Nearly 230 more pets have been abandoned compared to last year, regrets the SPCA, which fears an unprecedented wave on July 1 if the move is the main cause of abandonment.
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“Every day, animals are abandoned in the processions due to a lack of affordable shelters to take animals,” laments Laurence Massé, deputy director of the Montreal Society for the Protection of Animals (SPCA).
For the past three months, the SPCA has been handling up to 255 calls a day, according to the organization, which estimates it has collected nearly 150 more cats and 80 dogs than last year. Almost 600 animals are currently waiting to find their forever families.
Photo provided by the SPCA
“We expected an increase in early school leaving, but we didn’t expect a bigger increase than last year. We realized that inflation also has a lot to do with this, although the main reason remains housing problems,” says Ms. Massé.
- Listen to the chronicle of Cybèle Olivier, research journalist at QUB, with Marie Montpetit QUB radio :
If abandonments spike in the weeks leading up to July 1 and the fateful date of the moves, Ms Massé fears they will only spike over the summer.
Many people leave their pet behind when they go on vacation because they usually haven’t found anyone to keep them.
“A few weeks ago we took in a two-year-old dog that was abandoned because its owner had been away for a month and hadn’t found anyone to look after him,” explains Ms. Massé.
The organization’s deputy director in Montreal reminds us that we need to think about all of this before adopting a four-legged friend.
To avoid abandonment as much as possible, the SPCA has set up numerous owner support programs.
Photo provided by the SPCA
“We have a team of more than 15 behavioral scientists who offer advice to pet owners who have animals with behavioral problems. We also have a food bank to help people who don’t have enough money to feed their animal and are thinking about abandoning it,” says Ms. Massé.