CAMPBELL RIVER, B.C – A worrying trend of people dumping animals in and outside of the city has motivated two local shelters to get a message out to the public.
CR Paws and the Campbell River SPCA want people to know that their animals are welcome.
“We’ve noticed a higher rate of animal dumping,” said Karen Ingle, founding member and foster coordinator at Paws.
“We have quite a few animals that we’ve trapped in surrounding areas, or in town, that have been dumped by somebody’s neighbour.”
According to SueAnn Deeble, a community council member for the SPCA, abandoned animals don’t often fare well.
“If it’s not picked up, most often it dies. Either it starves to death or freezes to death. If it’s a domesticated animal they are not good at surviving in the wild. They aren’t equipped to staying outside year round.”
Both organizations wanted to tell the public that if they need to drop off an animal, there is no judgement.
“If for whatever reason you don’t want the animal you’ve got, bring it to the SPCA and we will make sure it’s looked after and we will find a home,” said Deeble.
“The big message I wanted to get out is that the SPCA is there for you. If you have an animal, whatever that animal is, snake , rat, dog, cat and for whatever reason you don’t want it anymore, bring it to the SPCA.”
Ingle said a common misconception of the SPCA is that adopted animals may be put down.
“It’s a very important message; the SPCA is a no kill shelter. The only animal that is ever put down is an ill animal, and it’s done for their sake. They go above and beyond, I’ve seen them spend thousands of dollars to ensure that an animal is healthy.”
“But if anyone is uncomfortable going to the SPCA, please contact us, we are happy to help and there is no judgement, there’s no questions. Between the two organizations, there is no reason why anyone should have to abandon an animal,” added Ingle.
Campbell River Paws specializes in abandoned cats, you can visit their website through this link: https://www.campbellriverpaws.com/what-we-do
The Campbell River SPCA can be found here: https://spca.bc.ca/locations/campbell-river/
