15/04/2024
Barbados is suffering the same. Government should insist on spay and neuter for the next three years and give the rescue groups a bit of leeway to reduce the number of homeless and strayed pets.
DEAR DOG LOVERS: We are approaching unprecedented times. Infact, the homeless dog crisis is the equivalent of a state of emergency within the province of Ontario.
I'm not sure if people believe us anymore. We, and dozens of other rescues have been setting the alarm since 2022 that we are in crisis, that the province's shelter system is officially inundated by local surrenders. It is now no longer out of the realm of possibility that when those shelters ask owners to wait for a week or more to bring their pet to them due to lack of space, those same dogs are then found as strays, or left and tied to the shelters front doors, abandoned in their lobbies, abandoned in parks, abandoned, over and over and over again.
Our shelter system will look similar to what the USA has been enduring.
Including all the same themes of an urgency of dogs with timelines in shelters, the horrors of an overcrowded shelter with not a kennel to spare, the lack of resources to help these dogs in dire need of help.
We are now no different.
Our shelters are just as overwhelmed.
There is no longer a wait for the bough to break in our over population of homeless dogs, the bough, has broken.
The cause of the overpopulation of dogs:
1. The Covid lockdown and the return to office mandate: There was a huge spike in pet ownership – especially dog ownership – in 2020. Whether these new dog owners believed they would be working remotely for good, or whether they simply were not thinking in the long term, many had a rude awakening in 2021-2022 when they had to return to work. They no longer have time to care for the pets they brought home in 2020. These are the dogs being surrendered more often then not.
2. Opportunistic breeding: The huge spike in pet ownership in 2020 attracted plenty of attention from folks who saw an opportunity to make some cash. Backyard breeding went through the roof. So not only are we inundated with surrenders from owners who bought but can no longer care for their dogs; not only are we dealing with a community in which there are just way more dogs across the board to try and find homes for; we’re also having to directly clean up the mess made by irresponsible breeders.
Why is there a decrease in adoptions?
1. Inflation : Everything is far more expensive today than it was two years ago, and that has priced a whole segment of potential adopters out of pet ownership. An entire population of potential adopters has been lost.
2. Covid dogs : So many of the dogs coming in now were raised in lockdown conditions, often by inexperienced owners. They are unsocialized, untrained, and many suffer from separation anxiety in varying degrees of severity. These dogs would be challenging to place in a normal adoption climate; in an extremely slow adoption climate, they can expect to wait months or sadly, even years.
There are things you can do:
You enjoy walks? Apply to be a volunteer dog walker at your local shelter to help these dogs get the exercise they need.
Have some space and patience to spare? Apply to foster for any shelter or rescue within the province.
Have room in your heart for more? Consider being a multi dog household, there is no shortage of dogs.
You have time to spare? Apply to volunteer, some roles are done by phone or computer and doesn't involve any travel.
But most importantly?
Speak out.
So few people are even aware that dog rescues and shelters are struggling.
Almost no one understands how bad it is right now.
Encourage your friends and family to get their pets fixed.
Discourage them from buying from irresponsible breeders.
Remind them how many pets are becoming homeless, and that so few are adopting.
Thank you
