Victoria, BC – The estate of Francis Gordon Ainsworth has bequeathed $518,000 to the Capital Regional District (CRD) Animal Shelter. Mr. Ainsworth, and his partner Mr. Carter who predeceased him, donated annually to the CRD Animal Shelter as a way to honour their relationship with their much loved pet who provided so much comfort and joy, Whiskey the Cat.
Mr. Ainsworth and Mr. Carter learned about the work of the CRD at a community outreach event where the animal shelter was promoting its work. Inspired by staff’s passion for animal welfare, they became annual donors and were pleased to be able to assist with providing new beds for dogs, hide and perch boxes for the cats, and to help fund the care of extreme medical cases.
The CRD Animal Shelter is located at 5401 Pat Bay Highway in Victoria, offering temporary shelter for lost domesticated animals and operates an adoption program for stray, lost, abandoned or injured animals. Animals under their care include dogs, cats and livestock like chickens, roosters, quail or smaller critters like hamsters, rats, gerbils, birds and snakes. The animal shelter takes in animals from 10 municipalities, the Gulf Islands, Electoral Areas and three First Nation Reserves.
CRD Animal Care Services staff are in the process of developing outreach programs to assist in the reuniting of animals with their owners. Animals brought into the shelter are scanned for a microchip or tattoo. In 2020, only 60% of animals that were found lost were claimed by their owners with almost 200 animals requiring medical care and new homes. Animals at the animal shelter that are not claimed are spayed or neutered, vaccinated and microchipped before being placed for adoption.
The CRD has provided emergency medical care including spaying and neutering over 400 found animals with more than $150,000 in veterinary expenses in the past four years.
Proud to be recognized as one of BC’s Top Employers and Canada’s Greenest Employers, the CRD delivers regional, sub-regional and local services to 13 municipalities and three electoral areas on southern Vancouver Island and the Gulf Islands. Governed by a 24-member Board of Directors, the CRD works collaboratively with First Nations and all levels of government to enable sustainable growth, foster community well-being, and develop cost-effective infrastructure while continuing to provide core services to residents throughout the region. Visit us online at www.crd.bc.ca.
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For media inquiries, please contact:
Andy Orr, Senior Manager
CRD Corporate Communications
Tel: 250.360.3229
Cell: 250.216.5492