Grimble, a Newfoundland-wolfhound cross, was recently spotted wandered around Prince George.
He was found with a note attached to his collar, detailing his likes, dislikes, and care requirements, as well as the circumstances leading to his abandonment.
The dog was quickly brought to the Prince George Humane Society by some Good Samaritans.
“I understand what can happen to him. I'm out of options. It's this or a bullet. I want him to have a chance at a family I couldn’t give him,” the note read.
A Facebook post from the Humane Society, detailing Grimble’s circumstances, has garnered significant attention, along with offers for adoption and fostering.
“We’re going to put him up for adoption next week, but we already have an overwhelming response from people wanting to adopt him,” said Angela McLaren, founder and executive director of the PG Humane Society. “We want all of the dogs that we have to get that response. His story really pulled on people's heartstrings, but we have so many other dogs that have similar stories.”
As McLaren pointed out, Grimble’s case is not unique.
“We see a lot of abandoned dogs,” McLaren said. “We either see them tied up or let loose, and so this is a bit of a unique case in the sense that it’s the first time we've had a letter from the owner. That letter gave us a lot of details about Grimble, which helps us place him in the right environment. A lot of the animals we get, we have no idea about their history.”
The Prince George Humane Society has a long waiting list of people wanting to surrender an animal to the society, meaning those wishing to give up their pets sometimes have no choice but to abandon them.
Currently, the Humane Society’s capacity for surrenders is full, with more than 20 dogs on the waiting list.
Since January, the Humane Society has taken in approximately 25 abandoned dogs.
McLaren spoke to The Citizen about some of the challenges contributing to this issue.
“Post-COVID, we’ve seen challenges with overpopulation in the community and a lack of options to rehome animals,” McLaren said. “We’re significantly seeing more now that we’ve taken on the animal shelter operations for the city of Prince George. We’re now more aware of the challenges in the community.”
She added that, in addition to overpopulation, the Humane Society is struggling to keep up with demand due to limited capacity.
“We constantly have people calling on a daily basis wanting to surrender dogs,” McLaren said. “It’s based on capacity and our resources. We can help where we can, but the waiting list is extensive. We’re encouraging people to look at alternative options, like rehoming an animal through other sources or dealing with other rescues. I don’t think we’ll ever get on top of the waiting list, but we’re doing as much as we can to help the community.”
The reasons behind dog surrenders and abandonment typically stem from behavioural issues, financial struggles, or a lack of pet-friendly housing.
Larger dogs are more likely to be abandoned, as their issues are often more noticeable and harder to manage than those of smaller breeds.
The cycle of abandonment is challenging to break, McLaren said.
“We need to focus more on spaying and neutering to deal with overpopulation,” she said. “Another primary reason people surrender dogs is behavioural issues, which can be challenging because there isn’t always easy access to resources to address them.”
The Humane Society has a program called Keeping Pets and People Together, which works with families in their home environment to prevent animals from being surrendered to shelters. However, McLaren stressed that there is no easy solution to this issue.
Another initiative, Couch Crashers, pairs people with rescued animals for a few days to help the pets decompress and enjoy a home environment.
You can sign up for Couch Crashers here.
If you’re interested in supporting the Humane Society, you can donate or apply to adopt a pet here.
