If you or someone you know is needing or wanting to surrender an animal for any reason, you can no longer walk into the B.C. SPCA North Cariboo District Branch and do so.
As of yesterday (Nov. 1), you will need to make an appointment as an owner to surrender pets.
A Facebook post by the branch explains there are two main reasons for the change, "both based on the welfare of animals in our care being our highest priority."
The reasons are as follows, shared by the shelter on social media:
1. "Our shelter has a finite capacity to care for animals. The North Cariboo SPCA branch works with a very high volume of animals, especially cats, on a daily basis. We follow strict protocols to house our animals humanely, which means, for example, that every cat gets at least 11 square feet of space in its kennel. Since these new kennels are larger than those of the past, we are now able to house fewer cats than we were able to in the past. Our shelter regularly reaches capacity, at which point we do not have the physical space to accept more animals until animals are either adopted or transferred to other branches for adoption. As such, scheduling appointments for surrenders will help us to ensure that we have the staff and housing resources to adequately care for the animals surrendered to us."
2. "Our goal is to find forever homes for all animals in our care, and we do not put a time limit on how long it takes an animal to find a forever home. We even regularly transfer animals to other branches so they have a chance to be adopted there. However, we can only adopt physically and mentally healthy animals. By being able to learn more about an animal and its history before we agree to take it in, we will ensure that an animal can get the optimal care it may need to maximize its chances of being adopted."
To make an appointment with the Lansdowne Road branch, call 250-562-5511. If you believe an animal needs immediate help, contact animal control at 250-561-7622.
Dr. Alex Schare, manager of animal centre services, says there are a number of SPCA branches that currently schedule appointments for surrenders and the results have been positive.
"The North Cariboo B.C. SPCA branch sees very high numbers of animals and regularly reaches capacity, which is why, in consultation with senior management, the decision was taken to introduce an appointment-based system at our branch as well," he writes in an email to PrinceGeorgeMatters.
