New van helps Fort Erie animal shelter rev up off-site adoptions
“It’s absolutely wonderful,” Wendy Trombley says about the newest addition to the Fort Erie SPCA. No, it’s not a dog or a cat. But it will help a lot more of the shelter’s residents find their forever homes.
The manager of the Jarvis Street animal shelter is talking about the facility’s new adoption van, which was rolled out in the community for the first time at the Ridgeway Summer Festival.
“We’re proud to have it in our possession and it will be used for a lot of good.”
The animal shelter sees anywhere from 35 to 50 animals adopted each month. That number is expected to increase with the opportunity to visit festivals and pet exhibitions.
Trombley explains the adoption van is an important tool because it gets more eyeballs on the animals looking for families, as well as raise awareness for the SPCA.
She’s already eyeing other festivals and events in the community to bring the adoption van to.
“We haven’t been able to take the animals out publicly before because of the heat and other issues. Now we can, and I hope it will lead to more homes for the animals and provide more adoptions.”
The 26-foot van offers an inviting space for potential pet owners to view the animals, enough built-in cages for 23 animals, an option for a water source, a sink and a generator to keep air conditioning running to keep the animals comfortable.
“We’ve never had anything like this. I believe we were one of the only animal shelters that didn’t have one and thanks to the support of Fort Erie, we do,” Trombley says.