Lorraine Chiorando, the manager of the Nanaimo SPCA sent AAS this at our request:

Take in homeless animals, (people moving, allergies, no time for, can't afford, stray, etc.)

- Vaccinate, deworm, provide flea control, spay/neuter and find loving homes for the animals that come through our doors.

- Investigate complaints of cruelty and neglect, including emotional and psychological elements.

- Take Humane Education into every elementary school in Nanaimo to teach children about kindness and responsibility

towards all living creatures. We are hoping to expand this program in the very near future to high schools as well.

- Take pets into retirement homes with our Pet Visitation program - we visit two retirement homes every month and are

checking whether it would be possible for us to go into the local hospice as well.

- Liaise with Haven House (abused women's shelter) - we board the pets of women staying there (at no charge) and offer

them complete freedom to bring their children to visit their pets at the Shelter as often as they like and also visit with our

other animals if they wish to.

- The John Howard Society sends their young offenders to do their community hours at the Shelter with us. The young

offenders benefit from working with the animals, and we receive volunteer help, so it is a win-win situation.

- Some local high school students do their mandatory career prep/work experience hours at the Shelter.

- We are on call 24/7 for emergency response to injured animals.

- We have been doing pediatric spaying and neutering for 3 years now - no animal leaves our Shelter until it is s/n. We feel

very strongly that SPCA animals are not contributing to the pet overpopulation tragedy.

- We have 6 veterinary clinics in Nanaimo that are satellite adoption centres for us, and also Petcetera is a satellite adoption

centre. 750 animals went through our 7 satellite adoption centres in 2001. The satellites are invaluable to us - they give the

animals for adoption a much wider viewing audience (some people are very hesitant to go to a Shelter), and it is so much

healthier for little kittens to be in a satellite centre rather than in the Shelter.

- Junior volunteers are welcome to come to the Shelter. If they are quite young they can be "cat cuddlers" and brush and play

with the cats. Older children help to feed and water the cats, as well as visit with them. We also have many adult

volunteers as shelter helpers, dog walkers, committee members, etc.

- We are happy to offer tours of the Shelter and have many school classes, brownies, cubs, church groups, daycares, etc.

come to visit.

- Pets in Prison - we have 2 cats living at the Nanaimo Correctional Centre with the Farm Program.

- Malaspina University College Animal Care students do their work experience at the Shelter.

- We work with local animal rescue groups - Nanaimo Feral Cat Rescue Society, CatNap, Cats Alive.

- We have a Foster Program with a roster of foster families and special needs foster families (for sick or injured animals) that

we use constantly to help with over-crowding, orphaned pups and kittens, moms and pups/kittens, and for animals not yet

ready for adoption.

- In 2001, 1,876 animals came into our Shelter. 1,351 cats (1,223 adopted), 440 dogs (431 adopted), and 85 "other" animals

(rabbits, rodents, birds, reptiles, etc.) and we do our very best for each and every animal that comes through our doors.