In January 2014, the urban animal
community cast ballots to elect the 2013 Innovation Showcase speakers they believe
can and should be replicated in their region. One of the winners was the
Ontario SPCA’s dynamic duo of Judith Aubin, Regional Manager, Spay/Neuter
Clinics, and Tanya Firmage, Director of Animal
Welfare & Operations. They will once again be speaking on their success in
reducing cat admissions. InfoStream
Guest Author Terri Perrin caught up with them in mid-March to get an update on
their program and gain some insight on what they plan to present at the 2014
Regional Conferences in April.
Infostream (IS): Before we get started, we always
love to learn what motivates people to dedicate their careers to animal
welfare. What inspires each of you to be crusaders for cats?
Judith Aubin (JA): When I was working part time at
a local Humane Society while attending university, I saw the large number of
cats in the shelters and, for the first time, became aware of just how many
lost cats were never returned to their owners. This experience made me an
advocate for promoting spay and neutering and microchipping. I have had cats my whole life and currently
just have one.
Tanya Firmage (TF): My initial
training was in the animal health industry. While I enjoyed it, 23 years ago I also
had an experience with a local humane society while in college. It ignited my
passion for animal welfare. I really felt that I could have an impact in
changing the future… and I have never looked back! When I began this journey, I remember thinking that if I could
achieved what I was setting out to do, then one day there would no longer be
animals in shelters and we would have done our jobs. Seeing the shelter intake
statistics decrease over the past couple of years – in particular with cats –
has made me feel that I am achieving my goal. I have had many pets over the
years but currently have only one dog – a 13-year-old Yorkshire terrorist!
IS: Some of our readers may not be familiar your
initiatives to reduce cat admissions in OSPCA shelters. Please give us a brief
overview of your program and its success.
JA: The
OSPCA opened its first high-quality, high-volume spay/neuter clinics in 2009. Our
clinics are based off of the Humane Alliance model which began in 1994 in North
Carolina. (link lost with my editing) We currently have clinics in Newmarket, Barrie
and St. Catherines. The Newmarket location performs up to 50 spay/neuter
surgeries per day. The other two each perform 25 operations daily.
TF: We spay and neuter animals from
OSPCA shelters and other rescue organizations and shelters, as well as publicly
owned pets and feral cats from TNR programs. Since the program began, we have
collectively performed over 50,000 surgeries. At any one time we will have
close to 6,000 animals on our waiting list. Clients come from the local
communities, as well as driving long distances to access these services. As a
result of this, we started seeing a province-wide reduction in cat admissions
in our shelters in early 2012, with a much more significant reduction at shelters
closest to our clinics.
IS: I understand that there are 120 similar clinics
in North America. How would you suggest that other organizations get started?
JA: The Humane Alliance (www.humanealliance.org) model has recommendations
to ensure success. They factor in human population density and other
considerations. Of course, anyone interested in starting a spay/neuter clinic
is welcome to contact me. My position of Spay Neuter Regional Manager of OSPCA
was recently created, as the volume of information requests and program
management became a full-time job.
IS: You were part of the inaugural Innovation
Showcase program, which launched in 2013/2014, and you presented at the 2013
Regional and Annual Summits for Urban Animal Strategies. Tell us a little about
your respective experiences on this journey.
TF: I feel such pride in seeing these
numbers go down as drastically as they have and being able to share our
excitement and success with others in the industry was amazing. We always
understood that spaying and neutering was part of the solution to pet
overpopulation… this is proof that it makes a big difference.
JA: I didn’t know what to expect at
the Regional Conference but to be included in a group that is so innovative was a
real privilege and honour. I am flattered that people enjoyed our presentation and
that it is being offered again, so it can be extended to more communities and
so the momentum can continue across Canada.
IS: During your
Innovation Showcase presentation, you declared that there might be an end in sight
for the cat overpopulation crisis. Some might say that’s a pretty lofty (and
unattainable) goal. Do you ever feel overwhelmed?
TF: A decade ago, yes, I absolutely
felt overwhelmed. If I had heard that statement then I would have said ‘that’s
really dreaming’. Today, I truly believe it and feel that this is the best time
possible to be involved in animal welfare… and our program is just one of the
many reasons for this. It is really comforting to see the number of communities
that are reaching out for more information. It is a very different – but
positive – position for municipalities and the industry to take.
IS: How important is
community collaboration in this process?
TF: It is vitally important. I say
this because the pet overpopulation problem is not an OSPCA problem. It is a societal
problem. For community animal management strategies like this to be successful,
collaboration is key.
JA: For our program we have
collaborated with a large number of municipalities, veterinarians, feral cat
rescues, PetSmart Charities, organizations like PetLynx, and various attendees
at the Urban Animal Summits, to name a few.
JA: We will definitely have some more exciting information and updated statistics to share, to show
the path that we are on to reduce the cat intake numbers.
TF: In addition to the stats and
facts, I hope to have a couple of
different things to present from the OSPCA, such as our new “iAdopt” program.
It is proving to be a fun way to get adoptees together and increase the number
of adoptions across the province.
IS: For
our readers who want to learn more, how may they contact you?
IS: Any
final thoughts or comments?
JA: I am
really excited to present the new numbers and explain where this is going, as
well as to hear other innovative ideas. It makes me want to get involved in all
of them, even though I have to stay focused on my job!
TF: I am
looking forward to getting others on board to see how they can replicate our
program and work towards the same goal of reducing cat admissions and,
ultimately, ending the cat crisis in Canada.
Sunday November 15, 2015 was the deadline for delegate and scholarship claims arising from Summit 2015. 
