Joy Darroch

Review of Guelph Humane Society

I brought my cat to camud estate emergency hospita...

I brought my cat to camud estate emergency hospital
in guelph after he was hit by a car. I wasn't allowed to go in with him and after the assessment the doctor told me, after an ultrasound, he had no internal damage but had a sever broke leg, broke hip and mandible. The cost for surgery was $5000-$7000 but my cat should make a full recovery. I did not have that kind of money as I had been out of work due to covid and just recently started a new job. All my savings were spent but I was prepared to spend $1000 on the spot. The doctor told me the next option is $2000 but they would amputate his leg and should still live a fairly normal life. I only had a $1000 so the last option he gave me was to surrender my cat to the humane society and they would cover the costs. Surrendering my cat would mean I would never get him back but I did it so he could live. I offered the humane society my $1000 and promise to make payments to pay the rest but they refused. My cat was taken from me, the cat I saved and raised from one week old. Now our family is in an emotional limbo because we don't know if he is dead or alive. I have reached out to the Guelph humane society and spoke with the manager, but he insists that he cannot even put our mind at rest by informing us if he made it through surgery or not. Then told me if I continue to call I would be charged with harassment.
I emailed the board of directors and the executive director and anyone else I could think of asking for their help. I included photos of my family with Marcel and tried to beg for some assurance that he is okay. I have had no response from anyone. Compassion and hope is their saying but the lack of compassion for this particular circumstance is disheartening to say the least. My two year old constantly asks for him and his brother whom we also saved is fretting for him. If only the clinic or the humane society would have offered a payment plan or some other option. I didn't even get to say goodbye. He probably thinks we abandoned him. I don't know how they can say they care about the health and wellbeing of an animal then give the family no other option but to give him up without any communication. Why do they need a contract with the vets office? Why didn't you try to work with us for the money? Why didn't you help an animal and the only people he has every know stay together. When talking to the manager he explained that if we were to give him back and it happened again, you may still not have the money and be in the same situation. My question is, when you adopt an animal out do you check bank accounts to make sure they have $10000 saved for emergencies? What happened that night was not right and I would have hoped they could have corrected it. I had a lot of respect for the humane society and the work I thought they did but in my experience, they have no compassion...I mean, what about the cat? Don't you think he is missing his family? Do not take your animal to campus animal hospital in guelph, they may end up selling your animal to the humane society and if you think they will help you and your animal, they won't! At least that has been my recent experience.