THUNDER BAY - After being closed for nearly six weeks following the outbreak of a respiratory illness, the Thunder Bay District Humane Society has officially reopened its doors.
“We were really worried in the beginning that we were going to be closed for up to three months,” said Brenda Everts, board president of the Thunder Bay District Humane Society. “That was a huge worry for us.”
On Apr. 10, the Humane Society was forced to shut down and no longer accept animal surrenders because of an outbreak of kennel cough. Staff believe one of the dogs rescued from the Longlac area was infected with the illness when it was brought to the Humane Society in early April.
Getting the shelter ready to reopen and accept animal surrenders again was an extensive process, Everts said, with the entire facility needing to be sanitized from top to bottom.
“The whole process of getting the virus out of the building, First General donated their time and their equipment and staff to come in and completely clean the building,” Everts added. “They basically took everything down and put it back together again. It was an amazing job they did for us.”
With the shelter cleaned and the animals no longer infected, the shelter officially opened on Monday, which was sooner than staff expected.
“It was almost six weeks from start to finish, which is halfway, so we are extremely excited that it didn’t take three months and that we are opening at this point in time,” Everts said. “The virus ended up being contained to five dogs rather than all 34, which was actually a real miracle in our eyes. The cats were a little different because the cats are in a smaller, more confined area.”
New protocols are being put in place to try and prevent another outbreak from occurring. All dogs coming into the facility will be vaccinated against the illness, however, Everts said there is no way to completely prevent another outbreak from happening again.
“Because we are a SPCA facility, we bring in animals from cruelty investigations and you never know what kind of virus the animal is going to have when they come in the door,” she said. “But you can protect the rest of the population if they are old enough to be vaccinated.”
During the closure, the already financially strapped shelter reached out to the community for donations to ensure the shelter did not close permanently. When the outbreak first happened, the Humane Society was hoping to raise $50,000 to remain open. It has since raised $42,000.
“The donations were the difference between us being able to pay our bills and not being able to pay our bills at this particular point in time,” Everts said. “Going forward, we obviously are still cash-strapped and it’s going to take us a while to get back on our feet and donations are still very important.”
Everts said she and staff were really touched by the outpouring of support they received from businesses and organizations throughout the city, and even across the country.
“We received some very large donations from a donor in Winnipeg and some other donations coming in from across the country,” she said. “The love for animals and the love for what we do was just amazing.”
The condition of 12 dogs found in immediate distress in February continues to improve, though Everts said some dogs may need to be transferred to a rehab centre in B.C.
“There is a rehab center that focuses on retired sled dogs,” she said. “We are looking at ways of potentially getting some of the more traumatized dogs out there.”
The other dogs may be able to be adopted locally following more extensive training and Everts said she hopes these animals will find the right home and right family.
“These dogs have a lot of potential, they just need to be removed from the shelter situation and worked with,” she said. “These are beautiful dogs and they do have a lot of potential and they have come a long way and they deserve a great home. I encourage the public to come out and meet them.”
