StatementFOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE SPCA and Animal Service contract set to end March 2010Halifax, Nova Scotia (January 23, 2010) –The animal control contract between HRM’s Animal Services and the Nova Scotia SPCA’s Metro Branch is set to end in March 2010. A report was released with the recommendations following a tender process on Friday, January 22, 2010. The SPCA is disappointed by this news, as it means that abandoned and stray animals will be at greater risk for euthanasia and less comprehensive care. The SPCA has never considered itself to be a city pound. The SPCA is first and foremost an animal welfare organization and as a result has considerably higher standards as it relates to animal care. The SPCA is not only concerned with providing for the physical and medical requirements of animals, but their social and behavioural needs as well. Being involved in an animal control contract meant that the SPCA could act in the best interests of the animals once they were turned over to the SPCA’s care. Additionally, the SPCA was and is not willing to compromise on care considerations related to the long term residents who remain in a shelter environment for periods in excess of three months. These rare, court ordered scenarios result in the need for flexible, individualized care programs, so that the health of the animal is not compromised by stress. Lastly, the SPCA, unlike a city pound, will always work towards the adoption of animals and will never consider euthanasia for space appropriate. Additionally, the Society is very successful in addressing hard-to-adopt cases, such as animals with special medical needs or senior animals. Common euthanasia rates for city pounds are between 50% and 70%, whereas the SPCA has a live release rate of well over 90% for dogs. For full details, please click here. Unfortunately, the loss of the contract will result in a restructuring of staff and a limitation to the SPCA’s ability to address stray and abandoned animals. The Society will continue to enlist the support of the community to permit the Metro Shelter the privilege of re-homing displaced and abandoned animals in addition to those that have come to the SPCA through cruelty investigations and have suffered abuse and neglect. Those wishing to make a donation to the SPCA to support either cruelty investigations or animal care can go online to www.spcans.ca. ###
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