part of the adoption committee program.
Jerry explained it’s all about the type of dogs they get and how the college adopts a lot of high-energy dogs which don’t do well in a shelter environment. She said they recently adopted out 2 Husky’s; one was a mixed Labrador.
Although Algonquin’s adoption program doesn’t get a lot of footwork, the students get to assist in helping with paper work, a questionnaire to make sure the people are the right fit, getting the dogs things together such as giving the dogs a weeks-worth of kibble and toys the dogs have already been using.
“It’s a different feeling this year, there hasn’t been as much of a load on the person this year to adopt. A lot of the cats get adopted or go back to the shelter, but were less successful with the dog adoptions at Algonquin,” Jerry said.
Jerry explained that their program could improve on is the lack of ideas on the advertising side of things and not getting a lot of feedback from the school.
Roberts recalled a time in Ottawa where an artist came to help one of the shelters by drawing paintings of the mix breed dogs and even gave them appropriate funny names, which would help draw attention and help increase their adoption rate.
Another stereotype is that people don’t like to adopt black dogs “I read an article once that said people don’t like to adopt black dogs, but I don’t think that’s true and a lot of my dogs are black,” said Fagan.
Laura Fagan feeding one of the goats she has adopted: Photo taken by Jennifer Wallace
The pot belly pig waiting to be fed inside the barn at Fagan’s: Photo taken by Jennifer Wallace
If people are choosing to adopt a dog in Ottawa they can be pleased to see that there is much research and thought to be put into the decision, but with the right planning and education, people can provide the dog with a suitable and loving home that will hopefully keep a place in the owners home to grow old in for years to come.
Fagan’s dog running around outside: Photo taken by Jennifer Wallace
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Complete source list for Dog adoption article
By: Jennifer Wallace
Tuesday December 10th, 2013
Natalie Pona
Manager: Communications
Ottawa Humane Society
245 West Hunt Club Road,
Ottawa, ON K2E 1A6
Email: nataliep@ottawahumane.ca
Tel: 613-725-3166 ext. 261
Fax: 613-725-5674
Caleigh Jerry
B.B.R.M. Equine, Cert. of Distinction Equine Sciences
2nd Year Veterinary Technician student at Algonquin College
Member of adoption committee/ program at Algonquin who helps out with on campus adoptions
Email: jerr0005@algonquinlive.com
Cell: 613-402-0974
Kelsey Rice
A first-year vet tech student at Algonquin who previously graduated from radio broadcasting at Algonquin
Email: kelseyrice@rogers.com
Cell: 613-296-3968
Laura Fagan
Works for an old age home in Ottawa
She has 3 dogs, a goat, a cat, a rescue horse along with her own horse, pot belly pig and a pony
Email: laura.fagan@xplornet.ca
Cell: 613-857-0312
Amy Robert
Works as a volunteer canine foster mom, for a few local rescue organizations,
She works more specifically with dogs with behavorial issues (hyperactivity, bite-histories, general misbehaviour etc) and has worked with normal happy dogs too
-shes been involved in helping to locate, transport, evaluate, foster, train and rehome these dogs
-shes also been involved in fundraisers and awareness events and have some knowledge in the internal working of the rescue process as well
Email: amy_robert@hotmail.com
Cell: 613 -823 -6549
Barrhaven resident
Websites used for dog adoption article:
http://ottawahumane.ca/home/index.cfm
http://www.petfinder.com/shelters/ON270.html
http://myalgonquin2.algonquincollege.com/bulletin-board/adopt-a-pet-2/
http://www.aylmer-hull-spca.qc.ca/main_e.html