With a new year comes new animal rescues but for the Okanagan Humane Society, (OHS) those rescues are coming at an alarming rate.
“It’s scary. It’s scary. It’s overwhelming,” said Tracy Barnes, dog manager with OHS.
Just two weeks into 2026, OHS has already taken in 42 dogs.
“We had just a little tiny reprieve over the holidays and then wham, just like that, here we go again with hitting the ground running,” said Romany Runnalls, the head of OHS.
In some cases, the animals are being found in deplorable conditions.
That includes the more than two dozen mixed breed dogs recently rescued from a Merritt property by Angel’s Animal Rescue.
Six of them are being taken in by OHS.
Other distressing cases OHS is managing include 16 puppies recently surrendered from a North Okanagan home, where the owners could not afford their care.
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Another recent case includes four puppies rescued from a shed in the South Okanagan.
Runnalls said many of these situations stem from animals not being spayed and neutered due to affordability issues.
She added, however, that the pet overpopulation is a preventable crisis but one far beyond the animal organization’s capacity to solve on its own.
“We don’t have enough funds to help everybody,” Runnalls said.
Despite its spay and neuter program for low-income families, the non-profit, which relies solely on donations, has already reached its monthly limit. Runnalls says the crisis needs provincial and municipal government attention.
“Those are taxpayer dollars, basically paying for the solution, which is to stop the breeding,” Runnalls said.
“Whether you love animals or don’t, it’s solving the problem both ways. If you don’t love cats running through your yard and breeding and causing colonies of animals or dogs barking and becoming a problem in someone else’s backyard, this solves the problem.”
In an email to Global News, the ministry of agriculture and food, which covers animal welfare, stated, “The Province does not provide funding specifically for spay and neutering in B.C.”
However, it added that since 2020/21, “180 animal welfare not-for-profits throughout the province have received over $5.4 million through the ‘Community Gaming Grants’ program for various initiatives. Many of these organizations offer spay and neuter clinics.”
Last year, OHS supported more than 4,500 animals with the number growing annually in recent years.
“I don’t think it would take a great investment from the province, honestly, to solve pet overpopulation in British Columbia,” Runnals said.
You can go to the Okanagan Humane Society website for more information on its programs or to donate.
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