Each year, the Alliston and District Humane Society (ADHS) hosts the Woof Walk, a fundraiser to support sheltered and homeless animals in the community.
This year, the walk, on June 10, is as important as ever with a 400 per cent increase since January in the number of abandonments, strays, and owner surrenders compared to the same period in 2022.
“The post-pandemic animal ‘dump’ publicized in the national media has hit south Simcoe County hard, as people return to work, face financial pressures and homelessness or find that they cannot cope with the pet they adopted in the last two years,” explained Jane Clarke, ADHS president.
“Our phone is ringing off the hook with people wishing to surrender dogs. We have more animals being dumped in our parking lot than we have ever seen before. We have seen a huge increase in senior dog surrenders from seniors who can no longer care for them, as well as scores of puppies, which is unprecedented.”
The ADHS has never seen increases like this, and its volunteers say it’s getting worse, making donations paramount for getting the animals what they need.
“We fear these numbers will only continue to increase throughout 2023,” said Sherri Wilson, a volunteer and board member with the ADHS. “This puts a lot of pressure on the shelter financially as our vetting costs are skyrocketing each month.
"ADHS is not government funded and we solely rely on donations from the public and our fundraising to keep the shelter operating. Donations are down for various reasons, mainly based on our current economy, yet our increase in expenses is at its all-time highest. ADHS really needs monetary donations to help us pay our (veterinary) costs, purchase food and supplies for the animals and to assist with the general running of the shelter," said Wilson.
These increases have also led the ADHS to rely on other organizations to help handle the number of animals being taken in.
“Another stress is that the shelter can only house so many animals and we rely on our foster homes to take in excessive animals,” said Wilson. “At last count, ADHS has more than 50 active foster homes full of dogs, puppies, cats, kittens and domestic rabbits, in addition to the animals in our shelter, and we currently have a waiting list of people wanting to surrender their pets.”
As the pound for Essa, Clearview and Adjala-Tosorontio, the ADHS is seeing large numbers of strays and abandoned dogs coming into the shelter and an increase in those that are not claimed. Inflation has played a major role in the increase, with costs being too high for pet owners.
“Owners readily admit they bred their dog to sell the puppies, and the market for this has collapsed. We have had increasing numbers of surrenders by homeless individuals as well as families in extreme emotional and financial distress,” said Clarke.
“Animals being surrendered, strays, and abandonments we are seeing are mainly all medical issues such as cancer, heart problems, torn ACL (ligament needed for movement), dental issues, diabetes and kidney, severe malnutrition, and 90 per cent of these animals are not spayed or neutered,” added Wilson. “Financial issues are contributing to the increase in owner surrenders, with several people who have found themselves homeless surrendering their animals to the shelter.”
With so many of the animals coming to the shelter with medical issues, fundraising is needed. To help offset the increasing costs, the shelter is hoping to raise $15,000 through the Woof Walk.
“They all require ongoing vet care as well as after care and TLC to alleviate their stress before they can be adopted. This takes time,” said Clarke. “Cats are also flooding in, often with medical issues that require chronic management including bladder blockages, digestive and dental issues, diabetes and kidney disease.
"Kitten season has started, and calls about pregnant moms and abandoned kittens are flooding in. Our small animal department has closed intake of domestic rabbits due to the high number of surrenders and abandonments, and calls to surrender or take more are flooding our phone lines from individuals and other shelters," said Clarke.
This year, the Woof Walk around the ponds on the ADHS property will focus on Chloe, a bulldog needing a $4,000 orthopedic surgery on her knee.
“Chloe is, sadly, one of the many abandoned animals flooding into ADHS,” said Wilson. “She is a young bulldog and is disabled. She needs an expensive orthopedic surgery to correct a fluid, popped-out knee cap. We chose Chloe as the focus to help raise the money we need for her surgery. She needs this surgery before we will be able to place her in a forever home and give her a second chance at life with a new family. We are hoping the Woof Walk will raise enough money through Team Chloe to be able to get her the surgery she needs.”
The walk will take place at the shelter (5545 Concession Rd. 4) June 10, with registration starting at 11 a.m., the walk at 11:30 a.m., and a barbecue, games, and a vendor show at noon. The walk will raise money for animals in need and awareness of the ongoing situation.
More information about the ADHS and the Woof Walk, including how to take part and donate, can be found here.
