The B.C. SPCA is preparing to construct an animal behaviour centre in Duncan — the first of its kind in Canada — to help pets make a better transition into adoptive homes.
The animal support group said an increasing number of cats and dogs are arriving in care fearful, under-socialized and needing significant behavioural support before they can be adopted.
“Our staff do everything they can to support their unique needs, but a busy shelter setting isn’t always the best place for that animal to thrive,” said Leon Davis, senior manager of animal care services for the B.C. SPCA’s Island and coastal region.
“Giving that animal time in a calmer environment with a team of dedicated animal behaviour specialists offers them a better chance to see the comfort of a loving home much quicker.”
Davis said the number of dogs and cats who need homes has risen since the pandemic, although he had no specific numbers for the Duncan shelter. He said the facility shares with other locations dogs and cats taken in large seizures from single or multiple properties, animals that often have difficulty connecting with people and other pets.
Davis said the shelter has also ended up with dogs imported from other countries. “People who rescue those dogs from places like Mexico have the best intentions in the world,” said Davis. “But these dogs live in a very different world with a much different climate and are used to roaming the streets free.
“When you put them in a home or a backyard, they really struggle to adjust and can have behavioural problems. So you get bolting dogs, and people struggle with that.”
He said the new centre aims to address those issues. It will replace the existing community animal centre at 7550 Bell McKinnon Rd., just north of Duncan.
Although it varies by area, as many as 18% of dogs and 30% of cats that come into the B.C. SPCA’s care require individualized behavioural care plans, Davis said.
Davis said the animal behaviour centre is being designed with a number of unique features, including a room replicating a “real home” that can be used for behaviour modification activities in a setting more like what the animal will experience after adoption.
It will be soundproofed “so cats can’t hear the dogs and dogs can’t hear the cats,” said Davis.
The behaviour centre will serve as a B.C. hub for hands-on training, allowing staff across the province to gain practical experience in animal behaviour management, and freeing up space in other southern Vancouver Island facilities so they can focus on finding homes for adoption-ready animals, the organization said.
Starting Sunday, Duncan’s animal centre will be closed to the public for about 18 months while construction is underway.
The centre, which took in 440 animals last year, has already been limiting its animal intake to prepare for the closure, said Davis. Some of the animals currently in care are being transferred to Victoria and Nanaimo B.C. SPCA locations, while others are being fostered in the area.
To maintain a presence in the Cowichan Valley during construction, the B.C. SPCA has leased office space at 103-281 Trans Canada Highway in downtown Duncan, where some of the facility’s staff of eight will continue to handle animal intake and adoption by appointment, support local volunteer programs like animal fostering, and provide outreach offerings such as the pet-food bank.
Other staff members may end up working in SPCA facilities in Nanaimo and Victoria, or act as transporters to other facilities.
Davis said the B.C. SPCA never euthanizes animals just because it can’t find a home for them. He said the agency’s programs allow for cats and dogs to be transported throughout the province in search of foster and adoptive homes.
Davis said experts at the Animal Helpline will continue to be the first point of support for anyone needing assistance in the Cowichan Valley and Salt Spring Island with animal surrender, stray animals, emergency boarding requests or concerns about animal cruelty.
People who need support with animal surrender are asked to first contact the Animal Helpline by calling 1-855-622-7722.
Davis said once it’s open in early 2026, the Vancouver Island Animal Behaviour Centre will continue to serve the Cowichan community with animal welfare services, in addition to supporting animals with greater behavioural needs.
The new centre received $1 million from the province in June 2023 and a fundraising campaign called A Home for Every Heart has a goal to raise another $1.9 million.
Davis said the Duncan location was selected for the behaviour centre because of its central location between Nanaimo and Victoria and its quiet rural location. The existing building is 27 years old and in need of replacement. The new facility will be about 7,500 square feet and one level.
Last year, the B.C. NDP government announced about $12 million in funding to the B.C. SPCA, which operates 42 facilities across the province.
The funding supported a new permanent shelter in Fort St. John, a campus in Vancouver including an animal centre, a veterinary hospital and education centre and a new facility in Prince George to provide regional services for the Cariboo and Northern B.C.
The B.C. SPCA plans to host a virtual information session on Oct. 17 for Cowichan Valley residents with questions about the project. For more information, or to sign up for the information session, visit behaviourcentre.spca.bc.ca.
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