Joyce Smith leaves 500 animals behind
Aug 19, 2008 - 10:16 AM
PICKERING -- The founder of a shelter that’s home to about 500 animals has left her sanctuary.
Joyce Smith, 79, died of natural causes Monday afternoon. The animal lover founded the Second Chance Wildlife Sanctuary in 1996, and has since been mother to injured or abandoned cats, dogs, rabbits, guinea pigs, ducks and many other animals. Volunteers, co-workers and friends are saddened by their loss.
“She is going to be missed by everybody,” said a tearful volunteer, Daniel Kelly. “She was an awesome lady.”
Prior to Ms. Smith’s death, when she was in poor health, she and friends, including Mr. Kelly, tried everything they could to secure the future for the animals. Ms. Smith had been running her sanctuary on land donated by Cherry Downs Golf and Country Club in Pickering since it opened. Although she knew a number of people would run the sanctuary after she died, she felt she needed to own some land in order for that to happen. But no one donated any land and now 500 animals are without a home.
“I can’t sleep because I worry about what will happen to the animals,” she said in a February interview. “They’d probably all be put down (without owning land). This is my nightmare.”
The Second Chance board of directors will meet in order to figure out how to get the animals to loving homes. If interested in taking an animal home or helping out in any way, visit www.second-chance.ws. The shelter is located at 2060 Concession Rd. #7 in Pickering.
Ms. Smith’s funeral is at 1 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 22 at the McEachnie Funeral Home in Ajax, 28 Old Kingston Rd. (west of Church Street) with visitation at 11 a.m. the same day.
Recommend :
Latest News
An accident every two minutes on OPP-patrolled roadsDURHAM -- The timely return of wintry driving conditions had Ontario Provincial Police receiving, on average, an accident report every two minutes on the roads it patrols in ...
Key witness on hot seat at biker trialWHITBY -- The cross-examination of a key witness in the trial of two high-ranking bikers began Thursday with a full-out assault on the police agent's credibility. Defence ...
Nuclear waste building opening at PickeringDURHAM -- While a federal agency continues to work on finding a site to permanently store nuclear waste, Ontario Power Generation is moving forward with a storage solution at ...
Moving day for mental health bedsAJAX -- The mental health beds are officially on their way out of Ajax and into their now home in Scarborough. In March, the Rouge Valley Health System announced changes ...
Whitby woman one of four murdered in ScarboroughWHITBY -- Neighbours of James and Elizabeth Tompkins were, for the most part, reluctant to speak about the couple this morning. Mr. Tompkins was released by Toronto Police on ...
Killings were murder-suicide The deaths of four
people in a Scarborough home are now being treated as a murder-suicide,
police sources confirmed this morning...
Couple terrorized in home invasionOSHAWA -- Police are searching for three thugs who burst into a central Oshawa home and terrorized a couple in what's being described as a home invasion-style robbery. A ...
Clear garbage bags a goDURHAM -- Despite opposition from the mayor of Pickering, the Region is moving forward with a clear garbage bag pilot project in Pickering and Courtice. A route of about 750 ...
Nuclear regulator holding meetings in DurhamDURHAM -- The performance of the two Durham Region nuclear stations will be discussed next week when the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission holds two information sessions. The...
Whitby man released in slayingsA man taken into custody yesterday after four bodies were discovered
at his in-laws' Scarborough home was released without charges early
this morning.James Tompkins was ...