Pet owners who were forced to leave their pets behind when they evacuated can rest easier because many Fort McMurray animals were rescued by the SPCA. For a lot of pet owners their pets are family, and being forced to choose between safety and evacuating without this beloved family member or staying in danger is not really much of a choice. For some evacuees who were forced to flee the wildfire and evacuated from Fort McMurray taking their pets was not really an option since the people themselves did not really have anywhere to go. Many shelters and emergency housing facilities do not allow animals. In around 96 hours starting on May 5 and ending on May 8 the Fort McMurray SPCA managed to rescue more than 200 animals in the Wood Buffalo area.

On May 10 a Facebook message was posted by the SPCA organization about the Fort McMurray animals which read in part “While we understood how anxious and worried local pet owners would be, as the only local animal welfare organization in the RMWB, it was important to us that we serve our community and did everything we could during this devastating time.” There were also other animal organizations in the area who stepped in after the city was evacuated to rescue any pets who were left behind. Pet owners have been submitting applications to search for their pets and the SPCA workers and other animal rescue organizations deserve a lot of credit for taking care of those who did not have a voice and who could not evacuate on their own.