Opened in stages this year, the new home of the Humane Society London & Middlesex (HSLM) is now fully operating and open to the public. Here are some key things to know about the east-end facility, which LFP reporter Beatriz Baleeiro toured this weekend.
HOW WE GOT HERE
They’ve gone from a house at 624 Clarke Rd. to a state-of-the-art animal welfare facility dubbed the Old Oak Animal Campus at 1414 Dundas St., just east of the Dundas-Highbury Avenue intersection. It was designed specially to shelter cats, dogs and critters. The move of the animals into the new home was “very calculated and well-orchestrated,” said Michael Delorenzi, who’s on the Humane Society’s board of directors.
HOW MUCH IT COST
The $21-million build was made possible through donations from individuals and businesses, fundraising and a contribution of $3 million from city hall, Delorenzi said. Fundraising is still ongoing, because the entire facility “operates purely on donations,” he added.
THE SET-UP
The facility, a 3,400-square-metre (37,000-square-feet) building on 4.4 hectares, is triple the size its former shelter on Clarke Road. The Humane Society broke ground on the new facility, on a property that was once a lawn bowling club, in May 2022. The spacious and bright building also includes an outdoor area with grass and quality turf for dogs to run, play with other dogs or just relax in the shade.
“That was something we didn’t have the same ability to do at the old place. It’s game-changing,” said Wendy Arnott, interim executive director of the Humane Society.
A new community space indoors for events is also available for renting. More space also means more efficiency, such as laundry and an industrial dishwasher that can clean 400 food bowls in 10 minutes instead of being hand-washed by volunteers.
A VETERINARY CLINIC IS OPEN, TOO
A brand-new veterinary clinic opened at the shelter for the first time since its founding in 1899. It offers ultramodern equipment for diagnosis, imaging, both routine and emergency procedures and dental radiology for comprehensive oral care. It will also be more cost-effective since it avoids paying for extra medical care and transportation of the animals to different clinics, Delorenzi said.
The clinic is only open to animals in the Humane Society’s care and is not open to the public.
HOW ABOUT THE ANIMALS?
There are more than 100 animals at the facility currently, which includes around 80 cats, 15 dogs, eight rabbits and two small, white furry rats. Not all animals are available for adoption yet. The facility welcomed 32 cats last week from a provincial agency which are being cared for until they’re ready to go to a new home.
THEY SAID IT
“We exist because this community says it matters to us that animals get cared for. I’d encourage people to come and check us out,” Arnott said. “We’ve got some great resources internally to support a really thriving animal-human connection and we’d love to be part of that.
“And we’re always open to people who might want to share some funds with us or sometimes we get donations of foods. We support a pet food bank for a pet food pantry.”