The Winnipeg Humane Society is still struggling to find space for all of its animals and has spent much of the last year in crisis.
Despite an increase in adoptions last year, adoption manager Daphnee Hee says the shelter is currently on the brink
.
According to her, a series of dog seizures prevented her from taking in more animals and caused a massive influx of animals into her shelter.
We could not adopt the animals as quickly as they came to us because they required care before being put up for adoption. This therefore creates a certain congestion which leads to a capacity crisis
she explains.
Ms. Hee says that on Thursday, the Winnipeg Humane Society had approximately 350 animals in his care, including 169 in foster care.
Last May, the shelter welcomed 68 dogs who were living in horrible conditions
when they were removed from a home in the city. In August, the province seized another 137 dogs, many of them in distress and living in unsanitary conditions, in a home north of Winnipeg.
When the situation arose, the shelter faced housing issues. How can we find 50 or 100 places for all these animals arriving?
raconte Daphnee Hee.
She said more than 100 people called and signed up to foster dogs within an hour of the call for help following the first seizure.
Daphnee Hee believes that the growing number of animals in the shelter’s care is also linked to the increase in the number of people abandoning their pets because they are unable to pay veterinary fees.
Inflation has made veterinary care really difficult to afford.
Additionally, medical abandonments have increased the number of sick animals… resulting in animals staying in the shelter longer due to all of these issues.
she adds.
The adoption manager specifies that the adoption rate of the Winnipeg Humane Society has slowed over the past two years, with an estimated increase of between 2.5 and 3 percent last year.
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The shelter said it had to temporarily limit taking in pets last year because the number of animals in its care exceeded its capacity.
Photo: Provided by the Winnipeg Humane Society
Record year for the Steinbach refuge
While the Winnipeg Humane Society was facing numerous crises, for its part, the Steinbach and Area Animal Rescue saw a record number of cats and dogs find their forever homes last year.
This shelter opened a new state-of-the-art facility last summer, and Michelle Neufeld, its president, says the number of adoptions has increased from 313 in 2023 to about 400 last year.
Attendance has really increased, and I think a lot of that is because we have a facility and people have a place to go to see these animals
she explains.
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On September 17, a major flood hit Steinbach and Area Animal Rescue.
Photo : CBC/Jeff Stapleton
In its new facilities, the rooms for cats open concept
have been very successful, allowing future owners to spend time with the animals before adopting them. The property also has a large fenced dog area in its backyard.
I just think it allows people to come and see the animals in advance. So it’s much easier than visiting an animal in a foster home
maintains Ms. Neufeld.
The shelter recently received a grant to be able to build an outdoor enrichment area for the dogs in its care. The president hopes that work will begin next spring.
There are also plans to create new sterilization clinics, with the help of sponsors.
That’s probably the first goal of ours: to try to have as many spay/neuter clinics as possible so that we can control the situation.
says Michelle Neufeld.
With information from Nathan Liewicki
