Peterborough Humane Society Celebrates the Grand Opening of the Peterborough Animal Care Centre

The Peterborough Humane Society (PHS) celebrated the official Grand Opening of the Peterborough Animal Care Centre (PACC) on Saturday.

all photos courtesy of the peterborough animal care centre.

Local dignitaries, capital campaign donors and community members were in attendance for the ribbon cutting and speeches, which took place at 1999 Technology Drive in Peterborough.

“This is a ground-breaking day for animal wellness. The original concept was dreamt up over 10 years ago. It is such a privilege to officially open the doors and commemorate this day with our supporters,” said Shawn Morey, executive director at the Peterborough Humane Society. “Thanks to the hard work of our staff and volunteers, and the support of our community we have made this dream of bringing this state-of-the-art facility a reality.”

The celebratory event catered to all members of the community, including furry friends. The Pet Zone featured a lure course, dog pools, ball pits and more for animals to enjoy. Visitors enjoyed a barbecue out on the new patio, and had the opportunity to learn about all the services provided at PACC. Face painting, crafts and chalk drawing made for a fun day for kids.

“It is so amazing to see everyone come together to celebrate this exciting day. From the volunteers and staff working the event, our local business community joining in the festivities and those who came out to celebrate; every bit of support means the world to PHS. This Centre was built because of the incredible support from our community,” said Morey. “To have this leading-edge facility in Peterborough is truly momentous and will advance our entire region forward.”

The Peterborough Humane Society recently launched the latest stage of their capital campaign to raise the final $3 million needed to meet the $13 million goal for the Our Pet Project. Completing ‘The Home Stretch’ of the fundraising campaign will allow PHS to focus on expanding services and improving animal wellness.

Information on the new centre and the fundraising campaign can be found on the website.

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Peterborough Animal Care Centre Retail Area Named Jade’s Pet Boutique’ In New Partnership With Can-Pet

As construction nears its final stages for the Peterborough Animal Care Centre (PACC), its retail area will be named Can-Pet has become a new partner ‘Jade’s Pet Boutique’ in an new partnership announced Thursday.

Photo courtesy of Peterborough Humane Society.

The boutique is named after Jade, Nick Nicoloff’s late dog, who is the principle and vice president of Can-Pet Inc. Jade served as the ‘President and CEO’ and Can-Pet ambassador who came into work every day for 17 years.

“When I saw the stories on the news of the shelters across the country facing record surrender numbers and capacity levels and need for resources, I knew we needed to step in and help however we could,” said Nicoloff.

Jade also served as a therapy dog at long-term care homes with her mom Cindy. Nicoloff and the Can-Pet team look to honour her and all the amazing animals in our lives at this boutique.

Construction at PACC is expected to be completed in late fall with the Humane Society moving in by year’s end.

The Peterborough Humane Society is currently fundraising for the capital campaign, with multiple naming opportunities available. Those interested in becoming part of Our Pet Project can visit www.ourpetproject.ca.

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Humane Society Seeking $3 Million in Funding to Complete Peterborough Animal Care Centre

With the Peterborough Humane Society (PHS) less than six months away from moving into the Peterborough Animal Care Centre, the shelter is seeking $3 million to complete the project.

The groundbreaking ceremony began in late June of last year. Photo courtesy of the Peterborough Humane Society.

The centre is located at 1999 Technology Dr. where construction began in May of last year. The fundraising goal was at $10 million since then.

“Spreading the word, donating and endorsing the project is what we need right now to get us into our new home,” said Shawn Morey, PHS executive director. “The Peterborough Animal Care Centre will truly revolutionize animal care, not only in Peterborough but for our greater region.”

Photo courtesy of the Peterborough Humane Society.

“The project is currently on budget and following the timeline, which has been a challenge with Covid-19. But thanks to the many local contractors, suppliers and the hard work going into this project we’ve been able to stay on track. The pillar of this project is the funding, and with the community’s support we can achieve our goal in revolutionizing animal care in Peterborough and beyond.”

The Centre is projected to be completed by the year end according to the Humane Society.  The building will be over 24,000 sq. ft. and include a state-of-the-art Animal Adoption & Education Centre, Publicly Accessible & High-Volume Spay/Neuter Clinic and Canada’s first Dog Rehabilitation Centre created in partnership with the Ontario SPCA and Humane Society.

Visit www.ourpetproject.ca to donate towards the shelter.

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Local Veterinary Clinics Band Together During New Years Eve Emergency

Sherbrooke Heights Animal Hospital and Norwood Veterinary Clinic stepped in to take the pressure off Kawartha Veterinary Emergency Clinic, who had reached capacity and were forced to close their doors to pets that needed care, on New Year’s Eve.

Dr. Kristy Hiltz. Photo courtesy of Sherbrooke Heights Animal Clinic.

When Stacey MacPherson, a registered veterinary technician (RVT) at Sherbrooke Heights Animal Hospital, saw KVEC’s post on Facebook stating they were at capacity she knew she had to do something.

She sent a message in the SHAH group chat, and her co-workers felt the same.

Dr. Kristy Hiltz, SHAH, got in contact with KVAC and they quickly worked out a plan.

“Stacey said ‘What do we do? How can we help?’,” said Hiltz. “I said ‘If they ask us to take any patients, do we have anyone that would be willing to do that?’ and immediately I had another veterinarian and two technicians volunteer and say ‘we’re in.’.”

Within an hour of MacPherson bringing the problem to her co-workers attention, SHAH was open and ready to take on patients at 5:30 p.m.

“I was super proud of my staff. First of all that Stacey called it to our attention and for Dr. Sarah and Jill and Stacey for stepping up and coming in to work - even after working a full week. This was supposed to be their day off.”

Norwood Veterinary Clinic also stepped in to provide relief for KVAC. Dr. Hiltz notes that this is not the first time veterinarians in Norwood have offered help to other clinics.

“Kudos to Dr. Scott in Norwood. I will say this is not the first time she’s stepped up to offer help, just out of the goodness of her heart,” said Dr. Hiltz. “There’s definitely veterinarians out there who will see the greater need and respond to that need, and that’s what they did.”

Dr. Hiltz says that this emergency on New Year’s Eve highlighted the crisis going on in the veterinary world right now.

“This is a part of a really big crisis we’re seeing Canada-wide. We don’t have enough veterinarians or veterinary staff. The need, especially during COVID, increased dramatically and that just put so much pressure on people who are already over worked.”

She notes that mental health in those working in the industry in declining.

“We have veterinarians and support staff who are burning out, there’s an association now for suicide prevention in veterinarians and techs and that’s not a good thing.”

Dr. Hiltz does not have an immediate solution for the issues the veterinary world is facing right now. She says that the emergency on New Years Eve was resolved because of caring staff that were physically and mentally able to work, but that may not always be the case.

“People need to balance their physical and emotional health with the work that required. I think it’s mirroring what’s going on in human medicine. As much as we talk about a crisis in veterinary medicine and being over-worked, I think about the crisis they’re experiencing and my heart goes out to them. It’s hard to say no when someone needs help - whether it’s a person or a little furry creature.”

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Peterborough Zoo Offering Guided Tours This Summer

Beginning July 2, the Riverview Park and Zoo will offer pre-booked guided tours of the zoo area announced in a press release on Friday.

Riverview Park and Zoo is the only accredited zoo in Canada with free admission. File Photo.

Like the admission, tours of the zoo are free however donations are strongly encouraged. Families of up to 10 people will be accommodated and booking will be available starting Wednesday at 10:00 a.m. A link will become available on their tour page for bookings at that time.

“We are so excited to welcome guests back for oneway guided treks of the zoo this summer,” said Cathy Mitchell, Program Supervisor. “We are ramping up, hiring staff, training volunteers, putting up barriers to the exhibits and adding more sanitizer stations.”

Riverview Park and Zoo has been operating in Peterborough since 1933. File Photo.

Several zoo amenities remain closed until further notice such as the splash pad, gift shop, snack bar, train ride and picnic shelters. The playground, disc golf course, park areas and park trails remain open for use.

Mitchell urges families to continue social distancing with other patrons and animals as the latter are vulnerable to the virus.

“As we have eight species of animals who are susceptible to COVID-19, we are asking all visitors do their part to protect these animals and remain at a two-metre distance from the animal exhibits at all times while on tours,” she said.

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Someone Told Us It's All Happening At The Zoo

 

Our zoo is fantastic—and free. And this year it is celebrating its 75th anniversary, with special events including their first annual fundraising Gala in August to help raise funds for an animal care building to house animals in need of special attention.

Be a tourist in your own city, and go check out our wonderful zoo—or if you've already been, go again and again.

Here are some videos that people have shot there over the years:

And hey, why not... take a ride to the zoo.

[Riverview Park and Zoo]

[Related: Interactive Tour of Riverview Park and Zoo; Simon & Garfunkel: At The Zoo]

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