2018 Annual Report
The year 2018 was pivotal for the Montreal SPCA. Several battles we’d been involved with finally ended in victory, even while we doubled our efforts to assist 14,605 animals of all kinds.
Now more than ever, animal welfare issues are front and centre in citizens’ minds, and the Montreal SPCA team is determined to continue the work that began 150 years ago.
— Élise Desaulniers, Executive Director
Thank you for your generosity
In 2018, 29,627 individual donors and 304 charitable organizations and companies lent us a generous helping hand. Our monthly donation program continued its success, with 5,681 monthly donors. The Montreal SPCA is extremely grateful to all its generous donors.
The SPCA is fortunate to be able to count on 350 volunteers who assist the shelter seven days a week throughout the year, and is also grateful to its Board of Directors for their wonderful support and guidance.
- On October 24th, the Montreal SPCA held its first evening of wine tasting and hors d’oeuvres at the club Le Parloir. This select evening—which was sold out—raised $17,000 to support the SPCA in continuing its mission to help animals.
- An x-ray machine was donated to the Montreal SPCA by a generous donor in memory of her cat Charlie.
Animal Care
In 2018, the Montreal SPCA treated and cared for 14,605 animals, many of whom had been abused, neglected, lost or injured, or needed to be spayed or neutered. Day after day, our veterinary team continues to play an essential role in ensuring the well-being of animals, regardless of their species. The team’s main objective is to provide high-quality medical and emergency care to our animals.
Animal Advocacy
The suffering inflicted on farm animals goes far beyond violating animal rights—it violates basic human decency. And it’s completely legal. For instance, confining animals in very small spaces, and systematic mutilation without any analgesia or anesthesia are practices that are banned elsewhere, but widespread in Quebec. On August 6th, the Montreal SPCA launched its campaign Animal Wrongs to demand that the Government of Quebec regulate the treatment of farm animals. The campaign caught the attention of the media and it mobilized thousands of people.
Investigations
Every year, the Montreal SPCA’s Investigations Division receives thousands of complaints and reports. In 2018, over 8,500 animals of various species received a visit from our staff and 1,500 new investigations were opened. In total, the investigations team removed 449 animals from their environments, and its investigations resulted in about 40 convictions.
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After being hit by a car, Mia, a three-year-old dog, was brought to the Montreal SPCA. The SPCA’s new x-ray machine immediately revealed multiple pelvic fractures. Fortunately, considering her clinical symptoms, surgery was not necessary and Mia’s prognosis was good. Following forced rest with pain medication, physiotherapy and many veterinary follow-ups, the dog’s pelvis healed. Today, Mia is part of a loving family that will continue caring for her.
In August 2016, a motorist in the Sud-Ouest area witnessed a horrifying scene in the middle of the night: two individuals brutally beating their dogs. She quickly contacted the Montreal SPCA’s Investigations Division. The suspects were promptly arrested and their dogs seized to be examined by the SPCA’s veterinary team and placed in foster homes. On April 5th, Patricia Ball and Louis-Philippe Moquin were found guilty of animal cruelty. They were sentenced to 20 and 15 days of detention, respectively, and are prohibited from owning animals for three years.
On September 1, 2016, the Montreal SPCA seized 54 cats and one dog from an apartment in Montreal. The animals were seized due to the numerous observed infractions to the Animal Welfare and Safety Act relating to unsanitary and unsafe living conditions, as well as the obvious lack of veterinary care. The animals were safely removed from the premises and received the attention and veterinary care that they required. In February 2018, their owner, Marcel Couillard, was found guilty on eight counts in relation to this case. He was sentenced to $12,500 in fines and to a 15-year prohibition order forbidding him from owning more than four animals.
