| Q1. | Why do you rarely ever have small breed dogs for adoption? |
| It is probably because smaller dogs are easier to find a home for. If someone has to give away their small dog, usually a friend or family member is willing to take it because a small dog isn’t too much trouble compared to a 50-70 lb dog. Also, in our experience, most people are more forgiving of a small dog with behaviour problems. If a small dog makes a mistake in the house, it is not a big job to clean it up. Or if a small dog jumps up and barks at people coming into the home, most people laugh at the dog, instead of being scared of it. We do occasionally get small dogs and they tend to come with some issues. Typical problems include housebreaking issues, separation anxiety or senior dog health related issues. People who are willing to work with these dogs, usually end up with some very lovely companions. |
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| Q2. | Why can’t I take the animal home on the day that I adopt it? |
| There are severalreason why you cannot take the animal home on the day that you adopt it.Firstly, it can sometimes take time to process your application. Here are someexamples: (a) We have to contact your veterinarian if you have previously ownedanimals. (b) If you rent your home, we have to contact your landlord to see ifyou are allowed to have an animal in your building. (c) If you are adopting adog and already have a dog at home, then we will have to introduce the twodogs. (d) We sometimes have to do a property check. Secondly, if we areextremely busy, we may have other adoptions a head of you. And thirdly, theanimal has to be prepared for you. We have to check the animal over, cut itsnails, give it a microchip and a bath. |
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| Q3. | Can I leave my name on awaiting list for a specific animal that I am looking for? |
| We would prefer if you call in regularlyto see if we have the animal that you are looking for. We do not have manystaff members so therefore we cannot monitor the waiting list on a regularbasis. If you leave your name with us, we can’t guarantee that we will call youeach and every time an animal comes in that you might be interested inadopting. |
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| Q4. | I am tired of wildlife being on my property. Why won’t you do anything about it? |
| Our mandate with regards to wild animalsis to rescue injured or sick wildlife. We do not respond to nuisance wildlife.Unfortunately with Oakville and Milton growing so rapidly, a lot of wildlifeare losing their homes. That is why you are seeing them more and more in ruralareas. There are things that you can do to deter wildlife from setting up ahome on your property. (1) Remove all food sources ie: bird feeders, garbagecans, composters etc., or make sure that they are securely sealed. (2) Secureyour home. Make sure that you do not have any wholes in your roof, awnings, orfoundation of your home. (3) Make sure that you do not leave your garage doorleft open, or any entries into your home. If you do have a wildlife nuisanceproblem, please contact a pest control company. If you are concerned about thegrowing number of wild animals in your area, please call the Ministry ofNatural Resources. |
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| Q5. | I know a lot about animals. Why do I needtraining to be a volunteer? |
| We love it when animal experienced people apply to be a volunteer,however you still need to be trained to work with our animals. Working in ashelter is a very different environment than having a pet in a home. It is avery stressful place and therefore the animals are under a lot of stress aswell. You need to be taught our rules, policies and safety procedures. You arealso introduced to the staff and other volunteers who are working in thebuilding. This is a very busy work place just like any other, and training ismandatory. |
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| Q6. | I am interested in gettinga kitten. What time of year do you tend to get in the most kittens? |
| We tend to have kittens throughout theyear, however May and June are our busiest times for kittens. |
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