Humane Insider - October2023

HUMANEINSIDER

FEATURED ARTICLES

Help All Pets in Our Community Enjoy a Fun and Safe Halloween

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2024 New Beginnings Calendar

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Toronto Humane Society in the News

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New Classes and New Accessible Price Points for Training Classes

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Volunteer Updates

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New Art-Inspired Pets and Breed Equality Retail Designs

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Alan Gardens Pop-Up Clinic Impact Report

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Congratulations to Dillon Dodson: Recipient of the Prestigious Ontario Association of Social Workers Award

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Volunteer Spotlight of the Month: Tanu

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Cheers to New Beginnings: 5 Long Stay Dogs Find Their Forever Homes!

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Upcoming Events

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Help All Pets in Our Community Enjoy a Fun and Safe Halloween

We believe that every pet deserves a bewitching Halloween filled with treats, toys, and most importantly, love. This year, we're thrilled to announce the return of our Halloween Pet Gift Campaign designed to spread the Halloween spirit to animals in need throughout our shelter and community.

Launching later this month, you can step into the role of a Halloween hero and send a package of delightful Halloween treats and toys to the animals at Toronto Humane Society. Imagine the tail wags and purrs of gratitude you'll receive from the adorable animals!

But that's not all! Our campaign goes a step further by offering the option to make a meaningful impact on the well-being of animals in our community as well You can also choose to contribute to the health and happiness of pets in our community by sending essential preventative veterinary services such as wellness checks and vaccines It's a double treat – you'll get to enjoy the Halloween festivities while ensuring that all pets in our community can revel in a fun and safe Halloween.

Stay tuned and keep an eye on your inbox and social media platforms for the launch of this campaign.

2024 New Beginnings Calendar

We are excited to release our 2024 New Beginnings calendar. These pages are not only filled with charming photographs of familiar faces such as Xena, Petey, Lady Grey and more animals that have walked through our doors, but it also serve as a reminder of the life-changing impact of our services and programs.

Stay tuned for its release in October when a limited number of calendars will be available for purchase in the lobby.

Toronto Humane Society in the News

In August, Toronto Humane Society was mentioned in over 84 media clips and reached over 41,939,856 readers, listeners, and viewers! In terms of sentiment – 83% of the stories were viewed positively, and 17% perceived as neutral Of this earned media coverage, we can see that 42% came from news articles, 32% from television, and 26% on the radio Here’s what Toronto Humane Society news was buzzing in the media last month:

International Dog Day

To commemorate International Dog Day, Melissa Shupak, Toronto Humane Society’s division manager for shelter programs, showcases seven long-stay dogs seeking forever homes. Several of the dogs featured have since been adopted! Approximately 18 clips and 68 million impressions resulted from this media release. Major outlets covering this story include; NOW Toronto, Toronto Sun, Canada Today, and CityNews.

August Media Stats:

Edgar

Edgar, a dog in foster care made front page news when his story of bravery was shared When Edgar’s foster mom was mugged and assaulted, he bravely stood by her side and barked at the attacker but unfortunately was kicked and went flying The good news is that he has since recovered and has found a new loving adoptive home! This story earned a few media clips and reached over 23 million impressions Major outlets covering this story include; Toronto Sun, and Yahoo Lifestyle

Adoption Highlights

Throughout the month prominent media outlets such as The New Classical FM, Zoomer Radio, Global News, Toronto Sun, and Toronto Guardian featured pets that are available for adoption at Toronto Humane Society

Other Media Hits:

"Food trucks, bevvies, & a doggy fashion show: get all that & more at this year’s Paws in the Park” - Curiocity Canada

“A puppy parade is coming to Woodbine Park this weekend” - NOW Toronto

“Keep pet dogs on leash to prevent attacks, city tells owners amid rise in incidents” - CBC Toronto

New Classes and New Accessible Price Points for Training Classes

The increased cost of living has made budgets tight for everyone. With that in mind the Public Training Department has launched a new fall schedule with a focus on budget friendly training classes to ensure that every pet parent has access to humane, effective, and evidence-based positive reinforcement training solutions

All of our classes are now programed for 6 consecutive weeks and are offered at a new price point of $180.00 for regular group classes and $22000 for small group specialty classes We've also reduced our rates for private behaviour consultations and training packages for dogs and cats to ensure that our services are accessible to all whose pets may be struggling with reactivity, aggression, anxiety, or other complex behaviour

Another challenge pet parents communicated to us is that it can be difficult to attend training classes when some jobs require working hours outside of the traditional 9:00 am to 5:00pm day With that in mind, we've expanded our programming schedule.

We are also very excited to introduce a couple of new group class offerings this fall

Introduction to Recreational Agility:

If you are looking for something fun and new to increase your bond with your dog, this class is for you! Join us in a relaxed recreational atmosphere to learn the foundations of agility training. Over the course of the class, you will learn how to get your dog to focus and approach obstacles safely and with control By the end of the 6-week course, your dog will be introduced to safely running weave poles, tunnels and jumps. The prerequisite for this class is Foundation Skills

Polite Family Dog Advanced Manners:

If your dream is a dog that can sit politely while you chat with your neighbour, calmly greet guests at family events, abstain from stealing the food off the table, and happily focus on you when passing friendly strangers or dogs on the street, this class is for you. The prerequisite for this class is Foundation Skills.

Private Cat Tricks 2-Session Package:

We absolutely love providing clicker training enrichment to our feline friends and we want our cat owning pet parents to experience that joy too! Cats love clicker training and we invite you to join us for two private live virtual training sessions where you will learn how to condition a reward marker, teach your cat to follow a target stick, and learn a couple of purr-fectly fun new tricks.

The New Pet Parent's Guide to Dog or Cat Ownership

Finally, and last but certainly not least, we are very close to launching our New Pet Parent Guide to Dog and Cat Ownership Courses! These courses will be offered online so pet parents can learn at their own pace. The courses include invaluable information on all aspects of dog or cat ownership, including things to consider when preparing for a new pet, how to set your pet and your family up for success when your new pet comes home, time and budget considerations, husbandry, health, wellness and nutritional needs, common behavioural and training challenges, and building the human animal bond These courses will be available to any pet parent and will be offered at a discounted rate to Toronto Humane Society adopters

Volunteer Updates

Anniversaries

Please join us in celebrating volunteers who are reaching a milestone anniversary this month! Thank you for all your hard work and continued dedication!

1 Year:

Andreas A - Canine Care

Candice A. - Canine Care

Sarah A. - Canine Care

Ariuna B. – Special Species Care

Rod B - Pet Supprot and Retail

Diego C - Pet Support and Retail

Dean C. - Canine Care

Isabel C. – Canine Care, Volunteer Admin

Erwin C - Feline Care

Nicola C – Special Species Care and Canine Care

Xeomë (Zoe) D. - Special Species Care

Joey F. - Special Species Care

Sydney G - Canie Care

Shea G -Canine Care

Cadence G. - Canine Care

Allison G. - Special Species Care

Sarah KH - Special Species Care

Abhimanyu K - Pet Support and Retail

Ali K. Feline Care, Canine Care

Andrew K, Canine Care

Yulia K, Pet Support and Retail, Feline Care

Brandon K - Canine Care

Stuti M. -Canine Care

Alix M. - Canine Care

Catherine M - Feline Care

Petar M - Canine Care

Liz M. - Canine Care

Isabela M. Pet Support and Retail

Michael O. - Canine Care

Nashra S - Feline Care, Pet Support and Retail

Augusto S - Canine Care

Mansi S. - Feline Care, Canine Care

Alison S. - Canine Care, Events

Gage S – Feline Training Assistant and Canine Care

Michelle S. - Pet Support and Retail

Kari S. - Canine Care

Jennifer V. - Feline care

Kai W – Feline Care

Lisa W - Photography

Olivia W – Canine Care

5 Years:

Nicki C - Rehabilitation

Volunteer Opportunities

If you are interested in any of the following positions, please email Chris at cbuchner@torontohumanesociety.com

Research Assistants

Under the direction of the Senior Manager, Shelter Medicine Advancement, the Research Assistant volunteer will aid in data entry and investigation from case records, for research investigations The volunteer will help with initial data cleaning, checking data and case records, enternig required data into a database, and participating in the research and publication process Hours are flexible

Job Qualifications:

Veterinarian or Veterinarian Student

(minimum second year of studies)

Research and data entry experience

considered an asset

Proficiency in Microsoft Suite and Teams

Public Training Group Class Assistant

Are you a current Canine Care Volunteer? Would you be interested in helping members of the public and learn from our certified group class instructor? Then this role is for you! The Public Training Group Class Assistants will assist in running the group training classes for public members You will assist the Certified Group Class Instructor or Certified Trainer with the set-up, greeting class participants, escorting participants in and out of the building, and other duties necessary for our group classes to run smoothly This position is available to any level of Canine Care Volunteer

Research Data Wranglers

Under the direction of the Senior Manager, Shelter Medicine Advancement, the Research Data Wrangler volunteer will aid with one research project providing data entry, organizing and renaming documents, finding information, and resolving problems. This is a fantastic opportunity for volunteers who are interested in scientific research and there is an opportunity to their name on a publication depending on contribution

Job Qualifications

Have a post-secondary degree or currently a student in post-secondary studies

Research and data entry experience an asset Proficiency in Microsoft Suite and Teams

Excel Guru

Do you consider yourself an Excel pro? Would you like to help out with our research projects in shelter medicine advancement? Then this position is for you! The Excel guru will help with Excel debugging as well as complex Excel tasks such as merging databases containing overlapping but not identical case information, Macros.

Shift times: Sundays 10am - 2pm and Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays 5:30pm - 9pm

New Art-Inspired Pets and Breed Equality Retail Designs

In a world that's becoming increasingly expressive through fashion, what you wear has the power to speak volumes about your personality and values –and that is why we’re excited to introduce two brand-new retail designs that allow you to not only showcase your love for pets but also make a powerful statement about compassion and inclusivity

Design 1: Uniting Against Breed Discrimination

Our second design is more than just a fashion statement; it's a powerful message against breedspecific discrimination As part of our Breed Specific Legislation campaign, set to run in October, this design aims to raise awareness about the unjust prejudice against pit bulls. We firmly believe that a dog's breed should never be used to determine their personality or worth This design is your way of standing up for equality and justice for all our furry friends, regardless of their breed.

By sporting this design, you become an advocate for change, spreading the message that every dog deserves love, care, and a chance to prove their individual character

Design 2: Where Art Meets the Heart

Our first design is a visual masterpiece that effortlessly blends abstract art with something we all love – animals This unique design lets you carry a piece of art with you wherever you go, sparking conversations and turning heads wherever you venture.

Buy Your New Designs Online

Both designs are available for purchase online at shop.torontohumanesociety.com. Don’t forget that all staff and volunteers can use a coupon code for 15% off at checkout - THSVOL15 or THSSTAFF15.

Alan Gardens Pop-Up Clinic Impact Report

On August 10th, Toronto Humane Society and the city of Toronto’s From Streets to Homes initiative collaborated to provide crucial veterinary care to animals in need, offering support to individuals experiencing homelessness at Alan Gardens.

This marks the beginning of a series of outreach clinics dedicated to improving the well-being of both our community's most vulnerable individuals and their cherished animal companions.

Above is the impact from the Alan Gardens popup clinic.

A heartfelt thank you goes out to all the amazing individuals who contributed their time and effort to ensure the success of this pop-up clinic We're immensely grateful for your dedication and passion in making a difference in the lives of both people and their beloved animal companions

Recipient of the Prestigious Ontario Association of Social Workers Award

Leadership, commitment, and professionalism. That’s what the Ontario Association of Social Workers (OASW) recognizes as the best traits in a registered social worker Given annually, OASW awards the best in practice to highlight their dedication in the field of social work. This year, they’ve given it to our very own team member, Dillon Dodson!

When the human-animal bond breaks, both can suffer heartache. Toronto Humane Society is committed to helping animals find homes, and we are also committed to making sure that animals stay in their homes if they already have one. Because our goal is to prevent this bond from breaking, we began actively keeping families together who are on the verge of separation

As a champion of the human-animal bond, Dillon joined our team to help keep families together. From a social work perspective, she highlighted that in many cases, pet surrenders occur due to circumstances beyond the pet parent’s control. For instance, when someone is trying to escape a dangerous situation and fears for their life, surrendering their pet might seem like the only option

With Dillon on our team, our Urgent Care Program launched with the primary goal of decreasing the number of animal surrenders Since its installment, the Urgent Care Program has changed the lives of many by providing temporary relief to pet parents who need immediate support

In April of this year, Dillon joined the International Association of Veterinary Social Workers Board (IAVSW), where she continued to grow and apply her expertise Dillon’s scope of work goes far beyond just social work as she has organized offsite Wellness clinics to help families without a permanent stable home, and provide their pets with preventative medical care and pet food. Dillon channels her empathy and advocacy towards addressing the systemic injustices that lead to an increase in pet surrenders. Through Dillon’s advocacy, Toronto Humane Society recognizes that both pets and their parents need easy access to support

Already in her time with us, Dillon has gone to great lengths to make a difference in the lives of pets and their parents Now, she’s being recognized by a professional association for her dedication to Improving the Lives of Animals and the people who love them.

Let’s congratulate Dillon together on this outstanding accomplishment!

Volunteer Spotlight of the Month: Tanu D

When it comes to unwavering dedication and a heartfelt commitment to animal welfare, Tanu shines as an outstanding volunteer at Toronto Humane Society With a story that resonates with compassion, Tanu has dedicated over a decade of her life to volunteering for animals in need. Let's dive into her inspiring journey and what drives her to continue making a difference.

A Lifelong Love for Animals

Tanu’s journey into volunteering began in 2006 when she discovered her profound passion for animals Over the years, she has nurtured this passion, fostering it into a meaningful calling Tanu's household is a testament to her love for animals, with three beloved cats who started as fosters but became permanent family members. In addition to her feline companions, Tanu dedicates her weekends to dog walking in her neighbourhood, proving that her love for animals knows no bounds.

When Tanu and her family relocated to Toronto, she was determined to continue working with animals and discovered Toronto Humane Society. The commitment and passion of the organization for animal welfare resonated with her deeply

A Glimpse into Tanu's Time at Toronto Humane Society

As a volunteer with the Pet Parent Support Network (PPSN) team, Tanu has gained invaluable insights into animal welfare and the humananimal bond. She has learned how to approach the challenging issue of pet surrenders with empathy and understanding Tanu believes in providing people with the tools and support they need to reconsider their decisions, and this approach has made a significant impact.

The Driving Force Behind Tanu's Dedication

What keeps Tanu coming back to volunteer year after year? It's the unwavering passion and dedication of Toronto Humane Society’s mission to Improve the Lives of Animals She sees the tireless efforts of every team member working towards a common goal – giving animals the love and care they deserve Being part of this incredible team motivates Tanu to keep helping animals and saving lives.

Thank you, Tanu, for your unwavering commitment to animal welfare – you are a true hero for the animals

Please join us in celebrating Tanu this month!

Cheers to New Beginnings: 5 Long Stay Dogs Find Their Forever Homes!

On International Dog Day, Toronto Humane Society shone a spotlight on seven remarkable long stay dogs in search of their forever homes on social media, the Scratching Post and a press release

We're absolutely thrilled to share the heartwarming news that four of these incredible dogs have found their families forever! Hades, Blaze, Ladybird, and Hazel have all been adopted, and their journey to a lifetime of love has officially begun.

Xena, an honorary mention of one of our long stay dogs, also found her forever home on September 21st. Xena and Hazel are embarking on exciting new adventures as they journey to British Columbia, all thanks to a kind animal-lover who drove them across the country to unite them with their loving families.

We cherish every adoption, but there's an extra leap of joy in our hearts when a long stay pet finds their forever home. Thank you to everyone who had a hand in helping these heartwarming stories possible!

Upcoming Events

National Disability Employment Awareness Month

A month when employers are encouraged to think about how they can make their business practices more inclusive and accessible for Canadians with all abilities

Mental

Illness Awareness Week

October 1st – October 7th

Mental Illness Awareness Week is an annual national public education campaign designed to help open the eyes of Canadians to the reality of mental illness.

World Animal Day

October 4th

A day to bring awareness surrounding the importance of animals to help improve the standards of their welfare worldwide

National Day of Action for Missing and Murdered

Indigenous Women and Girls

October 4th

A day to stand in solidarity with Indigenous families and communities to honour the lives of missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls whose lives have been cut short by violence.

Thanksgiving Day

October 9th

A day to be thankful for a good harvest and any fortunes that took place throughout the year

National Coming Out Day

October 11th

A day that raises awareness of 2S/LGBTQIA+ identities and the deeply personal nature of coming out if you are part of the 2S/LGBTQIA+ communities. It also calls for societal inclusion of all gender diverse persons.

Ace Week

October 22nd – October 28th

Ace Week, formerly Asexual Awareness Week, is an international campaign dedicated to raising awareness and expanding education of asexuality

Click here to read more dates that we are acknowledging this month.