Humane Insider - January 2023

HUMANEINSIDER

Making Charity Intelligence’s Top 100 Rated Charities List

“Where can my donations make the most impact?” is a common question many ask before they choose where to donate.

According to CanadaHelps, more than 968,000 Canadians gave over $465 million to 31,700 charities in 2021 How can someone know if their donation is truly making an impact?

Charity Intelligence released their Top 100 Charities list to help donors do their homework before they give We’re thrilled to share that Toronto Humane Society made the top 100 list and received a top-rated 5-star rating!

How Charity Intelligence Rates Charities

Charity Intelligence’s rigorous analysis measures the impact charities actually make to see how each dollar donated can create the most positive change They have analyzed and vetted over 800 Canadian charities, across multiple sectors such as education, environment, and health, by looking at their results, costs, and impact.

Charity Intelligence highlights our financial transparency, gave us as “A” in reporting the results of our programs, and outline our need for funding. They also report that 80% of every dollar donated to us went towards our cause

“We work hard to make sure the funds entrusted to us by our donors are used wisely,” says Jacques Messier, CEO of Toronto Humane Society. “Being recognized among Canada’s Top 100 Charities, as one of only three animal welfare organizations, is a great source of pride as we continue to Improve the Lives of Animals.”

Your 2022 Donation Improved the Lives of Thousands of Animals

With the ever-increasing value of the dollar, what we can afford to donate matters more than ever. Educated and informed donors are changing their giving to donate to charities that truly make a difference.

We hope that our donors take comfort in knowing that their dollar truly makes a difference in the lives of the animals in our care, and their families Without our donors, we wouldn’t have been able find homes for over 1,900 animals, transfer over 900 animals into our care, and help over 7,000 animals with our public veterinary clinic – all of this in 2022 alone.

Our donors are behind our accomplishments and impact Thank you for your continued support!

Celebrating 5-Year and 10-Year Work Anniversaries

As the new year begins, we’d like to celebrate those who will reach their 5 and 10-year anniversaries with us in 2023. We are fortunate to have these hardworking and dedicated staff members as Toronto Humane Society pillars Without their dedication, we would not be able to Improve the Lives of Animals every minute, every hour, and every day.

Please join us in congratulating Dr. Jacklyn Ellis, Jasmine Ampureo, and Jessica Tartaglia for hitting their 5-year anniversary mark, and Lauralee Dorst and Hilary Pritchard for hitting their 10-year anniversary mark!

Your efforts to make Toronto Humane Society great are appreciated by everyone! We hope to have you for many more years to come

Dr Jacklyn Ellis

Jasmine Ampureo

Jessica Tartaglia

Lauralee Dorst Hilary Pritchard

Toronto Humane Society in the News

November was an eventful month for us. As we wrapped up Giving Tuesday, our facility was broken into and one of our transport trucks, along with other valuables, were stolen Many were shocked, angry, and outraged by this incident –including the media. Here’s what Toronto Humane Society news was buzzing in the media during the month of November

Asking for Community Support after Our Transport Van was Stolen

Various broadcasters including CTV News, CP24, Global News and CityNews reported on the breakin and theft that occurred on the eve of Giving Tuesday. The Toronto Star also covered the incident and encouraged their readers to make donations

Adoption Highlights

Throughout the month prominent media outlets such as The New Classical FM, Zoomer Radio, and Global News featured pets that are available for adoption The Toronto Sun featured Polly Pocket, a cute domestic rat in need of a home.

Other Media Hits:

Video captures thieves stealing animal rescue van from Toronto Humane Society - Global News

Toronto Humane Society animal rescue van stolen - Global News Rescue van being stolen 'broke our hearts': Toronto Humane Society - MSN.com

Toronto Humane Society asking for help, after overnight break-in - Torontocom

Celebrating Trans Awareness Week

Photographer Jack Jackson is exhibiting a photo project about 2SLGBTQ+ people and their rescue dogs for Trans Awareness Week at Toronto Humane Society CityNews interviewed Jack Jackson and Assistant Manager of Communications, Hannah Sotropa.

Heartless thieves stole a rescue van from the Toronto Humane Society - DailyHive

A transgender man’s search for acceptance and a puppy named Jet - The Star The gift of time is priceless to animal sheltersNational Post Longtime Toronto Humane Society resident Roo-eady for her forever home - MSN.com

The New Classical FM Pet of the Week: BunnyThe New Classical FM Put your pet on a wine label in support of humane societies - Windsor Star

volunteers From supporting pet parents in our community and working directly with animals onsite, to onboarding foster parents and helping send foster animals to their temporary homes and helping at events; each volunteer is essential to our success as a leader in animal welfare

We can’t wait to see what we can achieve together in 2023

Volunteer Opportunities

Volunteer Services Administration Volunteer

We are looking for one volunteer to join our Volunteer Services Team! This would be a remote role The admin volunteer for volunteer services will help us respond to general email inquires, pull various reports from our volunteer database, and help fellow volunteers with booking trainings The time commitment is 3 hours a week but can be completed anytime throughout the week. Please view the position description, for more information.

dedication:

1 Year:

Madhur B, Pet Parent Support Volunteer

Genevieve B, Feline Care Volunteer Jessica B, Feline Care Volunteer Roy B, Canine Care Volunteer Katie B, Special Species Volunteer Barry C, Canine Care Volunteer Chih-yu C, Special Species Volunteer Wendy C, Canine Care Volunteer Keeley C, Peter Parent Support Volunteer April D, Special Species Volunteer Samet D, Special Species Volunteer Tara E, Special Species Volunteer Una G, Pet Support and Retail Volunteer Jamela G, Feline Care Volunteer

Tammy H, Pet Support and Retail Volunteer Joanne H, Clinic Volunteer Eva H, Feline Care Volunteer Swathi J, Feline Care Volunteer Derek J, Canine Care Volunteer Ellen J, Clinic Volunteer Valeria K, Special Species Care Volunteer Darah K, Canine Care Volunteer

Sabrina L, Special Species Volunteer

Amy L, Feline Care Volunteer

Rachel M, Canine Care Volunteer

Mahmoud M, Feline Care Volunteer

Janette M, Pet Support and Retail Volunteer

Suubi N, Special Species Care Volunteer

Jillian O, Clinic Volunteer

Anna Marie P, Feline Care Volunteer

Malay P, Pet Support and Retail Volunteer

Kassandra P, Pet Parent Support Network Volunteer

Farah R, Pet Parent Support Network Volunteer

Kitt R, Canine and Special Species Care Volunteer

Carolina R, Canine Care Volunteer

Allandra R, Canine Care Volunteer

Robert S, Pet Support and Retail Volunteer

Jennifer S, Canine Care Volunteer

Laurie S, Special Species Care Volunteer

Daniel S, Feline Care Volunteer

Dana T, Pet Parent Support Network Volunteer

Ofelia T, Parent Support Network Volunteer

Michelle U, Feline Care Volunteer

Jennifer V, Pet Support and Retail Volunteer

Minyao W, Pet Parent Support Network Volunteer

Zihang W, Clinic Volunteer

3 Years:

Leslie B, Canine Care Volunteer

Katrina K, Special Species Care Volunteer

Alejandra M, Canine Care Volunteer

Joy Y, Canine Care Volunteer

Volunteer Spotlight of the Month

We are so grateful for all our volunteers; we rely heavily on your support to meet our operational needs. We want to take time once a month to extend our thanks to a volunteer who has had a positive impact on our mission of improving the lives of animals,

This month we would like to shine spotlight on two of our Canine Care Volunteers, Shea G and Dean C!

Shea and Dean are two new volunteers who joined the volunteer team towards the end of 2022. They volunteer during our 7:00 am – 10:00 am shift and have demonstrated amazing teamwork by pairing up to complete essential cleaning and animal care tasks While one cleans, the other takes the dogs out for walks, and then they switch roles so that they both share in their tasks equally.

Our Shelter Care Supervisor, Diana, is so grateful for their support. While cleaning isn’t the most glamorous job, it ensures that all our animals are in safe and clean environment while they wait for their forever home Thank you to Shea and Dean for your important work! Please join us in celebrating Shea and Dean this month!

Upcoming Events in January

Volunteer and Foster Parent Town Hall

Date: Thursday, January 26th, 5:30 pm – 6:30 pm Event Details: This is forum for us to connect with our volunteers and foster parents to share important updates and/or answer any questions you may have! We also encourage volunteers to bring forward any feedback they have for us! In this town hall you will hear from the Volunteer Department, Foster Department, Shelter Care team, and Adoption Department

REGISTER NOW , via Zoom.

Our Public Training Services are Growing

Effective January 2023 our Public Training team will be offering Day Training Services in West Toronto.

The popular Day Training package includes 20 weekday sessions where a certified trainer works directly with your dog in your home or neighbourhood to help jumpstart your training. By expanding this service to West Toronto, we will now be able to assist pet parents in the Islington and Lansdowne area, Eglinton and Bloor area, and the High Park area between Bloor Street and the Queenwsay.

An Update on the Fearful Dog Group Training Class

In November and December 2022, our Public Training team piloted a small group training class that focuses on helping fearful dogs learn a few essential skills while strengthening the humananimal bond with their pet parents The class covers strategies to prevent flight risk, stranger danger, calm and low stress greetings, environment fearfulness, leash reactivity, resource guarding, and alert barking with an overarching goal to help fearful dogs gain some resilience and learn alternative behaviours to barking and lunging at stimuli.

The feedback we received from the pet parents who participated in the class was very encouraging. Overall, the training class has been an enormous success as we helped fearful dogs feel much more comfortable in new environments.

The Fearful Dog Group Training class will be offered regularly in 2023, and the Public Training team plans to introduce a similar small group class curriculum for dogs who display leash reactivity.

Did You Know?

In 2022, over 700 animals were helped through our Public Training Service - animals like Nera and Pi.

Pi has always been a confident cat, but when Nera, a dog, moved in he became fearful. Because Nera and Pi were not getting along, they needed to remain separate which meant splitting the time they got to spend with their pet parents.

Read more about how a custom training plan turned foes into friends here

2022 Animal Transfer Wrap Up

We transferred over 900 animals into our care from the most northern parts of Canada to the southern United States. In 2021, we transferred over 700 animals into our care, which means our Animal Trasport program changed the lives of over 200 more animals this year!

Here are just a few lives that we were able to change thanks to your support

Holly and Merry

These two senior dogs came together from a remote community They were both very shy and nervous when they first arrived, but after spending some time with staff and volunteers, they started to come out of their shells and became popular around the shelter These sweet seniors are currently receiving medical treatment and have already been placed on hold for adoption

Theodore

Animal welfare organizations within Ontario were thankful that we were able to take a few animals that needed medical care For example, Theordore, a 4-year-old tabby, had fractured teeth and tested positive for Feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV). After receiving treatment and dental care, Theordore was adopted

Cash

Cash travelled all the way from South Carolina to find his forever home After 3 short weeks, he was adopted. Here is an update from his pet parent, “I have renamed him to Gaz, short for Gazelle or Gareth. The first night was tough with his biting and a few accidents in the apartment He’s doing much better already with the biting, and he’s made new friends at the dog park. He plays really well with them.” We’re happy to hear about Cash’s progress in his forever home!

Staff Announcements & Career Opportunities

Staff Announcements

Toronto Humane Society is continually growing!

Here is a list of new staff members that joined our team in October.

Ian Sandler - Veterinarian

Rebecca Kukucska - Veterinary Assistant

Victoria Hood - Adoption Agent

We've also had some members move into different roles

Lindsay Korotki - Community Sheltering & Animal Transport

Lauren Gallant – Shelter Care Supervisor, Student Program

Jessica Harwood – Assistant Manager, Marketing

Robbie Sleap – Registered Veterinary Technician (in addition to Training Assistant)

Career Opportunities

Toronto Humane Society is committed to promoting the humane care and protection of all animals and to prevent cruelty and suffering. Our team of talented, dedicated staff work to support this mission

If you are interested in joining our dedicated team please forward your resume to our Human Resource Department via email at hiring@torontohumanesocietycom

Current Job Openings:

Volunteer Programs Coordinator Marketing Associate

Data Analyst-Veterinary Medical Informatics

Talking about Wellness in the Latest Animal Talk

From providing life-saving care onsite, to sharing life-changing research online; from specialized behaviour programs to emergency foster care for families in desperate need – the wide spectrum of “wellness” is both the means and the end in our efforts It’s how we improve lives

Thanks to the overwhelming support we receive from our community, this past year saw great strides in promoting and sharing wellness among animals and pet parents.

The latest Animal Talk magazine features:

An interview with Dr. Karen Ward, Chief Veterinary Officer, about how Toronto Humane Society has adjusted in the past 30 years Larisa Nagelberg, Division Manager of Community Sheltering & Animal Transport, discusses how the Urgent Care program keeps families together Melissa Shupak, Division Manager of Shelter Programs, shares expert training tips to help deal with canine “stranger danger” Dr. Jacklyn Ellis, Director of Behaviour, talks blished chapters in Animal r Veterinarians and Staff

is available to read for free

Victor and Diesel Continue Their Journeys in Alberta

Victor was surrendered to our care by a kindhearted passerby who noticed him on the street. He was severely malnourished with a badly broken leg He was so skinny you could see almost every bone of his body. His poor, tired frame was shaking – it was heartbreaking to see. He immediately received surgery and other treatment from our veterinarians It didn’t take long for his physical health to start improving Diesel, an 11-month-old pup, was in good shape when he was surrendered into our care He quickly became a favourite amongst staff and volunteers as an energetic, good boy who learned a few cue commands while in our care.

Unfortunately, because Victor and Diesel are pit bull breeds, they were unable to find their forever homes in Ontario due to Breed Specific Legislation (BSL) Our Admissions and Rehoming team connected with Pit Bulls for Life, a rescue located in Alberta, and helped Victor and Diesel relocate to continue their journey of finding their forever homes

After an overnight flight on December 15th, they arrived just in time for the holidays. Diesel, who was renamed Vinnie, headed straight into a fosterto-adopt home, while Victor quickly settled into the Pit Bulls for Life facility, making lots of new friends while he waits for his perfect forever person to come along.

From providing medical care, to taking them out for walks, to spending time with them in their kennels for belly rubs, thank you to all who helped Victor and Diesel during their time with us

Diesel

Victor

Spreading Holiday Cheer across the GTA

To help spread holiday cheer, Toronto Humane Society traveled far and wide to deliver our 2023 New Beginnings calendars to the residents of Chartwell Retirement Residences and Shiplake Properties

Jessica Harwood, Assistant Manager of Marketing, and Willow Tambakis, Specialist, Corporate Partnerships travelled all the way from Burlington to Bowmanville and visited many cities inbetween.

With tons of snacks, coffee, smiles from the residents and staff members, the three-day trip was a success with approximately 5,000 calendars being delivered!

We hope that these calendars will spark interest and bring in new donors from 24 different Chartwell locations and 6 Shiplake locations.

If you’d like a copy of our 2023 New Beginnings calendar, full of adorable animal photos, please email fundraising@torontohumanesociety.com.

Homemade Holiday Cards

On December 19th, staff were surprised with personal and heartfelt holiday cards from students from Lawrence Park Collegiate Institute.

12 volunteers from the Animal Right’s Club and the Art club collaborated on this project Each card included a personal message that expressed the student’s personal connection to animals and animal welfare.

With a lot of creativity and thoughtfulness, these cards surely spread extra holiday cheer and excitement with staff.

Upcoming Events

Alzheimer Awareness Month

January 1st - January 31st

During the Alzheimer Awareness Month, people are encouraged to learn more about dementia and its stark impact on Canadians

Lohri January 13th

Celebrated by Sikhs and Hindus, Lohri is a Punjabi winter folk festival that marks the beginning of the harvest season.

International Day of Education

January 24th

A day focused on celebration of the role of education for peace and development and advocacy for equitable access to educational opportunities for all.

Bell Let's Talk Day

January 25th

An awareness campaign created by Bell Canada, in an effort to raise awareness and combat stigma surrounding mental illness in Canada.

Mahāyāna New Year

January 7th

Buddhist New Year. Mahāyāna Buddhists will celebrate by honoring and praying to gods, buying new items, cleaning and redecorating the home, preparing feasts, and giving gifts

Orthodox Christian New Year

January 14th

The Old New Year is an informal traditional holiday, celebrated as the start of the New Year by the Julian calendar.

International Holocaust Remembrance Day

January 27th

A day to commemorate the victims of the Holocaust and reaffirm our commitment to counter antisemitism, racism, and other forms of intolerance that may lead to group-targeted violence.

Click here to read more January dates and events that we are acknowledging