Alberta SPCA animal care costs reach $1M in 2024

The Alberta SPCA is experiencing significant stress on its system.

“I think all of the partners in the animal welfare community would agree that last year and this year, we’re seeing unprecedented numbers of animals come into our care — which means our costs are just skyrocketing,” Leanne Niblock said, executive director of the Alberta SPCA.

According to the SPCA, the cost of caring for animals has reached $1 million so far this year.

“Just on animal shelter and veterinary care,” Niblock explained.

“That’s not even covering the expenses of our officers out in the field, or our buildings, or fuel or anything like that.”

If things don’t change, Niblock said they might have to start thinking about triaging.

“The thought of leaving any animals in distress is not one we like to think about,” Niblock said.

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“If push comes to shove, there may be a day where we have to decide this file is more important than that file, or we just simply don’t have space for these animals right now.”

The SPCA is looking for ways to solve some of the root problems facing the community.

“We’re going to be talking a lot this year about changes to the Animal Protection Act — that’s the legislation our officers enforce,” she explained.

“We’re talking to communities about improving their bylaws, their animal control bylaws, and we’re talking to the public about just what’s going on in the community, in our system, and how much pressure we’re facing.”

It’s a pressure felt across the animal welfare sector.

“Costs continue to increase and we know that when one organization or system starts to struggle, that we all kind of feel that pressure,” said Edmonton Humane Society (EHS) CEO Liza Sunley.

The EHS has recently launched an online tool to help pet owners access available resources to prevent potential surrenders. It’s called the HELP Tool.

“We’ve also really customized information to the common reasons that we’re seeing people reach out for surrenders, so that we can make sure that we’re supporting the community the best that we can,” Sunley said.

The EHS wants to make sure the space it does have is there for neglected, abused and abandoned animals.

“If we can help people before they get to the point of needing to surrender, that’s absolutely what we want to be able to do,” Sunley explained.

For the SPCA, it’s 80 per cent reliant on donor funds and needs help to keep up with the work.

“We also want to raise awareness — if people can foster or adopt from a registered charity, a well-known animal welfare organization, that really helps us out too,” Niblock said.

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