Lack of financial and human resources, coupled with a shortage of foster families willing to take in cats and dogs on a temporary basis, are all factors that have taken their toll on Refuge Soulanges. The organization, which opened its doors last June, is now working towards dissolution. 

As its name suggests, Refuge Soulanges took in animals - dogs and cats living in the Vaudreuil-Soulanges area - who needed to be relocated or adopted by a new family. 

“We were a small team of administrators. Some left over the months, and there were only two of us a few weeks before we disbanded: myself and Cindy Besner, animal health technician. Another of the problems that led to our closure was the lack of premises in which to carry out our activities. We had to rely on the collaboration of foster families to take in the animals, and there aren't many of those around,” says Catherine Lalonde, administrator of Refuge Soulanges.  

Many prejudices remain against shelters 

Ms. Lalonde points out that it was particularly difficult to find foster families for the dogs. “People were reluctant to take dogs into their homes for a number of reasons: fear, having more things to do, or because they were afraid the animal would have behavioral problems. There's a lot of prejudice against shelters and the animals that come from them. It was hard to find one. Sometimes, families didn't want to take in an animal for fear of getting too attached,” she says. 

For cats, it was easier to take them in temporarily, although Refuge Soulanges was faced with another problem.  “As we didn't have any premises in which to hold our activities, it was difficult to tell foster families how long the animal would stay with them. Sometimes, we couldn't always put them up for adoption in the short term. Kittens and puppies were usually adopted more quickly, but it could be different for adults,” she adds. 

Unrecognized and underfunded organizations

Lack of awareness of the missions of animal shelters has also contributed to Refuge Soulanges' difficulty in surviving. “At the outset, we would have liked to find a place to hold our activities.We could have received animals for adoption there, and people could have come to see us, but it was difficult to find a location suited to our needs and, above all, within our budget.You can't choose just any premises, as there are municipal by-laws to be respected if you want to run a shelter. They're even stricter if you're taking in dogs.“

Even if the organization had been able to find a roof to house its activities, another problem would have arisen.“We would have had to find trusted volunteers to operate the premises, because we didn't have the money to pay a full-time employee, which wouldn't have been easy either.The two directors of Refuge Soulanges who were still in place when the organization closed had full-time jobs.They wouldn't have been able to maintain a constant presence at the site.It's very sad for the animals to have to close our doors, but we have no choice.”

The directors of Refuge Soulanges also had a project in mind for their territory. They wanted to roll out a CSRM (capture, sterilization, return and maintenance) program, which is in place in many Quebec shelters, but financed by the municipalities. It consists of capturing, sterilizing and releasing stray cats in a given territory. This would have reduced the risk of spreading disease and excessive reproduction. A volunteer would be in charge of the colony. Once again, this program did not interest the region's municipalities, at least not enough for them to agree to invest in it. 

Ms. Lalonde confirms that the organization knocked on several doors during its period of operation to obtain financial support, but its attempts were in vain.  “There are no government subsidies for an organization like Refuge Soulanges. The government leaves this service to the municipalities, but the latter are not subject to certain rules governing animal control on their territory. They do as they please. In our case, all our attempts have fallen on deaf ears, and we've had no feedback. We were unable to secure a contract to provide animal control on the territory of one of the localities in Vaudreuil-Soulanges,” she confides.  

Time for reflection

For Ms. Lalonde, a collective reflection on the management of stray animals abandoned by their families is needed.  “We don't want to judge. There are many reasons for giving up an animal: financial, material, human or other. But it's important to have a place to take them in. Many municipalities don't see a problem with stray cats or abandoned animals on their territory. They're not aware of their responsibilities when it comes to stray or abandoned animals,” she confides. 

For municipalities to take action on this issue, citizens need to exert pressure. According to Ms. Lalonde, many Vaudreuil-Soulanges residents call Services animaliers de Salaberry-de-Valleyfield to take in their cat or dog. 

“It's impossible, because the organization receives money from the city to take care of the animals on its territory. It is already saturated and, like all shelters, has to rely on occasional donations from the public to meet the needs of its animals.”

Continuing her commitment 

Even though Refuge Soulanges has ceased operations, Catherine Lalonde has no intention of stopping her involvement. “Fortunately, all the animals in our care were able to be relocated to families before we closed. For my part, I won't stop getting involved with local resources such as Stérile Chat and CASCA. I'll be lending them a hand in my spare time. In the meantime, I hope that elected officials will look into the matter and find a solution to enable organizations like Refuge Soulanges to survive and offer their services,” she concludes.