With the cut of a ribbon by longtime volunteer Bob Graham the new Old Oak Campus of the Humane Society London & Middlesex (HSLM) is open.
“Today actually marks a huge improvement in the quality of care for animals in this community of London, Middlesex, and in fact, probably is going to help enable animal welfare in the region in ways that we can’t even see yet,” said Wendy Arnott, HSLM executive director.
“The opening of our vet clinic is already starting to change the length of stay for our animals. The quality of care that they get here, which was already fantastic, is, in is elevated to next level because these animals will be able to not be here as long as they have been in the past.”
She added that every animal that gets adopted will make space for others.
Hundreds showed up for the Grand Opening Saturday afternoon at their new location at 1414 Dundas St. in London, Ont.
Attendees were able to tour the front portion of the building which included a new state-of-the-art lobby with skylights, and kennels.
“It is purpose built, so it was designed intentionally to house these animals for exactly this reason,” said Arnott.
“You’ll notice as you walk around that there are spaces that are designed to facilitate needs between fur families and their potential new human families, which may or may not include other animals. We’ve got spaces where that can be facilitated so that people can assess the fit of their new family member, potentially.”
The new facility is also designed to de-stress animals where they can exhibit animal behaviours without the proximity to other animals to give them their best living conditions.
A primary feature of the facility will be the onsite veterinary clinic which is critical to providing industry-standard shelter care.
