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SPCA facility open for business About $25,000 more to raise for finishing touches; grand opening set for springKatherine Hudson Northern News Services Published Wednesday, December 5, 2012
The 3,200-square-foot, one-storey building still has a bit more work to go before the grand opening in the spring, but it is finally open and housing Peaches and several other orphaned dogs and cats. Last month, the City of Yellowknife signed off on the final occupancy permit and as of last week, the facility was home to seven dogs, four puppies and two cats. The animal residents are constantly coming and going, a fact made apparent by the large dog-carriers in the front lobby. Two German shepherd pups were scheduled to arrive on a flight from Kugluktuk as four puppies from Sachs Harbour were being prepared for a flight to their new homes in Victoria. About $800,000 has gone into the building and property, located off Deh Cho Boulevard in the Engle Business District, said NWT SPCA president Nicole Spencer. The project has been expanded every time there has been money available. "We own whatever we have now. We don't owe any money on what we actually have. What we have is paid for full and clear so we add whenever we get money and that's the way we've been actually doing it," she said. The NWT SPCA has had a long-standing relationship with the Great Slave Animal Hospital. The SPCA volunteers would walk dogs owned by the hospital, help out with advertising and donate funds for medical supplies. Two years ago, starting with a litter of puppies from Behchoko, the SPCA starting owning its first animals and began its fostering program. Today, the SPCA maintains strong relationships with the vets at both the Great Slave Animal Hospital and the Yellowknife Veterinary Clinic, both of which give generous discounts for spay, neuter and medical services. A huge jump in the development of the shelter came in December 2010 when the NWT SPCA won a national contest, receiving about $300,000 from the insurance company Aviva Canada Inc. In July 2011, the NWT SPCA made the first step toward the creation of the shelter, when the organization signed off on the land from the city for $204,000 with a 15-year mortgage. Three months later, the NWT SPCA broke ground. Now, after a little more than a year, the doors are open. The facility is capable of housing 15 dogs and 10 cats, although by the spring there should be 15 additional dog kennels installed with a price tag of $25,000. The kennels can be sponsored for $10,000 each. The interior windows will be installed by donation from Diamond Glass Ltd., which will soften the sounds of barking coming from the kennels. The facility is equipped with a washer and dryer, a multi-purpose room with merchandise, a meeting room and kitchen, a shower for volunteers, a grooming area, an isolation room for sick animals, and an exam room that a visiting veterinarian can use. Each dog kennel has an enclosed exterior yard. Additional goals for the NWT SPCA include acquiring a perimeter fence and constructing 10 outdoor dog enclosures. While the building is transforming into an all-encompassing animal shelter, Spencer said there's one area where the NWT SPCA is really struggling. "Our biggest thing right now is getting somebody working there," said Spencer. She is hoping to apply for funding to hire a kennel attendant and a manager. There are about 25 constant volunteers that come in when they're able - usually in the evenings - but the job of overseeing an animal shelter is tremendous. From cleaning to walking and feeding starting first thing in the morning, it will take having staff to run the shelter properly, said Spencer.
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