March 31, 2016 - 11:22 AM
VANCOUVER - The Vancouver branch of the SPCA is hoping a donation challenge from the canine unit at the Vancouver Police Department pays off for the organization.
Branch manager Charlotte Ellice says members of the Vancouver unit donated $1,300 in overtime hours last week to cover vet bills for 66 dogs seized during a raid on a puppy mill last month in nearby Langley.
When the donation was made, Ellice says Vancouver dog handlers challenged members in other canine units to do the same and the society is optimistic that will happen.
Spokeswoman Lorie Chortyk of British Columbia's SPCA says vet bills for the seized dogs have topped hundreds of thousands of dollars.
"We spend millions of dollars in vet bills every year, just regularly," she said. "(These dogs) had every imaginable injury and parasite and illness, so it just cost a huge amount of money."
Ellice adds the total number of dogs has grown to 88 due to the recent arrival of 22 puppies, including 10 over the Easter weekend.
All the seized dogs had a variety of ailments including ringworm, which forced the Vancouver shelter to shut its doors to other admissions while the Bernese mountain dogs, Wheaten terriers, Portuguese water dogs, and poodle mixes were treated.
Ellice says vets have now cleared all the remaining dogs for adoption and the shelter was scheduled to reopen Friday, more than seven weeks since the dogs were seized on Feb. 9.
News from © The Canadian Press, 2016