Animal protection group struggles to meet demand
Animals in need in Saskatchewan may not be getting the help they require due to a lack of resources, according to Animal Protection Services of Saskatchewan (APSS).
The APSS is responsible for enforcing the province’s Animal Protection Act. The organization took over response to animal welfare complaints outside of major urban centres from the Saskatchewan Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals in 2015.
The number of complaints the organization receives on an annual basis has stayed consistent during the last several years, but with greater expectations around investigations and response from the public, staff are stretched thin, executive director Kaley Pugh said.
Brenda Hagel, a member of Saskatchewan’s equestrian community for more than 50 years, said she was frustrated with the APSS response when she reported a group of horses south of Saskatoon that looked like they were in distress. Hagel said she waited months for action to be taken. Distressed animals would benefit if there were more animal protection officers in the field and if they had more power to remove animals from harmful situations, she added.
“The animals that are either starving or being neglected don’t have a voice. The only voice that they’re going to have is the people that report these cases and the animal protection services that can go in and do something about it, and if they don’t have the budget to do that, that means we have a lot of suffering animals in different locations.”
Data provided by the APSS shows staff are able to respond to cases of the highest priority in three business days 84 per cent of the time; response times for all complaints are less than five business days 48 per cent of the time, which is “less than ideal,” Pugh said.
The organization makes do with what’s available, but more officers would be beneficial, she added.
“We do have four animal protection officers, and we cover most of the province, so they’re dealing with very high workloads. They put in a lot of overtime and they put in a lot of travel. It’s an extremely stressful and demanding position to begin with, and then they ’re dealing with very, very high workloads on top of that.”
The APSS receives $610,000 annually from the province through the Ministry of Agriculture. Pugh said she’s communicated the need for more funding and the province has been supportive of the work the organization does, but she’s unsure if it will result in more funding in the future.
Having a few more officers would make a “big difference” in response times to new complaints and create better working conditions for staff, Pugh said.
Dr. Betty Althouse, the chief veterinary officer with the Ministry of Agriculture’s Animal Health Unit, said the province is pleased with the work the APSS does and understands there is a growing expectation from the public when it comes to animal welfare.
“We do regularly review funding arrangements and look at resource needs and changing needs, but I can’t really speak to any future funding until after the budget is announced,” Althouse said.
When asked if the province is concerned about response times due to a lack of resources, she said the APSS has done a “great job in prioritization,” noting there has been a decrease in some of the wait times in the last few years.
“I do realize that the response time may not be as quick as everyone would wish it to be,” Althouse said, noting it’s one of the numerous factors considered in funding reviews.
Changes to the Animal Protection Act, expected to pass in the spring sitting of the legislature, include broadening the definition of distress, allowing animal protection officers to issue enforceable corrective action orders and allowing them to do routine inspections at facilities where animals are sold, displayed or kept for hire, including boarding kennels and slaughter facilities, Althouse said.