LAC LA BICHE – When driving or walking past the Lac La Biche Regional Humane Society, many folks have noticed a large banner with the words ‘Adopt, Don’t Shop’ on the fence surrounding the facility.
According to Jewels Hampshire, manager of the humane society, the ‘Adopt, Don’t Shop’ initiative is meant to help find loving homes for the animals living at the shelter.
“That’s always been the brand name of the shelter, and a lot of other shelters follow the same [motto],” Hampshire said.
While the humane society does take in some animals that are surrendered by their owners, Hampshire explained that most of the dogs and cats that arrive at the shelter are strays found living outside in the area. She said there are numerous litters of kittens and puppies that come to the animal shelter throughout the year, and they all need good homes.
“You’re helping give homes to animals that are majority abandoned, or the result of unwanted pregnancies that are found outside,” said Hampshire.
The survival rate of animals living outside is not very high. Stray dogs and cats must survive in harsh weather conditions and are at risk of being attacked and killed by predators or hit by vehicles.
“Pretty much any animal outside, there’s a higher risk of death. So, it’s important for us to try to get these animals into homes where they’re protected,” Hampshire stated.
Most of the dogs that are housed at the shelter are mixed breeds. While some people who stop by the shelter to shop for pets are looking for specific breeds, most are open to adopting and bringing mixed breed dogs into their homes.
“Everybody has their favourites, but they’ll come in and when they see the personality, a lot of times that wins over what specifically they want,” she said.
There is a process that is involved with adopting from the society. People fill out an application either at the shelter or online and pay an adoption fee that helps cover the costs of running the shelter and caring for animals, which includes vaccinations, microchipping and more.
People are able to get acquainted with the animals they may potentially be bringing into their homes.
“We’ll set up a meet and greet to make sure it’s a good fit, and we will process the application to make sure that the animal will fit that home, and then, once approved, they pay the adoption fee, and we send them all the medical information that we’ve received on this animal while they’ve been here,” Hampshire explained.
According to Hampshire, adoption fees vary by age. For dogs aged up to one year, the cost is $375, one to five years is $275, and anything above five years is $175. For cats, up to six months is $225, seven months to two years is $175, and for cats above three years, the cost is $150.
