Kawartha Downs donates $25K to Peterborough Humane Society new animal care centre

A dog adoption suite will be named in honour of Kawartha Downs and the donation will also be recognized on the Donor Wall in the lobby of the new Peterborough Animal Care Centre.

Kawartha Downs Raceway has donated $25,000 for the Peterbrough Humane Society’s new animal care centre.

Construction on the $10-million centre continues on Technology Drive to replace the aging humane society shelter on Lansdowne Street East.

Kawartha Downs’ donation will support the society’s Our Pet Project capital campaign program for the new 24,000 square-foot centre which will feature a provincial dog rehabilitation centre, adoptions and education centre, spay and neuter clinic and offices. The project is expected to be completed in fall 2022.

In recognition of the gift, a dog adoption suite will be named in honour of Kawartha Downs and the Downs will be included on the Donor Wall located in the lobby of the new centre, officials said.

“Kawartha Downs provides entertainment for families and supports the community,” said Summer Nickerson-Hagen with Kawartha Downs. “We are also all animal lovers here. Kawartha Downs is very proud of our community partnership with the Peterborough Animal Care Centre. Kawartha Downs would like to recognize the hard work and dedication of the Peterborough Animal Care Centre in caring for our community’s most vulnerable pets.”

Shawn Morey, executive director with the humane society, says support from businesses such as Kawartha Downs is “extremely important to the success of this project.”

“This new centre will set a new standard in animal wellness and care, Peterborough will be part of a Canadian-first, which will support our local businesses and community,” he said. “We are grateful for these relationships, they are a true representation of what makes our region so remarkable.”