If in fact, a dog is a man’s best friend, then your new best friend could be just a mouse-click away.
The Morinville Veterinary Clinic, a holding facility for St. Albert’s and Morinville’s stray dogs, is open for business. It has five stray or abandoned dogs, some of which have been at the facility since July, awaiting a new family.
The facility handles up to 300 stray dogs a year. Some dogs escape from fenced enclosures and owners are unaware they are in a holding cell at the clinic. In other cases, families either abandon or relinquish ownership of their pets.
To highlight the need for new homes, several clinic personnel and volunteers organized a six-dog outing at Lacombe Park on Friday, Dec. 9.
“Lots of people were interested and asked about them. We hope to receive a call about potential homes. We’ll see what happens in the next couple of days,” said Jean Smith, a staff member at the facility.
But despite a lot of optimism there were no takers and staff are continuing to put out feelers for new families.
On average, St. Albert bylaw officers collect about 125 dogs annually. About 86 per cent of strays are returned to the owner.
Some are injured beyond a full recovery and must be euthanized. Others are unadoptable. In the interests of animal welfare, the Morinville veterinary facility has instituted an adoption program to find new homes for the remainder.
Two St. Albert dogs are Buddy and Holly, a brother-sister team of border collies that were found wandering in the Gateway Safeway parking lot. The owner surrendered the pets and the facility is trying to find the collies a home as herding dogs.
On the other hand, Lady, a two-year-old golden retriever-husky mix, was found wandering in August without an identification tag.
“She’s a big goof. She just loves to play and play and play,” says Smith.
Two-year-old Colby, a Staffordshire terrier mix was surrendered in July.
“Her owner couldn’t afford to keep her, so she surrendered her to us to allow us to find a more suitable home. She’s really a sweet dog.”
Zoe, another St. Albert find, was picked up in early December without an identification tag. Staff have estimated the German shepherd cross’ age at anywhere from one to two years old.
“She’s more laid back, but she has the energy to get up and go.”
But there are some happy endings. Maya, a Rottweiler mix, has just found a home within the last week with a family that already owns a Rottweiler.
The Morinville Veterinary Clinic charges a $280 adoption fee that includes spaying, neutering, vaccinations, microchips and tattoos.
“If you were to go the humane society with booster and rabies vaccine, it would cost you $400 to $450,” says animal health technician Jeanine Smith.
Prospective families can meet the dog in a large playroom.
“They can even bring other pets and see if everyone gets along.”
This year, the City of St. Albert budgeted about $7,500 to cover costs for strays. When a roaming dog is caught and taken to the Morinville Veterinary Clinic, the facility receives a kennel fee of $24.50 for three days and a flat surrender fee of $56. The current contract expires at the end of January and negotiations are underway to increase 2012 fees.
For more information on adoptions call 780-939-3133 or online at www.infovet.ca/morinvillevet
