While I have never volunteered at a Pound, I have spent a lot of time with the SPCA. I agree that the new Pounds seem to be more concerned about Animal Welfare! The Coquitlam Animal Shelter is open from 9:00 AM until 8:00PM on weekdays. One thing that always troubled me is that the SPCA closes at 6:00 PM. Many strays were left there as their owners worked long hours and couldn't get there in time and had to wait until the weekend. It is the same with adoptions. Many people cannot possibly leave work early. One evening I had to go and pick up 3 cats going into foster care as their foster parent was coming to the Burnaby SPCA from Surrey and had tried several times to get there in time and no staff member would wait for her to get there! I waited outside the shelter and was able to safely deliver the cats. On the other hand, I was very impressed to notice that the Coquitlam Animal Shelter is actually open later to give the animals more time to be viewed for adoptions and picked up as strays.