Full shelter, increased abandonment and abuse, extortion and aggression from people who want to abandon their animals… For several weeks, SPAs have been in the red and raised the alarm about their daily life. Example in Franche-Comté.
A message, like a warning cry. “We can no longer welcome new cats, kittens or dogs. Our kennels are full, our boxes are full and our host families (to whom we warmly thank) are overburdened. Thank you for your understanding“. Friday, August 9, 2024, shortly before 4:00 p.m., here is the Facebook post published by the Dole SPA team (Jura).
Crowded SPAs while summer is in full swing unfortunately seem like a sad habit. Every year, when the good weather comes, shelters see more and more animals abandoned by their owners. “It is true that it is common. But here we are completely in red” breathes Angélique, secretary of Dole SPA.”If we posted this message, it is because the situation is dire“.
Terrible? That is to say? “We can no longer follow“Angelique continues.”I have never experienced this in eight years of service. More than 130 cats, almost 50 dogs… We are overstaffed. And the phone has been ringing almost 40 times a day since June“.
Some employees and volunteers are on holiday. I have to reject animals every day. I’ve been listing a notebook of animal surrender requests since the beginning of summer, it’s already full.
angelic,secretary of Dole SPA
“Our premises cannot be extended” adds Philippe Maire, “cat managers” at Dole SPA.Like every summer, we enter a vicious circle. With the good weather, abandonments increase because people see their animals as a burden. But our volunteers are also on holiday, just like most others. So while we have more animals in our care, we have fewer hands to care for them and fewer people to adopt them.“.
Is this situation isolated at the Dole shelter? No, on the contrary. In Gray (Haute-Saône), if we do not refuse animals, the situation is “is dense flow” admits Maëlle Jacquin, president of the local SPA shelter.When it comes to cats, things are stuck. We have entered into agreements with municipalities that bring us stray cats. They are also expensive. Sometimes it annoys us because we know we could get fewer with more serious sterilization campaigns.“.
To the refuge of Haut-Saônois, “this kind of summer has unfortunately become a habit. Abandonments increase every yearMaëlle Jacquin continues.If this continues, we will imitate our colleagues and reject new animals“. A decision already taken by the SPA in Besançon (Doubs) since “mid July” reveals Eponine Ducrot, zookeeper.”We have even been full since February“.
We even have more space to look after little kittens. All our host families are full and we, the SPA team, have all had to take animals with us that required care. But it is still not enough.
Eponine Ducrot,pet sitter at Besançon SPA
And with each refusal, SPA employees often face heated reactions from individuals. “If we say no, they complain, don’t understand“testifies the young woman.”We get argued with, even shouted at. This kind of behavior is increasing, this is the real change in recent years“.
Same observation with Philippe Maire, “cat manager” at the Dole SPA shelter. “I have been going to the SPA for over 10 years and it is true that we see more and more unpleasant peoplehe explains.Now, at the slightest rejection, it’s complicated“. The members of the SPA are always obliged to explain themselves, to negotiate. And sometimes that is not enough.
“I absolutely had to show a man what our reality was by taking him to see that our coffers were full” protests Eponine Ducrot.”And sometimes it goes further, we are even blackmailed. We are told “if you don’t take them they will be released in your yard”, “my cat will be eaten by a dog” or “I will leave it“.
We even have animals that we discover in front of our gate. We love animals. So all of this affects us.
Eponine Ducrot,pet sitter at Besançon SPA
Philippe Maire, from Dole, confirms. “We’ve already had “if you don’t take them, we’ll kill them”. And then the new thing is that the cases of animal abuse, which are then entrusted to us, are also exploding. It’s hard to live“. Because yes, all of these situations have consequences for those who experience them.”Personally, I think about the animals I can’t take every night. We know that there are some whom we cannot save and who will die. Sometimes I don’t sleep at night“.
And the care staff also point the finger”mental and physical exhaustion“.”We work all day, even more since it is less summer“She told us.”And when we get home, we look after the animals we took in due to lack of space at the SPA. We never cut corners and it affects morale“.
How can we improve this situation which seems to be getting worse year by year? “The view of animals in society is at the heart of the problem, although there are also the financial costs” assesses Angélique from Dole SPA.They take them as toys: they get old, we throw them away. We have to look after them during the holidays, we throw them out. We inherit an animal we don’t want, when a loved one dies, we throw it away“.
“The animal is always considered an object of consumption” continues Eponine Ducrot.”And that will not change until the state tightens the sanctions in case of abandonment“. As a reminder, mistreatment of an animal is punishable by a fine of €750. Abandonment is punishable by up to five years in prison and a fine of €75,000.
Not enough, according to Maëlle Jacquin, from Gray SPA. “We must do moreshe assures.Or at least it should be supplemented with a policy requiring you to register your animal. The municipalities must also do their part by increasing the sterilization campaigns so as not to leave everything to us“.
What about the “certificate of commitment and knowledge”, a document that must be completed since October 2022, seven days before any adoption, to avoid the purchase of “favorite” animals that may end up being abandoned?
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“That is a very good thing“Judge Eponine Ducrot, of the SPA in Besançon.”It had its effect. But look, there are still animal shows where they offer these pre-filled certificates. I saw it myself. This is fraud and the authorities allowed this“.
Political will is needed to improve the daily lives of animals and SPAs.
Eponine Ducrot,pet sitter
There will therefore be no changes before the end of the summer. SPAs will continue to suffer and deny animals in need.
“Things will slowly improve” concludes Maëlle Jacquin, from Gray.From August 15, people will come back, we will have more volunteers and adoption. But next summer we will have the same scenario“. The return of the vicious circle. To the misfortune of our four-legged friends. Until when?
