Ontario SPCA and Humane Society

Fetch presents our shelter partner, Ontario SPCA and Humane Society. As the pet insurance brand that shelters trust, we’re proud to highlight the important work they do for animals. 

It takes about 24 hours to travel across Ontario by car, but for the volunteers and staff at the Ontario SPCA and Humane Society, that’s no sweat. Finding homes for over 7,000 pets a year requires them to go the distance. “We're a provincial organization, so we go where the need is,” Alison Cross, senior director of marketing and communications at the Ontario SPCA, said. 

The Ontario SPCA, established in 1873, has 12 for-life locations throughout the province, two busy spay and neuter clinics and one mobile animal wellness unit, but their impact spans far beyond their own centers. At the beginning of 2020, they amped up their Urgent Animal Care Food Drive to transport pet food to animal centers in need throughout Canada. Since last year, they’ve transported over 700,000 pounds of pet food. 

Managing several shelters, plus distributing food throughout the provinces, is already a lot, but that’s just the beginning of the programs that the organization offers. Community Cats, for example, is an outreach program that teaches people how to help feral-cat colonies. Another one, AnimalSmart, empowers kids to become a more informed and compassionate generation of pet parents through environmental, social justice and animal kingdom courses. They’re even hosting a virtual Sweat for Pets event this summer where people can set active goals and ask for donations that go towards animal welfare causes. 

Ontario SPCA’s holistic approach to animal care often begins before people even come to the center. The animal center utilizes the Meet Your Match pet matchmaking program (designed by the ASPCA). People fill out a lifestyle questionnaire before coming to meet a pet, which helps ensure a lifelong match between the parent and future pet by asking questions about their pet expectations and environment before they get attached to an individual animal. The matchmaking method worked for animal centers like Kansas Humane Society, which saw a 50% decrease in animal returns in just 1 month alone. 

Once a potential parent has been approved to adopt, staff members encourage them to take steps to protect their pet’s health. They’ll encourage new pet parents to connect with a vet, recommend food subscription services and discuss pet insurance options so their new best friend has a healthy lifestyle.  

That's why Ontario SPCA partnered with Fetch because of the shared belief that pets deserve the best love and care. “We advocate for emergency preparedness and for being a responsible animal caregiver,” Alison said. “Pet insurance will set you up for success so that you don’t ever have to worry about being prepared.” Alison even signed her own dog, Stella, up for Fetch pet insurance as soon as she adopted her. 

It’s clear that animals are in good hands at the Ontario SPCA and Humane Society thanks to their passionate team. “The most rewarding part is, whether it's big or small, seeing all your hard work make an impact,” Alison said. “It could be as big as hitting your goal with our fundraising effort and really understanding the impact that's going to make. Or as small as taking interest in an animal that has been in a center for a little too long.”