My name is Milo! You might recognize me as one of the pups on the Pup Plaza mural. I’m happily part of Pup Plaza’s history.
Normally, when I bark about something needing a new home, it’s one of my fellow canines — at one time homeless — who is in foster and looking for a forever family.
Today, I’m talking about Pup Plaza, the hub and heart of SVPP. When we opened Pup Plaza at the end of 2018, we signed a one year lease that made me wag my tail. We knew it was temporary since Cambrian Plaza was scheduled to be redeveloped in 2020 — but it was still worth a wag! To help celebrate (and to add some celebrity paws and flare!), Phuong-Mai “Mai” Blasich, the founder artist of P.M.B.Q. Studios, painted a beautiful mural on the wall featuring me and some of my canine friends, all fostered by SVPP and adopted to loving families!
After more than three years, we have just signed our last lease in our current space. Me, Oscar and the other pups on the wall will have to find a new home for our mural and for Pup Plaza before the beginning of 2024. Cambrian Plaza will begin redevelopment at that time and we have to relocate in advance.
Can you help us find a new space? Now, that would be worth another wag!
During the past three years, Pup Plaza has served as a focal point for community engagement. I have met so many amazing friends there — people and pets! It’s been really fun for me to watch all of the barking, meowing and all of the other activity! We have had so much going on at Pup Plaza: adoption events, meet and greets for potential adopters, classes in pet care, behavior and health, Doga (yoga for dogs) and Paint Your Pet parties, fund raisers and more. Pup Plaza has served as the hub for foster supplies, food, litter, and toys since the day it opened. Importantly, for my friends at the shelter, Pup Plaza has been the site for Shelter Dog Day Out, our program designed to give shelter dogs some rest, respite, exercise and love.
We even managed some of these very essential things through Covid and all of the related restrictions. It was a lonely time for me!
We want to continue all of these activities and continue to serve our community beyond 2023! If you have any ideas of locations or spaces, please connect with us! You can email info@svpetproject.org.
Karen Zamel helped Milo share his story about Pup Plaza. She is a long-time SVPP volunteer and also on the communications team.