FAQ

How long do you keep the animals at the shelter? 
This is perhaps one of the biggest misconceptions about the shelter animals - that they have a predetermined expiry date. Nothing is further from the truth! Each and every animal is assessed based on health, behaviour and emotional state. As long as dogs and cats remain happy and healthy, it is not uncommon for us to keep them for several months until they find their forever home.

How can you work here? I love animals too much to do this job/I would take them all home!
That is exactly the reason we can work here - we all love animals. And, yes, most of us probably do have more pets than the average household. We would not want someone working at the shelter that didn't posses a genuine care and compassion for all animals. The shelter work environment can be very stressful and emotionally draining and it is the care and concern we have for animals that enables us to do our jobs. 

Why are you always looking for donations and holding fundraisers when the City funds you?
Being a multifaceted organization creates confusion about our funding sources. We have a fee for service contract with the City which covers expenses related to the operation of the City pound and by-law enforcement. Functions which fall outside of this contract - adoption programs, medical and spay/neuter costs, OSPCA investigations and humane education - are NOT funded by the City. They are solely supported through donations and fundraising.

Why are there cats and dogs that are not open to public viewing? 
Again, this goes back to the shelter being a multi-purpose facility. One side of the building is used as the City pound or "stray side". Provincial legislation and local by-laws define the number of days that we must hold an animal for an owner to claim. At the end of this time period, we are then able to place them up for adoption and open to public viewing. We also have cat & dog isolation areas for animals recovering from illness.

We are always amazed at how many misperceptions or incorrect assumptions circulate about the shelter. We would like to use this space to clear up some of those issues. If you have a question you would like to see answered here, please feel free to pass it along. We will do our best to post all of the questions we receive, but due to the nature of certain aspects of shelter business, privacy and confidentiality laws may prevent us from responding to some questions.