AnimalTalkFall/Winter 2015

For All Dogspage 04

Happy Tailspage 05

Gifts of Lovepage 06

Adopt a Teammate Campaign Inside Back Cover

To promote the humane care and protection of all animals and to prevent cruelty and suffering.

Contents

Page 03 ............................................. Message from CEO A word from Dr. Jacques Messier

Page 04 ............................................. For All Dogs Northern Ontario Dog Health Initiative a Success!

Page 05 ............................................. Happy Tails Stories of successful adoptions

Page 06 ............................................. Gifts of Love Donations made on behalf of loved ones

Inside back cover ............... Adopt a Teammate Campaign PSA on pet adoption starring DeMarre Carroll

Back cover ................................... Sponsor a Kennel A new program to help animals

AnimalTalk

Animal Talk is distributed free of charge to Toronto Humane Society members and donors. Contents of Animal Talk are copyrighted and may not be reproduced without the written consent of the Toronto Humane Society. Nothing in this publication shall constitute an endorsement by the Toronto Humane Society of any product or service.

Canadian Charitable Registration Number 11925 9513 RR0001

Our Mission

Board of DirectorsThe role of the board is to provide governance oversight for the Toronto Humane Society. The board of directors is a volunteer board and no member receives financial compensation to perform their board role.

Diane Devenyi - President/Chair

Bronwen Morgan - Vice President

Lisa Gibbens, BA, MISt - Secretary

Stephen Steele, B. Comm., M.B.A. - Treasurer

Gillian Armstrong, B.A.,B.Ed.

David Bronskill

Elizabeth Cabral

Carol Hroncek

Cathy Kinloch, BA

James LaPlante

Peter Newell, BA, MA, JD

Diana Pizzola

Dominique Rousselle

Monika Sudds, B.A., M.S.W.

Keren Troyna

Chief Executive OfficerDr. Jacques Messier, DMV, MBA

EditorBarbara Steinhoff

Art DirectorChris Johnston

ContributorsRosie BlanningJennifer JonesTegan Buckingham

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AnimalTalk Message from the CEOAt the Toronto Humane Society we are committed to improving the lives of the animals in our care and work diligently to give every animal a second chance. We strive each and every day to do more and do better. In the first ten months of 2015 through our efforts we have:

• Found 2,894 animals new forever homes;

• Provided 353,403 lbs of food through our public food bank to both individuals and feral cat colony care takers;

• Improved the health of 1,944 animals through our public vaccination clinics;

• With the help of Cat Lake Friends of Animus we improved the lives of over 500 animals in 5 remote communities in Norther Ontario by providing spay/neuter surgeries, vaccinations and medical health checks through our Northern Dog project;

• Expanded our public spay neuter services by adding a second surgical suite to double our capacity to help reduce pet overpopulation;

• Reached an agreement with Toronto Animal Services to keep the stray cats brought directly to the Society, meaning that they will not be put through the stress of transportation. This resulted in us rehoming more than 500 stray cats that arrived at our door.

• Added four addition offsite adoption partners including the Caledon Rock Gardens Farms and TOT Cat Café, the first ever cat café in Toronto;

• Improved the husbandry of the animals in our care through renovations to our turtle enclosures, installation of Kitty Corrals and changing the paint colours in our dog runs to ones that are proven to help reduce stress;

• Hosted our 2nd annual Mega adoption event. Where in collaboration with Toronto Animal Services and various other shelters and rescues we found more than 600 animals forever homes;

• Increased public awareness of the Toronto Humane Society and the work we do through more than 171 Million media impressions, nearly 1,000 facebook posts, two new public service announcement and partnerships with the Toronto Raptors and the Toronto Argos;

These are only a few of the many ways we are helping improve the lives of the animals in our care. Without your continued support and the incredible work of our staff and volunteers none of this would be possible.

Thank you,

Dr. Jacques Messier, DMV, MBAChief Executive Officer

Our Corporate SupportersThrough in-kind, financial support and volunteer programs corporations across Canada are helping us give animals a second chance.

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In August 2015 two teams of veterinarians and animal care staff from THS made a long journey up north, on a mission to improve the lives of over 500 dogs in fly-in First Nation communities. Named the For All Dogs initiative, our aim was to provide free spay/neuter surgeries, vaccinations, parasite prevention and health checks to dogs in communities where access to veterinary care is extremely limited.

With the help of northern Ontario based dog rescue Cat Lake Friends of Animush, we responded to the needs of five communities – Sandy Lake, Cat Lake, Fort Hope, Bearskin Lake and Round Lake. Our teams worked incredibly long hours and lived in challenging conditions for the two week trip. We were all thrilled when the final counts were confirmed and we had helped over 500 dogs.

A very special thank you to everyone who donated, and to everyone who bought a pair of Foxy Socks, in support of this initiative! And thank you to Veterinary Healthcare Solutions who generously donated an astonishing $4000 worth of medical supplies to help support and make the mission possible!

We would love to participate in this venture again next year and in years to come! Please support this great initiative so we are able to return next year! You can donate online at www.foralldogs.ca.

On Sunday, October 18th the Toronto Humane Society was an official charity partner at the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon. We had over 50 participants running and walking in support of the Toronto Humane Society and together our team raised over $13,000 for the animals in our care.

On race day our team was proudly decked out in our team t-shirts and some of our participants even took part in the best dressed costume contest. We can’t thank our awesome participants and volunteers enough for taking part in this year’s marathon! We look forward to participating again next year!

If you would like to take part in next year’s event for THS and help support our furry friends, please email us at fundraising@torontohumanesociety.com.

Northern Ontario Dog Health Initiative a Success!

Runners and Walkers Put Their Best Paw Forward at the Scotiabank Toronto Marathon

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Grayson and Maude We adopted 2 year old Grayson (formerly ‘Bonsai’) a little over a year ago from the THS. We were actually shocked at how quickly he settled in to his new home. Within a day he was sleeping on us and basically ruling the house. When we would come home from work, he would be waiting by the door meowing excitedly that we were home. We soon learned that if we put our hands by his side/under him, he would ‘tip’ into our arms and purr like a lion while we rubbed his belly.

But something seemed off. His need for attention was unending. We could sit on the floor and play with him for hours but as soon as we stopped, he would meow and meow without end. At almost no point would he calm down and just sit with us. We started to wonder if he meowed all day while we were at work. After talking about it with each other, the vet & others, we came to one inescapable conclusion. He was lonely. When he came to the THS, he came from a hoarding situation. He was probably used to being surrounded by lots of other cats, and now it was just the 3 of us.

About 6 months after we brought Grayson home, we went back to the THS & found 3 year old Maude. She was such a sweetheart that it was pretty clear from the moment we met her that she was coming home with us. We worried a bit about how she would get along with the always energetic Grayson, but decided to take a chance and just introduce them slowly. We kept them in separate rooms for a few days and let them spend only supervised time together at first. Of course Grayson was excited to have a friend, but Maude was so timid & shy that it caused some very tense moments in the first few weeks. He actually seemed upset we brought him a friend that wanted nothing to do with him.

Slowly but surely, the dynamic changed. It was no longer the excitable, overbearing brother vs the shy, timid sister. It was more of an evenly matched playful relationship. Sometimes he stalks her & pounces before running away to do it again. Sometimes she does it to him. And sometimes they gang up on us. It’s pretty adorable.

They could not be more different, but we could not imagine being without either of them. We want to thank the THS for bringing them into our lives. I know Grayson & Maude are thankful too. Chris & Kevin

RiverAs foster parents for the THS, our lives have been touched by all of our foster puppies, but there was one we couldn’t let go of, River.

He is our sweet, playful, old soul who has brought so much love and happiness into our lives. His name is symbolic of our support for the Toronto Humane Society as he is named after River St. where THS is located. We couldn’t be more thankful for the opportunity to foster deserving dogs and for bringing River into our lives.

Thank you, Thank you! Jessica & Jeremy.

Our relationship with the animals in our care doesn’t end after the adoption. We encourage all of our adopters to let us know how our friends are doing in their new forever home. Happy Tails

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9 JaiAkira ShimizuAlbertAlfieAndrea KellyAndrew Peter FirlaAnna BujakAnton KozdasBarbara Louise RoweBarneyBenny RixBetty PennBirkieBob ZawerbnyBrandyBulletCarmen LopezCasey & BaileyCassie, Fly & Millie

Catharine Elizabeth Wright-HeatherChloeColinDawn RobertsDenis Peter DonovanDenise Berwick, Diane Berwick & Bob BerwickDiane ParsonsDonnaDora DavenportDorothy M.GrayDouglas LissamanDragonDukeEllaElmoEtelka FeitEva Ahee

Everest SparkingtonFleming MackellFrances GrzendaFrank AnthonyFred BastableFreda McConaghieFrederick B. AllenFunky, Jakey and CoquetteGary AinsworthGeorgie EswarasukumarGlen AinsworthGoldaGoldie Fainer-ConsGordon Charles SaundersGracie CryerGypsyHarriett PowellHeather BarnsHugh MillerJackJamie QuattrocchiJean Anne BusbyJennifer NgaiJoan JamesJoanne AllsopJoanne PallaJoanne RoyJudith HolmesKathryn HorneKayaKleeKonaKramerLarry TrudelLauren RiordanLee HawleyLillian SalterLuMaggieMaggie & WinnieMamie Cohen

Mary SmithMichael BaxterMidnightMistyMr. ShimizuMyrna BrownNuggetOlive HenwoodPaul NyznikPenny & BlacksterPeter R HickeyPheobePuddy MartinPunkyPuppyQuetita WheelerRichard HadleyRichard McElwainRob, Zero & SamiRobert ZawerbnyRon GordonRonnie BowlesSarah Harvey-MckeanSarah Lillian TuekerShelbySnowy SahneySoheir SidarousSoxStacey FernandesStella BryantSteve TobiasSummer & MakuSusan KearneyTania WinterTerry FastTim OtterTobiTracy & Melissa KrismanTrinityTuffy & RuffyValerio Michael Zentil

Belize, El Sal & SimbaAbbyAlicia MirshakAmelia Purdy & Virag TakacsAna and BryonAziz SidiBella AllainBettyBianca Mondino Big Al’s Aquarium ServicesBipen & SoniaCayley & RussCindy SncherbanCourtney & Miguel Courtney Dawson

Dave, Hank & Vera LowerDeanna & Kevin Diane ParsonsDr. Elaine Sta MinaDr. Ian Buffet and Dr. Sharon KopinakElizabeth & CarloFelicia Hsu & Adrian Bacic GillGraham & ChristineHarry MoffatHelen BarnesJake TraczewskiJulia GottfriedKae & Patrick Sheppard

Kalla ChapnikKrista Henderson Lanna and DavidLaureen HarperLea ShayukLori & DanMargaret Robinson Margo DashkinMaria & StaceyMary LepageMoreanu Shepell employeeMrs. Carol MillerMs. Margaret NemethRachel & Lehel Ramonda Brake

Randall WoodrowRathika ThiruRose KoszylowshySabina SormovaSheila PurdyShelaghShelley WeisfeldStuart LeeTaeo AndrewsTammy DeProfioThe BridgGroup of CompaniesVictoria and DavidVipul & YingYuna Jang

We gratefully acknowledge the donors who have given gifts of $80 or more in honour or in memory of a special person or pet. Tribute gifts are a thoughtful and meaningful way of acknowledging a loved one’s memory, expressing your good wishes or commemorating an occasion. Gifts of Love

In Memory

In Honour

Toronto Raptor DeMarre Carroll the “Junkyard Dog 2” joins a group of 4 legged fans in our latest public service announcement.

The 30 second spot takes a humorous approach as Carroll gets his dunk attempt blocked when he’s distracted by a group of puppies. The spot is a part of the THS’s Adopt a Teammate campaign. The Adopt a Teammate PSA can be viewed at https://youtu.be/1ok8vS9z4jo.

North Film Co. developed and produced the spot completely pro bono, and we are very grateful for their efforts on our behalf.

The Toronto Humane Society advocates for all animals. We strive to give animals a voice and actively pursue public policy. We currently focus on the following important issues:

• Increase spay / neuter

• Denounce puppy mills / backyard breeders

• Repeal breed specific legislation

• Promote responsible pet ownership

Through social media and our e-newsletter, Scratching Post we have spoken out against puppy mills and encouraged our followers to write their city councilors about their animal by-laws. In late September, THS Director of Shelter Medicine Dr. Karen Ward addressed Oshawa city council on the issue of tethering and we have spoken out in support of TNR programs in the city of Whitby. On the 10th anniversary of Ontario’s pit bull ban we encouraged everyone to email Ontario’s Attorney General and ask her to repeal Breed Specific Legislation.

To see more on our position statements, visit the Advocacy page on our website. Together we can make a difference for animal welfare in the Greater Toronto Area, Ontario and across Canada!

Demarre Carrol Encourages You to Adopt a Teammate

Put Your Best Paw Forward

Photo by Jacquie Labatt

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