A ‘perfect storm’ has more Canadians surrendering pets. Here’s how to help
Global News
As the cost of living continues to increase across the country, more and more Canadians are surrendering their pets -- and shelters are beginning to reach capacity.
As the cost of living continues to increase across the country, more and more Canadians are surrendering their pets — and shelters are beginning to reach capacity.
“The economic stress that’s coming, and is getting worse, is putting people at risk of not knowing what to do, where to turn and how to get help, and so they’re having to make these terrible decisions that break their heart,” Barbara Cartwright, president and CEO of Humane Canada, told the Roy Green Show.
Humane Canada, which represents Humane Societies and SPCAs in every province and two territories, has been seeing an increasing number of calls and emails from Canadians looking for help surrendering their animal, according to Cartwright.
These calls come as the Bank of Canada last month raised its key interest rate for a sixth consecutive time this year in response to inflation reaching the highest level seen in nearly four decades.
With more and more people surrendering their pets, shelters are also reaching capacity, she noted.
“We’re seeing our shelters are now at, or close to, capacity. We see waitlists are growing for those shelters that don’t have space left,” she said. “Resources are getting stretched, both on the average Canadians side, but also on the shelter side.”
Due to the large number of people who adopted animals from puppy mills during the COVID-19 pandemic, an increasing number of surrendered animals are also coming into shelters with behavioral issues, according to Cartwright.
This makes it harder to get the animal ready for adoption, she said.