The East Vancouver SPCA held an open house yesterday to remind people that animal adoption is a great first option and that screening rules mean the process can take a few days.
Ryan Voutilainen, manager of the Vancouver branch, said there’s a misconception that you can just walk into a shelter, point to an animal and take it home.
“It usually takes a couple of days … We do background checks … to protect the animals,” said Voutilainen. “Our primary goal is to make sure we’re matching the right animal to the right home and vice versa.”
He added that 500 to 600 people visited the East Vancouver location yesterday, and got a chance to see the animals out of their cages and learn more about the shelter, which also has an animal hospital on location.
Veterinarian Kath Klassen from Vancouver Animal Blood Services spoke about the animal blood bank.
“Most people don’t know that dogs and cats need blood,” said Klassen.
The blood bank, which started in 2004, has about 30 dogs that give blood, giving life to animals in need.
SPCA branches across B.C. have open houses in May, during “be kind to animals month,” to showcase its animals and services.
