DARTMOUTH, N.S. — Thousands of Halifax’s four-footed, furry friends have passed through the doors of the Bide Awhile Animal Shelter, and this weekend the Woodside facility marked a milestone celebrating 50 years of providing cats and dogs with new homes.
On Saturday, dozens of past adopters, shelter supporters and hopeful new pet owners toured the building and grounds on Neptune Crescent, whose bright, spacious rooms are a far cry from when Bide Awhile started out in the back of a Spryfield veterinary hospital in 1969.
Volunteers ushered visitors from one space to another, pausing to give a head scratch to the purring inhabitants of the stainless steel enclosures and watch kittens frolic through the windows in the nursery. Some discussed the animals they’d introduced to their new “forever homes” over the years, while newcomers pondered the notion of adopting a new pet and making room for the next abandoned or stray animal to come along.
Bide Awhile moved into its current building in 2008, after the small house it inhabited near Sullivan’s Pond since 1972 became outgrown by the need to provide new homes for neglected animals.
A Bide Awhile volunteer for 20 years, and currently its president of the board, Stacey Langley Chisholm was initially inspired to help out there because of its no-kill policy. She only recently adopted her first pet from the shelter, a dog in March, but has seen Bide Awhile’s impact grow over the years.
“We are so much more than just a shelter, we really help the community,” says the energetic volunteer. “Not only with the overpopulation of animals and rehoming unwanted animals, but with our spay and neuter program, our pet visitation program and our pet pantry program for those who may have occasional difficulty providing meals for their pets.
“We now have a reading circle for young children who are scared or have learning disabilities, and don’t like reading out loud to other people in the classroom. They come here and read to the cats, and the animals don’t judge. They don’t care if you miss a word or mispronounce something, so that’s a fantastic program.”
Chisholm estimates that over 10,000 cats and dogs have been gifted with new homes over the past 50 years, with roughly one animal per day being adopted and making room for the next inhabitant that comes along.
With just a few employees and a large group of dedicated volunteers, Bide Awhile relies heavily on public support through fundraising projects like the Kennel Club monthly donation program, annual calendar sales and countertop change collection boxes, which have been a familiar sight at local retailers for decades.
Sehne Connell is the shelter’s new executive director, with an extensive background in working with non-profit groups and fundraising, and was initially astonished at the cost of taking the animals in and getting them ready to go to a new home.
“When an animal comes in, the expense that goes toward spaying and neutering, deworming, dental work and just making sure that the animal is OK can cost anywhere up to $1,000,” he explains. “And when they’re adopted, the fee is $180, so you can see there’s a shortfall.
“But it’s not about the money, it’s making sure that they’re healthy, so we have to do a lot of fundraising over the year.”
During the open house, Bide Awhile supporter and former board member Chris Hornberger drops by the shelter for a visit to see old friends and the kennels’ newest additions. It’s become a familiar space over the years since her family has taken in two dogs and five cats from the facility.
“I always refer to it as the greatest little animal shelter on earth, it has an uncanny ability to match people and animals with each other,” she says.
“The care the staff take to get to know the animals, and understand the best kind of home that they would fit into, allows them to guide people to the kind of pet that would be the best fit for them.”
