It’s always sad when an animal’s

owner passes away and the

animal is left on its own. That’s

what happened to Ruckus. This

sweet senior dog came to us

in May as a stray, but we later

found out that his owner had

died, leaving Ruckus by himself.

Ruckus was a gentle soul who

loved attention. He quickly

became the front office mascot

and liked to greet people when

they came into the shelter.

Although about 10 years old, his

gray muzzle was the only thing

that gave a hint of his age. He

loved to play and cuddle. Sadly,

though, his age worked against him, as many people

are not looking to adopt an older animal.

Senior animals are often overlooked at shelters, as

adopters are looking for playful kittens or puppies,

but adult animals bring with them many advantages

that their younger counterparts don’t. Mature

animals tend to be calmer and less destructive,

and with them, “what you see is what you get.”

There are no surprises with regard to eventual size,

temperament or manners.

Until every pet is

wanted your gift

is neededNever too old for love

Animal Tales

Fall/Winter 2015

As well as being a senior,

Ruckus had one more thing

working against him. He

was a legal (restricted but

not prohibited) pit bull, and,

because of Bill 132, there

were special considerations

that his new adopters would

have to take into account.

With this in mind, we knew

that we would have to be

particularly selective in finding

a new forever home for him.

On July 5th, we said goodbye

to Ruckus as he went home

with his new family. They

had heard about him in

Mississauga and, once they’d been approved as

adopters, they came to Kingston to meet our boy.

It was love at first sight! Since his adoption, Ruckus’s

new family has been sending us regular updates and

lots of pictures of him enjoying the good life.

Through your gift to the KHS, you become a partner

in the successful outcome of stories like this one,

giving senior animals in need, like Ruckus, the chance

to live out their golden years in peace and comfort.

Until every pet is wanted your gift is needed

Every gift helps an animal in need

This edition of the newsletter highlights the wide variety of work we do and the community support needed for the animals who come into our

care. Penny and Ruckus came to us in very different situations and with very different challenges. Penny, a young kitten, required immediate veterinary care and a leg amputation to survive. She relied on KHS foster care volunteers for her physical and, later, social development so she could be adopted. Ruckus, a geriatric dog, had to adjust to the shelter environment and needed a new family who would understand his special needs under Ontario’s breed-specific legislation.

Regardless of an animal’s age or health, we always do the best we can, making complex decisions each step of the way. Those decisions are based on many factors: our limited resources, the number of animals currently in our care that need to be fed and readied for adoption, those animals with health problems, and those with behavioural issues that require staff and volunteer support.

This year, we saw an increase in animals with compromised health, and greater resources than usual were required to provide good care. Trained staff, medicine, veterinary care, animal housing and shelter maintenance and repairs represent ongoing financial demands. We know that it might seem as if we never stop asking for money, but every day there is another sick, neglected or abused animal who needs our help

and whose care strains our budget further. We hold many fundraising events through the year, but your donations are greatly appreciated at any time.

There are many ways to help us care for the animals in need in our community: volunteering, sponsoring or taking part in our fundraisers or organizing your own event, educating the community about animal welfare, and, of course, making a donation. To those of you who supported our 17th Annual Big Paws event, or any of the other KHS events throughout the year, we say thank you! The support of the individuals and groups who organized fundraising events on behalf of KHS is also greatly appreciated. And to anyone who would like to support the animals who come through our doors, we ask that you give when you can — you will make a difference in an animal’s life.

Connie BallExecutive Director, Kingston Humane Society

Table of ContentsNever too old for love ..................................................... 1Message from the Executive Director ............................. 2Thanks, Big Paws volunteers! .......................................... 3Walking the road to recovery with your support ............. 4Special holiday happenings ............................................ 5Wish list for the shelter .................................................... 6Big Paws 2015: Thanks to the community ....................... 7KHS events at a glance .................................................... 8Shelter hours and holiday hours ...................................... 8

Fall/Winter 2015 – 2

Our Mission

Message from the Executive Director

Contact us

Connie Ball with shelter kitty Reed

Kingston Humane Society1 Binnington Court, Kingston ON K7M 8M9 Phone: 613-546-1291E-mail: board@kingstonhumanesociety.caWebsite: kingstonhumanesociety.ca

Until every pet is wanted your gift is needed

Thanks to everyone who helped with this year’s edition of our biggest annual fundraiser, Big Paws 2015! The event was a great success, and we couldn’t have pulled it off without the help of you, our amazing volunteers.

As the new Volunteer Coordinator, I was excited to take part in this event for the first time. To see staff, volunteers and the community come together to help raise funds for homeless, injured, neglected and abused animals was a wonderful, extremely heartwarming experience.

This event has many volunteer roles: the planning and organizing team; poster distributors; the registration crew; volunteers looking after the auction area, kids’ zone, doggie zone, volunteer rest station and first aid station; the auctioneer; vendor assistants; bakers and sellers of delicious treats; raffle & 50/50 ticket sellers; parking attendants; set-up crew and clean-up crew, and I’ve probably missed some! Overall, we had about 50 volunteers.

It takes hard work and dedication to fundraise for non-profit organizations, and we couldn’t do it without our volunteers. So to our wonderful volunteers who give so much of their time and commitment to help make Big Paws a success each year, thank you so much!

Tanya Wilson

KHS Volunteer Coordinator

3 – Fall/Winter 2015

Thanks, Big Paws volunteers!

• To care for injured, abused and homeless animals

•Toreturnorfindhomesfortheanimals

•Topromoteandorganizespayandneuterprograms

•Toundertakecrueltyinvestigations

•Toprovideemergencyrescues

•Toprovidehumaneeducation

•Toassistwiththeeducationofveterinarytechnology students

KHS mission

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Penny soon learned to run and play, and so the animal care team thought it would be best to move her to a new foster family, where she could socialize with other cats and kittens while her care continued. Penny loved her new surroundings and playmates, becoming a normal, albeit three-legged, kitten.

Today, Penny is very agile on three legs, able to climb stairs, couches, scratching posts and beds in her own fashion. She has been adopted, and her new family adores her.

Without your donations, this life-saving surgery for Penny would not have been possible. Donors and supporters like you are vital for us to be able to provide the care and support that so many homeless and injured animals need. Without an open shelter — a shelter that accepts all animals

regardless of their health, condition, temperament or prognosis — like the Kingston Humane Society, there would have been no place for Penny to go for care. On behalf of Penny, we say “Thank you!” to our supporters for your ongoing commitment to the KHS, which makes a second chance possible for animals like Penny.

Until every pet is wanted your gift is needed Fall/Winter 2015 – 4

Penny was brought to the shelter as a four-week old kitten with a severe leg injury requiring immediate veterinary attention. The person who brought her in reported that she had been found in a wood pile, caught between logs, with her leg bleeding heavily. The veterinarian’s decision was that her leg could not be saved and, although Penny was very young, the only option was amputation. Amputations are not common for very young kittens, and there was no certainty that Penny could handle such invasive surgery. We were hopeful that she would beat the odds.

Thankfully, Penny made it through the surgery, so the next step was to place her with a volunteer in our foster care program. The volunteer would need the training, experience and time to monitor Penny closely and support her as her wound healed and she attempted her first steps on her three remaining legs.

Walking the road to recovery with your support

Until every pet is wanted your gift is needed5 – Fall/Winter 2015

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*Participating brands at time of printing are Performatrin and Performatrin Ultra. **These are franchised locations operated by 772633 Ontario Inc. ™ are trademarks of Pet Valu Canada Inc. and used with permission.

Exclusive Coupons, Buy 12 Get 1 Free* Seniors’ Day Discounts and more!

A KHS tradition that animal lovers on your gift list will be hoping for! Filled with beautiful photos of beloved pets in our community. Available for only $10 at the shelter and most local pet supply stores and vet clinics. 2015 calendar cover shown.

KHS Our Best Friends 2016 calendar — share the love!

Fresh Christmas trees for sale at the shelter in December

Fragrant, hand-sheared Nova Scotia balsam fir, ranging from 6’ to 8½’.

Special holiday happenings

Join us Saturday, December 5th from 10 AM to 2 PM for tours of the shelter, hot cider, microchip clinic (see back page) and the kick-off of our special Homes for the Holidays cat adoption event. From December 5 to January 3, special adoption rates for spayed/neutered kittens ($135) and cats ($95). Regular adoption rates for unaltered cats, but adopters receive a voucher for $100 towards spaying and $50 towards neutering. Call the shelter or see our website for details.

Homes for the Holidays feline adoption event

Crafters’ creationsDrop in at the shelter to see the Crafters for Critters’ gift shop, where beautiful and useful items for people and for pets, handmade by a group of creative volunteers, are sold to raise funds for the KHS animals.

All trees are $40, with $10 from each tree sold going toward supporting the animals at the Kingston Humane Society. Drop in to the shelter during business hours to choose your tree, while supplies last.

Until every pet is wanted your gift is needed Fall/Winter 2015 – 6

Wish list for the shelter

The Kingston Humane Society participates in the Royal Canin Elite Shelter Program. When you register at adoption or purchase Royal Canin food from the shelter, we receive rewards points that offset the cost of food for the animals in our care.

www.petparadeplus.com facebook.com/petparadeplus

613-329-0121 Shannon Pester

Backyard Waste Cleanup

Spring and Summer Packages Available

Gift cards Gift cards for grocery stores, large retail stores, pet supply stores, gas stations, hardware stores; also Canadian Tire money, AIR MILES

DogsAll kinds of canned dog and puppy food (regular and prescription),ThunderShirtsforanxiousdogs(allsizes),Pill Pockets, Easy Walk harnesses, poop bags, puppy pee pads

Cats

All kinds of canned cat and kitten food (regular and prescription), cat litter (preferably not clumping, but we will accept all kinds), food dispensing toys, cat toys of all kinds, cat treats, Royal Canin baby cat food (dry or canned), Kitten Milk Replacer (KMR) powder

Dogs and cats

Stainlesssteeldishesofallsizes(wewillalsoacceptplastic), grooming tools (clippers, clipper blades, scissors)

Birds and small animals

Bird seed, spray millet for birds; shavings, timothy hay for small animals

MiscellaneousReceivingblankets.disposablelatexgloves(allsizes),householdrubbergloves,towelsofallsizes,washcloths,sponges, bandage material (Vetrap, Kling), batteries (allsizes),USBsticks(usedtotransportlargex-rayfilesbetweenclinics),3x3”gauze,sterile(unopened)syringes(anysize)andsterile(unopened)needles(22Gx1”,25Gx5/8”, 20G x 1”)

We cannot accept:Electric blankets or heating pads, garden furniture, wooden crates or carriers, cloth carriers, human clothing, usedbrushes/combsortoothbrushes,hangingfilefolders,binders, rugs or carpeting

More details are available on our website. Please call us if you have any questions. Thank you for your support!

Until every pet is wanted your gift is needed7 – Fall/Winter 2015

The animals at the shelter send out a huge, tail-wagging thank-you to everyone in the community who helped make the 17th Annual Big Paws fundraising walk and canine fun day, on Saturday, September 26th at Lake Ontario Park, a great success! The day included the pledge walk, a vendor marketplace, auctions, food, music, pet photos and games for our four-legged friends. To the walkers who collected pledges, pledgers, event sponsors, vendors, an army of volunteers, donors of auction items and businesses who donated services: thank you for making the day, and the work that the funds raised will allow us to do, possible.

Thanks to the community for your support of Big Paws!

Donations of canned pet food will be gratefully accepted.

Platinum sponsors:

Silver sponsors:Baldwin Audio-Visual Rentals

KingstonCommunityCreditUnionLamontagne Geophysics Ltd.

Bronze sponsors:Tony Deodato and Sons Limited

McCoy Bus Service & ToursBarriefieldAnimalHospitalStarbucks Coffee Company

Culligan Water

Media sponsors:

Gold sponsors:

Homes for the Holidays Cat Adoption Event Kick-off — Saturday, December 5 from 10 AM to 2 PM at the shelter. Homes for the Holidays adoption rates run until January 3. See details on p. 5.

Microchip clinics at the shelter — Saturday, December 5 (10 AM–12 PM); Tuesday, January 5 (5–7 PM); Saturday, February 13 (10 AM–12 PM); Tuesday, March 1 (5–7 PM); Saturday, April 2 (10 AM–12 PM). Call KHS to book your pet’s appointment.

Best Friends 2016 Calendar — $10, available at the end of November, at vet clinics, some pet supply stores and the shelter.

Christmas trees available for purchase at the shelter in December, while supplies last.

National Cupcake Day — February 2016, date TBA.

Bowl for the Animals — Sunday, April 17, 2016 at Cloverleaf Lanes.

Monday through Friday11:00 AM to 6:00 PMSaturday and Sunday10:00 AM to 4:00 PM

Holiday hours:Thurs, Dec 24: Open 10 AM–3 PM Fri, Dec 25: Closed Sat, Dec 26: Closed Thurs, Dec 31: Open 10 AM–3 PM Fri, Jan 1: Closed

KHS events at a glanceShelter hours

1 Binnington CourtKingston ON K7M 8M9 P: 613-546-1291 • F: 613-546-3398

Please visit us at kingstonhumanesociety.ca