2009 Summit Photos On-Line

The scenery at Lake Louise, Alberta, and the spectacular Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise Hotel provided some spectacular photo opportunities for our Summit photographers... But we did manage to draw them away from the breathtaking vistas to shoot some photos of Summit attendees and events, too!

For '09 Summit delegates, view the photos and enjoy a walk down memory lane....
For alumni and industry thought leaders not able to make it to this year's event, take a peak to see what you missed!

Why Become a Summit Alumnus?

Because the National Alumni Summit for Urban Animal Strategies (NASUAS) gives you the tools you need to bring practical solutions to your organization and inspire industry stakeholders to work collaboratively to create a healthier community for pets and people.

The NASUAS attracts some of the brightest minds in the North American companion animal industry. Your attendance allows you to participate in executive level discussions, hear world-class speakers and network with others who face similar challenges.

By being part of the alumni group, you become part of the solution. This results in significant benefits for you, as an individual, for your organization and for your community.

What does this mean for you?

As an Alumnus, you have access to a proprietary ‘Alumni Only’ section of the tsuas.com website that provides a wealth of information, including:

Directory: Published to encourage and facilitate continued dialogue and is for exclusive use of alumni in good standing. Includes the names and contact information for more than 160 thought leaders from all four sectors of the companion animal industry.

Resources: Designed to facilitate information sharing and the implementation of ideas and concepts discussed at the NASUAS. This information is updated and added to on a regular basis, so be sure to check it out every few weeks to learn what’s new!

Discounts: Special consideration is given to the Alumni group, for such things as event registration and subscriptions to the annual survey.

To maintain your Alumni status, it is essential that you attend at least one NASUAS every two years. If you cannot attend, then you must apply for special consideration to maintain your status or have another alumni nominate you as a delegate.

For more information contact:

Judi Canon, NASUAS Program Manager

(P) 705.930.7387 (E) event@tsuas.com

2009 Summit Delegate Survey Results

The results from the 2009 Delegate Survey are in. The 2009 Delegates had the following to say regarding the venue and timing of the Summit:

• 62% of delegates agreed with alternating the Venue from East to West
  


• 71% of delegates agreed with keeping the mid-October date


• The Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise received an overwhelming approval rating of 98%

Some of the comments we received about the Summit venue were:

"...some signage such as many hotels would have helped since the hotel is a tad of a maze..."

"First time staying at the Chateau and I was very happy with it!"

"More time to experience the setting would be wonderful, it's a shame to waste the view."

"Beautiful location and staff at the Fairmont are top notch."

"I love it being at the Lake Louise venue, but that it would be selfish to expect Easterners to make the big trek every year just for my convenience :) !"

Based on the above results, we are pleased to announce that the 2010 Summit for Urban Animal Strategies will take place at the Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise from Wednesday, 13 October to Friday, 15 October.

We are planning on having the 2011 Summit at an Eastern location. Watch the Summits for Urban Animal Strategies blog for updates on this event.

Thank you for your feedback.

H1N1 Confirmed in Canadian Ferret and American Cat

November 6, 2009: Yesterday, PIJAC Canada received notice that the first confirmed case of H1N1 in a ferret was reported to the Nova Scotia Veterinary Medical Association.

In addition, the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) put out a press release yesterday stating that there has been one confirmed case of a cat in Iowa contracting the H1N1 virus from the owners.

Please take notice of this PIJAC Canada bulletin to learn more on what you should do.

The Canadian Veterinary Medical Association has also posted an information sheet on their website for pet owners.

Questions for PIJAC Canada?
(p) 1-800-667-7452 or 1-613-730-8111
(e) memberservices@pijaccanada.com.

Delegate Feedback Appreciated

Your Summit organizers were thrilled to receive several congratulatory emails from satisfied delegates within hours of the event wrap-up on October 16.

Here is a snippet of what some people had to say about the event:

"I just wanted to send along a quick thank you on the this year's Conference. Again PetLynx has gone over and above on this event."

G. Potter ~ Alberta Animal Services

"I can’t tell you how many delegates were raving about the Summit! The most frequent sentiment expressed was that the event just keeps getting better and better. Congratulations on a great event!"

P. Cameron ~ Calgary Humane Society

"On behalf of everyone who worked so hard to create and deliver the [Summit] programs, thank you! By all accounts, it was an excellent Summit. Our thanks to PetLynx for providing national leadership. Everyone is looking forward to 2010."

K. McDonald ~ Ontario SPCA

While we really appreciate this unsolicited feedback and show of support, we still encourage all delegates (who have not already done so) to complete the 2009 Summit for Urban Animal Strategies Delegate Survey.

Yes, we work hard to make this event better each year, but we can't do that without your honest evaluation. The deadline to provide delegate feedback is Friday, November 6.

We would also like to take this opportunity to encourage those of you who wish to have the complete North American Urban Animals Survey (NAUAS) for the Canadian and/or US markets to contact Cindy Kreutzer (cindy.kreutzer@petlynxmail.com or 403.219.1088).

Cindy will provide you with the NAUAS Subscriber Contract and the discount voucher you will receive as one of our important clients.

The Sumit Winners are...

CALGARY, 19 October 2009: The Summit Urban Animals Strategies is pleased to announce the winners of the 2009 Summit Awards. More than 20 nominations for the nine award categories were received from across Canada. The final awards were presented Thursday, 15 October 2009, during the Gala Reception that was part of the Summit for Urban Animals (SUAS) at Lake Louise, Alberta.

the 2009 summit winners are:

Animal Health & Wellness: Eastern Passage Village Vet

Animal Re-Homing: Lincoln County Humane Society

Animal Sheltering: City of Calgary Animal Services

Community Education: City of Edmonton Animal Services

Community Collaboration: Lincoln County Humane Society

Distinguished Service Provider: Ontario SPCA

Media & Communications: Ontario SPCA

Individual Achievement: James Wilke, City of Saskatoon Animal Services

Lifetime Individual Achievement: Tim Dack, City of Winnipeg Animal Services and Paul Teichroeb, City of Vancouver Animal Services

Congratulations to all winners and nominees! (View complete list here.) And a heart felt "Thank you!" to the 80+ delegates and speakers who made the 2009 Summit For Urban Animal Strategies a great networking, collaboration and learning event.

 

Summit to Aid in CBC Cat Documentary

"Kitty Gone Viral" will air on Doc Zone in Fall/Winter 2010

We are pleased to announce that a collaborative working agreement has been signed with the Summit for Urban Animal Strategies and Vancouver-based Bountiful Films. The documentary production company is working on an in-depth feature about the problem of cat overpopulation.

"We made the decision to work collaboratively with film producer, Maureen Palmer, after an extensive review of her synopsis," explains Summit Chair, Larry Evans. "We felt that assisting Palmer with research, community resources and content for her project was in the best interests of Summit delegates, considering that this film will address the same issues that we struggle with on a daily basis."

"We want [to attend the Summit] to build some important relationships," explains Palmer. "We want to listen, and make sure we have a firm grasp of all the issues and positions, so that the documentary we create is a fair representation of what is really happening at the grassroots level. We want to make sure we are correct statistically and that we do indeed have our finger on the pulse of 'state of the art' research. We need to know the people we have identified as 'key players' are indeed such."

Bountiful's most recent film, How to Divorce and Not Wreck the Kids had its genesis at a family lawyers conference in Toronto in fall 2007. "We did film sparingly there," said Palmer, "but none of that made it to air. We did however, make priceless contacts and left confident we had a handle on the story... and that is why we want to attend the Summit."Quite often, complicated issues [such as cats overpopulation] get the depth and context they deserve only in documentary," adds Palmer. "The challenges facing those who care about cats are nuanced and sensitive. We will present them as such."

Summit Presentation Synopsis #6

Building a Feline-Friendly Community

Presenter: Nadine Gourkow ~ Esteemed researcher, educator and companion animal activist

All of us working for feline friends have experienced moments of despair, wondering how to shift from a world where millions of cats are abandoned, abused, and put to death, to one where cats are valued and every kitten has a loving, forever home.

"Although creative solutions, devotion and hard work have done much to improve the plight of cats in the last few years, much remains to be done," believes Nadine Gourkow. "Evidence-based practice (EBP) is an innovative approach that can help cat welfare professionals and activists better understand the root causes of problems. Furthermore, it provides guidance in the development of effective targeted solutions and a methodology for measuring effectiveness. The EBP movement has already been adopted by many in disciplines such as Social Work, Education, and Veterinary Medicine, among others. Recently EBP has been used by some animal welfare professionals, yielding effective measurable solutions to human/cat problems in their community."

Nadine’s Summit presentation will review a number of concepts central to EBP and describe leading edge case studies including the CatSense System – an evidence based approach to the care of cats in animal shelters. Her presentation will be followed by a though-provoking and dynamic brainstorming session on how evidence based practice could be applied to different aspects of cat welfare work.

And the Nominees Are....

Some of Canada’s hardest working animal advocates recognized by their peers

CALGARY, 08 October 2009: The Summit Urban Animals Strategies is pleased to announce the nominees for the 2009 Summit Awards. More than 20 nominations for the nine award categories were received from across Canada. The final awards will be presented Thursday, 15 October 2009, during the Gala Reception that is part of the Summit for Urban Animals (SUAS) at Lake Louise, Alberta.

“The ‘Summits’ are intended to convey the recognition of peers from all four sectors of the companion animal industry – animal control/legislation, animal health/wellness, animal welfare and animal services,” explains Larry Evans, Chairman of the SUAS organizing committee. “Considering that individuals and organizations can not nominate themselves, this public acknowledgment of commitment, creativity and collaboration in effort to make their communities better for pets and people is, in itself, a great honour. Although there can only be one award per category, we consider all of our nominees to be ‘winners’ in whatever it is they do.”

the 2009 summit nominees are:

Animal Health & Wellness

• Eastern Passage Village Vet
• Animal Hospital of Manitoba

Animal Re-Homing

• Langley Animal Protection Society
• Lincoln County Humane Society
• Moncton SPCA

Animal Sheltering

• Animatch
• Calgary Humane Society
• City of Calgary Animal Services
• Heaven Can Wait
• Saskatoon SPCA
  

Community Education

• Edmonton Animal Services
• Ontario SPCA - Animal Voice Magazine
• Ontario SPCA - BARC Camp

Community Collaboration

• Lincoln County Humane Society

Distinguished Service Provider

• Associated Vet Clinic Ltd.
• Ontario SPCA

Media & Communications

• Dogs in Canada
• Ontario SPCA

Individual Achievement

• Dr. Hugues Lacoste, Centre Vet
  
• Debbie Nelson, MEOW Foundation
• Dr. Drew Van Niekerk, Assoc. Vets
• James Wilke, City of Saskatoon Animal Services

Lifetime Individual Achievement

• Tim Dack, City of Winnipeg Animal Services
• Paul Teichroeb, City of Vancouver Animal Services

All Summit alumni are encouraged to review the nominees and their supporting documents at the www.tsuas.com website, under the section “summit award nominations”. Then vote by completing the survey.

See you at the Summit!

Summit Presentation Synopsis #5

The Dynamics of DNA: Cat genome research explained

Presenter: Dr. Leslie Lyons, U of California, Davis School of Veterinary Medicine, Department of Health and Reproduction

Cats have a universal reputation for being mysterious creatures. Dr. Leslie Lyons is determined to change that! She is, quite literally, taking a microscopic look at cats... right down to analyzing their DNA.

"Currently, the domestic cat is one of the initial species to have a more in-depth [DNA] sequencing," explains Dr. Lyons. "My research focuses on the development of high-density single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) arrays for the cat, to investigate feline model of inherited traits and diseases."

Last spring, Hill’s Pet Food announced a low coverage, private sequencing project and has donated a large portion of the data to the cat genetics community, along with $1,000,000 to support development of a cat SNP array.

"To date, feline studies have required large-extended families with clearly defined modes of inheritance (MOI)," adds Lyons. "A plethora of diseases exist in cats that have a significantly increased risk in certain breeds or populations, but the MOIs are not well defined. Often, MOIs of more simple diseases are highly suspected, but data has not been collected in an organized manner to document these conditions and would not pass peer-review in scientific journals."

You'll learn more about this fascinating topic at the Summit!