For decades, cat people and bird people have been at odds with each other. But the welfare of one does not need to be sacrificed in order to protect the other. We have a responsibility to all of this country’s animals and need to work to improve the situation for both cats and birds. Pitting them against each other fails to address the perils facing both. Solutions for our embattled birds are necessary, but we can’t lose sight of how dire the situation is for Canada’s cats.
Read more “Uniting for cats and birds”Celebrating two years of Quanto’s Law
Two years ago today, Canada’s Criminal Code was amended to make the harming or killing of police, military or other service animals a special offence. Called the Justice for Animals in Service Act, this piece of legislation is better known as Quanto’s Law.
Read more “Celebrating two years of Quanto’s Law”Animal Transportation Regulations
In Canada each year, approximately 700 million farm animals are transported from farm to auction or slaughter. Approximately 1.6 million of these animals, mostly chickens, are found dead on arrival. Many more arrive sick or injured following their long, gruelling journeys and need to be euthanized.
Read more “Animal Transportation Regulations”Science hijacked in transport regs review
Most Canadians would be shocked to know what’s legal when it comes to the transport of animals in this country. That’s because Canada’s outdated transportation regulations set a dangerously low bar, causing the deaths of more than 1.6 million farm animals each year by freezing, dehydration, heat exhaustion, trampling and disease.
Read more “Science hijacked in transport regs review”Five tips for Pet Fire Safety Day
For most pet owners, a house fire is our worst nightmare – watching first responders do their best to save our precious but helpless companions as smoke billows out the windows.
Read more “Five tips for Pet Fire Safety Day”Are we overcoming the cat overpopulation crisis?
In 2012, Humane Canada published a ground-breaking report about the crisis faced by Canadians and our most popular companion animal: cats. The report, Cats in Canada: A Comprehensive Report on the Cat Overpopulation Crisis, raised national awareness about one of the most pressing animal welfare issues in Canada.
Read more “Are we overcoming the cat overpopulation crisis?”How women are creating a humane Canada
As a young girl, my first love was my dog Patty, a beautiful golden Cocker Spaniel who used to collect rocks and line them up on our back porch. She would patiently let me stroke her long nose and make her floppy ears dance in the air. She was, to say the least, very tolerant of my childish antics. After Patty, a string of succeeding loves came as I grew up – Copper, Pokey and Casey (a Springer Spaniel, a Black Lab, and a Yorkie respectively) and, of course, our indignant cat, Sneaker. They all helped shape my childhood and left their mark on me in some way, but the true force behind it all was my mother.
Read more “How women are creating a humane Canada”10 ways you can build a humane Canada
What do we mean when we say the word humane? And what does it mean to be a humane community or nation?
In Canada and around the world, the humane movement is about compassion, collaboration, education and action. It was built on the idea that we need to protect the most vulnerable in our society, and it’s focused on minimizing or eliminating the suffering and exploitation of animals.
Farm Animal Slaughter in Canada
The humane slaughter of farm animals is of great concern to Humane Canada™ (also known as the Canadian Federation of Humane Societies). Canada’s current humane slaughter regulations are weak, and enforcement of these regulations is inadequate.
Read more “Farm Animal Slaughter in Canada”Lessons learned from the Fort Mac wildfires
June is Disaster Preparedness Month, and I took the opportunity to have a conversation with Tara Clarke, the outgoing Executive Director of Fort McMurray SPCA, to hear what the organization learned about disaster preparedness after living through the largest animal disaster rescue in Canadian history: the Fort McMurray wildfires. It’s been just over a year since the wildfires hit, and the Fort McMurray community is still in the process of rebuilding and recovering.
Read more “Lessons learned from the Fort Mac wildfires”