Humane Society holds AGM

Toni Lucas, Pincher Creek Voice

PetSmart's Anne-Marie Fontaine
addresses the Humane Society at
their 2012 AGM
T. Lucas photo

Pincher Creek Humane Society's Annual General Meeting was held on the evening of March 26 at the Pincher Creek Ramada Inn.  The Society arranged for Lethbridge PetSmart Pet Care Manager Anne-Marie Fontaine to be a guest speaker on the  topic of PetSmart Charities.

Fontaine made it clear throughout her speech that she was very pleased with the relationship between the Pincher Creek Humane Society and the Lethbridge PetSmart.  "I hope to educate you a bit on just what PetSmart Charities does, what it involves, and just how big a part it plays," she said early in the talk, which was sprinkled with humorous anecdotes.


Fontaine was passionate about every aspect of her presentation, explaining how PetSmart was started in 1986 by Jim and Janice Dougherty, and how they were committed from the beginning to stop the overpopulation of pets in our society.  To that end, they have never sold pets at their stores.  Instead, in 1992 they established Love-a-Pet adoption centers.

In 1994 PetSmart created PetSmart Charities, and in 1999 they expanded it to include PetSmart Charities of Canada. These charities create and support programs that save the lives of homeless pets, raise awareness of companion animal welfare issues, and promote the healthy relationships between people and pets.  The Canadian arm of the charity has awarded over 3 million dollars to animal welfare agencies, and found homes for 130,000 pets in Canada. Last year alone, PetSmart Charities provided over 165 million dollars of grant funding, and are the leading funders of spay neuter in efforts across North America.

"Every single PetSmart has a adoption centre in the store," Fontaine said, beaming with pride for the company she was representing.

Fontaine also explained a new project called the 360 Program.  This will allow the stores to donate participating discontinued, non-edible products that are carried by PetSmart and donate them to charity instead of sending them back to the manufacturer or destroying the products. This includes toys, pet-pads, and other products.

PetSmart's Corporate Office has chosen the Lethbridge store to pilot this initiative, and has selected the Pincher Creek Humane Society to be the recipients until it passes the pilot phase.

After Fontaine's speech, 5 members of the public were awarded honourary lifelong memberships to the Humane Society, a recognition of their outstanding efforts and volunteer work.

There were no changes to the Pincher Creek Humane Society Board of Directors for 2012.

Pincher Creek Humane Society Board of Directors 2012:

• President: Clara Yagos
• Vice President: Jason Wagenaar
• Director: Diana Wetzel
• Director: Terry Giroux-Ross
• Director: Christine Wagenaar-Van Huffel 
• Secretary: Bev Duffield
• Treasurer: Bertha Yagos
• Public Relations Officer: Gord Pitt

Relevant links:

www.pinchercreekhumanesociety.org

www.petsmartcharities.org 
www.petsmartcharities.org/about/canada.html