Increased demand for emergency pet boarding at Okanagan SPCA shelters

The B.C. SPCA is reporting an increase in the number of people looking for emergency boarding for their pets.

“When it comes to emergency boarding right now, across the province, actually, we are seeing an uptick in requests coming through,” said Sean Hogan, Kelowna branch manager.

According to the SPCA, the increase in animals needing emergency boarding is linked directly to an increase in the number of people escaping domestic abuse during the coronavirus pandemic, along with social isolation.

“Reasons people are giving is that they are leaving a domestic assault or leaving an abusive situation,” Hogan told Global News.

The animal organization said prior to the pandemic, the B.C. SPCA would take in, on average, two animals per week provincially under its emergency boarding program.

That number has now increased to eight or 10 every week.

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The provincial numbers don’t come as a surprise to Hogan, who said he’s witnessing it first hand.

“Over this past weekend, in fact, we saw three emergency boarding requests come in, and two of them had to do directly with someone fleeing an abusive situation,” he said.

The emergency boarding program allows pets to be cared for until the person fleeing the abuse can get back on their feet or figures out other housing options for themselves or their pets.

“When a person is leaving an abusive relationship and they have pets and children, they have a lot to consider before they even take that step to get help for themselves and protect themselves,” Hogan said.

“It can be a barrier to them getting that help when they have pets. The B.C. SPCA is there to help people in that situation.”

The B.C. SPCA also wants women’s shelters to know they, too, can reach out if clients have pets that need temporary housing.

“They can reach out to the B.C. SPCA across the province,” Hogan said. “This isn’t just strictly in Kelowna, it’s across British Columbia, so being aware that they can…connect with us we should be able to help.”

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Many SPCA shelters also report an increased demand for help with feeding pets during the pandemic as many families are financially strapped.

At the Kelowna branch, cat food and litter is particularly needed.

Anyone who is able to donate those items is asked to contact the branch.