Beginning in 2024, Saskatoon’s pound will be under new management.
The Saskatoon Animal Control Agency (SACA) will take over the current building for four years in January, forcing the Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) out.
“We’re disappointed we didn’t get the contract because we think we’re the best organization to do that in Saskatoon,” SPCA executive director Fred Dyck said after they lost the contract to SACA. “But at the same time, the SPCA services, that is our core responsibility and that’s what we’re most excited about doing.”
About 35 per cent of the SPCA’s responsibilities will be handed over to SACA through the pound.
Over the last few years, the SPCA has been struggling to cover the costs of the pound service contract without having to use some of its own funding.
The city gave the SPCA a one-time payment of $95,000 in 2023 to operate the pound service contract through 2023 but did not promise additional funding for 2024.
Until the transfer of the pound to SACA, operations will continue as normal, in which the Saskatoon pound holds an animal for 96 hours, feeding and providing for it, while they wait for its owner to come and claim it. After the 96-hour window has passed, ownership of the animal transfers to the SPCA and they put it up for adoption if the animal is fit.
“We would still like to be a vehicle for some of those animals having great outcomes if don’t get redeemed,” said Dyck.
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Eva Alexandrovici with SACA confirmed that the pound services will continue working closely with the SPCA and operations will remain very similar.
“The only difference is that we do bylaw enforcement so we apprehend the animals in the field and of course, we like to reunite them with the owners but the ones that don’t have any identification will have to go to the pound,” Alexandrovici said.
Funding for the pound services will still come from the city.
“There are two bylaws that deal with animals in Saskatoon, the animal control bylaw and the dangerous animal bylaw, so under the animal control bylaw we have the power to impound the animal, so the pound is enforcing the same bylaws as animal control,” said Alexandrovici. “In my opinion, having it under one umbrella will be beneficial to everybody for the community and the City of Saskatoon.
“The number of impounded animals is growing in the city so in my opinion, responsible ownership is key and keeping the animals out of the pound is the key to trying to find programs where we can actually success at less strays.”
The SPCA will continue advocating for animal rights and running adoptions and foster programs.
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