No animals were harmed during an early morning break-in of the Burnaby B.C. SPCA branch, but the non-profit was the victim of theft and vandalism.
On Friday at 5:45 a.m., a group of individuals broke into the premises and stole computer equipment, a cell phone, debit machine, petty cash and the master keys, according to the branch manager, Ryan Voutilainen.
"There is severe damage to two inside doors, a dog weigh scale, the main desk and drawers," Voutilainen said. "Thankfully, it appears no animals were harmed."
The thieves attempted first to get in through the side window and set off multiple alarm detections, which was caught by the monitoring company.
The organization spent all day Friday making repairs, re-keying all the doors and fixing door jams, according to Voutilainen.
He said an insurance claim has been filed but there's no guarantee all of the damage will be covered.
"It always surprises me when people out there break into a charity," Voutilainen said. "But the animals are doing (fine), other than some stress from all the (repair) noises."
The B.C. SPCA is now calling on the public for help to pay for repairs costs.
"These items will be costly to replace and repair," said Lorie Chortyk, B.C. SPCA's general manger of community relations, in a media release. "We would be so grateful to anyone who can help us cover the repairs and replace the stolen items."
Donations can be made online at spca.bc.ca or by calling the provincial office's donations department at 604-681-7271.
Only cash donations are being accepted at the Burnaby branch at 3202 Norland Ave. due to the theft of the debit machine.
