City played a big role in successful animal adoption campaign

By Clint Fleury, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Source: TBnewswatch.com

Nearly 100 pets found new homes this past month, through the local humane society’s holiday adoption campaign.

The Thunder Bay and District Humane Society partnered with the Ontario SPCA in its Home for the Holidays campaign, which surpassed its goals with a total of 688 animals adopted province wide.

The adoption campaign, which ran between Dec. 1 and Dec. 24, set a goal of helping more than 500 animals find new homes across the province.

Locally, 96 animals were adopted through the Thunder Bay and District Humane Society — 14 per cent of all adoptions through the campaign.

“Thunder Bay played a meaningful role in this provincial success,” Shawna Beaulieu, executive director of Thunder Bay and District Humane Society, said.

“It’s a great example of how our community shows up for animals, and that local care will remain a priority as we move into our merger with the Ontario SPCA in 2026.”

The adoption event took place at the Ontario SPCA’s 13 animal centres across the province. Each humane society focuses on finding homes for animals of all ages, including senior and long-term pets.

“Reaching this goal is an incredible reminder of what’s possible when people come together to help animals. Every adoption represents a life changed – not just for the animal, but for the family who opened their heart and home,” said Sonya Reichel, vice president of operations with Ontario SPCA and Humane Society.

Many animals are still waiting for someone to open their heart and home, said the humane society, which is encouraging anyone interested in pet adoption to visit tbdhs.ca. For those unable to adopt, the agency is also looking for donations to help provide care and shelter to animals still waiting to find a home.