No room at the animal shelter

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 24/08/2023 (807 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

They are, according to popular pet-pampering parlance, our very best friends. And beyond that, highly valued members of our families. Some of us go so far as to refer to ourselves as the “Mommy” or “Daddy” of our — one shudders at the term — “fur babies.”

All the current cutesy colloquialisms are clearly intended to underpin the idea that we really, really love our dogs and cats; that our four-legged furry friends are forever a front-of-mind consideration.

And yet…

A report published last week indicates this city’s animal shelters, and those in other parts of the province, are filled to overflowing with once-beloved pups and kitties whose owners have surrendered custody because they cannot or will not care for their pets any longer.

“It’s taking a toll on our staff and volunteers,” said Leland Gordon, manager of the city’s Animal Services agency, in reference to the fact the department’s facility on Logan Avenue can comfortably house 20 dogs but last week was burdened with 31 — most of which had not been spayed or neutered, vaccinated or licensed.

A similar story is being played out at other shelters around the province. The Winnipeg Humane Society last week reported having 255 cats and kittens and 41 dogs and puppies in its care, with another 220 dogs and cats currently in foster care awaiting possible placement in a more permanent home.

Why are so many dog and cat owners opting to curtail their pet-care responsibilities these days? The reasons, it seems, are manifold, including inflationary pressures caused by rising costs for food, pet supplies and veterinary care, not enough hours for animal interaction as a result of greater time constraints in other areas of work and home life, or even something as straightforward as a move into housing that does not allow pets.

A whole lot of people chose to take on pet ownership during the long, confined ordeal of COVID-19 (60 per cent of Canadian households own at least one dog or cat, and a survey conducted in November 2020 indicated 18 per cent of Canada’s pet owners had obtained a new pet since the start of the pandemic). Shelter operators now find many of those impulse-driven pet purchasers have had second thoughts about having a four-legged dependent under their no-longer-locked-down roofs.

The massive offloading has created an untenable situation for shelters — while the pace at which pets are being adopted has reportedly remained steady, the number of people looking to surrender pets has increased sharply in recent months. As a result, the humane society currently has a six-month intake wait list.

That’s hard on the shelters. And even harder on the four-legged critters who were once embraced as friends but now face a much more uncertain future. Dogs, as it turns out, are more difficult to re-house than cats, largely because they require more care because of their size and the need to take them outside regularly for exercise and bathroom breaks.

The bottom line is this: these animal “friends” deserve better. While the vast majority of pet owners act responsibly and reciprocate the affection and loyalty their pets offer, the current shelter numbers suggest many would do well to reconsider their responsibilities as pet owners or, more importantly, to give serious thought to the long-term commitment of pet ownership before making the decision to bring an animal companion into their homes.

“People really need to think long and hard before they add a dog to the family,” said Mr. Gordon. Indeed. Serious consideration of our relationship is the very least our best friends deserve.