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CHARLOTTETOWN, P.E.I. —

The P.E.I. Humane Society recently took possession of nearly 40 cats and dogs from an owner unable to care for them.

Jennifer Harkness, development manager for the society, said Thursday the owner surrendered the animals to the shelter and that they were not seized despite information to the contrary that had been circulating on social media.

“We did have a large surrender of dogs and cats towards the end of January,’’ Harkness said. “The owner surrendered the animals to the P.E.I. Humane Society, so we did not have to seize them.’’

Harkness wouldn’t say how many dogs or cats were dropped off last month, saying it was a combination of the two and that the number was close to 40.

“I don’t want to go into details at this point because it’s still an open investigation and (it’s) sensitive, and that’s why we haven’t released any information about it. I can say it was slightly under 40,’’ she said in reference to the number of animals surrendered. “They weren’t all dogs, there were some cats as well.’’

Harkness also wouldn’t comment on who surrendered the animals or provide any details.

“The owner did surrender these animals because they were not able to take care of them. We really don’t want to say anything (else) at this time while we’re still working on this case.’’

“It was a bit chaotic here at the shelter.’’

It’s been a busy few months at the humane society. In November, officials responded to a complaint from the community and seized 17 husky puppies in November from an Island breeder.

This case occurred just as the husky puppies were going up for adoption.

“It was a bit chaotic here at the shelter.’’

Still, Harkness said they had sufficient space to house the cats and dogs that were surrendered recently, and all have received any medical attention that was necessary.

“Some had some health issues and we did some isolation just for health reasons but we’ve already been able to see some of them adopted. Some of them are still in foster care. There’s various stages that the animals are in but we’re happy to report that we’ve had some great outcomes as well already.’’

Harkness cautions people against believing some of the information circulating on social media.

“Just remember that there is action being taken for animal welfare here on P.E.I. and if people do have concerns or if they have questions they can always contact our team. If people do know about situations that they think should be investigated then please call us. We are taking action and we do investigate cases.’’

Twitter.com/DveStewart

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