Portage la Prairie, MB –

Homeless people didn’t do very well in finding their “forever home” buts dogs did excellent last year, according to statistics just released.

Animal shelters did nearly a perfect job finding dogs permanent or foster homes with 98% of them finding placement according to the Canadian Animal Welfare and Satisfaction Coalition President Treena Hildebrandt.

“Our group of shelters placed almost every dog that came into our care and over 85% of all cats.  It was a record year, but we can’t stop here.  As a society we have the obligation to provide food and shelter for every animal in need.  We still saw far too many cats and dogs euthanized or waiting in shelters for far too long.  It’s still not an acceptable situation.”

The head of the Canadian Human Shelter Society, Amy Broadleaf is pleased with the progress she’s seen on homelessness and the number of people going hungry.

“We are seeing continued growth in all sectors.  Homelessness is up another 15% over last year and the number of nights in shelters is up over 20% over last year.  As for hunger and the use of food banks I don’t think we’ve seen the numbers higher.”

According to CHSS the number of people coming into shelters finding permanent homes remained steady.

“Virtually no one who enters a shelter program in Canada finds a forever home.  Less than 5% of humans are successfully placed in suitable housing.  While our shelter and food programs are increasing, we don’t see nearly the success of animal shelters.”

Proving dogs are man’s best friend and cats make suitable companions, animals are by far the most popular adoption option.

“I think most people would rather pick up dog poop and scrape out litter boxes rather than help a person,” Hildebrandt explained.  “Although cats and dogs can smell and require an investment in food and medicine, they are still better options for most Canadians.”

Broadleaf feels her organization has some work left in making humans more attractive for “forever homes.” 

“It’s primarily a communications and marketing gap we are looking at.  Selling humans on humans is a challenging task.  We need to present these people in a way that makes that human connection the same way dogs do.”

Locally, 147 dogs, 128 cats and 12 humans found permanent homes in the past 12 months.

Photo: Laurie / Flicker click link for details.

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