Helping rescue pets find a home

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 04/04/2012 (5312 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

ONE of Winnipeg’s best-known pet stores has partnered with the Winnipeg Humane Society to help find homes for rescue cats and dogs.

Petland’s three Winnipeg locations stopped buying puppies and kittens from breeders last year and joined the humane society’s satellite adoption network last month.

“There are always going to be homeless animals out there, and we wanted to be part of the solution,” said Agatha Slominski, Calgary-based marketing manager for Petland Company Stores. “We wanted to be able to find homes for all of these animals. We had all this kennel space, so we decided to contact the humane society.”

Cats and kittens can still be found at Petland stores, along with hamsters, turtles and fish, but puppies and dogs make only guest appearances. They are kept full-time at the humane society’s shelter on Hurst Way in Fort Garry, but every two weeks, several dogs and pups are taken to a different Petland store for adopt-a-thons. (The next one is April 14 at Petland’s Pembina Highway outlet.)

Bill McDonald, CEO of the humane society, said Petland’s change in direction is a “major” move, particularly as some U.S. stores had been charged with buying puppies from puppy mills several years ago.

The more dogs that can be adopted, the more space is created to help the humane society look after abandoned dogs, he said.

There are several ways that dogs can end up at the humane society — strays found running around the city, people surrender them, and they’re shipped to Winnipeg from northern reserves.

“There are still people who put dogs in the back of their cars, drive them to the country and punt them. They think (the dog) will find a nice family-farm home. Well, those homes already have three or four dogs,” McDonald said.

Another trend influencing Petland’s decision is fewer would-be pet owners have found their new companions at pet stores in recent years, said Bonnie Brissette, manager of Petland’s Pembina Highway location.

“People want to save an animal and adopt a rescue animal,” she said. “We found that the dogs and cats in our care were getting too old in the stores. Instead of finding a home in a month or two, it was taking four or five months. We didn’t think that was fair to our animals.”

The cost of adopting a dog or cat depends largely on their breed and age. Shih Tzu puppies, for example, can run between $289 and $449. Dogs between six months old and eight years will fetch about $200, and “senior” dogs over the age of eight can be bought for as little as $80. (Sometimes older dogs will be put on sale so they get a home sooner.)

Kittens typically cost $179, cats between six and 12 months will set you back $129 and cats older than a year cost $79. Before moving into their new homes, all the animals are spayed or neutered and have been given all their shots.

geoff.kirbyson@freepress.mb.ca

Breeder approves

Sharon Otto, owner of Schutzengel German shepherds in Anola, said she’s in favour of Petland’s move. The majority of reputable breeders don’t sell dogs to pet stores, she said.

“(Petland) isn’t supporting puppy mills. There’s a difference between being a breeder and a puppy mill,” she said.

Otto said some rescue dogs can be a bit of a wildcard, but prospective pet owners don’t know what they’re getting from puppy mills either.

“I think people should buy from a reputable breeder, but a lot of people don’t want to pay the price,” she said.