Tails and Triumphs: Working at the HBSPCA
The HBSPCA is pet-first, focusing on helping animals 365 days a year. To those outside our organization it may seem like we spend all day playing with puppies and kittens, but our work is in fact often very emotional, even heartbreaking. Taking care of animals in need and making sure the animals in our care are safe, loved and sheltered while finding their forever homes is a team effort here. And our team is an exceptional one. Together, we navigate each day with grace, humour and a lot of resilience. Because putting pets first matters most to all of us.
New animals arrive daily for any number of reasons. We are often met with people surrendering their pets because they are no longer able to care for them, they think the animal is “untrainable”, or simply because having a pet doesn’t fit their lifestyle anymore. Our team steps up with love, safety, and care the second the door opens and there’s a furry friend in need.
Though we no longer enforce protection, we play an integral role in keeping animals in our community safe. Animal welfare inspectors in the field call us to report animals that are injured, in pain, or enduring abuse that need support services. These animals, like Pecan (pictured above), need a safe place to recover and access food, water, shelter, and love. Our team provides all of those things at the HBSPCA, regardless of the circumstance that we find the animals in.
When protection officers or rescue organizations call us and require emergency intake for an animal in crisis or in need of advanced medical care, we welcome them. Our Animal Care Team is always ready to provide any and all necessary medical care to any animal that comes through our doors. We’re even here to support pet parents when it’s time to say a heart-wrenching good-bye. Supporting families with end-of-life care for their favourite four legged or feathered family member and helping them say goodbye is a bittersweet honour.
With all of this happening, we work tirelessly to connect the animals in our care with families that intend to love them forever. We often have visitors ask why they can hear “all these dogs barking”, yet so few are available for adoption. The reality is that many animals come our way after being in some ruff situations. They may need medical care, socialization, reintegration, enrichment or other types of rehabilitation before being made available for adoption. Our team puts in a lot of hard work to get them to a place where they’re ready to find their furever home—none of which would be possible without the generous support of our donors. For that, we are paws-itively grateful.
Around here, every day is full of challenges. And we wouldn’t have it any other way. Your donations help us deal with those challenges so that animals like Pecan can feel like they are safe, protected, and on their way to find a family that will care for them unconditionally. Please consider supporting the amazing work that the HBSPCA continues to provide by making a donation today.
