one of many puppies and kittens at the North Cariboo Community Animal Centre

By Tommy Osborne

BCSPCA

BCSPCA open house showcases our cutest community members who need help

Apr 27, 2024 | 4:12 PM

PRINCE GEORGE – The North Cariboo Community Animal Centre, Prince George’s local BCSPCA, held an open house today inviting the community to learn more about what the organization is all about, and also spend some time with incredibly cute animals and potentially even adopt one.

“Our biggest thing is just to connect with the community, to show what we’re doing, to show off our building and to highlight the partners that we have in the community and some of our adoptable animals,” said the Animal Centre’s Animal Manager Kristen Sumner.

While the people that attended certainly enjoyed seeing some of the cats and dogs up for adoption, it hasn’t been all fun and games at the BCSPCA recently, as an ongoing concern with animal overflow continues to impact not just the North Cariboo Centre, but centres all across the province.

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“Especially with breeders that are retiring, or the post-Covid boom where everybody wanted puppies and now no one does. We’re seeing lots of puppies and we’re seeing lots of animals coming in due to the lack of veterinary access to get those spayed and neutered. Then we’re getting lots of unwanted litters and we’re getting a lot more underage animals than ever into our care,” Sumner explained.

Even beyond the hundreds of cats that recently entered from a property in Houston, B.C., Sumner said both puppies and kittens have been entering the shelter at a rapid rate, so any and all help is greatly appreciated. To address the issue at its root, animal control says spaying and neutering your pets is more important than ever, as well as keeping your pets indoors and supervised. While this is largely applicable to cats, who are more well known to wander the streets, animal control added its received a lot of calls for dogs too so it’s important to stay alert.

“Check the perimeter of your yard, especially after the winter months. You don’t realize once the snow melts that the dog has been digging under the fence. You got to check your property, make sure that your fence is secure. That way, your dog doesn’t get out,” said Animal Control Officer Nadia Raymond.

Despite the challenges, the BCSPCA continues protect the most vulnerable animals in our community, and those responsibilities go well beyond just a shelter to adopt or foster animals.

“We also run spay neuter grants in some communities. We do microchip clinics, vaccine clinics. We work with the government to updates the prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act. And we also have our animal protection officers that answer calls like dispatch to help those animals that if you’re concerned about cruelty or neglect, you can call our animal helpline and an officer will come and investigate to ensure that that animal’s taken care of,” Sumner said.

If you’d like to help the BCSPCA, any donations are always greatly appreciated, as well as volunteers. And as most know, perhaps the most fun and effective way to help with animal overflow is to adopt a pet yourself and welcome a new furry family member into your home!

“We’re here with our door wide open Tuesday to Saturday from 12:00 to 5:00 p.m., but we always welcome appointments if you’re off on Sundays and you just wanted to come down and visit or find that forever partner, that animal for you, just give us a call and you can absolutely set up a time,” Sumner said.

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