After Quebec's moving day, local shelter looks to rehouse abandoned pets

Locals flocked to a Montreal animal shelter on Sunday to offer a forever home to dozens of animals who were abandoned during the province's annual July 1 moving day.

Authorities at the Montreal branch of the Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) had feared the worst during the Quebec moving day, when many animals are abandoned.

In the seven days following July 1 — when many leases expire in the province — more than 150 animals were abandoned, with a quarter of those due to restrictions on pets at the owners' new dwelling, according to the SPCA. 

In addition, the shelter saw a 21 per cent hike in people abandoning their pets in the first four months of 2024, in part due to rising living costs.

"Unfortunately, it is the dogs who are most often affected," said Laurence Masse, the agency's general manager.

She said she's delighted at the turnout at an event Sunday that saw people line up hours ahead of time to take advantage of waived adoption fees. Such events are held a few times a year.

The SPCA expected about 700 people to attend from all over the greater Montreal area, with nearly 200 animals up for grabs including, 100 cats and some 40 dogs.

Jennifer Kwok-Choon and her two daughters, Madison and Tatiana, aged 17 and 11, came from Brossard, Que., on Montreal's South Shore.

"We arrived at 6:30 a.m.," Kwok-Choon said ahead of the 11 a.m. opening. "There were [two] people in front of us."

She said she was determined to come to the SPCA to get a family cat — their first.

"I don't like pet stores. I don't like commercialization and I don't trust breeders," she said. "I love the SPCA and I love what they do and that they try to save as many animals as possible."

Five hours later, the two girls emerged with a cage holding a cat nicknamed "Rain."

Gabrielle Bilodeau, 13, opted to forgo a few extra hours of sleep to lineup at 7:30 a.m., coming out four hours later with a yet unnamed two-month old black kitten. Gabrielle has a long list of monikers to choose from on her smartphone.

"I wanted to wait until I saw the cat before choosing, maybe Pumpkin?" the teen said with a broad smile. "It's really my first cat of my own. I found my favourite."

Despite the strong turnout, Masse said what's needed is legislative change at the provincial level that abolishes no pet clauses, an issue that affects the entire province.

"More than 400 animals are abandoned every year just at the Montreal SPCA because of moving," she said, asking citizens to pressure the provincial government.

Last year, 4,586 animals found a new home at the Montreal SPCA alone, according to the organization's website.