By the numbers: Vernon SPCA at a glance

VERNON – Here are some things you might not know about the Vernon branch of the SPCA.

It costs the non-profit roughly $665 to shelter a single cat. Over the course of a year, the branch goes through some 52 jugs of laundry detergent. The facility runs on six employees and 75 volunteers.

Branch manager Chelsea Taylor says those numbers are a surprise for a lot of people.

“People that are big supporters of the SPCA or that have adopted from us in the past seem to have a better idea because those are the people we’ve already reached,” Taylor says. “A lot of people don’t realize because they haven’t been exposed to it.”

To give you an idea of the volume of animals the SPCA takes in, how much running the shelter costs, and what supplies the branch goes through fastest, we’ve compiled a ‘by the numbers’ list. 

In 2014, the Vernon SPCA took in 218 adult cats at an average cost of $665 per cat and 231 kittens at a cost of $615 per kitten.  

Last year, the branch also took in 129 adult dogs at a cost of $505 per dog and 49 puppies at $670 each.

It cost $435,000 to run the branch in 2013. With no government funding, the branch relies on donations, frundraisers and adoption fees.

Adoption fees are $235 for dogs, $112 for cats, $272 for puppies and $139 for kittens.

To keep bedding clean, the facility's washing machine runs pretty much all day every day. That means the branch goes through a substantial amount of detergent, roughly one large jug a week, or 52 in a year.

Instead of giving a number for how much bedding the branch goes through, the branch described it as follows: "a shed full."

The branch has a maximum capacity of 30 dogs.

And a maximum capacity of 55 cats.

The branch spends thousands of dollars spaying and neutering, deworming, and providing medical care to its animals every year.

The branch has one full time branch manager, two full time animal care attendants, two part time animal care attendants and 75 volunteers who assist with fundraisers, dog walking, and many other things. 

Almost $30,000 was pulled in through fundraisers alone in 2014. 

To contact the reporter for this story, email Charlotte Helston at chelston@infonews.ca or call 250-309-5230. To contact the editor, email mjones@infonews.ca or call 250-718-2724.