With Moving Day arriving on Monday, the Montreal SPCA is preparing for an annual influx of pets abandoned by their owners.
According the SPCA, the organization receives two to three times more animals in the period around July 1 than any other time of the year.
Spokesperson Anita Kapuscinska said one reason the influx occurs is because the majority of Quebec landlords don’t allow tenants to have pets. She said provincial law permits landlords to say no to animals, which is not the case in some other provinces.
According to an SPCA study only 4.2 per cent of landlords surveyed accepted pets.
Kapuscinska urged tenants to put pressure on landlords to allow them to keep their pets by signing a letter to the minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing, which is available on the SPCA website.
“If you already signed a lease and are moving today or tomorrow in the rain then you can try to speak to the landlord. Ask your current landlord or veterinarian to write you a reference letter stating your animal hasn’t caused any damage,” she advised. “Encourage your landlord to meet your animal or show photos of your old apartment to try and prove to them you merit an exception.”
Despite the surge in dropped off animals, Kapuscinska said the situation in Quebec has actually improved in recent years, with the number of abandoned animals dropping from 100,000 a year 30 years ago to between 10 and 15,000.
