Publican House's 'Our Pet Pilsner' Raises Over $8,500 For Peterborough Humane Society's Animal Care Centre

Since its inception in early February of 2022, Publican House’s fundraiser beer ‘Our Pet Pilsner’ has raised over $8,500 for the Peterborough Humane Society and their Animal Care Centre.

Our Pet Pilsner is a 4.5 per cent German-style that won a gold medal at the 2023 Ontario Brewing Awards. pilsner Photo courtesy of Publican House Brewery.

The money was to aid the Humane Society’s move to their new $10 million Animal Care Centre on Technology Drive.

The beer originally raised $5,000 as of May last year. The downtown pub raised another $3,590 and donated the money in another cheque presentation last Friday.

The brewery plans to continue to raise money for the Humane Society throughout 2024.

”With the gold medal recognition at this year's Ontario Brewing Awards, we hope to raise even more in 2024. Thank you to everyone who has enjoyed an Our Pet Pilsner and to the amazing team at the Peterborough Humane Society,” as stated in an Instagram post.

As part of the collaboration, Publican House showcased a pet for adoption from the Humane Society on their social media every month.

The beer label design was created by local artist Jason Wilkins.

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Honour An Animal Lover and Help the New Peterborough Animal Care Centre Through Memorial Donations

A generous memorial donation was made to the Peterborough Humane Society’s new Animal Care Centre by Gloria Porter-MacDonald in tribute of her late son Drew MacDonald.

Drew MacDonald and his dog. photo courtesy of the peterborough humane society.

She chose to donate to the Peterborough Animal Care Centre (PACC) in memory of her son who passed in January 2020. A dog adoption suite has been named in his honour and will also be displayed on PACC’s Donor Wall.

“Drew was an owner/operator in the transportation industry. He was a gentle giant; kind, a loyal friend, a team player and willing to help,” his mother shared. “Drew had a sense of humour, a strong work ethic and a deep appreciation for those who risk life and limb for others.”

Gloria says Drew’s experience with dogs began with a Doberman Pinscher.

“Later he brought home two bonded Beagle puppies from the Peterborough Humane Society rather than leave one behind unadopted. Drew loved his dogs,” said Gloria. “When it was necessary for our family to re-home Drew's two Beagles, Buddy and Sam, we felt comfortable knowing there was a service available to assist in finding a new home for them. We wanted to support the new Peterborough Animal Care Centre in improving the needs of our local community for pets and animals in memory of Drew's love of dogs.”

Photo courtesy of the Peterborough Humane Society.

Photo courtesy of the Peterborough Humane Society.

The Peterborough Animal Care Centre is now open at 1999 Technology Dr. in Peterborough with a grand opening event scheduled for June. The centre features a state-of-the art Animal Adoption & Education Centre, Publicly Accessible & High-Volume Spay/Neuter Clinic and a Provincial Dog Rehabilitation Centre.

“We are honoured to recognize Drew and his love for animals through our new Centre. This donation to the Centre will not only impact the lives of the animals in our care but our entire community and beyond,” said Peterborough Humane Society executive director Shawn Morey. “Memorial gifts are an incredible way to leave a lasting impact, and we are truly thankful to be a part of Drew’s memory. His love for animals will live on for generations to come through this gift.”

Donations are still needed to reach the capital campaign goal. To learn how to contribute, visit the website.

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Local Man Gives Generous Donation to Build Peterborough Animal Care Centre

Glenn Stonehouse has made a generous gift of $300K to the fundraising campaign for the Peterborough Animal Care Centre on Monday.

Photo Courtesy of Peterborough Humane Society.

The building is the Peterborough Humane Society’s innovative animal wellness facility designed for our community set to break ground in 2021.

Stonehouse, owner and president of Wildfire Golf Club and One Fine Food, has made a generous gift of $300,000 to the fundraising campaign for the new centre. The local business owner shared that his philanthropic focus always comes back to two key causes, underprivileged children and animals.

“A couple of years back, I had the opportunity to be involved with the Peterborough Humane Society (PHS) learning about their goals and development in animal wellness,” said Stonehouse. “Through these discussions, I got a close view of the inner workings of PHS and the great work the organization is doing in our community, which is why I was excited to be a part of this very important build”.

A project of future kennels for the Peterborough Animal Care Centre. Photo Courtesy of Peterborough Humane Society.

Growing up on the family farm in Owen Sound, Glenn developed a deep love and respect for animals early on. He always had dogs in his life from working dogs on the farm, show dogs and as companions. Glenn came to the Peterborough area 25 years ago when he bought a cottage on Stony Lake and fell in love with the area.

“We’re simply blown away by Glenn’s generosity. His commitment to the health and wellness of our community and the animals within it is going to make a huge impact on the future of animal wellness,” said Shawn Morey, Peterborough Humane Society’s executive director. “In recognition of Stonehouse’s gift, the Dog Adoption Program at the new Centre will be named the Glenn Allan Stonehouse Dog Adoption Program. Thanks to Stonehouse’s support, while dogs are waiting to find their forever families, they will benefit from top-level care during their time at the Centre.”

Stonehouse walks his dog through his 6,800-yard golf course, the Wildfire Golf Club in Lakefield. Photo Courtesy of Peterborough Humane Society.

The dog kennels at the new centre will not only be larger but also have indoor/outdoor access, providing the dogs with more space and freedom to enjoy outdoor and indoor spaces as they choose.

The kennels will be grouped in pods to reduce noise and stress upon the dogs. Sliding guillotine doors will allow the kennels to double in size, should the need arise. Beyond improved kennel space, the dogs will benefit from access to greater opportunities for enrichment and socialization.

While Glenn’s generous gift brings PHS closer to its goal, the Peterborough Humane Society still needs support to cross the finish line and build its new Centre. Fundraising for the new centre has raised $7.5 million of the $10 million goal since the donation.

Community members interested in making their own impact on the future of animal wellness and help build the new Animal Care Centre are encouraged to visit ourpetproject.ca and contact Alex Tindale.

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Local Woman Leaves $741,000 Toward Peterborough's New Animal Care Centre

A Peterborough-area woman, Cynthia (Cyndy) Richards, has left a generous estate gift of $741,000 to the Peterborough Humane Society. The donation will be used towards Our Pet Project, the building campaign for the Humane Society’s new Animal Care Centre.

Richards grew up in Peterborough. She spent most of her life working as an X-ray technician, working briefly in Toronto before leaving for Edmonton, Alberta where she lived for most of her career. Living primarily in the country, Richards owned both horses and cats. In 2000, she returned to her family home in Peterborough, bringing both her two horses and cats with her. All of her cats were rescues.

Photo of Cynthia (Cyndy) Richards courtesy Peterborough Humane Society

“Her whole life she had a deep love for animals,” says Pat de Villiers, a long-time friend and Richards’ power of attorney.

Richards was an avid volunteer at the Peterborough Humane Society. "She would come into the shelter, take her coat off, say hi to everyone before starting her day and then she would spend all her time with the cats,” says PHS Animal Care employee, Susan Lashmar, who has worked at the shelter since 2002. “She’d snuggle them, help groom them and loved every minute of it. She would come in as often as she could".

Rendering of new Animal Care Centre courtesy Peterborough Humane Society

Richards’ legacy and love for animals will live on as the Centre’s Cat Adoption Program, which will be named the Cynthia Richards Cat Adoption Program in her memory. Her name will also be memorialized with signage in the Cat Adoption areas and on the Centre’s Donor Wall in the Adoption and Education Centre’s lobby. Thanks to Richards’ support, the new Centre will provide each cat with more space and natural light.

The Peterborough Humane Society still needs support to cross the finish line and build its new Centre. Community members interested in learning more on how to leave a gift in their will or making a donation to help build the new Animal Care Centre are encouraged to contact Alex Tindale, Campaign Manager, at a.tindale@ptbohs.com.

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Havelock Metal Co Announces In-Kind Support For New Animal Care Centre In Peterborough

Havelock Metal Co has announced its generous commitment to supplying and installing the metal roof at the Peterborough Humane Society’s new Animal Care Centre. Our Pet Project, PHS’s campaign to build this one-of-a-kind facility, is well underway and community partners such as Havelock Metal Co getting involved moves the vision even closer to reality.

Todd Lawson, President of Havelock Metal and his partner (in work and life) Jennie Lawson are big animal lovers and for them, the choice to support Our Pet Project was an easy one. “We are always on the lookout for opportunities where we can help building projects taking place within our community,” says Todd. “Being able to combine our love of animals with our ability to provide a safe, durable roof on a facility that will be integral to animal wellness in our community was a no-brainer!”

The Lawson children with their family dog Echo

Havelock Metal Co was founded in 1993 in Havelock and relocated to Peterborough in 2018 to better serve their customers. By providing a metal roof to Peterborough Humane Society, Havelock Metal Co is ensuring a durable, long lasting roof is in place to keep local animals in need safe and dry while under their care.

The Lawson family is particularly excited about the purpose-built dog kennels. In the new Centre, dog kennels will be arranged in pods of four to aid in noise and stress reduction. These kennels will be significantly larger than the Humane Society’s current kennels and will be interlinked with sliding guillotine doors to allow for kennels to double in size, should the need arise (e.g. bonded dogs that need to stay together). Each glass-fronted kennel will also have its own outside run, allowing dogs continuous access to fresh air and the ability to enjoy both outdoor and indoor spaces.

Rendering of what the new Animal Care Centre's kennels will look like.

In recognition of their generous support, a Dog Adoption Kennel at the new Centre will bear the company’s name. These new dog kennels will be indoor/outdoor, providing the dogs with more space and will be grouped in pods to reduce noise and stress.

“We are thrilled to be partnering with Todd, Jenn and the team at Havelock Metal to supply the roof for our new Centre,” says Shawn Morey, Executive Director at Peterborough Humane Society. “This is another example of the amazing support that our community is showing us as we work to build our new home.”

To learn more about Our Pet Project, click here.

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Local Couple Gives $100,000 To Build Peterborough Humane Society’s New Animal Care Centre

Judy and Gord Atkins, a local couple who reside on Chemong Lake, are giving $100,000 to help build the Peterborough Humane Society’s new Animal Care Centre.  

Judy—a retired educator who knows first-hand the importance of teaching young people about animal welfare—and Gord, a local business owner who along with his brother previously owned the Peterborough Hyundai and Subaru dealerships as well as the Kia franchise, are proud to call Peterborough County home and give back to their community.

Judy and Gord Atkins (Photo courtesy Peterborough Humane Society)

When they were first approached by Chris White, a long-time volunteer board member with the Peterborough Humane Society as well as Chair of their Capital Campaign, the Atkins knew that this was a worthy project.

“We knew it was something we could get behind,” says Gord. “We have both always been close to animals, growing up with pets in our families, and having had three amazing golden retrievers since we’ve been married.”

In recognition of this tremendous gift, the Humane Society will name the Humane Education space in their new Adoption & Education Centre the “Judy and Gord Atkins Humane Education Room”.

Maggie & Ruby, two of the three dogs that have been a big part of Judy and Gord’s family over the years (Photo courtesy Peterborough Humane Society)

“We’re so grateful for Gord and Judy’s generous support,” says PHS Executive Director Shawn Morey. “With their $100,000 contribution, we will be able to expand our educational programming and create the Judy and Gord Atkins Humane Education room to host educational workshops, summer camps, corporate retreats, and even birthday parties for young animal advocates.”

This gift combines the Atkins’ passion for both education and animal welfare. Judy was a principal for 15 years and led her school’s annual fundraiser which would always cumulate with three lucky children helping to purchase items off of the Humane Society’s Wish List and delivering it to the shelter where they would learn how to care for animals and meet the dogs, cats and bunnies available for adoption.

With over $6.6 of their $10 million goal secured for the Animal Care Centre, this gift gets PHS one step closer to building this much needed Centre. Construction on the 20-acre plot of land they own at 1999 Technology Drive was slated to start this Fall, but in light of the pandemic they’re now planning to start as soon as funding and government regulations allow.

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