Community

Community Engagement

NOSA is more than a dog club; we’re a community service organization — and we’re proud of our contributions over the years.

The club has engaged with the local community since its inception in 1954 including some of these highlights:

Saanich Peninsula Fire Departments

Fire trucks on the Saanich Peninsula are now equipped with oxygen resuscitation masks specially designed to fit pets, thanks to NOSA. With the approval of the fire chiefs in North Saanich, Central Saanich and Sidney, NOSA purchased the pet oxygen mask kits as part of our community outreach program. The kits were delivered to the fire departments on January 22, 2015 during a presentation at North Saanich’s fire hall on Wain Road. The idea for the donation came after one of NOSA’s members spotted a local newspaper story last summer about pet-sized oxygen resuscitation masks.

Each kit contains one small, medium and large mask. This lets firefighters treat a variety of different-sized animals – dogs, cats, rabbits, ferrets, guinea pigs, birds, reptiles – suffering from smoke inhalation, toxic fumes or heat exhaustion. Before NOSA’s donation, fire departments treated pets with the larger oxygen masks intended for humans.

“Pets are often on the scene in emergency situations and, like humans, they are susceptible to health risks arising from a fire,” said Sidney Fire Chief Brett Mikkelsen. “While our members never hesitate to assist an animal in distress, this donation means that we now have the proper equipment to save a pet’s life during an emergency.”

Sidney Fire Department Members
Pet 02 Mask Kit

Sidney Peninsula Lions Food Bank

Student Meredith Reeve presenting donation of $1910 to Bev Elder in 2006

NOSA’s annual Christmas dinner auctions have raised over $20,000 for the Sidney Lions Food Bank over the past 18 years. The relationship between our organization and the food bank stretches back to the early 1990s, when NOSA members first brought canned items to their Christmas dinner for donation to the food bank.

Since then, the food bank has been the recipient of NOSA’s annual Christmas fundraiser, with the club matching donations made by the members.

Sanscha Hall (Mary Winspear Centre)

From its 1947 origin as a private club, NOSA offered its first lessons to the public beginning in June, 1954. Classes were held in a variety of places before NOSA made Sidney’s Sanscha Hall home four years later. Sanscha is actually an acronym for Sidney and North Saanich Community Hall Association. NOSA wound up as Sanscha Hall’s oldest, continuous tenant. It was among the first community groups to use the facility when it opened in 1958 and was one of the first groups to use the new Mary Winspear Centre when it opened in the fall of 2001.

In 2000, the dog club presented the Sanscha Community Cultural Centre Foundation with a cheque for $5,000 to assist with the redevelopment of the community facility.

Photo to commemorate NOSA’s donation.

Sidney Days Parade

Members marching in the parade
Group photo in 2009

NOSA members and their dogs are long-time participants in the Sidney Days parade down Beacon Avenue on July 1.

Volunteering & Community Support

  • NOSA instructors not only show dog owners how to train their pets; they also teach and promote responsible dog ownership among our members and the community alike. All NOSA instructors volunteer their time and effort to the club. There are no paid staff.
  • NOSA has supported many animal-related organizations over the years: the SPCA; the Companion Animal Health Fund at Saskatoon’s Western College of Veterinary Medicine; B.C. Guide Dog Services; Canadian Guide Dogs for the Blind; Pacific Assistance Dogs Society, Smiling Blue Skies and the Greater Victoria Animal Crusaders among others have benefited from the dog club’s directed-giving program.
  • NOSA members and their dogs took part in the SPCA’s Wild Arc Paws for the Cause walk in 2006.
NOSA-trained “Drago – OTCh and AtChC” (Owner: L. Hayes) jumps for 2003 cable TV program

Club Sponsors

NOSA would like to thank the following corporate sponsors for their donations to the club over the years.

  • Buckerfields Saanichton
  • Bosleys Royal Oak
  • Thrifty Foods Sidney
  • Tanners Books
  • 4 Paws Pet Grocery and Boutique
  • Sidney Pet Centre
  • Sidney Animal Hospital
  • Meridoc Dog Sports

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