The CEO of a Niagara Region animal shelter says the easing of COVID restrictions is likely behind the slowdown in pet adoptions this summer after the boom in collections during the pandemic.
Kevin Strooband, executive director of the Lincoln County Humane Society, believes the outlet is seeing fewer potential pet owners due to locals having more freedom of movement amid lighter restrictions this summer compared to the last. two years.
“I think what’s really going on here… people are going out, having fun,” Strooband told 900 CHML’s. good morning hamilton.
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“They are focusing on different things and not adopting, which is increasing the number of pets in our shelter.”
In a social media post this week, Humane Canada Executive Director Barbara Cartwright suggested a “perfect storm” is brewing across Canada’s municipalities due to a lack of resources such as medical support, food and home care. parenting combined with a pattern of owners who can no longer care for animals
Shelter operations manager at Toronto Animal Services Sue Shearstone reported a 60 percent increase in the number of animals arriving at shelters last week compared to the same period in 2021.
“We have people (who) have gotten pets during the pandemic and they can’t take care of them,” Shearstone told Global News.
“They may have had to go back to work or maybe they have a dog that they didn’t research the breed and don’t understand the requirements of that particular dog. So we’re seeing a lot of bigger dogs, two to four years old, not very well trained, maybe (with) anxiety.”
Strooband says that deliveries are taking place in her area, but the biggest problems are related to a lack of willing pet owners and staff to manage the general care of the animals.
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“Its a big problem. We also have a veterinary clinic on site, as does the SPCA in Hamilton, and we are really struggling to get vets, registered vet techs and frontline staff,” Strooband said.
Humane Canada’s Cartwright also reported a shift in the types of animals coming into shelters, revealing an increase in pets with medical and behavioral issues that require more resources to make them adoptable.
It’s a scenario the Lincoln shelter is also seeing with owners having to leave an animal behind due to a recent decline in family income.
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“We had a little French bulldog come in, the cutest thing you’ve ever seen, and he had a prolapsed rectum,” Strooband recalled.
“So it took extensive surgery to correct that, and that was done… but the owners couldn’t afford it.”
Residents in the Niagara area who have the means to adopt a pet can contact the Humane Society of Lincoln County or in hamilton the local SPCA.
Strooband says prospective pet owners should be prepared for tough questions about the lifestyle of shelter staff in light of the recent surge in animal deliveries.
“There are some people who will be upset about that, but for the most part…respect what we say,” Strooband said.
“They understand, we are the experts. We have been doing this for a long time. So we try to make sure it’s a good match.”
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