Dr. Noa Oz from the Rose Valley Veterinary Hospital. The clinic is offering services for Penticton evacuees.
Image Credit: B.C. SPCA
August 20, 2020 - 3:18 PM
With the Christie Mountain wildfire forcing South Okanagan residents to leave their homes, West Kelowna’s well-known veterinarian is offering his support.
Dr. Moshe Oz, owner of Rose Valley Veterinary Hospital, has been offering free medication, food and shelter for wildfire evacuee pet owners for more than 10 years and this year is no different.
“Whoever is evacuated or if there is a problem… we offer our boarding facility, medication, food, shelter, whatever they need. Every fire season we are here for the community if they need it. We heard we have some issues with Penticton and there’s been an evacuation the last couple of days,” he said.
READ MORE: Kelowna Riding Club offers space for animals if Penticton residents need to evacuate
The service is free, “the idea behind it is that they might not have had time to pack everything,” he said, adding that one year ago there were some cats that needed insulin and dogs that needed food for a special diet.
In 2017 with the Joe Rich wildfire, Oz said his staff worked around the clock to look after 40 animals.
“It was a little bit interesting. Last year we were lucky that nobody needed us too much and this year I thought we were going to be lucky again but unfortunately not,” he said.
They have had a few inquiries, but no evacuees seeking shelter for their animals yet.
READ MORE: Penticton establishing protection for structures in event of evacuation
If you’re in need of his services, Oz asks you to call the clinic at 250-769-9109.
Oz isn't the only one in the Central Okanagan offering shelter for pets. The Kelowna Riding Club also announced there is space at its facility on Gordon Drive for pets.
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