More Animals Being Destroyed SPCA Overwhelmed
By Frank Peebles, Citizen Staff
Cats on the counters, canines in the corridors, the SPCA is supposed to be a shelter, but this week it was more like a menagerie.
An unexpected and inexplicable influx of animals has pushed the local SPCA to its limit and accelerated their normal rate of euthanasia. The association would prefer to adopt these animals out.
“After the long weekend we had 115 animals dropped off in the first 72 hours that we were open,” said Jeannine Woodhouse, the SPCA’s branch manager. “There is an enormous strain on human resources for cleaning, feeding and general housing of these animals.
At the transition of each month there is usually a bit of a blip in the animals dropped off at the SPCA, due to people moving. These numbers are a staggering anomaly at a time when
“Nobody fixes their animals here (Prince George), so there is this tragedy of a large population of unwanted animals,” Woodhouse said.
“You do not have to wait for your animals to have a litter before you fix your pet; that is a myth. Spay or neuter by the time they are six months old and that would fix our problem. Until then, thousands – and I’m not kidding when I say thousands – of animals will die needlessly. We euthanize close to 2,000 animals every year as it is.”
The SPCA is open for business again on Tuesday. Anyone interested in owning a new pet is asked to come by and see the array of animals. The SPCA receives no government funding and relies on public support to look after the many homeless and distressed animals.