The Central California Society For the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (CCSPCA) is hurting. For most, adopting a pet isn’t an option anymore, but there are still important ways people can help.

Donations of food and money are both down and budget cuts have also been discussed.

The CCSPCA knew they needed another source of funds. In early December the board began charging pet owners for giving up their animals. The fee is $10 per pet, $25 per litter.

This is not something that they wanted to do, the CCSPCA fears this practice will only cause an increase in crowding because people may just abandoned their pets or pet owners will lie and say they found a stray, which requires the shelter to keep the animal five days instead of putting them up for adoption immediately.

CCSPCA employee Brenda Mitchell said, “Whenever there is a fee involved, people will just abandon their pets, it is a difficult thing but we really had no other choice.”

The Fresno SPCA is doing everything they can to save the lives of these pets. In February, more than 114 small dogs were put on a plane to Edmonton, Alberta, in a partnership with the Edmond Humane Society for adoption in Canadian homes.

“Canada doesn’t have small dogs like we do here in California,” Mitchell said. “We are leading in the nation in small dog population and if they were not leaving the Central Valley they would be put down.”

The owner of the airplane and a donor to the Edmonton Humane Society has committed to arranging three flights per year. Part of this partnership is to combat the puppy mill population.

Mitchell said that a great way for students to get involved would be to foster a dog before it embarks on its trip to Canada.

“We obviously can’t take in 114 dogs to our own homes. We need loving homes for a short period of time to socialize the dogs and get them ready for their new homes,” Mitchell said.

“Adopting a pet is a huge responsibility and should not be taken lightly,” Mitchell said. “This is one of the reasons so many pets have to be given up. People adopt or buy pets and then their situation changes and they can no longer provide for them.”

Graduate student Mark Torres said, “I’ve always wanted to help out, but I never really knew what I could do other than adopting an animal, we’ve all seen those commercials with Sarah Mclachlan singing in the background; they are heartbreaking.”

An example of just what kind of help you can provide was a Kingsburg fifth grade student and junior SPCA volunteer. She found out that the CCSPCA was in need of newspapers and began organizing a collection drive. The newspapers are used to line the bottoms of cages and the SPCA ran out twice last year.