MONTREAL — Montreal’s main animal protection organization is calling on the province to scrap rules that bar pets in rental units as the tally of animal surrenders surges this month.

The local branch of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals says it is dealing with more than double the number of abandoned animals that it typically registers daily.

SPCA executive director Sylvie Bourbonnière says that while it ordinarily takes in about 20 pets in a 24-hour period, it’s been receiving at least double that number since shortly before Canada Day, with up to 70 surrendered animals arriving on exceptional days.

Bourbonnière says the vast majority of Montreal landlords impose major restrictions or refuse outright to rent to residents with pets.

She says the situation complicates the search for housing and, for SPCA staff and volunteers, adds a lot more pressure — on them as well as the group’s finances.

Canada Day in Montreal has traditionally been synonymous with moving day, as junk piles up on street corners, sweaty bodies heave couches up and down twisting staircases and abandoned animals show up in droves at the SPCA.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 25, 2026.

The Canadian Press