The New Brunswick SPCA is seeking help from the community after it rescued 41 dogs from what it is calling “extremely unsanitary conditions.”
According to a Facebook post from the SPCA, a total of 25 adult dogs and 16 puppies were rescued “from a single location” on March 20.
Lesley Rogers, executive director of the NBSPCA, says the organization was made aware of the dogs thanks to a tip from a member of the public.
“They made the complaint and our officers went and investigated. When they saw the situation, they moved forward with the protocols of the NBSPCA to conduct the investigation and remove the animals,” she said.
The SPCA did not say where the dogs were seized or whether anyone is facing charges.
It did say “an active, ongoing investigation is in progress.”
Rogers says the dogs are responding well to the care they are getting.
“It was a couple of days of significant cleaning because they were in pretty bad shape, in terms of being covered in feces and living in such small and unsanitary conditions,” said Rogers.
“The dogs are safely in the hands of the very experienced shelter partners that we have across the province. Our protocol is to try and keep nursing puppies and their moms with foster parents, away from shelters where it is safe and quiet, less distractions, less chance of infections.”
The SPCA is now turning to the public for donations, saying veterinary bills for the dogs have already reached $6,000, and they expect the number to rise significantly.
“Your compassionate gift will set these dogs up for a happy and healthy second chance at life,” says the organization.
The SPCA says donations will provide the dogs with:
- critical medical intervention
- grooming and hygiene care
- nutritious food and clean water
- a warm shelter
“I am confident that with the attention and support we are getting from the public and the donors that we are going to be able to meet all of their medical needs going forward. They are going to get the love and attention and socialization they need through our shelter partners and they will go to new, loving families in the relative near future,” said Rogers.
Since 2020, Rogers says the number of animal cruelty cases the NBSPCA has seen has gone up by 50 per cent.
“So that’s over 3,600 calls or reports of potential cruelty that our officers went out and investigated and that is a lot,” said Rogers.
“In fact, last year we removed twice as many animals, domestic animals, and brought them to shelters than the year previous, so over 1,200. That is not the trend we want to see continue.”
Rogers points to financial struggles as one of the reasons for the increase in animal cruelty.
“A lot of people are having to make hard choices about continuing to provide care for their animals when they are struggling to provide care for the rest of their family,” she said.
The NBSPCA operates a program called the Happy Tails Fund, to help low-income families maintain their pet’s wellbeing.
“(We are trying) to reduce the number of unnecessary animals going to shelters, to reduce the number of unwanted litters by getting cats spayed and neutered as much as we can… and helping with emergency vet situations,” said Rogers.
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