The new London Humane Society opens with vet clinic and a lot of 'purr-ific' features

More than 100 cats, dogs and critters are living in a new home, before they find their forever home, as the Humane Society London & Middlesex officially opens its new facility in east London.

The building at 1414 Dundas St., dubbed an "animal campus," has already helped connect more animals with adoptive families since its soft opening at the end of January. 

"By the end of March, we found that our length of stay here had already dropped by 25 days, which is really incredible," Interim Executive Director Wendy Arnott said. 

"I think it's because it's just so much nicer. This space is so much more conducive for people interacting with animals," she said. 

The 11 acre facility has three sections: an adoption centre, a veterinary clinic, and an administration and events area. It's a noticeable change from the Humane Society' s old location at 64 Clarke Rd., where they operated for 126 years, recently with cramped halls and leaky ceilings. 

It took two days for staff to move the animals to the new facility, Arnott said, adding that they exposed them to specific scents right before leaving the old building, then used the same scents in the new building.

"That felt familiar and reassuring to them," she said. 

Sound proof glass and astro turf

The new adoption centre has a large lobby and skylights across the ceiling. Cats have three themed playrooms complete with couches and ball pits. Every dog kennel has a private astroturfed outdoor pen, and there is soundproof glass separating the cats and dogs from one another.

"One of the things that was quite stressful for our animals in the old facility is that cats could always hear the dogs barking, and cats and dogs don't always respond well to that kind of thing," Arnott said.

The facility also has an extensive backyard area for dogs to go on walks, play and socialize, and an outdoor "catio" for felines to enjoy the sunshine. 

"We've really seen them come out of their shell," said Marrissa Sitts, the director of animal services and animal health at the Humane Society. 

"We're seeing dogs getting outside and we're seeing the 'zoomies' like we see with our dogs at home, cats really purring and rubbing on things. They're not really hiding as much," said Sitts, adding that the friendly behaviour from animals makes prospective pet parents more likely to adopt.

"They can actually start to experience those small little steps that really give them that hope that, 'This could be my animal and I could see them being a part of my home,'" she said. 

Vet clinic opens, speeding up adoption

The Humane Society's first-ever in-house vet clinic is another reason pet adoptions are moving faster, according to Arnott. 

The facility has three registered vet technicians, a veterinarian and a director of animal health. They operate on all animals the Humane Society takes in, which also includes rabbits, rats and gerbils. 

With two operating rooms and a dental suite, the clinic is able to diagnose, treat and operate on animals immediately, without any external appointments, Arnott said. It also means baby animals can receive proper vaccines and procedures, ensuring they are adoption-ready.

"We had puppies surrendered [last] Monday and typically, what we would do is wait two to three months to get an appointment to have them spayed or neutered and rabies vaccinated," Arnott said. "This puppy was the first animal spayed in our clinic and we expect that she will go up for adoption this week."

The clinic is exclusively for animals at the Humane Society, but Arnott said it could potentially expand its services to the public, down the road. 

"If there's a quicker turnaround of animals, maybe our capacity can handle more," she said. "Right now, we're just learning to live in this beautiful space and see what's possible here."