In an effort to relieve some of the financial hardships that COVID-19 might be inflicting upon pet guardians, BC SPCA Sea to Sky location has expanded its outreach services, including pet food bank programs, and emergency animal boarding, in addition to its existing spay/neuter programming.
“We understand how important pets are in our lives and how important it is to keep families together, no matter the hard times or challenges that people are dealing with,” says Krista Unser, manager, Sea to Sky SPCA. “By providing these types of services, we can prevent pets coming into our care and instead remaining with the people they love the most.”
The expansion of the location’s services during this difficult time have been a great source of relief for local residents, especially for those who live in remote communities. For Nick and his dog, Cloudy, the accessibility to these services came at just the right time.
“We first met Cloudy and Nick a few months ago when we dropped off pet food and supplies for the remote community where they live,” says Unser. “Cloudy was pregnant and we assured Nick we would be able to provide support through our low -income spay/neuter program once the puppies were born.”
According to Unser, shortly after their first meeting, Nick’s water tank exploded, flooding his home. He reached out to the branch for help with Cloudy and through the location’s emergency animal boarding program, the BC SPCA was able to provide a foster home for Cloudy during the home repairs.
Soon into her stay, Cloudy gave birth to ten beautiful puppies. “Cloudy and the puppies stayed in their foster home until the puppies were old enough to be adopted, and Nick was able to get his house ready,” says Unser. “Once the puppies found homes, Cloudy was spayed through our program and Nick and Cloudy were back home together.”
Nick and Cloudy’s story illustrates the importance of having accessibility to outreach programs such as the one at the Sea to Sky location.
“One of the most positive things that has come out of this pandemic is the opportunity we have had to build a relationship with smaller, remote communities,” says Unser. “They now know we are here to help in any way we can and will continue to do so.”
Pet owners who are experiencing hardship due to loss of income or other unfortunate circumstances can learn more about the low-income spay/neuter program, pet food bank, or emergency boarding by calling the Sea to Sky location at (604) 898-9890. Emergency boarding is a case-by-case basis and depends on availability. Contact the branch for more information.