10 animals left abandoned overnight outside Winnipeg Humane Society over the weekend

Capacity is continuing to be tight at the Winnipeg Humane Society (WHS) after several animals were left outside overnight on the weekend.

In a news release Monday, WHS said staff found a dog tied to a tree, a box of six rats, and two kittens and an adult cat when they showed up to work Saturday morning.

The cat and kittens were also left in a box, but got out and staff spent a couple of hours looking for them.

The WHS said animals are abandoned on the property once or twice a month and they can range from a single animal to an entire litter.

The Humane Society is reminding people that they offer community supports to help people with their pets, and to seek help during operating hours.

"We understand the owners were likely trying to help their pets by bringing them to the shelter but abandoning animals outside or overnight puts them at risk of being harmed by other wildlife or taken," said Jessica Miller, the CEO of the WHS, in the news release.

"We are here to help and the best way we can do that is by receiving these animals when we're open."

The WHS said these abandoned animals can add to the challenges that the rescue system already faces and it stretches capacity even further.

To add, the Humane Society has seen an increase in calls to the Investigation and Emergency Response department.

"In the last 12 months, the department has received 2,525 calls – an average of seven calls per day – and taken 117 animals into custody, not including the 68 dogs seized from a home last month," the WHS said in the release.

They said optimal care is priority, but resources can be stretched thin.

For people who do need to surrender animals, they are asked to call the intake team during operating hours.