Photo of starving horse compelled veteran volunteer to help

April 12, 2010. For immediate release.

Ros Kalb was in the market for some new pumps and perhaps a pair of leg warmers when she stopped by the mall in Fort St. John on a chilly Saturday afternoon in 1983.

But then she saw a picture of a starving horse, sprawled and near death, at an SPCA display booth, and shoe shopping became the last thing on her mind.

"Here was this horse lying in a field dying next to this fabulously wonderful house and I thought, 'What the heck is this? Look at the house, and look at the poor animal. No food, no care, no nothing.' I just got so angry."

There, Kalb met Marg Millar, who was a strong supporter of the SPCA's work in Fort St. John at the time, and instantly decided that between raising her two kids, working full-time for the federal government and running a household, she would volunteer for the BC SPCA's North Peace Branch.

Back then, the SPCA in Fort St. John didn't have an actual shelter, so animals were taken in by volunteers at their homes. And Kalb, who ironically is allergic to animals, somehow became a cat caregiver and fostered animals in the family's two-car garage.

Kalb dutifully parked her car on the street, and dedicated half of her garage to the cats, fitting the space with roomy kennels and heat lamps. The other half was occupied by her husband's pristine and rarely used 17.5-foot ski boat.

Unfortunately, the cats decided they liked the padded cushions in the boat better than the kennels, a fact that went undiscovered for quite some time because the cats were always waiting obediently in their kennels when Kalb emerged from the house to feed them.

It wasn't until she heard the unmistakable mewing of newborn kittens coming from the hull that Kalb learned the cats had turned the boat into their own personal playpen.

"This was dear Fred's beautiful boat that he seldom took out, and it had cat tracks and scratches everywhere," says Kalb, still mortified by the discovery. "And down in the hull, a mom cat made a lovely nest and gave birth to five little ones."

Fast-forward more than 25 years and Kalb still volunteers for the SPCA's North Peace Branch. Her days of fostering cats in her husband's boat are behind her, thanks to the shelter being built in 1995, however, Kalb's role is as important as ever: she's the volunteer branch manager.

The not-for-profit BC SPCA has 37 branches across the province, a handful of which do not have physical shelters and instead foster animals in the community. Kalb is the society's only volunteer manager of a branch with an actual shelter.

"It's an enormously demanding role and Ros does it with her characteristic aplomb," says Bob Busch, the society's general manager of operations. "We are fortunate to have her."

The North Peace Branch cared for close to 1,000 animals in 2009, representing a 10 per cent increase over the previous year.

Kalb, who puts in an average of 20 hours a week for the SPCA, is quick to credit the staff, including longtime employees Wendy Powers and Judy Hillman, the branch's 40 other volunteers, early visionaries Ken and Judy Chambers, Joan Hendrick and Peter Havlik as well as the residents of Fort St. John themselves for the branch's success.

"What I'm most proud of is how much everything has changed," says Kalb. "When I came here 38 years ago, there were packs of dogs running around and the newspapers carried stories about those dogs attacking other dogs or injuring a child. Things have changed so much since then. Today, most dogs are on leashes, feral cat colonies are under control and the community is very supportive of the welfare of animals."

Kalb's journey hasn't been without hiccups. Just two years after moving to Fort St. John, her mobile home was completely destroyed by fire. But local residents rallied around her family and organized a benefit dance, which was attended by more than 200 people. Before that moment, Kalb was beginning to question her decision to leave her former home in Edmonton and settle in Fort St. John.

"I couldn't believe what I saw," said Kalb. "Hundreds of people came out to help us — only some of whom we really knew. This never would have happened in Edmonton, and it was a turning point for me."

In those early days, Kalb and Joan Hendrick, who worked together at the old Canada Employment Centre in Fort St. John, would sometimes respond to cruelty complaints during their lunch break. Fresh from her office job, Kalb became known for conducting her inspections in a dress and high heels.

She recalls one particular inspection involving a horse in distress.

"As we were doing the investigation, my heels started sinking into the mud, and then, of course, I take a step forward and my shoes don't come with me, and I trip and fall flat on my knees. Never do an inspection in the country in high heels and a dress."

Kalb is one of 4,000 SPCA volunteers across the province.  The BC SPCA salutes its volunteers during National Volunteer Week April 18 to 24. For more information on volunteering for the SPCA, visit spca.bc.ca/volunteer, call 250-785-7722 or drop by the shelter at 9311-81st Ave.

About the BC SPCA North Peace Branch

• The shelter opened in 1995; prior to that, animals were fostered in the homes of residents.
• Oldest known adopted cat: Fritz, a standoffish chocolate point Tonkinese adopted by Kalb at the behest of her husband and children. Despite suffering from diabetes, Fritz lived to the ripe age of 25.
• Weirdest animal: A "poorly behaved" capuchin monkey and a 12-foot boa constrictor, who arrived as a pair when their guardians had a lovers' spat on their way to Alaska and abandoned them at a local motel. Kalb and an RCMP officer captured the monkey, which was dressed in a sailor's suit, by chasing it around the room while trying to avoid going anywhere near the loose boa constrictor. The exotic pets were claimed 10 days later, after what Kalb refers to as "the worst week-and-a-half of my life."
• Most courageous animal: A Lab mix named Lucky who was tied to the bumper of a truck and dragged down the highway before falling out of his collar and tumbling into a ditch. Lucky was rescued by the man who tried to get the truck to pull over, then rushed him to the SPCA when he fell into the ditch. The man stayed with Lucky at the shelter that night, helped with his care during his months of rehabilitation and finally adopted him.

Photo Caption: Ros Kalb and other North Peace SPCA volutneers

For more information:

Melissa Major, coordinator of volunteers, BC SPCA, 604-681-7271.

The BC SPCA is a non-profit organization funded primarily by public donations. Our mission is to prevent cruelty and to promote the welfare of animals through a wide range of services, including cruelty investigations, emergency rescue and treatment, sheltering and adoption of homeless and abused animals, humane education, advocacy, farm animal welfare, spay/neuter programs, and wildlife rescue and rehabilitation.