BC SPCA’s Campbell River branch saw more than 400 animals go through its doors last year.
That’s a pretty average year, said Manager Stephanie Arkwright.
The branch was able to find new homes for 292 animals, 13 more than in 2018 and helped reunite 17 animals with their families after being lost, a Jan. 7 Facebook post by the BC SPCA Campbell River Branch said.
“These pets were reunited thanks to microchips and other forms of ID,” the post said, “which is why we always stress how important it is to have current ID on your pets.”
More than 150 animals were fostered by volunteers.
The branch is the furthest north of the Vancouver Island SPCA locations and sees a variety of animals – both domestic and wild – from the North Island and surrounding islands.
Cats, kittens, dogs, puppies and small animals like rabbits, guinea pigs, hamsters, gerbils, rats and mice counted as some of the branch’s visitors in 2019.
But Campbell River isn’t always the branch the animals end up at.
“We are fairly small, so we can’t always accommodate the numbers needing to come in,” said Arkwright. “A lot of times we’ll have to facilitate animals going to other shelters.”
The Comox branch, for example, will take in a lot of the dogs from the North Island.
“Our branch has the ability to take in dogs, but we have a very small space for them, so we can’t always bring in as many as need to come in,” she said. “Other shelters step up quite a bit to help us manage those numbers.”
There are a few animals currently awaiting adoption at the branch. They include cats Squeakie and Pinkie, rabbits Eco and Zag, as well as six different gerbils and a young male cat named Kodi.
The branch, located at 891 13th Ave. in Campbell River is open Tuesday through Sunday from 12 – 4:30 p.m.
RELATED: 17 surrendered husky puppies available for adoption from Okanagan BC SPCA
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