Alberta Animal Rescue Crew Society Reaches Animal Rescue Capacity, Halts Intake – Calgary | Globalnews.ca

Kennels are full at the Alberta Animal Rescue Crew Society after the organization saw an influx of animals in the past two weeks.

“We just reopened our doors two weeks ago and it was just an influx of animals coming in, and once again we are at the maximum capacity of what we can currently care for,” said AARCS Executive Director Deanna Thompson.

Thompson said the number of pets being turned in isn’t the only reason AARCS is operating at full capacity.

“The lack of available veterinary care is difficult,” Thompson said, noting that this is another contributing factor. “We had to outsource some of our care to local clinics, so getting those animals ready for adoption has been a bit slower.”

The influx of large litters of pets has also added to the problem.

“We had a couple of large cases of animals coming in, so we recently received 35 cats from a family whose caretaker passed away,” Thompson said.

She noted that there is a solution to help bring those numbers back down so AARCS can start receiving animals once again.

“Foster homes are key right now,” Thompson said.

“The key to saving lives right now is having people who can take care of these animals temporarily and that has been a huge struggle for us right now.”

AARCS only relies on foster homes to care for animals while they await their permanent homes, but with COVID restrictions gone and summer here, people are going on vacation, and Thompson said they’re having a hard time finding temporary helpers.

“Even puppies that are normally picked up quickly from foster homes are sitting here waiting for someone to come and temporarily house them until we can find them new homes,” he said.

Thompson expects the entry freeze to only last a week or so, but added that it all depends on how many animals they can foster in the near future.

For information about AARCS or how you can help, click here.

1:51
AARCS on lockdown after distemper outbreak