These Cute Puppies Are the Latest Casualties of the Canadian Oil Sands Crash

Pets are the latest casualties of the economic strain in Alberta's oil patch.

Fort McMurray's only shelter for surrendered pets has seen an uptick in abandoned animals, and according to the executive director, the increase is directly related to the province's struggling economy.

"They're all directly connected to the downturn," Tara Clarke, head of the Fort McMurray SPCA (Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals), told CBC. "From people losing their homes, to losing their jobs, to having to take on additional work, meaning that they don't have time to provide care for their pets."

And the Fort McMurray shelter isn't alone. Over the summer, the Calgary Humane Society reported "tough economic times" were a factor in a surge of new animals that put the shelter over capacity, prompting the shelter to hold an emergency adoption event.

"While we do have emergency measures in place that will allow us to [continue] operating and providing the best possible care for our animals, we are asking Calgarians who may be looking to adopt a pet to come and see us soon," the shelter's executive director Carrie Fritz said in a release.

Calls to the Calgary Humane Society and the Fort McMurray SPCA were not immediately returned.

Clarke told CBC the Fort McMurray shelter has also seen an increase in adoptions in response to the pet surrenders, which she called "a testament to this community."

Alberta's economy has slumped over the past year due to the worldwide plunge in the price of oil, which is now about half the price it was a year ago. Increased domestic supply in the United States means oil mammoths, including Saudi Arabia, are lowering their prices to compete in different markets. Demand for Alberta oil has been outpaced by competitors' supply, leading to deep cuts in the sector and adjacent industries.

Where before stretched a promised land of stable employment now lies a suffering sector. An estimated 100,000 jobs, including 40,000 direct jobs, will be lost this year, according to the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers. And a 30 percent increase in suicides between January and July may be connected to the devastation and depression of Alberta residents after losing their livelihood.

There's no end in site. Experts have said it could be years before oil prices recover.

And in Fort McMurray, where vacancy rates are sky high due to outmigration of the newly unemployed, Clarke expects the abandoned pet trend to continue in 2016.

Follow Hilary Beaumont on Twitter: @hilarybeaumont