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Pets

Lumby company’s hemp-base doggie chews to hit shelves by end of month

VERNON - Dog lovers are lapping up a new hemp-based pet product made by a North Okanagan company. True Leaf Medicine International Ltd. launched its nutritional dog-chews, which contain hemp, at a pet industry trade show in Toronto Sept. 20, and CEO Darcy Bomford said pre-orders are already bounding in. “The last two weeks have...

Vernon vet clinic goes beyond the call of duty to help animals in need

VERNON - The Creekside Animal Clinic in Vernon has been giving back to the community almost as long as it’s been operating — which is getting close to 30 years now. Founding partner Dr. Murray Flock says it’s just the clinic’s culture to have a charitable side, and at Creekside, that means emergency surgeries for...

Vernon man sentenced on animal cruelty charges will get to keep his dog

VERNON - An unfortunate case of animal cruelty was laid out in Vernon Provincial Court this week, and it wasn’t just sad for the pet. Brian Jacobson, 47, was charged with causing unnecessary pain or suffering to an animal, failing to provide necessities, and causing an animal to be in distress following an SPCA cruelty...

Cats abandoned at Penticton SPCA; plea issued for information

PENTICTON – Someone left their two older cats outside the Penticton shelter this week and the SPCA would like some answers as to why. The “lovely older ladies” greeted shelter staff when they arrived at work in the morning on Wednesday, March 11, according to manager Corrine Ross on Facebook. They were in separate pet...

Bobcat sightings becoming more common in the North Okanagan

VERNON - North Okanagan residents spotted an increasing number of bobcats in recent years. Conservation officer Mike Richardson says there have already been 16 bobcat reports since April of 2014. That’s not out of line with the last few years—14 last year and 18 the year before. But it’s a lot more than it used...

SPCA offers pet advice for cold weather and Christmas

PENTICTON - As Penticton experiences its second cold snap of the season, the Penticton SPCA offers some words of advice for animal lovers. “Bring animals in from the cold,” is some simple advice  Corinne Ross, Branch Manager for the Penticton SPCA, offers. “It depends on the dog, as to how much cold they can experience,...

Three cougars shot while fourth remains at large in BX

VERNON - Conservation officers shot three cougars stalking household pets in the BX area of Vernon, but remain on the lookout for a fourth cat still at large. Terry Myroniuk, with the B.C. Conservation Service, says officers were called out Sept. 21 after the first cougar killed a dog. The owner had let her dog...

Vernon City Hall wouldn’t be the same without Ollie

VERNON - Ollie trots in to work at Vernon City Hall around 8 a.m. and heads to his desk in the engineering department. Well, actually he heads under it, because Ollie is no ordinary city staffer—he’s an office dog. The five-year-old schnauzer spends a lot of his day-job snoozing under owner Ken Juniper’s desk in...

Owners worried about missing pet store cat

VERNON - Russel the cat is always pulling wild and ridiculous stunts, but a recent vanishing act is worrying his owners. Russel, a fixture of AJ’s Pets & Things for nearly seven years, has been missing since Aug. 20. While possible, owner Lisa Badach says it’s not like the champagne coloured tabby to wander out...

Looking for a forever home, Vernon SPCA pets of the week

Spot My name is Spot and I hope you can spot me amongst the other kittens at the B.C. SPCA shelter in Vernon. I am so very loving and just waiting for that human lap to lay in and purr for hours on end. Please ask the Vernon SPCA staff if you are interested in...

Pet rescues underway in Smith Creek fire zone

WEST KELOWNA - An animal rescue team is doing everything possible to ensure no pet is left behind while a forest fire rages in West Kelowna. The Canadian Disaster Animal Response Team (CDART) has recovered over 60 animals from the evacuation zone near Smith Creek, including 16 horses, 21 cats and 21 dogs. Spokesperson Petra...