Three animal seizures in just three weeks, leaves the Nova Scotia SPCA looking for homes for dozens of dogs.
Many were being abused or poorly cared for.
On Thursday, Sailor the dog was meeting potential families after spending much of the last two years confined to a crate.
“He’s had a little bit of a tough life, so it's always good to give a home to someone like that,” said Andrea MacDonald, who is looking to adopt.
Sailor was seized by the SPCA as part of three recent busts.
Twelve dogs from a home in New Ross, and another seizure in Berwick resulted in animal cruelty charges.
“There were approximately 10 dogs removed from the home, and that in itself put an extremely difficult strain on our Waterville shelter,” said Joanne Landsburg, the chief provincial inspector for the Nova Scotia SPCA.
Investigators also worked with an owner who had 16 dogs in a single home.
“We're finding that because they were crated for long periods of time, or they were tied on chains or kept outdoors, they really didn't have a lot of manners,” Landsburg said.
That means looking for specialized foster homes, and the right adopters.
“Our goal is hopefully to see them find homes before the holidays,” said Heather Woodin, the Nova Scotia SPCA director of programs.“But we certainly understand some of them are going to take a little more time to adjust and adapt to meeting new people and bonding with that new family.”
The SPCA put out the call on their Facebook page Wednesday night, and they say so far, the response has been encouraging.
The Facebook post lured MacDonald in.
“We were definitely looking at puppies first, from a breeder, and when we saw the influx of them last night, we were just like, well why? They deserve homes too,” said MacDonald.
As for adopting during the holidays, officials say that can be the best time to bring in a new pet, if your holiday is a quiet one.
With files from CTV Atlantic’s Emily Baron Cadloff.
