ATHABASCA– For many, gift-giving is the most enjoyable part of Christmas; browsing through stores, farmer’s markets, or Amazon, all in search of something that will bring a smile to a loved one’s face. This year, however, local shelters are asking people to refrain from giving animals as gifts.
“People will adopt out playful puppies or kittens as Christmas presents, but they don’t really think of all the work and responsibility it is to train a new animal into the home,” said Angel Bigelow, manager of the Lac La Biche Regional Humane Society (LLBRHS). “Generally, within a month after Christmas we see a huge influx of surrenders.”
The large increase of animals is an issue for LLBRHS, as well as other humane societies in the region — Bigelow herself said they were “full to the bursting point” with cats, dogs, and everything in between.
“We discourage people getting animals for presents, it’s one of the questions in our adoption application,” said Bigelow. However, she added, “Given the sheer volume we have, we can’t really deny an adoption either, we have too much.”
Currently, LLBRHS has a six-month wait list for what they call “owner surrenders,” pets that are brought in due to a change in life circumstance, housing, or because the owner simply can’t care for them anymore. What little room they have is either reserved for Lac La Biche County stray pickups, or for “rural abandonment” — Bigelow said the shelter just received five puppies found on the side of the road, which she said has been a growing issue.
The shelter in Lac La Biche isn’t the only one struggling. The Second Chance Animal Rescue Society (SCARS) which operates an adoption centre in Morinville and has a facility in Athabasca County, launched an emergency adoption campaign Dec. 10.
Amanda Annetts, SCARS foster home coordinator, told the St. Albert Gazette the situation is unprecedented. “We’re facing the most severe situation in our 20-year history. We’ve never seen anything like it,” said Annetts.
Think before taking a stray home
The high demand for shelter space has started to spill over onto local municipalities shoulders — while the Town of Athabasca has some capacity for sheltering strays, Athabasca County does not, and anyone picking up a ‘stray’ dog may find themselves on the hook for its care.
“We tell people not to pick up animals they find (in rural settings) because it could be a neighbour’s dog or the farmer next door,” said Lee Ann Boyd, the emergency and protective services administrative assistant at Athabasca County. “It becomes their responsibility. We don’t have a holding facility. We do give them SCARS number, or LLBHRS or the SPCA, or we suggest they put the animal on Facebook.”
Another way for the public to help is ensuring their animals are spayed, neutered and microchipped — while the upfront cost can be expensive, Bigelow said it tends to pay off in the long run.
“You don’t have to house nine puppies or feed six other kittens,” said Bigelow. “Spaying and neutering is the biggest thing we want to get out into the universe.”
LLBHRS is currently running a re-homing event of its own; to help combat low adoption numbers, the society is encouraging people to foster an animal over the holiday season.
“We have a lot of camp workers and such in northern Alberta, so if they’re home for two weeks or three weeks, and they want to have a dog for the holidays, they just need to fill out a foster form,” said Bigelow. “We also encourage people to foster first before adopting, just to make sure the dog or cat is a good fit because they do come with their own quirks. We do get some pretty damaged animals who may not trust humans.”
Foster forms can be found on LLBHRS’s website at llbrhs.com. To take part in SCARS Emergency Adoption Surge Campaign, book an appointment on their website at events.scarscare.ca.
