Shelter Medicine at Boreal College - An Interview with OSPCA's Tanya Firmage

Terri Perrin
InfoStream Staff Writer

Last year, The Ontario SPCA and Collège Boréal partnered to create a new Sudbury and District Ontario SPCA Shelter and Educational Centre. The five-year partnership is expected to allow students in the Collège Boréal Veterinary Technician program to benefit from the Ontario SPCA’s expertise (sharing manuals, protocols, etc.) and to deepen their theoretical and practical knowledge while preparing for internships, volunteer and work opportunities through the Ontario SPCA network.

Tanya Firmage presented this innovative partnership to delegates at the 2014 Urban Animal Regional Conferences as part of the Innovation Showcase. 

Infostream staff writer Terri Perrin caught up with Tanya Firmage, Director of Animal Welfare & Operations at the Ontario SPCA, to learn more about the new education program that teaches animal health technicians about animal shelter medicine.

Infostream (IS): Before we get started with your ‘Summit Experience’, we’d love to know more about the you day-to-day Pet Experiences working with the Ontario SPCA?

Tanya Firmage (TF): One of the high notes is that we get to see people make connections and adopt pets through our shelters on a regular basis. It is always gratifying to get updates from people who on how these animals become part of their families.  I’ve been around a long time – 23 years to be exact – and I love it when people call or write to us to express their thanks for the experience of a pet’s life. [After the pet passes away.] That’s pretty positive and happy for us. These are the moments we cherish. For me personally, seeing the change in how we do business in animal welfare and the reduction in numbers of animals in our shelters across the province is most rewarding.

IS: What was the inspiration for introducing shelter medicine training for Animal Health Technicians at Boreal College, Sudbury, Ontario?

TF: It all started with an email from the college to our North District Manager, saying ‘Hey, we have an idea!’ And it just went from there. It was innovative and extremely exciting with respect to what we can do together.

This program is the first of its kind in Canada, not only introducing shelter medicine but also animal welfare into a registered animal health technicians’ college program. The college has allotted us space within the campus and we are currently retrofitting an adoption centre there. The primary benefit is that the students will now have access to shelter animals when, in the past, they would treat and work with animals from a variety of sources. They will learn about spaying and neutering, minor dental procedures and more. They already have the facilities to run the medical care part of the program and now, they will be able to just go next door to our adoption centre for animals that need treatment and care.

IS: What is the main focus of the program?

TF: Students will deepen theoretical and practical knowledge, as well as gain ‘hands on’ experience through new internship, volunteer and work opportunities. In the past, much of the focus has been to teach students what their experiences will be like working in private practice. This expands their future career possibilities and facilitates the training of new workers capable of meeting demands in the field of animal welfare.

IS: Explain the program’s funding model.

TF: We are paying for the adoption facility to be retrofitted. Where we will benefit, from a financial perspective, are the services that we will be able to access through the veterinarians and students on the college side. It will be operated similar to all of our adoption centres but without the cost of vet care. We are still working on the logistics. We haven’t finalized the exact number of animals that can be accommodated as it will change depending on how many animals are in different stages of care. We anticipate that the adoption centre will accommodate about a dozen cats and half dozen dogs. My hope for the fall would be to bring some photographs of the facility.

IS: I understand the program is attracting interest from other educational institutions. Tell us about that.

TF: When we presented at the Central Regional Summit there was at least one person there from Ontario Veterinary College who was very interested. Word of mouth has also ignited interest from our SPCA counterparts in BC and Nova Scotia, as well as the Association of Shelter Veterinarians and the Koret Centre for Shelter Medicine at UC Davis. I expect that as the program grows we will be getting more calls from other institutions. It is an exciting time!

IS: How is it that you came to be a present this topic at the Central Region Summit?

TF: It was through a nomination. We received an email explaining the invitation to present at the Central Summit. We were thrilled. We’ve been working on it for 18-months now and looked forward to the opportunity to share our program. We were even more thrilled to be selected to present at the Summit in October!

IS: What do you hope to achieve by being an Innovation Showcase presenter at the national Summit in October?

TF: In October, I hope to have a co-presenter from Boreal College attend the Summit with me. Our goal will be to excite others about the possibilities of starting similar programs in their respective communities. I am really looking forward to it.

The 2014 Urban Animal Regional Conferences presented the second annual Innovation Showcases. Across the continent, 20 local Innovators were given the opportunity to share their stories and successes with Urban Animal subscribers. From those, eight were selected to present at the 2014 Summit for Urban Animal Strategies, October 22–25 in beautiful Lake Louise, Alberta.

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Healthy, Happy, Pet Relationships - Pacific Innovation Showcase Spotlight

Terri Perrin
InfoStream Staff Writer

Infostream staff writer Terri Perrin interviewed Sarah Bull, Supervisor of Bylaws, Licensing and Animal Services and Andrea McDonald, Manager of Bylaws, Licensing and Animal Services from the City of Coquitlam, BC. The duo are spearheading an innovative program called ‘Happy, Healthy Pet Relationships.’ They were eager to discuss how they are inspiring companion animal industry innovators to collaborate in an effort to enhance relationships between pets and their families.

Infostream (IS): It was obvious at your presentation that you are both passionate about this program in particular and pets in general. Can you give us some insight into your own personal Pet Experiences and what fuels your passion for this collaborative effort?

Sarah Bull (SB): I had originally wanted to be a veterinarian and I was taking post secondary education to work towards that goal. I had also gained work experience in animal hospitals, a pet store and at a groomer. When the City of Coquitlam started their own animal shelter in 2002, I was hired as one of three shelter attendants. I worked in the shelter for two and a half years and then I had an opportunity to move into bylaw and animal enforcement. I became an officer and then eventually moved into a supervisory role. It was a fork in the road that I had never envisioned but once I started to do the job I found it very rewarding and decided to make it my career. I simply took a detour that landed me where I feel I needed to be. As for my personal Pet Experiences, I currently have a Miniature Pinscher and four cats.

Andrea McDoanld (AM):  I had a different path. I worked in recreation and parks for 20 years and was managing an aquatic facility. The City of Coquitlam approached me when the position of Manager of Bylaws, Licensing and Animal Services came up in 2004. I must say my business experience relating to Bylaw was limited. I had received a parking ticket and I owned a cat. That’s all!  But it is not unusual for me to tackle something completely new to me. For example, my university degree is in teaching but I perused other avenues. Whether I am at an aquatic centre or an animal shelter, managing a facility and crew has a lot of similarities but different perspectives. Now I am here and I love it. I have two cats and a dog… but no more parking tickets!

IS: Healthy, Happy Pet Relationships is a collaboration of several urban animal industry sectors. How did it get started?

AM: The concept was originally discussed amongst a group of people at the Summit for Urban Animal Strategies in 2012. Afterwards, I met with a local veterinarian and a representative from Petland to brainstorm ideas of what the message might look like in Coquitlam. Our goal was to move away from the common ‘Responsible Pet Ownership’ label and try to come up with a concept that we could collectively agree on. Our intent was to create a public education program but to take out the perceived judgment of the word ‘responsible’ because it also implies ‘irresponsible’. We view ‘A Happy, Healthy Pet Relationship’ as a program where companion animal industry innovators collaborate to enhance and enrich the relationship between pets and their families.

SB: We developed the program in 2013 in the city of Coquitlam. We have also presented the program to the Lower Mainland Regional animal Control Managers Committee and had great feedback. Several municipalities want to run with it already. When we presented at the Pacific Regional Urban Animal Conference, representatives from several rescue groups liked the messaging and are now using it.

IS: What is the basic premise of the program?

AM: We worked together with several industry sectors and originally came up with five steps to a Happy, Healthy Pet Relationship:

· Safety and Identification

· Health and Wellness

· Food and Nutrition

· Exercise and Play and

· Manners and Training.

We developed the program and Sarah had been presenting to a variety of groups for a number of months. After the April 2014 Urban Animal Conference – with its focus on pet sourcing – we added a sixth step: Choosing a Pet.

IS: How did you come up with the criteria and were there any challenges creating it?

AM: The food and nutrition area was quite contentious because everyone has such different ideas. We focused on developing relationships with veterinarians and retailers for information.

IS: How is the program managed and funded?

SB: For now, it is funded by the City of Coquitlam. We have had further discussion about program expansion with the Lower Mainland Regional animal Control Managers Committee and we are starting to produce new materials so we will have to address further funding soon.

IS: How is it that you came to present this topic at the Pacific Region Summit?

AM: We had a meeting with Larry Evans from PetLynx in January and he said that he was looking for ideas for a few other presenters. Conversations at that lunch sparked his interest. The day of the Urban Animal Conference, however, I ended up getting called away so Sarah did the presentation for me.  We will co-present at Lake Louise in October.

IS: How was your Regional Urban Animal Conference experience?

SB: This was my fifth time at a Regional event. Being able to sit down and have such meaningful conversations about our industry is mind blowing. The October 2014 Summit will be my first time at the national event. I’m really looking forward to it.

AM: The Regional Urban Animal Conference was absolutely amazing. It is a different format than a typical conference. There is so much networking and interacting at a national level.  It was fabulous.

IS: What do you hope to achieve by being an Innovation Showcase presenter at the national Summit in October?

SB: The main reason I wanted to spend time on this was to draw on the energy from the Summit and get valuable feedback. As importantly, I want to get something down on paper. This can be the most difficult step. This program could be taken nationally to ensure that all pet owners visiting a veterinarian, pet store or rescue agency, for example, get consistent information. We need to be on the same page and have the same goals but we need collaboration. This is what we came up with at the Summit two years ago. I hope this will be a good starting point for some national messaging.

The 2014 Urban Animal Regional Conferences presented the second annual Innovation Showcases. Across the continent, 20 local Innovators were given the opportunity to share their stories and successes with Urban Animal subscribers. From those, eight were selected to present at the 2014 Summit for Urban Animal Strategies, October 22–25 in beautiful Lake Louise, Alberta.

Prairie Innovation Showcase Spotlight—Alberta vets helping pet owners with ‘Tails of Help’

Terri Perrin 
InfoStream Staff Writer 

Calgary veterinarian and former president of the Alberta Veterinary Medical Association, Jennifer Willans presented an unique program to 2014 Urban Animal Regional Conference delegates as part of the Innovation Showcase in April. Tails of Help provides financial support for veterinary care to companion animals belonging to Albertans with financial need. 

Infostream staff writer Terri Perrin caught up with Dr. Willans, owner of Landing Animal Clinic in Calgary, to learn more about Tails of Help and the inspiration and goals behind this Innovation.  

Infostream (IS): As a veterinarian, your clients’ Pet Experiences are part of your everyday work and life. But we would love to know something about your own personal Pet Experiences. What inspired you to become a veterinarian?

Dr. Jennifer Willans (JW): The easy answer is that I love working with animals and I always had dogs growing up. They were very much part of my family. That statement is true, of course, but to have a successful career in veterinary medicine requires more. You need to have excellent communication skills, as well as love science and continuous learning. As a teenager, I looked at possible careers in human medicine and psychology but veterinary medicine seemed the best choice for me.

IS: Tails of Help was launched in November 2013.  Can you tell us what was the inspiration behind the project?

JW: When I was president of the Alberta Veterinary Medical Association (ABVMA) two topics kept coming up over and over again: public access to veterinary care and member wellness.

Access to vet care means the ability of the public to afford our services. The public demands high quality care – as pets are now part of the family – so vet clinics are investing in high tech equipment and trained personnel. But having these services and equipment comes at a cost. The ABVMA wanted to create an organization that would assist those people who may not be able to afford these veterinary services.

Member wellness – psychological and physical health of staff – was also a big concern. Veterinarians, Animal Health Technologists and clinic support staff want to help animals and it is devastating when we can’t because an owner can’t afford the treatment. As a result, most vets provide a significant amount of pro bono work. This type of stress is hard on the whole team. Some individuals even leave the professional because of the stress.

Tails of Help was registered as a charity to address these two concerns. It operates at arm’s length to the ABVMA. We have a number of representatives from the veterinary community as well as several public members. The public members have a variety of skill sets different from the vets, so we were pleased to be able to partner with them.

IS: The program’s vision is: A future where essential health care for companion animals is available to all Albertans. Why is this so important, not just to pets and pet owners but to vets, their support staff, shelters, etc.?

JW: If a pet owner can’t afford illness and injury care the pet will suffer. The option is then to euthanize or surrender the animal. This causes emotional distress for both the pet owner and the veterinary team. It is an annual problem estimated at over $1.3 million. Our goal with Tails of Help is to keep pets in homes and with their families, to avoid surrender. This reduces the burden on animal shelters and everyone involved in the pets’ care. We are working to help families, pets and communities.

IS: What challenges do you foresee in managing this innovative program?

JW: I think the primary challenge will be to have enough resources to meet the need. We are a volunteer-driven registered charity. We rely on donations from corporations and individuals to fund the program, but also on volunteers who donate their time. We are fortunate to have a dedicated team of volunteers. We have a three-year communication and fundraising strategy and I am confidant we can meet our goals.

IS: What are your short and long-term goals?

JW: In the short term, the challenge will be to build awareness with the public and the veterinary community province-wide. The basic premise of the program is that applications for funding must come from the vet, not the pet owner. There will be a financial means assessment for the owner and a medical means assessment for the pet — the vet has to have a reasonable expectation of a quality outcome. Decisions are made quickly and funds are dispersed to the vet providing care and the vet does provide some pro bono services as well. The whole premise of the program that we want to keep pets in Alberta with their families by increasing their ability to access veterinary care.

In the long-term, the challenge will be to achieve our three-year fund raising goal and truly creating a sustainable charitable organization that meets our vision.

IS: How is it that you came to present this topic at the Western Region Conference?

JW: It was launched to the veterinary community at the 2013 CanWest Veterinary Conference in Banff, Alberta. In my role as founding president, I was present at that conference and I spoke with Dr. Drew Van Nierkirk and he nominated us.

IS: Tell us about your Summit for Urban Animal Strategies experience. What was the most important thing you took away from the Regional conference?

JW: I thought it was great! As an owner of a veterinary practice where I work full-time, most of my volunteer efforts are in my profession, so it is easy to develop tunnel vision. The Conference opened my eyes to the depth of those in the urban animal industry and how we share common goals.

IS: What do you hope to achieve by being an Innovation Showcase presenter at the national Summit in October?

JW: In Ontario, they have the very successful Farley Foundation to help people with financial costs of vet care. Now, in Alberta, we have created Tails of Help. I hope to inspire similar programs across Canada. All they need to do is change the word in our vision from ‘Alberta’ to ‘Canada’! Obviously, the need for financial assistance is everywhere and the benefits of the Pet Experience occur regardless of financial means. We want to help motivate and lead others to do the same thing. I am very appreciative of the opportunity and I am excited about it!

For more information, visit: www.tailsofhelp.ca

ABOUT THE INNOVATION SHOWCASE: The Innovation Showcase was launched in 2013 to discover innovative projects that could be replicated across the Urban Animal industry. The 2014 Urban Animal Regional Conferences presented the second annual Innovation Showcases. Across the continent, 20 local Innovators were given the opportunity to share their stories and successes with Urban Animal subscribers. From those, eight were selected to present at the 2014 Summit for Urban Animal Strategies, October 22–25 in beautiful Lake Louise, Alberta.

Atlantic Innovation Showcase Spotlight Paws Fur Thought: Service Dogs for Veterans Battling PTSD

Medric and Thai

Terri Perrin
InfoStream Staff Writer

The 2014 Urban Animal Regional Conferences presented the second annual Innovation Showcases. Across the continent, 20 local Innovators were given the opportunity to share their stories and successes with Urban Animal subscribers. From those, eight were selected to present at the 2014 Summit for Urban Animal Strategies, October 22–25 in beautiful Lake Louise, Alberta.

Infostream staff writer Terri Perrin spoke with the winning presenters to get feedback on their Regional Conference experience, their respective ‘Pet Experiences’ and what we can expect from them at the Summit this fall. Terri tracked down retired Canadian Air Force Captain Medric Cousineau – known to friends and family as ‘Cous’ – at his home in Eastern Passage, Nova Scotia, to talk about his important work matching service dogs with retired military personnel. 

Infostream (IS): Before we get started with your ‘Summit Experience’, we’d love to know how your personal life and ‘Pet Experiences’ lead you to be an a champion for service dogs and soldiers. Tell us a little about your journey, including how (and when) you were partnered with your service dog ‘Thai’.

Medric Cousineau (MC): My life was punctuated by having dogs in our home while I was growing up. As an adult, I consider myself a ‘dog person’ and my wife Jocelyn a ‘cat person’. Due to an illness in the family, from 2001 to 2012 we didn’t have a dog but had four cats. The move towards getting a dog again stems from the fact that I have Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) … a result of search and rescue work done in the military. I received the ‘Star of Courage’ for one particular incident and ironically, it was this incident that precipitated my downward spiral with PTSD.

In 2012, a friend learned how badly I was struggling. Her son had a hearing assist dog and the school he got the dog from also trained PTSD dogs. I was desperate. Something had to give. We decided to give it a whirl. It’s the best thing decision I ever made!

I got my service dog ‘Thai’ – a yellow Labrador – from Kansas-based Canine Assistance and Rehabilitation Education Services (CARES) on August 6^th, 2012.

IS: Tell us about your first experience meeting Thai at CARES.

It was ‘love at first sight’... according to Thai! While all of the other dogs were wandering around the room kind of nonchalant, the second that Thai laid eyes on me she broke from her handler and rushed across the room. She was at my side, licking my face and on me like white on rice!  This is what she had been trained to do. She was aware of my physiological issues literally from the instant that  she was brought into the room … and she’s been doing her ‘job’ ever since.

IS: Can you give an example of how she helps you?

MC: One of her jobs is night terror intervention. It only took a few days for her to get into the swing of things and start waking me up during these episodes. A few weeks after I first got her, I woke up one morning and realized I hadn’t had a night terror … and I had a panic attack about that! (Laughs.) Thai helped me through that episode, too!

IS: How did you come up with the idea for the Paws Fur Thought Program?

MC: I knew within a couple of months that Thai was making dramatic changes in my life. Just after Christmas 2012,  Jocelyn and I  were out waking Thai. We decided that we had to do something to help others. To ensure accountability with funds raised, we approached the Nova Scotia Nunavut Command of the Royal Canadian Legion. They established the foundation and they administer all funds and provide tax receipts, as well as allocate the money to veterans so they can acquire dogs from accredited facilities. The name – Paws Fur Thought – is a play on words … basically meaning ‘dogs helping with mental issues’.

IS: How is it funded?

MC: We put together a ‘Walk to Sanity’ that started on August 1^st, 2013. Thai and I averaged a ½ marathon every single day for 50 days. We walked across Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Ontario and Quebec ... raising money and awareness along the way. We covered 1,065 kilometres and raised about $90,000 from that. Other community partners have come on board. Global Pet Foods HRM’s, Lucie Larochelle, for example, heard one of our interviews on CBC. She named us the company’s ‘Show Us Your Heart’ chosen charity. Petcurean came on board as a result of Lucie’s participation and, from that, it is just starting to snowball!  We have a half dozen fundraising events coming up in the next few months.

IS: How is it that you came to be a presenter at the Atlantic Regional Summit?

MC:  I was shocked ... and pleasantly surprised … when PetLynx actually contacted me! Somebody had heard my story and said ‘Here’s a guy you need to listen to.’ I didn’t even realize the implications of what I had agreed to, in terms of the potential opportunities that would arise from it. When I learned that I would be going to Lake Louise, as an Innovation Showcase winner, it was like a dream come true! I get to tell people exactly what it is that we are trying to do. God smiled and said, “Go there and tell ‘em your story.” It could be being held anywhere in the world and I would be happy to go.

IS: Was this your first Summit for Urban Animal Strategies. What did you think about it?

MC:  For me, the networking was very important. Talking about animal sourcing and hearing some of the challenges within the industry was very interesting because it was something I’d never thought about before. A lot of what happens in the urban animal industry is about animal rescue. We were a little bit different in that we were using animals to rescue humans. I would rate the experience totally PAWsome!

IS: What do you hope to achieve by being an Innovation Showcase presenter at the national Summit in October?

MC:   While Paws Fur Thought is primarily focused on the military but the need for psychological service dogs covers what a group of communities. There are all kinds of places where PTSD can rear its ugly head. I like to refer to what I call ‘Red, White and Blue, A and A’. This represents fire fighters, emergency responders and RCMP (police), as well as assault and abuse survivors. I’m just one guy … a smashed up guy with serious mental health issues at that … and I know that I can’t do this all on my own. At the National Summit I am going to make an effort to find people who want to do what I have done. I will give the blueprint to repeat what we have done, so that they can go home and champion their own cause in their own communities.

During the interview, InfoStream learned that Cous and his service dog 

Thai had just received an Inspiring Lives Award from the Mental Health Foundation of Nova Scotia.