With this stormy weather comes an influx of animals moving into the Humane Society.
The Regina Animal Shelter is operating near capacity, but they’re finding success in satellite adoption agencies.
“We used to say there’s not enough homes for all of our animals,” said Lindsay West, Life Saving Coordinator at the Regina Humane Society. “But that’s not exactly the case. There are enough homes, it’s just that we were competing with people selling animals outside of rescue shelters.”
But in Regina, that’s no longer the case. All of the major pet retailers in the city have quit selling cats, kittens, dogs and puppies for profit, and are opting to promote adoptions instead.
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The Humane Society send them animals to put in their public kennels, and all they have to do is look cute to customers passing by.
“We usually don’t have kittens here longer than three or four weeks before they get adopted out,” said Jo-Ann Cox, Pet Valu Manager.
Right now she has four kittens looking for homes in her store.
The Humane Society has had 355 pets adopted from satellite partner locations like Pet Valu in the past year.
The process is the same. The potential pet owner fills out all the same paperwork and does the same background checks they would at the humane society, and the adoption fee can be paid in store. The charge covers spay or neutering, a pet license, microchip, and six months of pet insurance.
“Pet Valu as well as the other pet stores want to be involved in the community and animal awareness as well as spay and neutering awareness because that’s a big issue in the city,” said Cox.
Many cities across Canada have instigated by-laws against the sale of cats and dogs for profit, because of population increases. But in Regina, all the stores have signed on voluntarily, making the pet population boom a little bit more manageable for the Humane Society.
“When you adopt a pet you’re giving them a second chance,” said West. “You’re giving them a family they may not have found otherwise.”
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