(Montreal) The Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) of Montreal invites the population to obtain an emergency kit for their pets.
These emergency kits include a card, key fob and sticker that alert first responders when an unforeseen situation arises that a person has pets.
“We are trying to put mechanisms in place so that if something happens to the guardian of the animal, the emergency services can find a contact person so that the animal can be taken care of as quickly as possible. possible,” explains Laurence Massé, general director of the Montreal SPCA, in an interview with The Canadian Press.
Far from being anecdotal, these emergency situations occur almost every week. In 2023, 1,710 animals arrived at the Montreal SPCA through emergency services.
“ [Les trousses] prevent an animal from being forgotten in a home for two or three days because the emergency services do not know that the animal is there,” adds Mme Mass.
Through the City of Montreal’s animal services, temporary accommodation is provided to animals at the SPCA until the guardian can find someone to care for them long term.
The director also wanted to remind people of the importance of putting a tag around their pet’s collar and microchipping it.
Fundraiser
Nearly 70% of the Montreal SPCA’s revenue comes from donors, and they received an emergency kit as a gift last week.
The kits are now on sale on the SPCA website, as part of its first fundraiser of the year.
Laurence Massé indicates that 2023 was a record year in terms of the number of animals admitted to the Montreal SPCA. “Inflation hit us hard,” she says. Behind almost every abandonment, there are economic reasons that we find. »
According to her, more and more people are forced to abandon their animals because they cannot find affordable housing that accepts them, or because they cannot pay for their companion’s emergency medical expenses. .
She also points out that animals with special needs, which would need dog training or medication, are more often left behind.
The SPCA has made access to affordable veterinary care its main focus in recent years. At this time, the organization can only provide sterilizations at a lower cost. “We would like to go a little further in the interventions that we can practice so that we can avoid abandonment,” maintains M.me Mass.