Ani-Bon Award for the Veterinary Outreach Clinic

The 2025 Ani-Bon Award was presented by the Association des médecins vétérinaires du Québec to Dans la rue’s veterinary outreach clinic, a joint initiative with the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine at the Université de Montréal.

Created in 2001, the Ani-Bon Award honours the positive impact made by an organization or individual on animal welfare in Quebec. The recipient is given a commemorative plaque and a $1,000 cash prize.

In 2000, Dans la rue’s founder, Pops, decided to contact the Université of Montréal’s Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and see if they could provide care to the pets that some of the youth who use our services have. Associate deans André Dallaire and the late Diane Blais did not hesitate to step up to the plate and help get the veterinary outreach clinic up and running.

For 25 years, veterinary students, faculty members and volunteer veterinarians have been coming to the Dans la rue Day Centre every month to perform check-ups on dogs and cats, along with a few rodents, ferrets and snakes, and answer their human companions’ questions, all free of charge. They see about 20 animals at a time.

The benefits of this initiative extend beyond access to veterinary care. These visits are also an excellent opportunity for the counsellors at Dans la rue to connect and build trust with the youth who come to the Day Centre with their beloved pets. The veterinary students who take part in the clinic say they get a lot out of the experience as well and appreciate the contact with marginalized members of the community who share their love of animals.

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