As wildfires continue to ravage the province, thousands of people have evacuated their homes and fled to the safety of neighbouring communities. Many of them have their pets in tow, but have faced difficulties in housing themselves and their furry family members.
Emergency Support Services (ESS) provided temporary lodging, sometimes group lodging as was the case in Lower Nicola at the Shulus Arena and in Merritt at the Civic Centre. Hosting dogs, cats and other domestic pets alongside their people long-term is not possible, and although many evacuees have transitioned to hotels or campgrounds, pets are not always permitted in these locations either.
Those staying with family or friends may also face limitations in the type or number of pets they can accommodate.
The BC SPCA has stepped in to assist by offering temporary lodging for pets of evacuees. However, with many shelters in the Interior and Northern regions of BC already at or near capacity, the SPCA needs to make space for pets displaced by wildfires. To facilitate this, the SPCA, in partnership with Hill’s Pet Nutrition, have launched a half-price adoption promotion.
Regular adoption fees will be halved for puppies, kittens, dogs, cats, rabbits, guinea pigs and other small animals, now until July 30.
“Our goal is to create capacity for as many animals needing free temporary shelter as possible, while at the same time finding wonderful homes for the animals currently in our care,” says Lorie Chortyk, general manager of communications for the BC SPCA.
“We encourage anyone who has been thinking about adopting a pet to take advantage of this promotion. You will not only be providing a loving home for a deserving animal in our care, but it will also help the BC SPCA’s emergency response for animals in crisis.”
The BC SPCA has provided free emergency boarding for more than 80 animals since the intense wildfire season kicked off, both through its shelters and at an Animal Evacuation Centre which was set up in Kamloops on July 7.
