Animal Advocates Watchdog

Number of adoptions at Nanaimo SPCA is way down

Number of adoptions at Nanaimo SPCA is way down

Danielle Bell
The Daily News

Wednesday, December 15, 2010

The number of animal adoptions at the Nanaimo SPCA is down substantially over the same time last year.

The shelter has launched a special holiday-season adoption awareness campaign to bring attention to the situation.

So far this year, 717 animals have found their forever families from the SPCA.

That is a drop of more than 200 from the 919 animals adoptions reported over the same time last year. The majority of animals awaiting adoption from the shelter are cats, with about 60 available to loving families.

Several dogs are also available for adoption. The push aims to find 200 animals a home over the holiday season.

Despite the seasonal campaign, Nanaimo SPCA manager Leon Davis stresses the shelter does not allow animals to be adopted for Christmas presents.

Adopting a pet should be a family decision, say shelter officials, who screen potential pet applicants.

So far, 56 animals have been adopted since the shelter launched its campaign two weeks ago.

The SPCA continues to see pets regularly surrendered to the shelter, with expensive veterinary bills and moving among reasons animals have been given up.

The waiting list is lengthy for people who want to surrender their animals.

Last year, the shelter also saw an increased number of animals being surrendered, with the recession likely to blame for the handful of new arrivals each month.

The situation worsened last fall, when the overflowing shelter was forced to turn away cats and euthanize others due to crowding.

The SPCA struggled to cope with 50% more cats in 2009 compared with an average year.

More people surrendered pets and the shelter also became responsible for a large number of animals seized from a compulsive cat hoarder.

The shelter also accepted more pets from owners who moved or could no longer afford to care for them.

Other ways to support animals in need over the holiday season include the B.C. SPCA guardian angel program.

New this year, the program allows donors to send a personal message about the animal that will be posted on its online adoption profile.

For information, visit the SPCA website at www.spca.bc.ca

DBell@nanaimodailynews.com 250-729-4255

http://www2.canada.com/nanaimodailynews/news/story.html?id=d59d6744-4bc9-4f34-9bf7-f0476705cab8

COMMENTS ON THIS STORY

JasonWed, Dec 15, 10 at 12:12 PM
I hate to say this but the main reason adoptions are down is because the process of adopting an animal is way too much. I realize you have to check people out but it is riculous. Adoption fees went up, forms to fill out increased, waiting times have gotten longer. Most people don't bother with all the red tape, its easier to buy a pet privately!

JanetWed, Dec 15, 10 at 12:37 PM
Actually the article has it a bit wrong. I volunteer at the SPCA and they never euthanize for population (crowding). Last year a virulent sickness affected several cats and this situation was compounded by the number of cats that had been abandoned at the shelter (many of them sick). The staff worked so hard to treat every animal. They sent as many as possible into foster homes, (I took 2), even the staff that could took a few home each to support their recovery. A vet was called in and unfortunately some of the sickest had to be euthanized to protect the rest of the population. I am proud to volunteer at a shelter with such a low rate of humane euthanasia. Only animals who are critically ill or injured beyond repair are euthanized. When people abandon their animals due to inability to financially care for an illness it is those people that are risking the lives of other cats in the shelter and expecting staff and volunteers to carry the emotional and physical burden of their care.

Dog LoverWed, Dec 15, 10 at 02:43 PM
I would never even consider adopting from the SPCA the place is run way to heavy handed.The last dog I adopted was from the city animal shelter on Harewood Mines Rd and they were extremely friendly and helpful ...

KinikinikWed, Dec 15, 10 at 02:53 PM
It's the inappropriate judgement of those who have fallen on hard financial times, or for those pet owners who develop chronic conditions later in life who must surrender the animals. The only choice to suffering the moral judgement of an SPCA staff or volunteer, is to abandon the animal or find a home privately, neither option being very responsive to emergencies. So while there may be an inordinate amount of 'pride' perhaps 'pride' should be softened with a non-judgemental probing service.

SheldonWed, Dec 15, 10 at 03:04 PM
The adoption fees go up to try and keep up with rising vet fees. I adopted a Cat from the SPCA 2 years ago and again this month. The paperwork was exactly the same, one application form. I adopted the same day so no waiting time there. The reason why there are so many animals without homes is because buying pets privately supports breeding and inevitably cat and puppy mills. I love my pets and would go through any amount of red tape to ensure their future. There's a lot of red tape, forms and waiting periods for passports, drivers licenses, human adoptions, job applications, credit appications, why not for wanting ownership and responsibility of the life and welfare of an animal? I hate that so many people are so flippant with animals and the SPCA ensuring they find a loving and perfect home forever.

AdamWed, Dec 15, 10 at 03:56 PM
Recently my family tried to add a small dog as a new member of the family. As responsible people, we first went to the SPCA, to see if there was a suitable addition. We were met with rude people who were too busy talking to each other to actually answer any questions about the adoption process. We weren't allowed to see any animals as it would "wake them up" and they would need to be walked afterward, or so we were told. The information we were provided could be gleaned from their website, which is to say not very much at all, hence the visit in person. I could go on, as my mother inlaw ran a Kennel in Alberta for many years, but none of the comment would be flattering for the current staff of the Nanaimo SPCA. We ended up buying our little guy from a breeder up island about 1.5 hrs North. They were friendly, had complete vaccination records and a complete history of both parents, type of food to provide and he was partially house trained. My point is, adoptions are down as a direct result of the attitude and demeanor of the staff of the SPCA. I agree they need to weed out the Michael Vicks of the world, but you don't do that by ignoring those coming in the door or by being too lazy to get off your chair. In this day and age, finding good qualified staff for the SPCA should not be that hard. I'm sure the field staff are attentive and caring, but the office staff are a poor reflection of that caring and really need a shake up. Thanks for reading. Adam

old phoot Thu, Dec 16, 10 at 02:09 AM
In Nanaimo it is easy to adopt a child then it is a dog or cat. Gee could that have anything to do with the numbers Leon??
irresponsible owners Thu, Dec 16, 10 at 02:15 AM
If all these so-called animal lovers would keep there damn cats in their own homes and yards there would be no need to have to find so many new owners all the time.

bangerThu, Dec 16, 10 at 11:25 AM
Maybe if the attitude of the staff would improve they would get more adoptions. I constantly hear of people who have visited the Nanaimo shelter only to be insulted, dismissed and ignored. Not the way to treat the public. They managed to upset people at the Bosleys charity photo shoot recently aswell. Its about time the manager cleaned house and employed some people who actually care about the cause and can empathize with the people who visit. Now the spca are cherry picking the breeds and charging more for some ypes of dog. This is ridiculous. The SPCA is a charity and should act like one. Many potential dog owners are not made of money, and should not be punished for that reason. Not to mention that the staff at the Nanaimo branch are judgemental but not necessarily well advised. I have seen first hand the bad attitude towards potential adopters....very disappointing. This is not widespread, the Parksville branch have it all set up with the right staff. The Nanaimo branch needs to follow suit before things will improve.

MORE COMMENTS AT THE LINK ABOVE.

Messages In This Thread

Negative feedback upsets Nanaimo's SPCA workers *LINK*
Number of adoptions at Nanaimo SPCA is way down
Re: Negative feedback upsets Nanaimo's SPCA workers
Re: Negative feedback upsets Nanaimo's SPCA workers
Experience with SPCA was not a positive one

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