Saskatoon SPCA Transitions to New Era of Animal Care

The City of Saskatoon announced on May 11, 2023 that a new organization will take over the Poundkeeping contract January 1 2024. But don't worry, until the end of this year, our dedicated team at the Saskatoon SPCA, the largest non-profit animal welfare organization in our city, will continue to provide exceptional Poundkeeping services.

As we embark on this new chapter, the Saskatoon SPCA is filled with optimism about the future and our ability to expand our services to the community. We're thrilled to announce that we will soon be moving into a new facility, which will allow us to better serve and care for our beloved animals.

With this change, we're also taking a fresh strategic direction that will guide our journey ahead. We aim to sharpen our focus on our top priorities, which include animal welfare, education, and adoption services. By aligning our efforts with these core areas, we can make an even greater impact on the lives of animals in need.

Thank you for your ongoing support! Together, we can create a brighter future for the animals of Saskatoon.

MORE INFORMATION

1) Why is Poundkeeping Services changing?

· After an in-depth financial review in 2021, our finance team separated the expenses incurred by operating the City Pound as well as the costs involved in the not-for-profit arm of the Saskatoon SPCA. We discovered that there was a significant underfunding of Pound Services. We appeared before Council and worked tirelessly to increase the funding to operate the pound.

· In 2022, significant negotiations took place with the City of Saskatoon to increase Pound funding. City Administration recommended that we receive an increase to half our overall costs, and Council voted in favour of that increase.

· Although we received an increase, it was not enough to cover all pound related expenses. This meant that the Saskatoon SPCA was still subsidizing Poundkeeping Services, a service that should be fully funded by the City of Saskatoon.

· Despite the increase in funding, the SPCA effected notice of its contract termination since it could no longer continue to operate without full funding.

2) Why is the Saskatoon SPCA no longer holding the pound contract?

· Following a thorough internal review, and considering our commitment to exceeding animal welfare standards, we put in a bid for the contract for Poundkeeping Services.

· The City informed us that although our proposal met their requirements, we were not selected to continue that contract.

3) What does this mean for the Saskatoon SPCA?

· The Saskatoon SPCA has always been a charitable not for profit organization that provides care for vulnerable animals, adoption services, education, a large foster program, and upholds animal welfare legislation in the City of Saskatoon. This will not change moving forward. The only thing that will change is our location.

· We will continue providing all services not related to Poundkeeping, including the same trusted adoption services that the community has come to know over the past 50 years.

· We will be able to increase our animal intakes and better support members of the community who need to surrender their animals.

· This will also free up resources and time to focus on improving on and adding more services to the community, including supports to help keep animals in homes.

4) Who is obligated to run a City Pound?

· The City Pound is the obligation of the municipality, and they can either run it as a City service or contract another organization to run those services. Although this service is often provided by humane societies, not all humane societies and SPCA’s run pound services.

· Poundkeeping services are unrelated to the services that the Saskatoon SPCA’s mission, mandate and vision dictates. The Saskatoon SPCA currently operates the pound under the lens of our mission and vision and always ensures that those animals receive the highest standard of care we can offer.

5) How will this change impact the animals currently in the care of the Saskatoon SPCA?

· We will continue providing Poundkeeping services until the end of the year, so there will be no immediate changes to our animal care or other services we provide.

· During the transition, animals that are the property of the Saskatoon SPCA will be moved to our new location and/or into foster care.

· Animals still in their holding period on the transition date will remain in the City Pound facility and their care will be transferred to the new organization.

6) When will the transition to the new organization occur?

· The Saskatoon SPCA’s contract with the City of Saskatoon expires on 31 December 2023. As of 01 January 2024, the new organization will take over Poundkeeping services. We anticipate the transition to begin in late 2023.

7) Will there be a gap in Poundkeeping services?

· The Saskatoon SPCA is committed to making the transition to a new service provider as smooth as possible. We will be working with both the City of Saskatoon and the incoming organization.

8) Who will manage lost and found dogs?

· The new organization will take over lost and found services for animals in the City of Saskatoon.

· The Saskatoon SPCA will support lost and found community posts via our social media platforms to help spread the word.

9) What do I do now if I find an animal?

· This service will not change. Contact Saskatoon Animal Control Agency (SACA) with all found animals. SACA Hotline: 306-385-7387 (available 24/7)

10) Will you be moving?

· Yes. We were outgrowing the current space we had been leasing from the City of Saskatoon and are excited to move to a new location that can better serve our needs.

· We are looking for a new location that is more centrally located for community members to be able to access our services more easily.

· This move will allow us to better meet or exceed the new Association of Shelter Veterinarians guidelines for standards of care for animal shelters (2022). The current building would not have facilitated this without significant modifications and upgrades.

11) Where will your animals come from?

· The City of Saskatoon Poundkeeping contract requires the Saskatoon SPCA, as the current Poundkeeper, to take in every stray animal that is found within city limits.

· This is called an “open intake” shelter and means that we often did not have the capacity to take in other vulnerable animals needing support.

· Moving forward, we will have what is called a managed intake system. This means we can control what animals come into our care. We will be able to better partner with front line rescues and take in owner surrenders in the city, services which were limited to us due to the high volume of open intake animals.

· We will continue to work with Animal Protection Services of Saskatchewan (APSS) and intake animals that they bring us.

12) Will there be any changes in the adoption process for animals?

· The Saskatoon SPCA will remain committed to the adoption of animals. Our processes will not change – in fact, we hope to make it more convenient!

· We will continue our partnerships to have animals at Satellite Locations throughout the city at both Petland locations, PetSmart Market Meadows, and Pet Valu Canarama. We are also planning on hosting more pop-up adoption events.

13) How will you be providing animal care?

· We have strong relationships with local veterinary clinics, as well as the Western College of Veterinary Medicine Small Animal Clinic, who help by providing low cost spay and neuter services. These relationships are highly valued by the Saskatoon SPCA and we are committed to maintaining positive and productive relationships that support our mission and vision.

· We will continue to employ the services of our veterinarian, Dr. Sandra Neumann, who provides all the necessary medical care for our animals.

· Our fully trained staff of animal care experts are excited to move forward and continue to provide top notch care for our animals.

14) What will happen to the staff and volunteers associated with the Saskatoon SPCA?

· We will continue to provide sheltering, adoption, fostering and educational services and this will require staff and volunteers.

15) How can the community support the Saskatoon SPCA?

· We will continue to rely on the support of our donors, volunteers, and foster homes.

· We may require extra volunteer assistance during the physical transition to a new space. If you are interested in volunteering, please contact [email protected].

· We will require additional support from our foster home community as we prepare to transition animals into our new space. If you are interested in short-term fostering during this period, please fill out an application here https://www.saskatoonspca.com/fostercare .

16) Who do I contact if I have concerns?

· We value our relationship with the community, and are always open to questions, concerns, or feedback.

· We ask that members of the public are considerate on social media and understand that this is a complicated situation. We prefer a direct conversation with you if you have any questions about this transition.

· Email [email protected] to start a discussion with us!