When a crisis or personal tragedy strikes, people worry about their own safety and housing – but they also worry about what will happen to their pets.
Homelessness, domestic violence, and other major crises can cause people to lose their housing, or to have to move suddenly. When that happens, cats and dogs may have nowhere to go.
That's why the Langley Animal Protection Society operates a Compassion Boarding program.
"Animals are definitely part of the family," said LAPS executive director Sarah Jones.
The longstanding program is designed to support individuals and families facing challenges including interpersonal violence, seeking addictions treatment, or experiencing homelessness.
LAPS provides temporary boarding while people work through their difficulties and find stability again.
People can know their pet is in a safe haven during that time.
Jones has seen cases in which people brought in pets to surrender them forever, including a man who had recently become homeless. He didn't think he would ever be able to take his dog back, but staff decided to place his pet in the Compassion Boarding program.
Two weeks later, he'd gotten a job and was back at the shelter in Aldergrove.
"We were able to re-united them," said Jones.
Another case involved a woman who offered to surrender her animals because she was dealing with major health issues. She went into the hospital for treatment, recovered, and was able to take her pets home and care for them again once she was healthy.
The people who use the programs aren't the only ones who benefit – the pets are joyful when their owners return.
"They're so happy to go home," Jone said.
LAPS is encouraging people to contact them if they are having any crisis issues. LAPS can be reached at 604-857-5055.
