Individual Achievement Summit Accepted by Dr. Karen Becker

Dr. Karen Becker received the 2015 Summit Award for Individual Achievement.

From writing pet cookbooks and pet wellness newsletters, to her non-profit wildlife rehabilitation centre, lectures on nutrition and television appearances, Dr. Becker has had a profound affect on animals and their humans throughout her career. She received 48.5% of the votes from her peers in the animal industry to win the award.
 
The Individual Achievement Summit recognizes an individual who is currently active in the urban animal industry and is well regarded for their achievements to improve the experience of pets and people. Preference is shown to those who actively mentor the development of leaders and professionalism in the industry.

 

Urban Animal is grateful to Pets Plus Us for sponsoring the 2015 Summit Awards.

 

SPCA de l'Outaouais Receives 2015 Sheltering Summit

Karolyne Trottier of Pets Plus Us presented France Dubois, along with other staff and volunteers of the SPCA de l’Outaouais (SPCAO), with the 2015 Urban AnimalSheltering Summit Award.

 

The Sheltering Summit recognizes organizations that have improved the care and handling of animals in transition (recovery, intervention, transfer). 
  
This year the SPCAO was recognized for its outstanding adoption rate, achieved through internal and external initiatives and partnerships, along with its collaboration with other agencies in an effort to improve the wellbeing of pets on a larger scale.

Urban Animal is grateful to Pets Plus Us for sponsoring the 2015 Summit Awards.

 

AASAP Accepts 2015 Collaborators Summit

Clearly illustrating what collaboration is all about, individuals from eight different organizations shared the 2015 Urban Animal Collaborators Summit Award.

This year’s recipient, AASAP, is a network of agencies that includes emergency services, the veterinary community, social services, and animal shelters. These different groups work together to create options that allow victims of domestic violence to leave their situation and know their pet is safe and cared for. The need for the Pet Safekeeping Program exists in every community, and AASAP is working diligently to grow the network of partner agencies and expand the program across Alberta.

The Urban Animal Collaborators Summit recognizes the efforts of two or more organizations (service providers) that work collaboratively to create a healthier environment for urban animals.

Back row, from left:

Jocelyn Forseille DVM, Alberta Veterinary Medical Association; Deanna Lewis, WIN House; Amy Corpe, Red Deer & District SPCA; Patricia Mamak, Alberta SPCA; Kim Taylor, Alberta Human Services; Lesley Conley, Centre for Public Legal Education of Alberta; Karen Melnyk RVT, City of Edmonton Animal Care & Control.

Front row, from left:

Ken Keeler DVM, retired veterinarian; Tim Battle, Alberta SPCA; Jeff Wilks, A Safe Place Women’s Shelter.

Urban Animal is grateful to Pets Plus Us for sponsoring the 2015 Summit Awards. 

2015 Summit Award Winner - Retailer

The Summit for Retailer of the Year recognizes an organization in the retail sector that has achieved a remarkable relationship with pet families and has improved the experience of pets and people in the community(ies) they serve. Our winner this year is...

Evan Ropp, Homes Alive Pet Centres

Homes Alives Pet Centres won with 77.4% of the votes for providing outstanding services to pet families and communities in Alberta for nearly four decades.

Three generations of the Ropp family have dedicated their lives to serving and finding ways to improve the wellbeing of pets in their area. Beyond operating two successful independent pet supply stores, the Ropp family make a difference for their communities by: 

• Publishing a pet care blog focusing on safety, care, nutrition and rescue pets available for adoption
• Developing a Learning Centre page focused on care tips
• Using social media to drive engagement and conversations about pet safety & wellness www.facebook.com/homesalive www.twitter.com/homesalive www.pinterest.com/homesalive/
• Providing space for rescues on Saturdays to amplify their message and profile one of their rescue pets in the Featured Friends portion on their website: www.homesalive.ca/blog/tag/Featured-Friends/
• Providing a binder system listing available pets for those rescues that choose to use it, bulletin boards, etc.
• Assisting community pet partners by collecting food
• Offering 15% discounts on products that are donated rescue partners
• Networking and collaborating with humanitarian initiatives locally such as Youth One, Streets Alive and Bridges of Hope Rescue.

Homes Alive Pet Centres partner with Edmonton Humane Society, Humane Animal Rescue Team, CaliCan, Infinite Woofs, Greater Edmonton Area Rescue Society (GEARS), Berkeley's Place Lethbridge - Ridge Rescue, Lethbridge Humane Society, PAW Society, Last Chance Cat Ranch, Prairie Pitbull Rescue, and Windy City Canine Rescue.

Urban Animal is grateful to Pets Plus Us for sponsoring the Summit Awards.

2015 Summit Award Winner - Wellness

The Summit for Health and Wellness Provider of the Year recognizes the efforts of an organization to improve the overall levels of health and wellness for urban animals in a specific community, area of intervention or industry sector. Our winner this year is…

City of Edmonton Animal Care & Control Centre (ACCC)

The City of Edmonton received 83.2% of the votes for their on-site surgery suite which allows the Animal Care and Control Centre to help fix animals that are in immediate distress from wounds, broken bones, or other issues needing surgical intervention and spay/neuter animals that can be accepted by rescues.

The ACCC is responsible for caring for the 6,500 stray animals each year. Animals are held for 3-10 days in hopes that an owner will come forward and claim the animal. If the animal is not claimed, staff assess the animal for transfer out to the Edmonton Humane Society or a rescue group. Over the years the Vet staff has received great feedback from the rescue network. The concern from the network was always money and lack of support for spay and neuters of animals, or dentals. This reduces the number of animals that the rescues can take, thus increasing the ACCC’s euthanasia numbers. Recently staff were mandated by Council to reduce euthanasia numbers of adoptable animals. Armed with a small budget, the vet staff went on a mission to get a surgery suite built in the facility. This would allow the ACCC to A) help fix animals that are in immediate distress from wounds, broken bones, or other issues needing surgical intervention and B) spay/neuter animals that can be accepted by rescues.

100% of adoptable animals have been saved largely due to this new surgical suite. Without the surgical suite, animals that went to rescue most likely would have been euthanized, or would have been held in the Centre for an indefinite amount of time waiting for some room at the Edmonton Humane Society. Also, animals that came in with broken bones, infected uteruses, unable to urinate, or with severe wounds or injuries, would have been euthanized to end their suffering.

Urban Animal is grateful to Pets Plus Us for sponsoring the Summit Awards.

2015 Summit Award Winner - Homing

The Summit for Homing Provider of the Year recognizes an organization that achieves success placing animals in appropriate environments for animals and people through innovative adoption, sale, return-to-owner, re-homing or fostering programs. Our winner this year is…

Shelley Cunningham, Litters n Critters Rescue

Shelley received 86% of the votes for her dedication to rehabilitating and rehoming stray, abandoned, neglected and abused dogs in the Maritimes. She started her animal rescue in 2007 and was literally a one woman show. Since those early days, Litters n Critters has grown under Shelley’s leadership and inspiration to almost 18,000 Facebook followers. She has gained increasing support from volunteers across the Maritime provinces and has created a huge network of foster families.

Litters n Critters is 100% volunteer run and works tirelessly to help rehabilitate and rehome stray, abandoned, neglected and abused dogs in all parts of the Maritimes. All the dogs are placed into foster homes until they are adopted, no matter how long it takes. Many of the dogs need surgeries and vet care - dogs who would have otherwise been euthanized.

Shelley’s tireless devotion to helping dogs (and other critters) in need has inspired many others and, since 2007, over 3,000 animals have been rescued and rehomed. Shelley has actively promoted rescue through media, education and promotional events. She truly is a champion in the eyes of all who know her.

Urban Animal is grateful to Pets Plus Us for sponsoring the Summit Awards.

 

2015 Summit Award Winner - Collaborators

The Summit for Collaborators of the Year recognizes the efforts of two or more organizations (service providers) that work collaboratively to create a healthier environment for urban animals. Our winner this year is...

Alberta Alliance for the Safety of Animals and People (AASAP)

With 65.5% of the vote, AASAP is a network of agencies that includes emergency services, the veterinary community, social services, and animal shelters. These different groups work together to create options that allow victims of domestic violence to leave their situation and know their pet is safe and cared for. The need for the Pet Safekeeping Program exists in every community, and AASAP is working diligently to grow the network of partner agencies and expand the program across Alberta.

The Alberta SPCA, with Director of Education Tim Battle, led the formation of AASAP and secured funding for a coordinator to administer the program. They helped develop the process to admit animals to the program, keeping confidentiality and safety in the forefront. WIN House, with Community Liaison Deanna Lewis, is a founding member of AASAP and participated in the development of the referral process. They regularly refer clients to AASAP.

Urban Animal is grateful to Pets Plus Us for sponsoring the Summit Awards.

2015 Summit Award Winner - Communicator

The Summit for Communicator of the Year recognizes an organization that develops a concept and successfully delivers compelling content to promotes a better environment for urban animals. Our winner this year, by acclamation, is…

Alison Cross, Ontario SPCA

The Ontario SPCA partnered with the Ontario Veterinary Medical Association (OVMA) on a new campaign called Got a Pet? Get a Vet!™ Promoting the importance for pet owners to develop a relationship with their veterinarian, the campaign quickly became national.

Got a Pet? Get a Vet! shared how it’s important to establish a relationship with a veterinarian when you have a pet. Including pointing out that just one veterinary check-up a year would help protect against a variety of potentially life-threatening diseases, detect health problems sooner, and avoid unexpected costs. It encouraged pet owners to not wait until something went wrong to take their pet in for a check-up and that scheduling a visit with a local veterinarian would help ensure a longer, healthier life for pet(s). The campaign shared images of real life vets with their patients.

The campaign was shared with SPCAs and Humane Society all across Ontario and Canada allowing the local Society to add their own logo and work with their local vets to encourage this message. In addition, pet owners were encouraged to nominate their favourite veterinarian clinic for the Got a Pet? Get a Vet! Award.

The campaign ran for one month and was promoted on the Ontario SPCA and OVMA’s Facebook pages, on their twitter accounts, as well as through paid advertising on Facebook and through Google. Posters were given to SPCAs and Humane Societies all across the province and Canada to be posted at the local shelter. E-blasts from the Ontario SPCA as well as through the OVMA network were sent out to promote the campaign and the contest.

Over 780 clinics were nominated for the Got a Pet? Get a Vet! Award and almost 14,000 votes were cast for those nominated. The campaign received over half a million online impressions and was embraced by over 15 SPCAs, Humane Societies and Associations across Canada.

Urban Animal is grateful to Pets Plus Us for sponsoring the Summit Awards.

2015 Summit Award Winner - Individual Achievement

The Summit Award for Individual Achievement recognizes an individual who is currently active in the urban animal industry and is well regarded for their achievements to improve the experience of pets and people. Preference will be shown for those who actively mentor the development of leaders and professionalism in the industry. Our winner this year is…

Dr. Karen Becker

Dr. Becker wrote her first pet cookbook in 1999 after recognizing that people committed to nourishing their pets healthfully were short on “how to” resources. Her second cookbook, a collaboration with pet wellness coach Beth Taylor, was released in 2003. Real Food for Healthy Pets, volume 2 was released in 2009. The “Whole Dog Journal” awarded this cookbook the title of “Best Book on Home-Prepared Dog Food Diets on the Market.” The third edition was released in 2011.

Her passion for sharing healthy living options resulted in Dr. Becker joining forces with the third largest medical website and largest wellness website, Mercola.com, to provide a free pet wellness newsletter to pet lovers around the world. 

Karen Shaw Becker graduated from University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point majoring in Wildlife and International Resource Management in 1989. She received her degree in veterinary medicine from the Iowa State School of Veterinary Medicine in 1997. Dr. Becker completed an exotic animal internship in California in 1997 and became certified in Veterinary Acupuncture and Homeopathy. 

Dr. Becker owns Natural Pet Animal Hospital, Feathers Bird Clinic and TheraPaw Rehabilitation and Pain Management Clinic, in Illinois. This is her 28th year as a federally licensed wildlife rehabilitator, caring for over 200 wild animals a year through her non-profit Covenant Wildlife Rehabilitation center. 

Dr. Becker often lectures about species appropriate nutrition and has co-authored the Whole Dog Journal’s Best Homemade Diet Book of All Time award, “Real Food for Healthy Pets.” She has appeared on the hit show, Animal Planet, and is deeply honored to be named one of Chicago's Top Ten Vets, according to Chicago Magazine.

Dr. Becker is also the veterinary consultant for Mercola Healthy Pets, where over half a million passionate animal lovers receive her free wellness newsletter three times a week. This is the largest pet wellness website on the internet, with over a million monthly visitors. 

She is a member of the American Veterinary Medical Association; American Holistic Veterinary Medical Association; Association of Avian Veterinarians; Association of Reptile and Amphibian Veterinarians; Association of Wildlife Veterinarians; International Veterinary Acupuncture Society; American Association of Veterinary Acupuncturists; Academy of Veterinary Homeopathy; National Wildlife Rehabilitator's Association; International Association for Animal Hospice and Palliative Care; International Veterinary Academy of Pain Management; American Association of Zoo Veterinarians.

Urban Animal is grateful to Pets Plus Us for sponsoring the 2015 Summit Awards. 

2015 Summit Award Winner - Pet Owner

The Pet Owner of the Year Summit recognizes a pet owner that has demonstrated a mindful approach to pet ownership and the ability to think beyond themselves to create a better environment for all urban animals. Our winner this year is…

Brad Tanner

Brad Tanner has been a dog lover all of his life. He owns a boarding kennel in his hometown of Fort St. John and raises and works Redbone Coonhounds. He was nominated for building an interconnected network of pet owners to support each other and prevent pet theft.

In February of this year (2015) his family pet, Chocco, a Chesapeake Bay Retriever, was stolen from his property and later found shot. Recognizing a gap in guidance and services for pet owners facing a similar tragedy, Brad launched into action and learned that pet theft is a world-wide problem across North America, Europe and Australia.

Using his own personal resources, he put together five events in six months throughout BC and Alberta to raise awareness about pet theft. According to local RCMP authorities, Brad’s unique approach has made a difference in the rate of reported attempted thefts and a few stolen dogs have even been returned anonymously after receiving intense media attention. Brad’s efforts have undoubtedly improved the wellbeing of pets and people in many communities across BC and Alberta. He has provided support and hope for those whose pets have been stolen, and his awareness campaign has prompted owners to be more watchful and careful in keeping an eye on their pets. Brad intends to grow this network of pet owners across Canada.

Urban Animal is grateful to Pets Plus Us for sponsoring the 2015 Summit Awards.

2015 Summit Award Winner - Breeder

The Summit Award for Breeder of the Year recognizes a breeder of companion animals with five or more years of breeding experience that is compliant with recognized codes of ethical conduct or the Urban Animal Certified Quality Mark and demonstrates an exemplary level of professionalism. Our winner this year, with 73% of the vote, is...

Dawne Deeley, TsarShadow Karelian Bear Dogs

Dawn acquired her first Karelian Bear Dog in 1991 and by 1997, her Danish import had attained the position of No. 6 all-breed dog in Canada. Since then, dogs bred under Dawne’s ‘TsarShadow’ have won numerous World, European and Nordic titles.

Today, Dawne occupies her time working for various all-breed magazines and shaping the futures of the up-and-comers in her kennel. The recipient of a 2009 Maxwell Award from the Dog Writers Association of America, she provides regular columns and international features for Dogs in Review. Additionally, she serves on the board of directors for the Dog Legislative Council of Canada, World Dog Press Association and Canadian Kennel Club Foundation.

In 2005 Finland’s President Tarja Halonen awarded Dawne one of Finland’s highest civic honors, the Cross of Merit of The Order Of The Lion, for “devoted service ... through the promotion and advancement of Finno-Canadian relations through journalism, and for the protection and preservation of the Carelian Bear Dog.”

Urban Animal is grateful to Pets Plus Us for sponsoring the 2015 Summit Awards.

2015 Summit Award Winner - Distinguished Service Provider

The Summit for Distinguished Service Provider of the Year recognizes a service provider that has achieved a remarkable impact on the lives of people and pets within a community. Our winner this year is...

Karl Braun, Run Free Canine Centre

With 63% of the votes for an above and beyond approach to dog kenneling, the Run Free Canine Centre is a boarding kennel with athletic and high energy dogs in mind.

There are 2.5 grassy acres fenced in for daytime running and exercising and, once the day is done, each dog has their own large, warm and dry sleeping quarters. They have a Hydrotherapy pool for clients that need extra healing services and are set up to practice and train for the sport of Flyball.

Urban Animal is grateful to Pets Plus Us for sponsoring the 2015 Summit Awards.