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More than $60K from Pet Smart to help local animals in need

The grant will help fund 10 clinics beginning this spring
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NEWS RELEASE
GUELPH HUMANE SOCIETY
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The Guelph Humane Society (GHS) today announced it has received a new $61,562 grant from PetSmart Charities of Canada, one of Canada’s leading funders of animal welfare, to help bring low-cost spay and neuter efforts in the City of Guelph, Guelph-Eramosa, and Centre Wellington.

The grant will support a partnership between GHS, the University of Guelph’s Ontario Veterinary College (OVC) and Community Veterinary Outreach, a charity that provides free preventive veterinary care for pets whose owners are homeless or who are vulnerably-housed. This innovative collaboration is the first of its kind in our community.

Previously there have been very limited local low-cost spay neuter options available for pet owners who need it the most. The partnership will also add high value experiential-learning opportunities for student veterinarians in training at OVC who participate in the surgeries.

The PetSmart Charities of Canada Grant will fund 10 clinics, beginning in spring 2019, and will provide approximately 150 spays/neuter surgeries for two specific groups of under-resourced, owned pets. Barn cats are the first group to which the program will be offered.

GHS consistently see barns filled with dozens of cats, whose owners recognize the overpopulation problem but cannot afford multiple spay/neuter surgeries. The second group that will benefit from this funding are the cats and dogs of Community Veterinary Outreach clients.

“GHS continues to elevate animal welfare, and it is a great honor to collaborate with OVC and Community Veterinary Outreach to address pet overpopulation of owned animals in our community,” says Lisa Veit, associate director at the Guelph Humane Society. “We know there is a tremendous need for this type of program, and we are excited about the impact that this program will have on under-resourced pet owners in our community.”

“Through this grant, we’re pleased to make spay/neuter surgeries more accessible and affordable for eligible pet parents in Guelph and its surrounding communities,” says Dani LaGiglia, regional relationship manager at PetSmart Charities of Canada. “Not only will these subsidized surgeries help families in need and their beloved pets, they’ll also support training the next generation of veterinary leaders from OVC who help out with these high-volume spay/neuter clinics operated by the expert team at the Guelph Humane Society.”

GHS hopes the successful pilot program will lead to a sustainable and long-term low-cost spay/neuter program in the future.

If you would like to learn more, click here or call us at 519-824-3091.

PetSmart Charities of Canada aims to proactively prevent pet homelessness. Since 1999, the organization has granted more than $5 million to support spay and neuter efforts across Canada.

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