Kelowna Gospel Mission and City Centre Veterinary Clinic team up to help the unhoused community and their pets

Bath day for homeless pets

The City Centre Veterinary Clinic teamed up with Kelowna Gospel Mission on Saturday to put on a free care and bathing event for pets of the unhoused community, bringing out dozens of dogs for a spa day.

Being part of Kelowna Gospel Mission, executive director Carmen Rempel does a lot for people experiencing homelessness, but she tells Castanet this event was a bit of a win-win situation as both pets and their owners were leaving with wagging tails and smiling faces.

“It’s fascinating to see how many people have showed up ... everybody wants to take good care of their pets,” said Rempel.

“And we’ve seen people who’ll choose to feed their dog before they feed themselves to make sure their pet is taken care of before they are taken care of. And so today, when we are taking care of these pets we are also taking care of their owners.”

Katrina Handley of Pro Concepts Animal Health was up close and personal with the dogs, washing them, grooming them, and feeding them treats.

Throughout the day Saturday, Handley helped clean between 20 and 30 different dogs of all different shapes, sizes and breeds.

“Pretty much any dog that we see that has a lot of long hair, they need to have an extensive grooming regime,” said Handley.

“And being on the street, these poor animals are subjected to so much more dirt and debris, and unfortunately, they can be subjected to more pathogens and that leads to allergies and itching.”

City Centre Veterinary Clinic is new to Kelowna and they tell Castanet their mission from the get-go was to help the community and to lower the stigma around homeless people and their pets.

“When we got hired we were told you got to be into community outreach, we’re hoping that you have the same vision, and luckily it brought together a team of people who are interested in the same things,” said Sydney Shepherd of City Centre Animal Clinic.

“The human and animal bond is so important to us in our line of work, so we wanted to be able to share that and nurture that with every community member.”

The City Centre Veterinary Clinic has been open in Kelowna since mid-August, and if your pet has any needs, you can head down to 750 Vaughn Avenue and they’ll be able to take care of you and your furry friends.