It’s been in Humboldt for eight years, and now staff at the Humboldt and district SPCA is hoping to eventually move into a new, bigger space.
Kathleen Forster, the president of the Humbildt SPCA’s board, has a pretty extensive wish list for the new building – new kennels, proper air exchange for isolation, viewing rooms, a store, a washing area, and an in-house groomer.
Currently, the SPCA has nine dogs and 25 cats. They take in animals from the region, such as Lanigan, LeRoy, Wadena, Watson, Bruno, Lake Lenore, and more.
The Saskatchewan SPCA is ending its enforcement role in April, meaning the organization will no longer be responsible for responding to calls about animal mistreatment. As a whole, the SPCA is hoping to place more of an emphasis on the importance of spaying and neutering your pets.
“If everybody spayed and neutered their pets, there’d be no need for the SPCA, and that would be wonderful,” Forster said.
As part of its new mandate, the Humboldt SPCA has been looking to emphasize spaying and neutering more, and have been talking about running a program in schools.
Another tip she has for decreasing the number of stray animals is to make sure you think long and hard before integrating a pet into your life. The SPCA gets many pets that are set free or dropped off because the family can’t care for them.
“A pet is a lifetime commitment. Before you get one, think really seriously about it,” she said. “Is it something that’s going to fit into our lives and can we afford it? … People really have to think twice before they get a pet.”
And it’s not just dogs and cats that are victims of this mentality: the Humboldt SPCA was briefly home to a pot-bellied pig.
“They opened the door, threw the pig in, and said ‘here, it’s yours’,” Forster said. She said the staff thought he was wonderful and attracted a lot of attention when staff brought him to the mall. The story has a happy ending – there was a lot of interest in adopting the pig and he managed to find a new home.
“The most amazing part is when we find the animals a forever home,” Forster said. “That is the amazing part of working here and that’s what keeps you going.”
Of course, the worst parts are when they take in an animal that’s been mistreated or is sick or injured.
Forster’s favourite adoption story is her own. She visited the SPCA with her grandson when it first opened and one of the staff members brought out a dog to show her.
“So they brought this dog out … tail just a-wagging, came all the way over to me, looked at me with these spaniel eyes, put her chin in my hand, and sighed. She came home with me,” Forster said.
It’s not the first animal her family has adopted. Her husband was working in the garage when a cat ran in, jumped into his arms, and ate the doughnut he was holding. That cat also found a home there. Forster said that rescue animals are wonderful pets and are grateful for being rescued.
The SPCA has several fundraisers planned. Right now they’re running their In Good Taste fundraiser and are working on a Boston Pizza pasta night, a spring raffle, and more.
The SPCA has one staff member but they’re always looking for volunteers. Volunteers are responsible for walking dogs, socializing animals, cleaning kennels, cleaning out litter boxes, and making sure dishes are full.
