The Ontario SPCA Barrie Animal Centre has received some new furry friends.
According to a release issued by the centre on Friday, as part of the Northern Dog program, 48 dogs and 23 cats have been relocated from remote northern communities and distributed to various Ontario SPCAs, affiliate SPCAs and humane societies across the province.
The Ontario SPCA Barrie Animal Centre received five of the dogs Thursday evening.
The animals are being relocated from Naotkamegwanning First Nation and other northern communities, where animal overpopulation has become a large issue.
According to the manager of the Ontario SPCA Barrie Animal Centre, Madalyn Abreu, the overpopulation issue is ultimately about a lack of access to necessary services and care for the animals living in northern communities.
“The overpopulation is because there is a basic lack of animal wellness services there. Most of these communities are fly-in communities, which means it is difficult to get veterinarians there to do those wellness services like spays and neuters. So those animals can of course breed and then they end up with that overpopulation problem,” Abreu said.
Abreu says the overpopulation problem has become “serious” in these communities.
“The issue is serious enough that we are working in collaboration with these northern communities so that we can work together and find these dogs homes and get them those wellness services that they need,” she said.
According to the release, the Ontario SPCA has been partnering with Naotkamegwanning First Nation since 2015 to support dogs and provide resources such as spay and neuter services as part of the ongoing program.
“These are customized solutions developed with community leadership, with the objective of building a healthy community for animals and people,” Abreu said.
When the Ontario SPCA was in Naotkamegwanning First Nation to transfer the animals, the society participated in cultural ceremonies and provided humane education and bylaw consultation.
So far, Abreu says the Northern Dog program has been “extremely successful.”
“We have seen over 200 dogs relocated and adopted by families in 2018. Spay and neuter clinics are also having a lasting positive impact in these communities,” she said. “The Ontario SPCA continues to encourage Northern communities to collaborate on a proactive and effective approach.”
According to the release, the Ontario SPCA has delivered animal wellness services and has provided transfers from nearly 30 northern communities this year.
Now, in Barrie there are five new dogs who will be looking for their “forever” homes. However, those hoping to adopt a dog from up north may have to wait a few weeks.
“They just arrived last night, and so we are working on getting their medical checks and getting to know their personalities a little bit more,” Abreu said.
According to Abreu, it will be a minimum of two weeks before the dogs will be available for adoption.