December 8, 2023
A well-deserved retirement for Daniel Davenport!
Last week, our beloved patrol officer Daniel Davenport headed off into retirement. This veteran of the Montreal SPCA dedicated his entire career to animal protection, and so deserved a surprise send-off! In honour of Daniel’s 45 years of devoted service to animals and his contribution to the SPCA, we rebaptized our garage “The Davenport.”
The celebration was a unique opportunity for colleagues, new and old alike, to enjoy the many stories of this exceptional professional who had seen it all! We listened attentively and admiratively to Daniel’s tales, of the major fire in a Saint-Roch-de-l’Achigan kennel that was housing 28 dogs, a cougar and a jaguar (!) to the rescue of animals from the 1996 flooding of the Saguenay River, by way of the hundreds of animal seized in unsanitary conditions year after year. We are always fascinated to hear about his five decades of action for animals.
Working at the Montreal SPCA from ages 20 to 65, Daniel had more than a career: he had a calling. He held various positions, mostly in the Investigations Division as an animal protection officer before becoming a patroller in more recently.
Some years, Daniel was the only animal protection officer at the SPCA. That didn’t stop him from rescuing cats, dogs, farmed animals, reptiles and even a baboon! He truly saved animals of all species. And when there were too many to rescue, our veteran defender of animals would “gather men,” as he puts it, and “embark on the adventure of their lives!”
He answers the question, “Have you ever been bitten by an animal during a rescue?” that he’s been bitten “by cats sometimes. But never by dogs! My wife says I have an aura that instills trust in dogs.” You just have to see the kindness in Daniel’s eyes to believe it!
Thank you, Daniel, on behalf of all the tens and thousands of animals you kept safe, protected and helped all these years! We wish you a wonderful retirement with your children, grandchildren and all your animal companions!
Will you come back to visit us at the “The Davenport”? 😉
