Barbara Roden
Free Press
Many people in 100 Mile House are surprised to find there’s a branch of the SPCA within the community.
It is news that makes local SPCA branch supervisor Randi Dewhirst sighs.
“We’re the first entry under ‘S’ in the phone book,” she says.
The 100 Mile House and District SPCA doesn’t have an office in town – Dewhirst works out of her house – but that doesn’t mean services aren’t offered locally.
“We have great foster parents here in town for cats and kittens, dogs and puppies.”
She notes, however, these foster parents’ homes are full, and the area desperately needs people able to foster animals. The lack of foster homes means animals need to be taken to Williams Lake, Kamloops, and the Lower Mainland, which have housing space.
“People think we drive the animals to other locations, so they can be euthanized,” Dewhirst says, adding that’s simply not the case.
In addition to foster homes, Dewhirst says the organization desperately needs volunteers.
“We’ve had to curtail a lot of our fundraising activities because we don’t have enough people.”
Anyone interested in learning more, or being a volunteer, is encouraged to come to the 100 Mile House SPCA meeting at the Ramada Inn on Nov. 22 at 11 a.m.
For information, call 250-395-5303 and leave your name and phone number.