Toronto Summit gathers industry leaders

Summer weather welcomed and a family atmosphere prevailed as new delegates mingled with exisiting alumni and associates of the Summits for Urban Animal Strategies at the third annual Central Region Summit on Wednesday, 21 May 2009. The 2009 event was co-sponsored by PetLynx Corporation, Procter & Gamble Total Petcare and Securican General Insurance.

The Westin Prince Hotel is set back from the noise and rush of York Mills Road on a 15 acre tract of parkland where trees and shubbery provide for a peaceful and decidely oriental environment. The oversized floral clock that greets visitors to this venue is large enough that one can see timing marching onward minute by minute. The North York conference room overlooks terraces that march down toward the valley allowing one to imagine a measured pace of life with an opportunity to think outside the box.

Against this backdrop, 29 thought leaders representing all four sectors discussed the business of the industry in a balanced and useful fashion. The 2008 Urban Animal Survey provided the foundation for a lively discussion of the metrics of the companion animal business in Canada and in each community during the morning session. This survey by Ipsos Canada and PetLynx Corporation is the most comprehensive survey of Canadian metrics undertaken in recent times. A lively discussion of these metrics ensued during the morning. Delegates were provided with a copy of the summary of the survey to support their activities.

It was gratifying to observe relationships being formed and past associations moving forward toward common goals as the day progressed. Kate McDonald shared some of the new programs being introduced by OSPCA during the lunch break. Old friends like Don Mitten of AASAO and Sonny Allinson of the Canadian Kennel Club provided sage advice and experience. New friends like Dr. Jim Hysen, President of the OVMA, provided a prospective as a clinician and also as one of Canada's largest associations. Steve Carroll the CEO of the Canadian Federation of Humane Societies contributed national perspectives from Ottawa. Keith Burgess, President of PIJAC Canada advanced input from the retail and community service providers that make up the membership. Other thought leaders from identification companies, nutrition companies, financial service companies, breeder groups, provincial and municipal government agencies, associations and those with subject matter expertise about cats filled the balance of the summit seats.

The afternoon session provided a useful environmental scan of the opportunities that a feline friendly community would deliver for cats. A number of items were forwarded to the National Summit in Banff for further scrutiny and discussion. One of the most interesting observations to come from this session was the comparison of present attitudes toward cats with that of public opinon related to dogs 20 years ago. The opportunities afforded a dog in today's canine friendly community have all but eliminated the issues which plagued many communities just two decades ago. Perhaps a review of the ways this was accomplished in communities that have achieved the greatest success would yield strategies that would be useful for cats.

The value of cats and the relationship between the price paid to acquire a cat and the perception of costs to intervene medically or to otherwise maintain a reasonable lifestyle for the animal developed into an interesting aspect of the afternoon discussion. Deborah Chalmers from the Toronto Feral Cat Project and others provided perspective on the development of expectations for feral cats as a component of a feline friendly community.

The 2009 Central Regional Summit was planned and delivered in collaboration with the City of Toronto, the Ontario Veterinary Medical Association and Hamilton Burlington SPCA.

The number of associates and alumni of the Summits for Urban Animal Strategies in Central Region has now climbed to 55, the largest grouping in Canada. Delegates have been provided with a link to an automated survey which will assist organizers to improve the regional summit series. The 2010 Central Regional Summit is presently planned for the week of 19 April 2009.

The Year of the Cat Initiative - A Business Case from Hamilton/Burlington

Dr. Elizabeth O'Brien - On cats in the community

You have a great big passion for cats, which makes you work tirelessly in your practice, with your peers and across your community with other service providers to elevate the status of cats and move towards a more feline friendly environment.

Just how would you convince your community to increase adoptions, reduce euthanasia and improve other measurable metrics.

Dr. Elizabeth O'Brien will present a business case that shows how passionate, practical activities can move the yardsticks towards the goal line and will show the experiences of this project in Hamilton/Burlington during 2008.

Born and raised in Hamilton, Dr. Elizabeth O'Brien, DVM, Diplomate American Board of Veterinary Practitioners certified in feline practice, is the current owner of two successful feline exclusive practices, The Cat Clinic in Hamilton and Village Cat Clinic in Ancaster.

Dr. O'Brien graduated from the Ontario Veterinary College in Guelph, Ontario in 1985. Today, Dr. O'Brien is the only board certified feline specialist in Hamilton with only 4 in Canada. In partnership with the Hamilton Burlington SPCA, Dr. O'Brien piloted a trap-neuter-release program in 2004 in hopes of developing a program that will reduce the stray and feral population.

Dr. O'Brien received the prestigious Jean Rumney award in 2008. This award recognizes those who have shown outstanding commitment and dedication to the Hamilton/Burlington SPCA and to the animals and the communities it serves. The award is the most esteemed honour the HBSPCA can bestow upon an individual. The Cat Clinic was also the recipient of the National Award for Animal Wellness in 2008 at The Banff Summit for Urban Animal Strategies which is the highest honor bestowed by the alumni of the Summits for Urban Animal Strategies in Canada.

Dr. O'Brien is member of various feline organizations including Cornell Feline Health and the American Association of Feline Practitioners. She chaired 'The Year of the Cat' for the SPCA, is chair of the 'Feline Advisory Committee' for the SPCA, appeared on several radio talk shows and spoken for numerous events including youth education on animal care.

Feral Information from Prince Edward Island

A letter from Dr. Alice Crook delegate - Atlantic Regional Summit

On PEI we have quite a successful feral cat TNR programme underway —the result of collaboration amongst a number of community constituencies (colony caregivers, vets, humane society). It began around the year 2000 with individuals who were caring for cat colonies getting together with a few interested vets and forming CAT (PEI Cat Action Team). (The very first was concerned citizens caring for cats on the North Rustico wharf). The programme is coordinated through CAT - ie they schedule the neutering of the cats and where it will be done, loan out the traps, provide advice on shelters for colonies, etc.

There is lots of practical information on their website http://www.cats-pei.ca/index.html including policies, the forms they use, etc. The Atlantic Vet College (AVC) does quite a bit of neutering, and several vet clinics on the Island are involved as well (which is good for regions that are too far from theAVC). The last total I have (as of Nov. 2008) is 4,471 cats neutered through this programme (with probably about 150 more since). The good thing about this collaboration is that it uses the various strengths of interested volunteers and avoids duplication of effort — eg. fund-raising, coordination of cat neutering, building of shelters, veterinary care. Speaking of fund-raising, we are fortunateto have some generous individual donors, besides the general fund-raising done by CAT.

I hope this information will be of help - it was good to meet you all!

Best regards,

Alice Crook, BSc, DVMCoordinator,
Sir James Dunn Animal Welfare Centre
Atlantic Veterinary College
Un. of Prince Edward Island
550 University Ave
Charlottetown, PEI, Canada, C1A 4P3

www.upei.ca/awc

(tel) 902-628-4360
(fax) 902-566-0823

Cat Licensing - A Business Case from Calgary, Alberta

Imagine you manage Animal Control and Bylaw Services for a city of more than one million people. A city that has the best compliance record for dogs in North America. And yet a city where cats are second class citizens. Imagine for a moment that you decide to embark on providing cats with the same services and privileges that dogs have. That is exactly what Bill Bruce and his colleagues in the City of Calgary set out to do.

This business case will present a multifaceted, multi-year approach to how the bylaw was changed, how the service providers were brought together into one collaborative group and how cat licensing became a reality.

Bill Bruce joined the City of Calgary in 1981 in the Traffic Engineering Department where a great deal of his work was focused on traffic safety, regulations as well as truck and dangerous goods movement/regulation. Bill also served a two year term as assistant to the City Commissioners office before joining Animal and Bylaw Services in 2000.

Bill's approach to delivering services and compliance through partnerships with community members, business groups, other agencies and city departments has brought him a win that is highly recognized.

Bill has presented the Calgary experience across North America where the achievements of this community and the levels of collaboration are highly respected.

Atlantic Canada Thought Leaders at Halifax Summit

Thursday, 16 April 2009, dawned bright and sunny in Halifax for the second annual Atlantic Regional Summit. Twenty-four industry leaders from across all four industry sectors were present. The Halifax Ballroom of the Marriot Halifax Harbourfront Hotel looks out over the beautiful and much improved Halifax harbour with traffic from Canada’s East Coast Naval Station, fishing boats, commercial traffic and the Dartmouth/Halifax ferry service. It was hard not to feel a sense of opportunity and openness to new ideas against this background.

David Webb, Associate Vice President of Ipsos Canada presented the 2008 National Urban Animal Survey. The Urban Animal Metrics discovered in this survey led to a lively discussion. Understanding the numbers of pets in our communities today and the dollars being spent on the products and services they consume can provide a solid foundation upon which to build urban animal strategies for the organizations and communities represented at this summit.

The luncheon provided an opportunity for organizations and individuals to establish new relationships and discuss areas of common interest in the communities they represented across the Atlantic Region. The interaction between individuals who were previously unknown to each other is expected to continue to pay dividends during the coming years.

The afternoon session provided a robust discussion of how communities could move toward a more feline friendly environment. A number of good ideas emerged that will be forwarded to the National Summit in October. Larry Evans, President & CEO of PetLynx facilitated the afternoon session and Judi Cannon, Manager of Community Automation for PetLynx recorded the input from this forum. The environmental survey completed by delegates in advance of the summit provided a foundation for these discussions.

Much thanks to our colleagues from Halifax Animal Services and the Moncton SPCA who collaborated to create the successful 2009 event. A big thank you to Romy Sharpiro, Territory Manager for Petsecure Pet Health Insurance and Heather Creamer, Territory Manager for P&G PetCare for their assistance during the day and for providing additional values to delegates. Other allies such as PetSmart Charities, CDMV, Canadian Veterinary Medical Association, Canadian Federation of Humane Societies, Canadian Kennel Club and PIJAC Canada also contribute value as co- sponsors of the Summits for Urban Animal Strategies.

The number of associates and alumni of the Summits for Urban Animal Strategies in Atlantic Canada has now reached 31 up from 12 in 2008. A post event survey will allow delegates to celebrate the good things that were accomplished and assist organizers to add greater value to those attending the 2010 Atlantic Regional Summit.