!['We're at capacity': Animal rescue agencies on Vancouver Island overwhelmed as people return to office](https://www.ctvnews.ca/content/dam/ctvnews/en/images/2021/11/10/puppies-1-5661186-1636594495169.jpg)
'We're at capacity': Animal rescue agencies on Vancouver Island overwhelmed as people return to office
CTV
Throughout the pandemic, many people started working from home, and in the process decided to get a pet. Now, many are returning to the office, and with that animals are once again being surrendered to shelters.
Eight new puppies have just arrived at the Victoria Humane Society in Saanich from a remote community in British Columbia.
"We’re seeing a lot of puppies, kittens, adults dogs, that normally we wouldn’t have seen before because we would have spayed and neutered," said Penny Stone, executive director of the Victoria Humane Society.
Many remote communities have been closed to outsiders due to COVID-19. Because of that, the Victoria Humane Society hasn’t been able to get into those communities to run its neutering programs.
That program controls the animal population in those remote communities.
Eight new puppies have just arrived at the Victoria Humane Society from a remote community in B.C.: Nov. 10, 2021 (CTV News)
"I would say we’re probably set back 10 years in where we were before (pre-pandemic) because it’s just blown up," said Stone.
The Humane Society is at 100 per cent capacity due to many people returning unwanted pets that were adopted during the pandemic and because of it's suspended neutering programs in those remote communities.
It’s currently housing 100 dogs and puppies and almost 300 cats and kittens. The animals are spread out throughout 350 foster families.