Petawawa embraces the dog days of summer with SPCA fundraiser

PETAWAWA, ONT. -

On a sweltering hot Saturday morning at Petawawa Point, pooches and their pet owners were soaking up the sun.

The Renfrew County SPCA held their first in-person fundraiser in almost two years, aptly named the Doggy Paddle, calling on people to canoe with their canine, kayak with their kitten, or SUP (that's stand up paddleboard) with their pup.

"It’s been very challenging," says Heather Jobe, community development coordinator with the Renfrew County OSPCA, on raising funds for the organization. "So we’ve been looking for unique ways to shift and make it happen because we’ve got animals coming through our doors every single day."

"This is so exciting," Jobe told CTV News Ottawa, referencing the over 50 people that came out to the beach. "So it reminds me that we still have a ton of support in our community."

For some like Katherine Daley, the event was a relatively new experience for her and her dog Earl, who shared a kayak with her.

"We actually don’t get out a lot, but he is a good boat dog. I think he’s more afraid of swimming. He did really good," said Daley. "He did a lot of whining considering he didn’t do a lot of the work."

It was a lot of work for Daley. Paddlers took a two-hour guided tour around Petawawa Point just before noon, but that didn’t stop the heat and humidity from beating down.

"Yeah, he’s a little hot right now," said Janelle Wojtowicz of her dog Blitz, who took regular dips in the Ottawa River off her paddleboard. "This is probably the furthest we’ve gone on the paddleboard together, so we’re just trying to challenge both of us today."

The day turned out to be too hot for Danny the golden Labrador as well, who took an early plunge off his kayak.

"I don’t know if you saw him be the first dog to jump off the boat, but he was," said he owner Vivian Reeder. "He loves water."

"We usually do the paddle festival, the one without dogs that’s here," said Reeder, who is visiting the valley from New Hampshire on vacation. "But this year they had this, and we love our dogs so it was almost better for us."

At the end of the day when everyone was pooched, the fundraiser brought in over $6,300 for the Renfrew County SPCA.

"All these people that are here right now with their animals, that’s a very powerful message and it’s an important one," said Jobe. "These guys need a voice."