ATHABASCA —Town community peace officer Kevin Rowan and Second Chance Animal Rescue Society’s (SCARS) Sylva Christiansen are concerned about what the winter season will mean for stray, abandoned, or at large animals in Athabasca and around the province.
“It’s really bad out there,” said Christiansen, executive director of SCARS. “Everybody’s full — everybody’s overfull. There’s no room to squeeze anything in these days. It’s the worst I’ve ever seen it, to be honest, and I’ve been doing it for over 20 years.”
“I’m really scared for them this winter. There are a lot of mom and puppy requests, and they’re just going to end up dying out there. It’s really sad,” she added.
CPO Rowan said the lack of capacity at the shelter first became a hurdle in his everyday duties in July and August. Part of Rowan’s role is responding to calls and complaints under the town’s responsible pet ownership bylaw.
“From time to time, pets are found running at large or, even worse, at large and injured, thus requiring medical attention,” wrote Rowan in an Oct .11 email. “Without a facility to take in and care of pets until their owners can be found … it leads to several, more serious issues.”
Pets at large, injured and uninjured, risk being struck by a vehicle or engaging in negative interactions with residents and other animals.
According to Rowan’s statistic reports presented monthly to town councillors, reports of dogs and cats at large were received every month from August 2023 to August 2024, and while not all animals at large are impounded, the lack of space at the shelter presents a problem for the peace officer.
“Presently, any complaints received from the public about animals at large that need to be impounded cannot be picked up if there is no capacity,” wrote Rowan.
“Instead, these animals would then be actioned on a first-come, first-served basis when there is an opening at SCARS — which can only happen if pet owners claim their animals or if animals are adopted.”
After noticing the strain on the shelter, Rowan proposed an idea to Athabasca town councillors during their Oct. 1 meeting: a town-run fundraising hot dog sale, the proceeds of which would be donated to SCARS.
Councillors voted unanimously support the event for their shelter contractor and allocated a maximum of $250 for food and drinks. Tipton’s Independent Grocer agreed to host to the Oct. 18 event and donated $100 worth of fare.
All support matters
Christiansen said a wide range of compounding factors are contributing to the strain on SCARS and other shelters like it across Alberta, including a high number of COVID pets being surrendered, a lack of vets, and rising costs for food and care items.
“A lot of vets aren’t even taking new clients so we’ve had to cut back our spay and neuter program because we simply can’t get the appointments,” said Christiansen. “This isn’t just around here, it’s everywhere. All the rescue groups are in the same situation, all the shelters.”
Christiansen noted while more and more animals are being dumped and surrendered, public interest in taking in new pets has been low lately.
“I’ve never seen adoption so slow, the market is saturated,” she said. “After COVID everyone got a dog, and returns are crazy, and vet appointments are difficult, and people don’t have the money; it’s expensive to own a pet.”
In addition to cash donations at the Oct. 18 fundraiser, Christiansen said SCARS is open to non-monetary help, too. Blankets, food, and kitty litter are items the shelter is often in need of, as are new foster homes.
But even gestures as seemingly small as interacting with SCARS’ social media posts and being mindful about sourcing pets can also be a boon.
“Not everyone can be a foster home, it’s a difficult job,” said Christiansen. “Just being supportive of rescue in general is helpful. Don’t buy a dog off a backyard breeder. That’s what makes it so bad.”
The Oct. 18 fundraiser will take place at Tipton’s Independent Grocers from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., and donations to SCARS can also be made inside the grocery store.
