Your kindness brings relief, comfort, and hope when they are needed most.
Your compassion helps families like Bear’s when they are facing moments of crisis.
Last month, Jenny came home to find her eight-year-old Great Pyrenees, Bear, in distress. A large lipoma on the back of his leg had ruptured, leaving him in pain. With their regular vet closed for the day, Jenny rushed Bear to an emergency hospital, where the team confirmed he needed surgery as soon as possible. They also discovered severe dental disease that would require treatment while he was under anesthesia. The costs quickly added up.
For Jenny, a widowed mother of two living on a survivor’s pension, this emergency came at the worst possible time. Recent expenses for car repairs and medical needs for her autistic son had already drained her savings. And now Bear, the dog who had helped her family through unimaginable grief, needed urgent care she could not afford.
Bear came into their family as a puppy and quickly became their source of calm and comfort. After the loss of Jenny’s husband, he helped her children through their grief, especially her son, offering stability and emotional support in ways only a deeply intuitive animal can.
Jenny shared, “Bear is family. He is a strong, stubborn, gentle doofus whose loyalty is unmatched. We are lucky he chose us. He gives us peace of mind and stability, especially when life feels chaotic.”
When families with nowhere else to turn, the McVitie Fund is there to ensure they do not have to face these emergencies alone.
This year, the McVitie Fund spent a record-breaking $640,000 on emergency veterinary care, helping 1,300 pets in crisis stay safely with the families who love them. Even with incredible community support, the need has continued to outpace available funding, and the fund is currently closed to new applicants.
Your holiday gift today will help us reopen the McVitie Fund in the new year, so more animals can receive urgent care before it is too late.
Thank you so much for your compassion for animals and for considering a gift this holiday season. Your kindness brings relief, comfort, and hope when they are needed most.
After more than four decades in captivity, a loggerhead sea turtle named Jorge is finally swimming free—an outcome that once seemed almost impossible. His story, shared earlier this year in the National Geographic, highlights both the power of public advocacy and the deep, lasting harms that captive display can cause to wild animals.
Here’s how Jorge the sea turtle prepared for the improbable journey-decades after he was found tangled in a fishing net off the coast of Argentina.
A remarkable return after 41 years in captivity
Jorge was rescued as a young turtle in 1984 after becoming tangled in fishing nets off the coast of Argentina. Instead of being rehabilitated and returned to the ocean—a practice that was uncommon at the time—he was sent hundreds of miles inland to an aquarium in Mendoza. There, he spent more than half his life in a shallow tank, far from the ocean, fed an unnatural diet, and deprived of the complex conditions sea turtles need to thrive.
For decades, Jorge became a local celebrity. But as awareness grew about the impacts of captivity on wild animals, public concern grew as well. Eventually, more than 60,000 people signed a petition calling for Jorge’s release, and environmental lawyers filed a lawsuit to push for his return to the sea.
That advocacy worked.
In 2021, a coalition of researchers, veterinarians, and conservation institutions began a careful three-year rehabilitation process to determine whether Jorge could survive in the wild. Through gradual reintroduction to saltwater, live prey, ocean-like temperatures, and currents, Jorge relearned skills he had almost lost. In April 2025, at roughly 60 years old, he was released into the Atlantic Ocean.
It was his first time swimming freely in open water in four decades.
Satellite tracking showed Jorge travelling north toward the warm waters of Brazil, the region he knew as a young turtle. Against the odds, he is navigating currents, hunting, resting, and behaving like a wild sea turtle once again.
Jorge’s story shows advocacy can change animals’ lives
Jorge’s freedom did not happen by accident. It happened because tens of thousands of people spoke up, signed petitions, applied legal pressure, and refused to accept that lifelong captivity was the only option for a healthy wild animal.
This is a powerful reminder that advocacy matters. Public voices can influence policy decisions, challenge outdated practices, and create opportunities for animals who have long been denied their natural lives. Without sustained public pressure, Jorge would likely still be swimming in circles in a shallow tank instead of enjoying his freedom in his home waters.
Captive display prevents wild animals from thriving
As hopeful as Jorge’s story is, it also underscores a sobering reality: captivity prevented him from living as a sea turtle for most of his life.
During his decades in confinement, Jorge lost essential survival instincts. He did not know how to hunt, navigate open waters, or respond to other animals in his environment. His rehabilitation required years of intensive, expert intervention—resources that are rarely available for most captive animals.
Captive wildlife are unable to engage in many natural behaviours that are crucial to their physical, social and psychological well-being. Even well-intentioned facilities struggle to replicate the vast space, social complexity, sensory stimulation, and choice that animals experience in the wild.
As Jorge’s case shows, captivity can strip animals of the skills they need to survive, leaving them dependent on human care.
Most captive animals will never return to the wild
Jorge is an exception, not the rule.
Many animals who are kept in captivity for long periods are not releasable. Animals accustomed to human interaction, proximity, and feeding often lose their fear of people, struggle to forage independently, or lack the social and survival skills needed in the wild. This is especially true for animals bred in captivity, who may never have learned natural behaviours at all.
Once wild instincts are lost, release can be dangerous or fatal for animals. This is why prevention matters so deeply.
The most effective way to ensure wild animals remain wild is to stop keeping and breeding wild, exotic animals in captivity in the first place. Rather than continuing systems that breed or import animals who cannot be released, we must shift toward models that prioritize animal well-being.
That means transitioning zoos and aquariums away from permanent display of wild animals and toward sanctuary-based models that focus on rescue, rehabilitation, and release of injured or displaced native wildlife. Sanctuaries exist to serve animals—not to use them as attractions—and they recognize that freedom, not entertainment, is the ultimate goal.
Jorge’s journey is inspiring, but it should not distract us from the larger truth it reveals. No animal should have to spend 40+ years in captivity before we finally ask if a small enclosure is the best place for them to thrive.
His story shows us what can happen when advocacy succeeds, and why we must work to ensure fewer animals need such extraordinary intervention again.
Wild animals belong in the wild, and protecting them starts with the choices we make today.
Last week, the Government of Canada introduced Bill C-16, the Protecting Victims Act.
This bill that moves to criminalize the distribution of animal sexual abuse images, while recognizing animals as victims and tools of coercive control.
These types images are not only acts of cruelty toward animals—they are also used to groom and exploit children and control victims.
This historic milestone was made possible through years of advocacy from Humane Canada (the federation of humane societies and SPCAs) and Member organizations.
TAKE ACTION: Use the quick message tool from Humane Canada to call on your MP to support the Protecting Victims Act.
Violence against animals and violence against people are deeply connected, a reality that has left children, survivors, and animals without the protections they need. Bill C-16, the Protecting Victims Act, is a crucial step forward that recognizes the violence link and takes action where it is urgently needed.
The bill criminalizes the distribution of animal sexual abuse images, material that has been used to groom, manipulate, and exploit children. It also expands protections for people whose animals are harmed or threatened as a form of coercive control, a tactic widely used in intimate partner violence and criminal harassment.
These measures close long-standing gaps in Canadian law and strengthen safety for the entire family unit.
But Bill C-16 is not yet law. For these protections to take effect, Parliament must pass the legislation. Your voice can help ensure that happens.
December 16, 2025 marks four years since the federal Liberal government promised to ban live horse export for slaughter, yet the commitment remains unfulfilled.
In that time, more than 10,700 horses have been shipped on long, stressful overseas flights, destined for slaughter despite widespread public opposition.
These grueling 20+ hour journeys where horses are confined in cramped crates have led to injuries, extreme exhaustion, miscarriages, and deaths.
Bill C-355, introduced in 2023 to end live horse export for slaughter, passed the House of Commons but stalled in the Senate and died with the 2025 election.
With one of the most vocal Senators who previously blocked the bill now retired, Canadians are calling on the federal government to finally keep its promise and end this inhumane industry for good.
Take action!
Online
Remind decision-makers that this issue matters to you! Use the talking points below to send a message to your Member of Parliament and the federal Minister of Agriculture.
Use the key points below to help you draft your email. Personalized emails are more impactful, so be sure to use your own words.
Why you’re writing:
Share that you’re a constituent of the Member of Parliament;
That you’re writing regarding Canada’s inhumane practice of live horse export for slaughter;
That it’s the four year anniversary of the federal government’s promise to end live horse export for slaughter;
That you’re urging the government to follow through on this promise and end the practice once and for all.
Why the issue matters to you:
Consider sharing a few of key issues below that most concern you:
Horses are loaded into crowded crates and flown on lengthy and stressful journeys overseas, destined for slaughter.
Horses can legally go 28 hours without food, water, or rest – though investigations show many journeys exceed this already inhumane time limit.
Deaths and injuries are commonplace, with investigations uncovering extreme exhaustion, miscarriages, and even deaths during and soon after the flights. For example, 21 horses died in 13 months between May 2023-June 2024.
More than 10,000 horses have been sent to their deaths since the government promised to ban live horse export for slaughter.
Polling shows a strong majority of Canadians are opposed to live horse export for slaughter.
Reiterate your request:
That you’re strongly urging them, as your elected representative and the Minister responsible for implementing a ban, to prioritize an end to live horse export for slaughter.
Ask for a reply:
Thank them for their consideration of your request and ask that they respond to you at their earliest convenience, as this issue is important to you.
In response to the provincial government announcing the end of government funding for horse racing, Hastings Racecourse has announced they will stop horse racing effective immediately.
While there is industry pushback to the B.C. government’s announcement to end funding for horse racing, the decision did not happen in isolation.
This change follows decades of decline in revenue and public support and heavy reliance on public funding.
Hastings Racecourse was the last active race track in B.C., meaning there is no more horse racing in the province.
Hastings has seen multiple fatalities in recent seasons, including three known horse deaths in 2025, four in 2024, and eight in 2023. Each loss is a reminder of the inherent risks horses face in the racing industry.
While incredibly grateful for this decision, the VHS recognizes the uncertainty it may create for workers and animals within the industry. The VHS urges the provincial government and industry stakeholders to ensure a just and compassionate transition plan, including:
Support for workers in the horse racing industry faced with this transition;
Safe, secure retirement and rehoming plans for horses.
Join the VHS in extending our sincere gratitude to Minister Nina Krieger for her leadership in making this decision and encourage meaningful support for workers and animals transitioning away from horse racing. Use the VHS’s quick action tool below to send a letter to the Minister and your Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA).
Chantelle Archambault from the Vancouver Humane Society discusses the closure of Hastings Racecourse in Vancouver, which was announced this past Friday. Originally aired on The Early Edition from CBC News; shared on The Informed Animal Ally podcast.
On December 5th, Hastings Racecourse announced the immediate end of horse racing at the province’s last track.
The Vancouver Humane Society’s Chantelle Archambault sat down with Stephen Quinn from The Early Edition on CBC Radio to share the VHS’s response, previous advocacy around the racetrack, and what a compassionate retirement for horses would look like. Interview shared with permission.
Stephen: Thoroughbred horse racing at Vancouver’s Hastings Racecourse is ending after more than a century. In fact, it’s been going there for about 130 years. The operator announced on Friday it will no longer run a racing season at the historic facility.
Great Canadian Entertainment, which operates the site, described the move as an extremely difficult decision. It said the decision was made because of a lack of economic feasibility to move forward with another season of horse racing.
Now, the Vancouver Humane Society released a report earlier this year highlighting the need for public subsidies to remain operational.
And joining us now is Chantelle Archambault. She is the Communications Director of the Vancouver Humane Society. Good morning to you, Chantelle.
Chantelle: Good morning. Thank you so much for having me here.
Stephen: Thanks for being with us. Your reaction to the news on Friday that the race course is shutting down after being operational for well over a century?
Chantelle: Yeah, absolutely. I mean, on on the one hand, we’re so grateful for this step toward a future where animals aren’t bred for use risky entertainment activities like horse racing.
The Vancouver Humane Society has been advocating for an end to horse racing at Hastings for many years, given the animal welfare concerns associated with the industry.
And at the same time, we recognize that it brings quite a lot of uncertainty for those connected to the horse racing industry.
We’re very hopeful that all parties, regardless of their perspective on horse racing, share a common priority of ensuring that every horse currently involved in racing is provided with safe, secure, compassionate retirement.
That’s why we’re encouraging both the provincial government and industry stakeholders to prioritize meaningfully supporting both workers and animals in transitioning away from horse racing,
Report on Hastings Racecourse
Stephen: Your organization commissioned a report earlier this year on the history of the Vancouver Hastings Racecourse. What were some of the key findings of that report?
Chantelle: We looked at both the economic and animal welfare impacts of racing.
We found that there were decades of decline at Vancouver’s Hasting Racecourse, and the track was relying on public subsidies to remain operational.
It outlines that there was decline in attendance, revenue, race days.
The race days went down from about 150 a year in the 1980s to about 45 planned for 2025.
Attendance has collapsed from about 1.1 million people in 1982 to about 150,000 in 2022.
In 2023 and 2024, the horse racing industry received about $9 million from slot machining revenue to keep it running.
So there’s been a heavy reliance on public funds to keep this industry going.
And the report also, of course, highlighted the risks that horses face in racing. At least 14 horses died at Hastings in 2023. In 2024, the fatality rate was 1.78 deaths per 1000 starts, which is well above the industry average and nearly double the rate at tracks that have stronger safety rules.
So given that, the racing industry really no longer aligns with the City of Vancouver’s priorities for public access, sustainability, economic resilience. We were recommending an end to horse racing at Hastings Park when the current operating agreement for the racetrack expires, which would have been in 2026.
Stephen: I’m sure the people who work at the track and work with horses would say that they certainly do their best to ensure the health of horses and to make sure that they stay healthy, do they not?
Chantelle: I absolutely am sure they do. It’s impossible to work with animals and not love them and care for them.
But the reality is that there were so many deaths at this track that it seems like it’s an inevitable, inherent part of the racing industry.
What’s next for the horses?
Stephen: So what will happen then to the horses now that they’re no longer competing at the racetrack?
Chantelle: It’s a great question. A responsible transition plan really means developing clear, transparent retirement pathways for every horce that’s racing.
Horses are only able to race for a fraction of their natural lifespan, so this should be a baked in part of the industry, and we are hopeful that it is. Under normal circumstances, any industry that relies on animals should already have a well-developed safety net and in place for animals who age out of the industry.
From our perspective, a good outcome would be for the horses to move out of the racing industry into an environment where they can have positive experiences, bonds, and the freedom to express their natural behaviors.
So some examples of that would be retiring to a sanctuary or therapy horses, in a setting where they can regularly have time to run free.
Declining public support
Stephen: Chantelle, is this something you see just happening here in the Lower Mainland or in British Columbia, or are we seeing a decline in in horse racing operations across North America?
Chantelle: We really only have been looking very closely at British Columbia, but I have heard whisperings that there there is a wider decline across the industry as a whole.
There’s decreasing public support for this industry. I think it’s clear that people are seeing across multiple industries that use animals and put them at risk like this, that there is a decline in public support as people learn more about animal welfare and animal sentience and learn that animals are beings who can feel pain, feel fear, feel stress, and care about their lives.
Stephen: Chantelle, we’ll leave it there this morning. Thank you so much for taking the time. We appreciate it.
Chantelle: Thank you so much for having me.
Stephen: That is Chantelle Archambault, who is the Communications Director at the Vancouver Humane Society, talking about the end of horse racing at Hastings Park after 130 years, and what will happen to the horses and all of the people who work with those horses as well.
The Vancouver Humane Society is partnering with The Happy Herd Farm Sanctuary to make life better for animals this Giving Tuesday!
The joint campaign is raising funds for life-saving work at both local organizations.
Giving Tuesday gifts will go to essential care needs like food and veterinary care for rescued farmed animals at The Happy Herd.
They will also support emergency veterinary care for companion animals in low-income homes across B.C. and vital advocacy to create a brighter future for all animals.
Read the latest story in the Langley Advance Times highlighting some of the animals at The Happy Herd and how you can help.
Vancouver Humane Society partners with Happy Herd to fundraise for the animal farm sanctuary
“At Happy Herd Farm Sanctuary in Aldergrove, the herd is growing and so is the need for support.”
“In recent weeks, the sanctuary has welcomed several new animals, each bringing their own story of survival.”
The sanctuary’s new animals include Cornish cross chickens “Angel and Daisy, who were raised in a horse stall, and Benji, who had been kept alone in a small cage.”
“Casper, a baby rooster, was found abandoned in a cardboard box.”
“He is understandably very scared, but every day his little personality shines through a little more,” said co-founder Diane Marsh.
The Vancouver Humane Society is raising alarms about a dramatic increase in emergency veterinary assistance requests.
The McVitie Fund, which provides life-saving veterinary assistance to low-income B.C. residents, has seen more than 10 times as many applications so far in 2025 compared to 2020.
The rising cost of living as a driving force behind the growing need for help.
The VHS is reaching out to the community to help pets come home safe and calling for long-term solutions so no animal guardian is forced to choose between paying for their basic needs and life-saving pet care.
Read or watch the news story from CTV News Vancouver below.
The Vancouver Humane Society has expressed serious concerns regarding what they describe as an alarming trend in emergency veterinary assistance requests, which have reached unprecedented levels.
“The Vancouver Humane Society has expressed serious concerns regarding what they describe as an alarming trend in emergency veterinary assistance requests, which have reached unprecedented levels.”
“Chantelle Archambault from the Vancouver Humane Society referred to the McVitie Fund as a ‘lifeline for people who have nowhere else to turn.'”
“We’re seeing the cost of living is impacting everyone, and they’re just struggling to keep up,” she added.
“The program is designed to assist those living below the poverty line. Many beneficiaries rely on income sources such as Persons With Disabilities, Income Assistance, Canada Pension Plan, or Old Age Security.”
“Archambault explained that many individuals are left with only $100 to $200 after paying rent, making a large veterinary bill devastating.”
“Sammy” (name changed for privacy), one of the animals helped by the McVitie Fund program this year.
Vancouver, November 17, 2025 — The Vancouver Humane Society (VHS) is raising alarm bells as requests for emergency veterinary assistance reach unprecedented levels in 2025. The organization’s McVitie Fund—which provides life-saving veterinary care for pets in low-income households across B.C.—has already processed more than 2,000 applications this year, surpassing all previous records.
In 2020, fewer than 200 applications were received. By 2024, that number had skyrocketed to around 1,600. Now, with the program exceeding its 2025 budget, the McVitie Fund team is struggling to keep up with the growing need.
“This rapid increase in need for a life-saving community service reflects a heartbreaking reality,” said Chantelle Archambault, VHS’s Communications Director. “More people are being forced to choose between paying rent, feeding themselves, or saving their pets’ lives.”
Most applicants rely on Persons With Disabilities (PWD) income, Income Assistance, Canada Pension Plan (CPP), or Old Age Security (OAS). The program also supports survivors fleeing domestic violence, who can be at specific risk of lacking veterinary care funds—research shows around 99% of domestic violence cases involve financial abuse and around 89% involve pet abuse. Many program applicants report that they are surviving on just $100 to $200 each month after rent.
“It’s no surprise that people are struggling, given the massive increase in cost of living and relative stagnation in government assistance,” Archambault added. Since 2021, consumer prices have ballooned by about 15%. Meanwhile, the provincial support allowance for a single person with disabilities living in the smallest sized unit today is just 8 cents more per month compared to rates effective on May 1, 2021, while their maximum shelter allowance has gone up by $125.
The VHS shared that it is systemic inequities, not personal failings, driving the surge in need. For many living in poverty, pets are their primary source of emotional support and safety. When those families cannot access veterinary care, both the humans and the animals suffer.
The McVitie Fund fills this crucial gap, keeping loved pets in their homes and out of the overcrowded shelter system. Behind each application is a story of unconditional love and resilience.
One cat who received care through the program, Sammy*, was suffering a painful intestinal infection that caused him to stop eating and begin vomiting. His guardian, Michelle*, took him in from a friend who had to go into a shelter. She lives on disability assistance and could not afford treatment.
“He is my boy, and I don’t want to lose him. He loves waking me up in the morning at the most ungodly hour, tapping my face with his paws and bumping his nose on my face. I love him so much,” Michelle told the McVitie Fund program team.
Thanks to the McVitie Fund, Sammy received multiple vet visits, overnight hospitalization, and medication that helped him recover and return home.
“Sammy is just one of the thousands of pets whose lives depend on emergency funding,” said Archambault. “But our resources are stretched thinner every year. Without more support, we may not be able to help every family on a low income that needs emergency assistance.”
The VHS is calling on the community for donations to sustain and expand the McVitie Fund as demand continues to grow, and is encouraging cross-sector collaboration to build long-term solutions that ensure no one has to choose between their own well-being and their animal’s care.
“Veterinary social work is about walking alongside guardians through some of the most stressful and emotional times in their lives.”
In this episode of The Informed Animal Ally, we explore the growing field of veterinary social work — where human services and animal welfare meet. Dawn Campbell, a veterinary social worker with the Vancouver Humane Society, shares how supporting people through their bond with their pets can lead to more compassionate, inclusive systems of care. Together, we discuss how this approach helps ensure no one has to choose between their own wellbeing and their animal’s.
Note: This written discussion has been edited for length.
Featured Guest: Dawn Campbell
Veterinary Social Worker, Vancouver Humane Society
Dawn is a registered social worker who joined the Vancouver Humane Society in 2024 as a Veterinary Social Worker for the McVitie Fund. She holds a degree in Social Work from the University of Victoria and has additional specialized training in grief and loss, pet loss support, and counselling. With a wealth of experience in social services and animal care, Dawn is deeply passionate about bridging the gaps between social work and animal services.
Dawn: I wanted to start by situating myself and acknowledging the land that I work and live on. I am a settler on the unceded territories of the q̓ʷɑ:n̓ƛ̓ən̓ (Kwantlen), q̓ic̓əy̓ (Katzie), Máthxwi (Matsqui), and se’mya’me (Semiahmoo) First Nations.
For me, a land acknowledgement is not about a quick statement at the beginning of a meeting. It’s about accountability. It means recognizing my responsibilities and committing to building daily, respectful and reciprocal relationships with Indigenous peoples.
What this means is looking honestly at my role in my social work profession and how it has played a role in upholding colonial policies and causing deep harm, and as a social worker, having to carry that history with me, and then also having to resist falling into fragility or defensiveness when confronted with it.
For me, that’s about consistent reflexivity, asking how my whiteness shapes the way I show up in spaces, how it impacts my perspective, and how others experience me because of it.
Part of that accountability also includes action, whether that means engaging in mutual aid or continuing to learn about Canada’s colonial past and its ongoing impacts.
This isn’t just a recognition, it’s about accountability. It’s about learning, it’s about respect, and it’s about striving to change harmful systems.
Chantelle: I really appreciate that because what we’re gonna be talking about today is a system that’s striving to make things more fair and just and inclusive for all people.
What is veterinary social work?
Chantelle: I would love to start with a backgrounder on the topic of veterinary social work.
For people who aren’t familiar with it, could you tell us what veterinary social work is and how it differs and aligns with other types of social work?
Dawn: Yeah, so essentially it’s social work in animal spaces. But if we wanted to go a little bit deeper, the term veterinary social work was developed by Elizabeth Strand at the University of Tennessee in 2002 when she also founded the first Center for Veterinary Social Work.
The program at the University of Tennessee focuses on four core areas:
The link between human and animal violence;
Grief and loss;
Animal assisted interactions; and
Compassion fatigue management.
So that’s the formal scope that veterinary social work focuses on, at least in this specific program.
But I do really like the definition that was brought forward in a webinar that was hosted by the Vancouver Humane Society. Veterinary social work was described as an area of social work practice that attends to the human needs that arise at the intersection of veterinary medicine and social work.
Watch the enlightening 60-minute webinar on the field of veterinary social work and its transformative impact on the animal services industry, originally held on Wednesday, June 14th! This webinar is hosted by the Vancouver Humane Society and features expert panelists Natalie Cruz from Boundary Bay Veterinary Specialty Hospital, Erin Wasson from University of Saskatchewan, Western College of Veterinary Medicine, and Dillon Dodson from Toronto Humane Society.
I think like that definition really stuck out to me because it was very simple, it was very broad, and that is really where we’re at is at that intersection.
This might look different depending on where it happens. It could be in a veterinary clinic, it could be in a community outreach program. It could be in a humane society. The shape of the work is determined really on the community needs, the setting and even the species involved.
I think that the values at the heart of this work mirror a lot of the social work values: the inherent worth and dignity of all beings, including animals.
And it’s also preventative work, so that could be offering grief support, advocacy, and connection before crises deepen.
Chantelle: Oh, that’s fantastic. I was originally involved with the webinar that we ran in 2023 about veterinary social work. A panelist described it as the same as other types of social work in a different setting.
It sounds like that’s very much in line with how you view it as well.
Dawn: Yeah, for sure. I totally agree. I think that social work can be in any space. So we can label this as veterinary social work, or we could just label it as social work because it’s just social work in an animal space and in an animal related context.
It overlaps with so many things, like I said, including crisis work, counselling, group facilitation, and even forensic (criminal justice) social work.
It’s really just meeting people where they’re at. And with this specifically, it’s when their relationship with their animal is at stake.
A typical day for a veterinary social worker
Chantelle: Yeah, absolutely. You work with the McVitie program, so everyone accessing the McVitie program services is basically in a state of very heightened emotional crisis.
People are concerned for the lives of their pets, their family members, their best friends. So they’re coming in, they’re stressed, they’re worried, they’re needing support and help, and they don’t have the funds to meet the needs of their animal that they care so much about.
It’s so important that we can support both the animals and the people who care about them.
I would love to hear about what a typical day looks like for you as a veterinary social worker in this context.
Supporting animal guardians through a pet’s medical emergency
Dawn: Yeah. As mentioned earlier, I work with the Vancouver Humane Society’s McVitie Fund team.
I assist with the operations of that program, and that can look different day to day.
Often, like you mentioned, we’re hearing from pet guardians whose animals are facing life-threatening emergencies. This could be anything from being hit by a car to maybe a cat in diabetic shock or a severe flea infestation. And so they’re already dealing with the stress and emotional toll that comes with seeing their animal in distress.
On top of that, many of these guardians are already navigating financial hardship, housing insecurity, and other barriers.
We’re helping them figure out what we can do funding wise. It is a veterinary assistance fund, but it’s not just about the money that we can provide to them for their animals to get veterinary care. It’s also about supporting the guardian emotionally.
Because this animal is in crisis, the person is too, and they don’t know what the outcome is going to be.
Collaborating with support workers
Dawn: Sometimes it’s not a guardian that reaches out to us directly. It can be a social service worker, it could be an outreach worker, a case manager who is applying for veterinary funds on behalf of their client.
What I’ve done in those cases is collaborating with the staff, resource sharing so that their clients—not only that client that they’re applying for, but for their other clients with pets—what’s in the community that can help for future care, like pet food.
And it’s about offering emotional support to the staff as well. Because I have found, and this is from my own other professional experience of working in the field, that these staff members are deeply attached to these pets also.
And so it’s supporting them through this process as well. You’re holding many hands.
Some days it’s grief support when the outcomes aren’t what they hoped. Other days it’s celebrating when a guardian’s pet gets to come home and they get the care that they need. We get wonderful feedback from people, very appreciative of our time and our resource.
Advocating on behalf of animal guardians
Dawn: So it could be crisis intervention, case management, advocacy.
I’ve advocated on behalf of a client with vet clinics on trying to get our funds spread a little further.
And at the heart of it really, it’s really just listening and recognizing that pets are a part of the family system.
Bridging the gap between human and animal services
Chantelle: You mentioned that a lot of people who access services for their animals are also facing their own complex challenges and they need services or they use other services for themselves as well.
How does veterinary social work help to bridge that gap between animal services and human services, and how does that improve outcomes for the animals?
Dawn: I think there’s a lot of work to be done. There are so many gaps in the system, whether an animal is involved or not.
I think that what I’ve taken away as a veterinary social worker, as well as also having worked in the social services field for quite a while now, is that one of the most powerful things is how pets can be the key to connection.
If you ask them about their dog, everything changes.
Building rapport is not always easy, and people who have experienced trauma who have been excluded or mistreated by systems may not want to engage. But if you ask them about their dog, everything changes. Their face lights up. Their pet is their whole world.
There’s been so many moments where someone wasn’t interested in talking about their situation, but the second you ask about their animal, everything shifts. Even if it’s as simple as helping them get food for their pet.
Once that trust is there, it opens up and you can start discussing about their own needs.
Supporting someone through their bond with their pet can be the foundation of broader healing.
I think that, not only is that what the work of veterinary social workers are doing, it’s something that can be done by people who are working in animal welfare agencies, in vet clinics, in social service agencies.
They can see that is a way in, and I think that can start breaking down the walls that are separating our agencies. And we can start bridging to one another. I think that’s like a good starting point and having conversations like these for sure.
Chantelle: Absolutely.
I feel like that’s such a universal experience for people who work with both animals and humans. That is almost the exact thing that we heard from last month’s guest, Jesse from Atira Women’s Resource Centre. She said that speaking with someone about their pet is such an amazing foot in the door to build a really strong connection with that person, be able to connect with them on other resources for themselves.
Dawn: Yeah, I mean when you think about it, if you’re out for a walk and who are you more likely to go up? The person who’s walking their dog or the person who doesn’t have a dog?
Billy Bob’s story
Chantelle: Could you walk us through a case where you supported an animal and their guardian?
Dawn: Yeah. This one is always one that will stay with me. Billy Bob is very close to my heart.
I had known this dog, Billy Bob for a few years. He and his guardian had been through quite a bit of hardship living on the street.
This was before I joined the Vancouver Humane Society, and I was working downtown Eastside in a supportive housing building. Billy Bob, a senior dog, had developed a large mass along the left side of his abdomen, just behind his front leg.
It was causing a lot of discomfort and was really affecting his quality of life. You could see that there was a significant change in his energy. Something was wrong.
His guardian, Duffy, had been quite worried for some time and didn’t know what to do. He didn’t have the financial resources to get Billy in.
I had applied for funds through the McVitie program.
I remember the moment, when we get the initial funds were approved. And I remember telling him. The relief in his voice was unforgettable. I remember him saying it was like winning the lottery.
We had that moment and I remember having that moment with my coworkers also about agreeing that, how often do we get to say yes to something?
This is somebody who has been entrenched in homelessness, and stigmatized and discriminated against for it. And to be able to be like, Hey, we’re gonna get, we’re gonna get your dog to the vet. We’re gonna figure out what’s going on.
When we brought him to the vet it was clear that the best course of action was to remove the mass completely. It was very big. It was like the size of a grapefruit, if not bigger, and it was posing a real threat to Billy’s life and it was gonna be a lot more money than $500. And we were able to get additional funding from the McVitie program, and that surgery saved Billy’s life. It really did.
After they had sent tests off for that mass, it had shown that it was a low grade cancer and that added another year and a bit to Billy’s life.
Billy got to be there for Duffy when Duffy passed in the hospital.
We would’ve never have been able to have that if we hadn’t gotten Billy in and taken care of.
For me, that really highlights what veterinary social work is about—what social work or helping people in general is about.
It’s not just about the medical care for an animal, it’s about walking alongside the guardian through what can be one of the most stressful and emotional times in their life.
We thought we were gonna lose Billy, and if we hadn’t gotten that surgery, we would’ve been looking at end of life care.
It also shows that supporting people and their pets happens in old spaces, not just in formal animal welfare settings. And it’s a reminder that being resourceful on behalf of your clients can make a difference between life and death for an animal and hope or despair for their guardian.
The McVitie Fund is a small fund, and being able to access it makes a really huge difference in people’s lives.
Chantelle: Connecting with guardians directly as well, I know people in the program, yourself included, get those stories directly every day.
I remember a conversation where our other colleague Ishtmeet shared in our team group chat she had just got off the phone with a guardian. And she had been able to approve funding for the guardian’s dog. As she was hanging up, the guardian said with a shake in their voice, oh baby, you’re gonna be okay.
It’s such an impactful thing in people’s lives, and I’m so grateful that we have donors who are able to contribute to this fund and make it possible.
Dawn’s journey into veterinary social work
Chantelle: Can you share a little bit about your own journey into this field and what drew you to the intersection of human and animal wellbeing?
Dawn: I mean, I could go way back to teen years and tell you that I wanted to be a vet tech and I volunteered in a vet clinic. I volunteered for Langley Animal Protection Society. I grew up on a farm. I was like obsessed. I was like, I am going to work with animals. That’s my dream.
And then things changed and I came onto a path of social services and working with people, and then somehow I came back to animals and people.
But I’ll be honest, I didn’t know that veterinary social work existed until I was in my fourth year of my social work degree. By then I was already working in the social services field for quite some time and I kept seeing the same thing over and over again in my work, which was that people with pets were falling through the cracks.
Their pets were rarely considered when supports were put in place.
So when I was doing some research around where I would wanted to do my fourth year of practicum placement and I had no idea, that’s when I stumbled across veterinary social work and started to learn more about it.
After doing some research finding out that there was no placements available in Western Canada, I advocated to create my own.
My field coordinator for the practicum approached the Vancouver Humane Society. And you guys were very open to the idea. That’s how I came into doing a practicum with the Vancouver Humane Society—just the openness and willingness from VHS and from my university to take on an unconventional practicum placement.
And then at the end of the practicum, I was graciously offered a job, and now I’m here and I have so many goals and dreams of how I want to see this expand, how I want to see veterinary social work expand here in Western Canada.
And so that’s the most recent part of the journey, but ultimately it was about seeing the consistent gap in the system of pets and people being left behind basically, and having to choose.
It was really hard to see, and I was just like, there’s something that needs to be done and I’m gonna do it.
Addressing systemic service gaps
Chantelle: I understand it’s really important to be able to address those gaps and not let people and animals fall through the cracks. How does this approach address systemic service gaps, especially for marginalized communities in their companion animals?
Dawn: What I see happening in social work in these spaces is really addressing policies and procedures through education.
As an example, many shelters and housing programs don’t allow pets, and the ones that do, there’s no policies or procedures in place on how to support people who own pets, and how to handle the pets. And staff are often not trained from a strengths-based approach that addresses both the wellbeing and the safety of the animal and the person.
Because of this, people often avoid accessing services altogether. And I think that is a place where veterinary social work can really come in and address that.
Not only are social workers in general trained in strength-based approaches, but the animal piece of it is working with organizations to create policies, procedures, and training education for staff and so that everyone is supported.
Another way we can address this is acknowledging the fact that people facing hardship and homelessness are especially stigmatized for having a pet.
I’ve had countless conversations where people have been said, if someone can’t house themselves, they shouldn’t have an animal. But hardship does not mean someone can’t be a good guardian. I’ve seen so many people put their animals’ needs before their own.
I also think that it’s important to recognize that neglect and abuse happen in all kinds of settings. It happens in farms, zoos, family homes. Much of it is hidden. Yet when someone living on the street has a pet, people are quick to assume neglect.
What that tells me is that the problem isn’t actually with abuse. It’s with visibility. And when visibility is punished, it becomes discrimination against structurally excluded or disenfranchised population.
And so I think that in veterinary social work, social work in general, we can raise that awareness. We can challenge those belief systems and that stigma and say that everyone is deserving.
I wanted to also mention that veterinary care is very expensive to everyone. We have people applying to our program that have high income, and that just shows how inaccessible veterinary care has become.
And that’s for many reasons. There is a veterinarian shortage happening, the staff shortages are happening in Canada. There’s emotional distress, compassion fatigue, burnout, wages. There’s many things that are contributing to the inaccessibility to veterinary care. It’s not just the cost of it. There’s other factors as well, and so I think that we can address those pieces.
How collaboration makes a difference
Chantelle: You mentioned earlier some ways that veterinary social work is collaborative with other sectors.
Such an important part of the work is to collaborate with other sectors like public health, social services, other animal services. Can you talk about that kind of collaboration and how working with other sectors approaches a guardian’s challenges and needs in a more holistic way?
Dawn: Social workers in general thrive on collaboration. We are connectors to various stakeholders, including housing providers, social service agencies, healthcare services.
From the lens of a veterinary social worker, we’re looking at connecting with humane societies, with veterinarians, and helping see where pets fit into the bigger picture in how supporting animals also strengthens human wellbeing.
We see this work happening from other organizations, such as Community Veterinary outreach, Paws for Hope, and Atira. They don’t have social workers on staff in those programs per se, but they are practicing social work principles by meeting people where they’re at and supporting both human and animal needs.
And so we’re seeing the collaboration happening and the partnerships being created in community. Continuing that is making sure that we are putting the community’s needs first and coming in from a place of listening and supporting what’s already working.
Chantelle: I love that concept of meeting people where they’re at.
Dawn: It’s a harm reduction approach. It’s such a powerful concept. It’s coming in with putting the person first, not coming in with an agenda. Not coming in with the answers. Not being like, I’m the expert in your life.
They’re the experts in their lives.
Chantelle: Yeah. Everyone’s coming to the program from a different place, and there’s going to be a different solution that makes sense for each person’s situation.
Dawn: Exactly. Just to add onto that piece, animal welfare is moving away from saviorism and charity, and shifting the lens to solidarity and mutual aid. Really recognizing that resilience and love and connection are things that we need to amplify over struggle. Struggle is very important to recognize, but we have to look at these other things as well.
How the field is evolving in Canada
Chantelle: As you mentioned, the concept of meeting human service needs and animal service needs together is not at all new.
People have been working with both humans and animals for many decades. Like you said, the term veterinary social work was coined in 2002, so more than two decades ago. How has the field evolved since then, and what’s unique about how it’s growing in Canada today?
Dawn: I think that, like we’d mentioned earlier in the US veterinary social work became more established through the University of Tennessee’s program, whereas in Canada, we’re still shaping what it looks like.
As I mentioned, that there are organizations who are leading the way in this, and they’re doing the work that’s deeply aligned with social work practice, and really addressing housing and health needs alongside animal care.
We’re also seeing, on an academic level, veterinary colleges offering veterinary social work services. This is introducing veterinary students to social work early in their training.
And it means clients and staff and teaching hospitals are being supported.
We’re seeing organizations like the Toronto Humane Society, who has developed a structured social work program and offers a social work practicum placement there, and their team provides crisis support, grief processing, service navigation, advocacy and leadership.
On a national level, Humane Canada is doing incredible work to integrate one health and one welfare approaches. These frameworks recognize that human health, animal health, and environmental health that are interconnected.
We’re building something unique that reflects what our own communities and systems and priorities.
Chantelle: You mentioned so many of the organizations that I wanted to flag as well. We both brought up the veterinary social work webinar a while ago that the VHS put on in 2023.
We had three different veterinary social workers on that panel that are from other organizations and clinics that are leading the way. Natalie Cruz from the webinar was the first veterinary social worker in BC at Boundary Bay Veterinary Specialty Hospital.
We had on Erin Wasson from the Western College of Veterinary Medicine who’s been such a trailblazer getting this field on the radar in Canada and introduced veterinary social work into the school in Saskatchewan.
We had Dylan Dodson from the Toronto Humane Society. As you mentioned, they’re doing great work.
Where veterinary social work is heading
Chantelle: This is such a subjective question, but I’d love to get your take on it. Where do you see the field heading in the next five to ten years, and what is needed to support that growth?
Dawn: I see it playing a major role in shaping policy and training across social service sectors.
As I mentioned before, there’s not a lot of guidance on how staff in the social services sector can support their clients who have pets. I think that partnerships with social service agencies are a real tipping point. I think that when housing programs, food banks, and health services integrate pets into their models, we’ll start to really see systemic change.
I also see this field adopting a true social model of care for animals just like we do with humans, and recognizing structural barriers, not just individual failures.
I think that anti-racism and cultural humility is also very crucial. Veterinary colleges are already embedding equity into their training, raising awareness about the human-animal bond and the importance of inclusion.
I think that we are starting to reframe how we support staff. So instead of relying only on compassion fatigue, we need to recognize empathetic distress, which is a very real emotional toll of caring deeply, day after day. I see that in the animal welfare field and in the social services field, where there’s this push for self-care.
Burnout and compassion fatigue are considered an individual problem when in reality it’s a structural problem. It’s a systemic problem. So shifting that to better support staff in both sectors. I think that work is being done; we’re recognizing it and it’s happening.
I think that we’ll see more support in remote and northern communities and Indigenous communities in ways that are sustainable and culturally safe. That means not coming in and telling communities what to do, but really coming in and listening and allowing knowledge keepers and community members to identify what their need is. And our role is to stand alongside them and support sustainably and build solutions together.
Some of the most transformative organizations are already modeling this approach. And I believe this is where some of the most transformative work will happen in the next decade.
One last piece would be dismantling the silos that we’re currently in on both sides. I think that we are treating both sectors as separate worlds, and we’re not; we are overlapping every day. I think that the future of veterinary social work is breaking down those walls and creating integrated, holistic systems of care.
How you can help
Chantelle: We always like to end off by giving our audience something that they can do to take action.
Say if someone works or volunteers with animals, where would you recommend that they get started to learn about resources like a veterinary social work program that may be available in their community, which they could refer people to?
Dawn: That’s a really great question, because I think the resources are out there, but they’re still very few and far between.
A good educational piece on learning more about the field or becoming more involved is watching the webinars like the one that the Vancouver Humane Society did, as well as the Canadian Association of Social Work. They did a webinar back at the beginning of this year on the expanding role of veterinary social work in Canada.
Looking into what Humane Canada is doing and going to their conferences is a really great way to not only network, but learn more about what everyone is doing.
There’s this thought that you have to get specialized training to be a veterinary social worker. You don’t. Like I said at the beginning, this is social work in animal spaces. If you’re a registered social worker and you have a passion to work with animals and to support people and their pets, that’s it.
There’s courses. I took an animal welfare certificate course through the Thompson Rivers University. It’s an online certificate. I really liked the course.
Those are some ways of networking. Or just being persistent, reaching out to organizations and seeing what kind of social work they’re doing, seeing what social work programs they’re running.
As a closing, at the heart of all this is that I believe animal welfare is a social service, and I think it should be funded as such.
We already see animals showing up in family law with custody agreements for pets. We’re seeing how housing policies impact whether people can keep their animals. And we know about the violence link, the clear relationship between animal abuse and interpersonal violence.
These are all social issues.
They’re not separate. Supporting animals is supporting people. If there can be any takeaway today, I think that it would be that it’s a social service. No one should ever have to choose between their own wellbeing and their pet.
