After a difficult July 1, the community responds to the Montreal SPCA's adoption appeal

People line up to find a pet at a Montreal SPCA no-fee adoption event on Sunday, July 14, 2024. (Graham Hughes, The Canadian Press)

The call from the Montreal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) was heard: hundreds of people turned out on Sunday to find a faithful companion as part of the organization's free adoption day.

After a 21 per cent rise in abandonments in the first four months of the year, the Montreal shelter was "expecting the worst" as the fateful July 1 date approached.

These fears materialized when Laurence Massé, the SPCA's director general, reported on Sunday that more than 150 animals were abandoned at the shelter in the first week of July, a quarter of them for reasons linked to the move.

To try to relieve the pressure at the shelter and find as many families as possible, the Montreal SPCA organized a no-fee adoption day for animals on Sunday. This kind of event happens a few times a year, but this time Mondou and Purina helped the SPCA organize the event.

The partners provided staff and equipment to help the day run smoothly.

The event started at 11 a.m., but the first people to arrive were there around 6:15 a.m. to make sure they found their new friend. The crowd included people from Saint-Rémi, Brossard and all over the island of Montreal.

The Montreal shelter had around 100 cats, 40 dogs and 50 small animals, such as rabbits and mice, to show visitors.

While Massé said she was delighted to see so many people respond to the shelter's appeal, she stressed that an event like this does not get to the root of the problem.

"Instead, legislation needs to be changed so that clauses banning animals from homes are abolished," she says.

In 2023, 4,586 animals found new homes at the Montreal SPCA, according to the organization's website.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on July 14, 2024.