Local animal shelters are so inundated with abandoned pets, they're being forced to send them across Canada to find homes.
As many as 30 Montreal-area dogs are being shipped to Hamilton and Toronto Monday, because of a spike in unwanted animals this December.
"We are getting puppies, we're getting juveniles, young adults and mature dogs," said Johanne Tasse of Companion Animal Adoption Centres of Quebec.
The timing is unusual, said Alanna Devine at the Montreal SPCA.
"This is normal for July 1st, but not normal for just before Christmas, especially for dogs," said Devine.
Since May 2008, Companion Animal Adoption Centres have shipped as many as 436 dogs to Ontario, said Tasse.
The surplus might be because of the economy, she said. Shelters are receiving more dogs requiring minor surgeries or medicines, often because owners can't afford it.
"You have 9 or 10 months of unemployment (insurance), maybe that unemployment has run out and they have some hard decisions to do," said Tasse.
Further, some adoption centres are facing stiffer competition from puppy mills selling dogs on the Internet.
"A pet store or online saying, 'No, no, no, the animal doesn't come from a puppy mill' is not enough. People need to do the research themselves," said Devine.
Pet lover Anne-Marie Dagenais couldn't live with the idea of puppies in a mill, subjected to abuse - or worse. Instead, she adopted a three-year-old pawed companion.
"There are a lot of dogs out there. Instead of killing them, you know, you just give them a home," she said.
To adopt a pet, visit SPCA Montreal or Companion Animal Adoption Centres.
