‘A dream come true’ Regina Humane Society officially opens

It was a big day for furry friends and animal lovers.
Saturday marked the grand opening of the Regina Humane Society (RHS) Animal Community Centre.

A sleepy kitty waits for their fur-ever home. (Nicole Garn/980 CJME)

Community members gathered for a ribbon-cutting ceremony.

Lisa Koch, Executive Director of the RHS said there were a lot of emotions in the air.
“It’s been a long journey and a dream come true,” she said.
“It’s a lot of overwhelming emotions, especially seeing all the people, donors, supporters, volunteers and staff that really work so hard to bring this new amenity for our community together.”
Construction for the facility began in May 2022.
Koch said donors played a massive role in this project.

One of the many displays honouring two donors of the RHS. (Nicole Garn/980 CJME)

“Every part of this facility you will see the names of people engraved in plaques or painted on walls,” she said. “They’re not just names, they’re stories of people who believed in our vision and who believe in compassion and care for animals. It’s a really exciting opportunity for the public not only to visit the animal community centre, to adopt a pet or to learn about pets but also to read about the stories of the people who made this incredible facility a possibility.”

One of the final donations to close off the Almost Home campaign came from a long-time RHS supporter David Dowton.
According to Koch, the campaign started three ago and was set up to support building the new facility.
“Last month we were visited by Keith Downton who provided a one million dollar cheque from his brother David Downton and his beloved dog Annie,” Koch said.
“He loved animals his whole life, whether it was dogs, cats or raccoons. So it was really a touching and incredible close to our capital campaign to be able to honour the memory of David and create a real legacy for him and his love of animals.”
David knew about the facility being built, but unfortunately, he never got to see the finished product. He passed suddenly in October at the age of 64.

Koch got emotional while addressing the large crowd when she talked about David’s incredible contribution.
“There truly are no words for us to adequately express the gratitude we have for David and his selflessness,” she said. “His gift brings to a close our almost home capital campaign with the 15 million dollar goal being met. However, more importantly, his gift highlights how critical donors are to everything that we do. There would be no animal community centre without David or without any of our donors.”
Thanks to donors like David, the new facility has much more to offer than the old building which operated for nearly 60 years.
“This new facility is a game-changer for animal welfare in our community,” Koch said. “It’s almost double the size of our former facility.”
She said the new facility will act as a community hub.

The doors at the RHS are officially open. (Nicole Garn/980 CJME)

“We are accessible, we have a bus service, we have bikeways and walkways, we’re close to the community which is really wonderful,” she said.
“But the building itself is really a tool that is going to really change the way that we’re able to provide the care that we do for animals. We have stress-free environments, meaning no more cages. We have suites for our adoptable dogs and cats. We have odor control, acoustic control and waste management that is state of the art. So it really is a comfortable and home-like space for the animals as well as the people who visit the animal community centre, whether it be an adopter, a volunteer, or someone who just wants to celebrate the bond that people and animals share.”

The grand opening also coincides with the RHS’ 60th anniversary.
It all started back in 1964 when Margaret Borland wrote a short advertisement in the Regina Leader-Post asking community members to form an organization to care for animals in the city.
The rest is history.

Koch is excited about the future of the RHS and hopes to see more community members get involved.
“We have an amazing volunteer program from working directly with the animals to making enrichment toys to even helping with landscaping,” she said.

Volunteers at the RHS help create toys for the animals from common household items. (Nicole Garn/980 CJME)

“There’s a little bit of something for everyone. Really what I love the most about it is that it does build a sense of community. We are a big family here. All of our staff, volunteers and supporters we are all here for the same reason. It’s the love of animals that unites us. It’s a tremendous way to get involved.