‘It’s the right thing to do’
Retiring Wolfville vet reflects on Valley WAAG’s shelter success
Dr. Peter Bligh doesn’t lose sleep over the thousands of dollars he’s dedicated to saving the lives of feral cats.
He can sit with the fact that the no-kill shelter he started nearly 30 years ago has partially been funded out of his own pocket since its inception. In his mind, it’s money well spent.
“It’s just part of being in the community that you give back in some way,” the retiring veterinarian said in a recent interview.
“If we have the ability to do it, we should do it. It’s the right thing to do.”
Bligh, originally from Ontario, launched the Valley Animal Shelter while predominantly working in the Middleton area in 1988.
“We got tired of euthanizing nice animals,” he said, noting that he started working as a vet in 1976.
“It’s just something that is a necessary service in most commun- ities. You have to have someone to look after animals that aren’t wanted otherwise.”
He relocated in the late 1990s, and has been operating the shelter out of the Wolfville Animal Hospital for a number of years.
Kings South MLA Keith Irving read a resolution in the Nova Scotia House of Assembly in May 2015 to recognize Bligh’s unwavering commitment to saving feral cats.
“Dr. Bligh has rescued and helped thousands of cats find their forever homes. In 2013, Dr. Bligh created the Valley WAAG Animal Shelter with full charitable status. While the shelter is 50 per cent self sustaining, Dr. Bligh’s business supports the remaining 50 per cent,” Irving’s statement reads.
WAAG stands for “we’re all animal guardians,” a motto that will be associated with Bligh’s legacy long after he retired at the end of December. The non-profit shelter he started decades ago will continue to run with support from Dr. Natasha Cairns, the new owner of the Wolfville Animal Hospital.
Bligh admits that running the shelter is no easy task. On average, he estimates the annual operating costs to be in the ballpark of $70,000.
“The prime goal is to care for animals that are abandoned, or stray or don’t have a home… and get them into a state where they are adoptable,” he said, noting that volunteers and partnerships with fellow non-profit organizations are crucial to the shelter’s continued success.