The moving season rhymes, sadly, with the abandonment of animals of companies at the SPCA in Montreal. But for two years, a prevention team has managed to prevent families to be broken.
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Each year, the balance sheet increases. For the first four months of 2025, there are 26% more abandonments than during the same period in 2024, which was already a record year (+21% compared to 2023).
“Year after year, it’s always a bit of the same refrain, but I have the impression that it is worse in worse,” worries Laurence Massé, director general of the SPCA of Montreal.
Photo Clara Loiseau
Laurence Massé, Director General of the SPCA of Montreal
“It is amazing the number of abandons, and the fateful date of the 1is July has not arrived yet, ”she continues in an interview with 24 hours.
Each month, the SPCA Montreal receives around 200 calls for abandonment of animals.
While the cages are often full, the organization is focusing on prevention to hope to overthrow the steam.
Act on the front line
When a person completes an abandonment form, they have the choice to indicate if it is open to be supported to avoid giving in their animal.
If this is the case, she is quickly contacted by Olivier Langlois – or a member of his team – to find avenues of solutions.
For example, SPCA can give animal food, behavioral advice, medical advice and equipment.
Thanks to this work, more than a hundred dogs and cats avoided abandonment last year.
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Empathy above all
“Sometimes I even serve a little psychologist,” says Olivier Langlois on a joke.
It is a good part of the customers to whom he works is made up of single or elderly people, who are short of resources.
With the housing crisis and the increase in the cost of living, some owners are increasingly difficult to take care of their animal, he notes.
Courtesy photo
This is why Olivier Langlois makes a duty to adopt an empathetic approach and without judgment with the people he helps.
“When you really work with these people, you realize that the world is going badly. There is a lot [d’enjeux] mental health, problems in terms of housing, family problems and all that is really very, very complex, “he says.
“It is such a difficult process for the person, but also for the animal. I want people to understand that we are not in judgment, ”he adds.
