Adam Prudhomme
Editor
For the first time since the provincial emergency order was put in place, orphaned animals in the care of the OSPCA are being matched to their forever homes.
On July 8 the OSPCA Lennox and Addington Animal Shelter was given the green light to resume contactless adoptions. Those looking to adopt an animal can view what’s available at Ontariospca.ca/adopt. They’ll then fill out a survey to match with a compatible fit and then schedule an appointment with their local shelter to learn more and arrange an online e-meet and greet and then complete all paperwork digitally.
“We’re working really hard to make sure that everything is done safely and efficiently,” said Esther McCutcheon, manager of the OSPCA Lennox and Addington Animal Centre. “The Ontario SPCA, we have 12 animal shelters across the province and so we’re all resuming adoptions as a group. Right now we’re currently just doing adoptions. We’re getting started with that step and then we’ll move forward from there. They will be by appointment only, we are not able to host people that come into the centre due to COVID-19, but we do have a lot of procedures in place to facilitate adoptions remotely as well a safe pick up procedures for adopted animals.”
Since opening last Wednesday, the local shelter has already placed several cats with their new families. They still have more felines in their care that are in need of a home. A list of available cats is listed on their website. Appointments can also be made by calling the centre at 613-354-2492.
Heidi is a one year old cat now available at the Lennox and Addington OSPCA Animal Centre. Submitted photo.
Resuming adoptions is the first step towards ‘normal’ operations. All fees associated with adoptions remain the same.
“Adoption fees are not something we make money on, but they are important to the care of the animals and operations,” said McCutcheon. “Being closed for that amount of time was a challenge. We do appreciate those supporters in the community who have supported us through this time. Through that we are able to remain part of the community and be able to re-open safely as we move forward.”
Though they weren’t open to the public, the staff had cats in their care throughout the lockdown that still needed care.
“We’re not used to having the animals with us for as long as we have over the last couple of months,” said McCutcheon. “The staff have grown very attached to them. We’re very happy to finally get to see them go somewhere for a forever home.”
OSPCA shelters hope to resume doing intakes in the coming weeks, though no exact date has been set as of yet.