‘Overwhelmed’ pandemic puppy breeders flooding shelters with pets, says B.C. SPCA

SPCA care centres across B.C. are dealing with an influx of puppies and dogs from a bunch of breeders who began operating during the pandemic.

Several shelters in the Interior recently took in 21 healthy golden retrievers, including 17 puppies, the latest in an influx of dogs.

“The B.C. SPCA is dealing with a record number of large-scale intakes of dogs and puppies, as individuals who set up breeding operations during COVID are closing down their operations,” says Eileen Drever, senior officer for protection and stakeholder relations at the SPCA.

“People were very keen to get pets during the isolation of COVID and we saw an increase in the number of people breeding animals during that time,” said Drever. “Now that people are back to work and to their regular routines, the market has dropped off and we are getting calls for help from breeders who are overwhelmed with the number of animals in their care.”