Animals have been quite the newsmakers in Prince George this year. We’ve seen everything from adorable stories, to incredible tales of travel, transformation, recovery and sometimes loss. We’ve decided to take a look back on the most impactful animal stories we’ve seen throughout 2019.
Journey, the stowaway cat
This brave six-year-old cat travelled to Prince George all the way from Shenzen, China (via Vancouver) this April. She was stuck in a 40-foot shipping container and was eventually found by staff at Prince George glass distribution company. The BC SPCA North Cariboo District Branch believed Journey (her name was chosen through community voting) had survived by drinking condensation in the shipping container. Journey’s incredible story inspired people to raise more than $20,000 for her care. She is now in foster care in the Lower Mainland and is doing well.
Weight loss with Wanda
Wanda is the 30-pound cat adopted by Ospika Animal Hospital vet Dr. Jennifer McLachlan; the four-legged companion has been on a special weight loss journey over this past year. When she first came to Ospika, she was so obese that she needed a special walker to help her move around and she couldn’t easily groom herself. She’s also been a social media star of Ospika’s “Weight Loss with Wanda” or “Wanda Wednesdays” series, where staff chronicle her weekly weigh-ins. Wanda is now down to 21 pounds, which is a big loss for a cat, and can get around much better.
The Blackwater Boxer
In October, a dog — later named Luna — was found wandering Blackwater Road with a gunshot wound and half her jaw missing. She was eventually brought to the North Cariboo District SPCA and despite the severity of her injuries, began recovering in a foster home. Veterinarians say she will be able to regain most functions and do activities like eating, drinking and picking up a ball. In September, three dogs with gunshots to the head were also found in a ditch near the intersection of Damms Road and Willow Cale Road. The dogs were sent for forensic pathology and a cruelty investigation was opened.
Luna the Blackwater Boxer is recovering well after surgery to fix her jaw. (via North Cariboo District SPCA)Reggie the Therapy Dog retires
Reggie is a golden retriever that has been working as a therapy dog at the B.C. cancer centre in Prince George for 11 years. This May, he finally retired and staff and volunteers at the BC Cancer Centre for the North threw him and his human Joyce Grantham a special retirement party to thank him for all his years of service.
Reggie and his human companion Joyce check out the spread. (via Hanna Petersen) Angus the superbug sniffing dog visits Prince George
Angus is an English springer spaniel who has been trained to detect the superbug Clostridium Difficile (CDI or C. diff). He mainly sniffs common areas of hospitals where C. difficile could be present. He came to the University Hospital of Northern BC for the first time this May.
Angus is a dog who works in Vancouver Coastal Health Authority to detect C. difficile. (via Jessica Fedigan)Nine cats rescued from storage bins
In July, nine cats were found trapped in storage bins in Prince George. The SPCA believes they were in the containers for days without food or water. Two kittens and seven adult cats under the age of three were found by the manager of a vacant property after he heard meows from inside storage bins. The manager then took the cats to a local veterinarian. The cats, who despite their ordeal were all incredibly friendly, made a full recovery and were given happy Hawaiian names when they became ready for adoption. The public also raised over $10,000 for their care.
Eight of the nine cats rescued from the storage bins. (via BC SPCA) Rufus the autism service dog
In November, Rufus an autism support dog found a new home. After the two-year-old black Labrador retriever officially graduated from the BC & Alberta Guide Dogs program, he was placed in Prince George with his new owners, nine-year-old Kyle and his mother Heather. Rufus was the first service dog from this program to be placed in Prince George.
Heather and Kyle added Rufus, a two-year-old black Labrador service dog, to their family. (via Jess Fedigan)Prince George’s therapy dogs highlight Victims and Survivors of Crime Week
Therapy dogs working throughout Prince George helped kick off Victims and Survivors of Crime Week at the South Fort George Family Resource Centre this May. All kinds of service dogs met up to celebrate the work they do for victims and survivors of crime in the community. For example, Yogi, the RCMP’s crisis canine therapy dog, was present at the kick-off event with his therapy dog friends from other organizations in the community to show off some tricks and demonstrate how effective therapy dogs can be to make people feel calm.
This is Yogi. He is the PG RCMP's crisis canine therapy dog. He has an important job. (via Hanna Petersen)Newborn kitten abandoned at Prince George Total Pet
Staff at Total Pet found an abandoned and apparently injured kitten shortly after they opened the store for the day in March. They phoned animal control, which took the kitten to a veterinarian. Unfortunately, the kitten did not survive. However, the SPCA learned the kitten actually wasn’t injured but was a Manx kitten who had severe birth defects which made it look as if her tail was missing and her legs were flipped over her head. Despite the fact, the kitten was not injured. The BC SPCA reiterated it’s an act of cruelty to abandon an animal.
The abandoned kitten. (via Facebook/ Britt Bruneau) While there are many more animal stories that happened this year, the above list is a selection of a few of the ones we think caught the attention of the community in 2019.
- with files from Jessica Fedigan and Kyle Balzer
