Surrendering an animal should never be taken lightly and should be treated as a last resort. However, the Montreal SPCA understands that due to special and sometimes heartbreaking circumstances, you can no longer keep or care for your companion. The SPCA withholds judgment and offers advice and recommendations to families, so they can keep their animal with them whenever possible.
Some people decide to leave their animals with us only to later regret their decision. Before you decide to give up your companion, take the time to consider all available options and do everything you can to keep them, especially since some of the reasons families give for abandoning their animals are not necessarily irrevocable. There are solutions that can allow you to keep your companion, but you may not be aware of them.
Solutions to keep families together
It often happens that families don’t really want to part with their animal, but have simply run out of options.
If you would like to discuss this with someone from our surrender prevention team, please contact us at prs@spcamontreal.com.
For every reason for abandonment, there is a solution:
Becoming your animal’s foster family until they are adopted
Perhaps it really isn’t possible for you to keep your animal in the long run, even with the advice and resources we can provide. If that is the case, we will invite you to keep your animal in your home, if this is feasible, while we work to find them a new home. This means that you become your animal’s “foster family”, thus sparing them the unnecessary stress of life at the shelter.
The next step will be to make an appointment with the Montreal SPCA’s medical staff, who will carry out a medical examination of your animal. If this has not already been done, your animal will be vaccinated, treated for parasites, microchipped and sterilized.
The adoption process remains the same as for all animals in foster families; any family wishing to adopt your animal must fill out the form connected to the animal’s profile on our website. You will be able to participate in the adoption process and meet potential adoptive families to find the ideal match for your animal.
If you are interested in this option, please contact us at prs@spcamontreal.com.
If you still want or need to part with your companion, here are the steps to take:
- Reach out to others: Have you checked to see if anyone in your family, circle of friends or workplace would like to foster your animal? Don’t hesitate to spread the word on your social media accounts. Some groups, like Animaux à donner Québec, can help you find a new family for your animal. However, it’s important that your animal be sterilized beforehand and that you visit where the home of the people to whom you will be entrusting your companion to ensure their well-being.
- Areas the Montreal SPCA serves: If you have not found a new home for your animal, check to see whether the Montreal SPCA serves your municipality or borough. If not, you can contact your local city hall to get the contact information for your local animal control service, municipal pound or shelter. Please note that it is up to each borough or municipality to decide which organization they want to work with and not the other way around. Therefore, and unfortunately, the Montreal SPCA cannot accept animals from boroughs or municipalities with which it does not have a contractual agreement.
Animal Surrender Form
Surrendering an animal to the Montreal SPCA is done by appointment only. Please fill out the form below. Our team will contact you to set up an appointment. However, if the situation is urgent (e.g., the animal or a person is in immediate danger or distress), contact us at 514 735-2711, extension 0.
