Manitoba’s animal health and welfare branch seized more than 130 dogs from a home north of Winnipeg last week as local shelters are struggling — in some cases unable — to meet the demand created by people abandoning their pets.
The province and the Winnipeg Humane Society are working together to provide shelter and care for the seized dogs.
“This is putting a massive strain on our shelters for financial gain, and you just cannot care for animals in that amount properly,” humane society CEO Jessica Miller told a news conference Tuesday.
MATT FRANK / FREE PRESS
Jessica Miller, right, CEO of the Winnipeg Humane Society, joined by Andrew Clark, director of the humane society’s investigations team, said an investigation is ongoing after the seizure of more than 130 dogs from a property north of Winnipeg.
“They’re (living) on top of each other. It’s selfish to create animals when shelters are bursting.”
She said details she could share were in short supply because the investigation is ongoing, but pointed to backyard breeders as a major contributor to the overpopulation problem in many parts of the province.
The current crush has forced the humane society to double up animals in cages, which makes it difficult to clean and properly treat the rescues, she said, adding there is increased strain on employees now having to work extra shifts on days off.
“It just puts a lot of pressure on the system and forces us to handle animals in a way that we don’t want to,” Miller said.
Because the shelter is at capacity, Miller said there’s a good chance that some animals will be shipped out of province to be rehabilitated at other humane societies.
The Winnipeg Humane Society currently has more than 600 animals in its care — about 280 at the shelter and the rest at foster homes or partner organizations, she said.
So far this year, 678 animals have been removed from homes — more than in the previous two years — according to the humane society.
Once the investigation is completed and the rescues are medically cleared, adoptions will begin, she said.
The seizure comes three months after 68 feces-covered, traumatized Maltese dogs were removed from a Richmond West home by city animal services workers.
In July, the humane society announced an intake freeze because the shelter was already at capacity; adoption fees were slashed in an effort to encourage more adoptions into stable homes.
Miller said the humane society welcomes donations, which can be made at winnipeghumanesociety.ca.
matthew.frank@freepress.mb.ca