Humane society reopens Kitchener, Stratford centres to public

Humane Society open for in-person visits From CTV Kitchener's Tegan Versolatto: The Humane Society has reopened for some in-person services as part of a phased approach.

KITCHENER — The Humane Society of Kitchener Waterloo and Stratford Perth is reopening its Kitchener and Stratford centres to the public.

It said in a social media post that staff are taking precautionary measures and are implementing a staged reopening process.

On Tuesday, Kitchener and Stratford reopened to the public with limited building access. Visitors can renew their pet license, make a donation, and pick up a lost pet without making a prior appointment.

The centres will resume in-person birthday parties at the end of August and in-person events are being planned for the fall.

"We have walkathons coming up in Kitchener and in Stratford," said Anya Barradas, marketing and communications manager for the humane society. "Our Kitchener walkathon will be a virtual event. It will have an in-person component at Kiwanis Park. And, in our Stratford centre, we've done some renovations and completed our dog park, so that walkathon will be at our centre in Stratford."

Many of the centre’s programs will still be offered virtually and veterinary services will continue following a curbside delivery method.

The hours at the Kitchener centre will also be extended until 6 p.m. Monday to Friday.

“We’re very excited to have the public back in our centres," Barradas said. "It’s been way too long and we miss everybody very much. Our lobbies in both our Kitchener and Stratford centre will be open to the public as of today, so we can see our people in person again!”

Information on programs and services at the humane society, including COVID-19 protocols, can be found here.