The Victoria Humane Society is currently looking for a second property as they continue to face an unprecedented excess of dogs and cats as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Currently, the shelter is housing about 100 dogs and 200 cats, where on a normal year, they would only carry about 50 of each.
鈥淲e have our spay neuter clinic here. But unfortunately, all of our animals go into foster care,鈥� said Penny Stone, executive director of the Humane Society. 鈥淭he problem with this is people are asking us to take on animals from hoarding cases or whatever, and we don鈥檛 know anything about them. So you鈥檙e bringing animals in and asking people to take them home without any knowledge of what they鈥檙e like.鈥�
A major factor of the overflow other than rising prices on pet food and supplies, she said, is due to people who adopted pets during the pandemic that couldn鈥檛 be spayed or neutered, and now that people are going back to work, they surrender their animals.
鈥淭he animals that weren鈥檛 spayed and neutered, are having babies who are having babies, and it鈥檚 gone crazy. It鈥檚 spiraled out of control,鈥� she said.
They are now searching for a second property so they can better assess pets and give them the proper care needed before they go to a foster home, however, that has proven to be difficult.
Stone said although they have someone who is willing to donate funds to go towards buying a new property, they would still need a property that could be renovated, doesn鈥檛 have close neighbours, and it would need to be zoned as a kennel.
The Humane Society is currently providing spaying and neutering services to remote communities around the island in n effort to stem the flow.
鈥淚t鈥檚 kind of too little too late. It鈥檚 sad that we can鈥檛 get this under control. We picked up a Tupperware bucket on the side of the road full of 19 puppies that are only four weeks old the other day, it just is not stopping,鈥� said Stone. 鈥淧lease spay and neuter your pets. It鈥檚 so important.鈥�
To donate to the Victoria Humane Society, visit .
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