Guests at Monday's meeting were exchange student, Clara Magno, Humane Society staff members: Kathy Innoconte, Marjorie Brown and Laura Sparks, and guest speaker Jack Kinch, Director of the KW Humane Society who is also a member of the Rotary Club of Kitchener Westmount.
Our guest speaker, and host, today was Jack Kinch, the Executive Director of the KW Humane Society. Jack is also a local Rotarian and is a member of the Kitchener Westmount Club. This is the club to which Louise Gardiner's husband, Graham, is a member and Louise introduced Jack. Jack was originally from Collingwood, where he was also a Rotarian, but has now been in the KW area for 4 years.
Jack provided an overview of the mandate and operations of the Humane Society focusing on from where they have come and where they want to be. Jack defined a humane society as a group that aims to stop human or animal suffering due to cruelty and provided a few historical highlights:
Royal Humane Society in the United Kingdom dates back to 1774
1st Canadian Humane Society was founded in Montreal in 1869
They initially protected working animals, i.e., draft horses
Today the focus varies by country but usually includes pets
The first "Humane Society" in our area began through the mandate of the mayor of Waterloo in 1927 but it operated primarily as a dog pound dealing with stray and nuisance animals. The focus was on Risk Management - a Pound protects the animal to some extent, but more importantly protects the citizens, community and other animals. It also deals with nuisance, cleanliness and safety issues.
Jack indicated that a preferred term for what his centre does today is an Animal Welfare Centre which has a much greater focus on the welfare of the animals and operates under the philosophy of Animal Welfare and The Five Freedoms, which are:
1. Freedom from Hunger and Thirst
2. Freedom from Discomfort
3. Freedom from Pain, Injury or Disease
4. Freedom to Express Normal Behaviour
5. Freedom from Fear and Distress
One of the challenges faced by Animal Welfare Centres are the many different stakeholders involved including:
Nationally – only cruelty legislation and Association Standards such as for the Poultry Industry exist
Provincially – Ontario Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (OSPCA) and The Ontario Ministry of Agriculture & Rural Affairs (OMAFRA)
Community – Humane Societies
Municipalities – Animal Control & Bylaw
Individuals & Groups – Rescue Groups and Agencies
Business – Veterinarians & Pet Supplies
As improved as they are, Jack and others in the field see the work they do as dealing with symptoms and not solving the real problem. Factors such as the following are the current realty:
Feral populations continue to grow,
More animals are in shelters than ever before,
There is an increased pressures to euthanize healthy animals,
There is a constant and growing challenge to find new homes,
There are more abandoned and abused pets,
There is increased pressure to offer subsidized spaying and neutering, and
There is a growth in irresponsible breeding, (i.e., puppy mills).
Jack and his colleagues believe the answer to dealing with the problem is to educate the next generation of pet owners with a focus on Humane Education which, in addition to animal husbandry, teaches compassion, empathy and respect.
Children learn how their choices affect others, the power of their actions and how to use that power responsibly.
They learn to be active, community spirited members of society.
They develop strong moral fiber and the ability to solve personal and social problems ethically, morally and conscientiously.
KWHS Humane Education Programming includes the following:
In-school program with over 30,000 students reached annually
After school programming –with approximately 3,500 children involved in:
Kid’s Clubs;
PD-Day Programs;
Christmas/March Break Camps;
Birthday Parties
Summer Day Camps (with 2,500 children involved in 2015)
Jack indicated that the benefits of Humane Education are many and include:
Children grow up to be responsible pet owners.
Schools report a significant reduction in bullying.
All children, but particularly males, are less likely now and as adults to be violent in the home and in society.
Jack said it will take time and a shift in resource allocation to deal with the current problems long term. The current break down of resource allocation sees 85% of Resources dedicated to reactive programming such as adoption services and animal control and only 10% devoted to solving the problem, i.e., supporting Humane Education. Jack's vision for the future would see 40% of resources allocated to humane education, another 20% on Community Programming with a need for only 40% to be spent on a much reduced need for Re-Homing Services and Animal Control.
Jack was thanked by Barry MacLeod (all of whose pets have come from the centre). Members were then taken on a tour of the centre which included their new surgical centre. The tour was very interesting and informative. We don't believe anyone took any of the animals home with them, but there was talk of several folks returning later to have another look!
