The Georgian Triangle Humane Society reports that pet surrenders have increased by 144 per cent over the last couple of years, with the high cost of living the main reason people are struggling to take care of their furry friends.

The society’s executive director, Karen Marsh, says the demand for its services has been overwhelming, coming from all different angles.

Marsh told Global News the Collingwood, Ont., shelter has a waiting list for people needing to surrender their pets and that the demand for its veterinary care services, pet food and basics is also pretty high.

“People are experiencing dire challenges around the cost of veterinary care, the cost of housing, trying to find housing that accepts pets that are pet-friendly for them. We are experiencing people who are in a temporary crisis,” she said.

The humane society was built to house 500 animals a year but has outgrown the space, currently servicing 4,000 animals a year.

“We are bursting at the seams. We have dogs and cats who are recovering in the hallways after their spay and neuter surgeries. We have all kinds of youth programs that we offer, and they’re very popular, but we don’t have the space to house those kids to come in and experience the beauty of the human-animal bond,” Marsh said.

Unlike most shelters, where people need to surrender their pets permanently, the Georgian Triangle offers people the opportunity to temporarily surrender their animals for three months.

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The shelter also offers clients who can’t afford pet food access to its pet food bank to ensure they can feed their pets and keep them in their homes.

Marsh said this is to help in situations where someone lands on hard times financially or is having medical issues and can’t care for their pet.

“We believe … that everyone deserves a pet. We don’t believe that because you are experiencing perhaps temporary challenges in your life, that you necessarily have to surrender your pet,” she said.

She says the bond between people and their pets is strange and important, not only for the animals but also for their owners.

The issue is the current cost of living, which is causing more people to struggle.

“We are at really a crisis in terms of our capacity and we’re trying everything that we can do (to) think outside the box,” she said.

To cope, many shelter staff take animals to their own homes temporarily until space becomes available.

“Sometimes the emergency is so dire that we just take the animal. We don’t have anywhere to put that animal at that given moment, but we find a solution,” Marsh said.

Despite the pressure of the demand for their help, Marsh says it’s better than the alternative.

“There’s lots of different ways that people traditionally have dealt with an unwanted animal, so we’re happy that people come to us, but what we are not happy about is having to turn them away because of our capacity,” Marsh said.

To keep up with the growing demand for its services, the shelter is planning to build a new state-of-the-art facility.

The 19,000-square-foot animal centre will be built on five acres of secured land, enabling the humane society to dramatically expand its ability to care for and help people connect with the animals it serves.

With the ability to provide more critical services, the organization says it will finally have the space to offer genuine hope for the pets and people who come to it for support.

Construction on the Regional Centre for Pets and People, which is designed to amplify the impact of the GTHS in the years to come, will start in early July.

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