SPCA’s director anticipates a strong 2021 for the organization

By MO CRANKER on January 20, 2021.

mcranker@medicinehatnews.com@mocranker

The new shelter director at the Medicine Hat SPCA is approaching 2021 with optimism.

The SPCA hired Tom Carney last April as the pandemic was becoming reality.

Since joining the shelter, he says he is doing his best to work with the community and to serve the needs of animals.

“I wasn’t around before COVID, so I can’t really speak to what went on,” he said. “My focus has been on facing the challenges of the pandemic and to work with the community every day.

“I’m hoping to bring a fresh perspective and new ideas to the SPCA.”

The SPCA is still working with animals every day and is allowing visits to meet potential pets on an appointment basis.

After a busy December, the SPCA is hoping 2021 can be a successful year.

“We had 55 cat adoptions in December,” said Carney. “That was a really busy month, but we’re happy to see so many adoptions.”

Carney says last year’s kitten season was quite intense, but he is proud that staff worked through it.

“Cat season was robust,” he said. “We were constantly taking in cats and kittens in the spring and summer.

“Things finally slowed down in November, then we saw a ton of adoptions in December.”

Now in a new year, activity has slowed, letting the organization catch up and get ready for the rest of the year.

“Things have slowed down a bit and we’re ready to take on 2021,” he said. “We have a new logo and new signs at the shelter. Our website has a new look and we are getting our forms online so people can fill them out there.

“We want to freshen things up and keep up with technology.”

Anyone looking for more information on the SPCA can contact Carney directly.

“I spend a lot of my time here and can be reached here,” he said. “I try and be transparent and I know we’re doing a better job of it lately.

“If people have questions they can call me and I will answer questions to the best of my ability.”

The SPCA can be reached at 403-526-7722.

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