Representatives of the Edmonton Humane Society were on hand at the Edmonton International Airport yesterday to welcome a jet full of 60 dignitaries — make that ‘dog’nitaries.
The arrival of the precious pooches marked the expansion of a popular rescue effort called the California Canine Cuties Animal Transfer Program. They were brought in from the Mary S. Roberts Pet Adoption Center in Riverside, Calif. and from the SPCA in Los Angeles.
This is the sixth phase of the program that has seen about 400 of the small breed dogs transferred to Edmonton since the mission’s inception in October 2008. It began because severe overpopulation in California left many of these animals with an uncertain future. At one point, more than 11,000 dogs had been euthanized during the course of a year at just a single central California shelter.
Edmonton Humane Society spokesperson Shawna Randolph says that the show of support here means a lot to humanitarians everywhere.
“There was a huge response from the public because they saw that we were saving lives. We realized that there are so many people that are looking for a small breed dog. They’re just not very common here.”
Normally the program brings in four or five of the animals at a time through a commercial airline. This time, board member Jan Folk made arrangements for a larger shipment of the animals to come in on the private jet at one time.
“I absolutely adore dogs. I like them more than some people,” she laughed. “I go back and forth from California. Their shelters do everything they possibly can but the overpopulation is absolutely unreal. There’s just so many dogs that they can’t save them all.”
Here, the society is pleased to know that so many prospective pet owners are willing to wait for these dogs because they know many of those sold in pet stores or in advertisements in newspapers or online come from puppy mills or brokers where the animals’ welfare may not be the first consideration and living conditions can be horrible.
This initiative also has fringe benefits for the Alberta native animals already ready for adoption. The EHS notices that many people visit the shelter interested in a California cutie, but then fall in love with another animal that they bring into their home instead.
This group of dogs will be available in groups of 10 or 15 at a time starting tomorrow.
“We really wanted to put a dent in the puppy mill industry. We want people to start coming to our shelter first in their search for a small breed dog.”
Dog adoptions cost up to $300 and all of the animals are already spayed or neutered, microchipped and have had first vaccinations among other medical checks. Adopters must go through a three-hour process first, including a pre-adoption questionnaire, in order to complete a successful application.
To learn more about the facility or the California Canine Cuties and other animals up for adoption, please call 780-491-3514 or visit www.edmontonhumanesociety.com. The centre is located at 13620 – 163th St. in Edmonton.
