Help Put an End to Puppy Mills in Canada

Hello,

Together with donors and supporters, Humane Canada has been a tireless advocate in the fight to put an end to the cruelty of puppy mills.  We understand that government will play a significant role in ensuring that laws and enforcement support this important work across Canada.  During the recent election campaign, we saw our efforts realized as one of our major parties promised to ban puppy mills and included our recommendations to stop the import of animals bred inhumanely and to strengthen the Canadian Food Inspection Agency’s ability to enforce current regulations and seize animals when imported under poor welfare conditions.  

The elected Liberal government also made several promises to support the welfare of animals.  These animal welfare inclusions marked a historical milestone.  This was the first time in known history that animal welfare has made it into any political party platform, and we saw all major party platforms include animal provisions in their campaigns. This is a significant indication that politicians are now recognizing that issues like puppy mills are important topics that Canadians truly care about.   

Humane Canada continues to speak up for animals and we have made several policy recommendations to political stakeholders to address the issue of puppy mills in Canada. Our proposed solutions to tackle the low-welfare, high volume supply of puppies, recognizing that more oversight and effective laws around breeding, selling, importing, and transporting companion animals are required including:  

• Banning commercial third-party sale in Canada; directing people to buy direct from a licenced breeder or adopt from a rescue or animal shelter.
• Ban the commercial importation of puppies into Canada. 
• Strengthen CFIA resources to enforce current regulations and seize animals when imported under poor welfare conditions.
• Regulations to address on-line pet scams and false claims. 

58% of Canadian households have a dog or cat. There are 7.7 million owned dogs in Canada.  Demand for companion animals, and in particular for dogs, surged during the Covid 19 pandemic further fuelling animal welfare concerns involved in the international and Canadian puppy mill market.  

With your ongoing support Humane Canada will continue its crusade to end puppy mills in Canada. In addition to our legal and enforcement work, we are educating the public in partnership with the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, to encourage Canadians to be diligent when searching for a dog, to empower and educate the public to watch for red flags and not inadvertently support a puppy mill or puppy broker. 
 
Thank you foryour ongoing support of our crusade to end puppy mills in Canada. 

In June of 2020 Humane Canada was spurned into action to shine a light on the plight of imported pandemic puppies when at least 38 puppies died in a shipment of 500 dogs on a flight from Ukraine, prompting an investigation by the CFIA that led to a change in federal rules that restricted imports from Ukraine to puppies over eight months old. 

We are pleased to share that the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) has now made important changes to the laws regarding the importation of puppies under 8 months of age into Canada. These changes apply to the breeding and re-sale of dogs, which include adoption and animal welfare organizations.  

These changes are to improve compliance with humane transport and animal health requirements. This review was initiated after the inspection of an air shipment of dogs in June 2020, in which a number of dead, sick and suffering dogs were found. The on-going investigation into that incident led the CFIA to take enforcement actions. 

As of May 15, 2021, permits will be issued by the CFIA with changes including:  

Multiple entry permits will be replaced with single entry permits, and importers will have to specify the number of dogs to be imported. 

Kennel of origin must be certified by an official veterinarian. 

Dogs will require rabies vaccination at least 28 days before export to Canada and will need to be treated for internal and external parasites prior to export. 

Importers will be required to provide information about the travel route from the country of origin to the final destination in Canada.  They will also be required to schedule a CFIA inspection at the airport or land border crossing where the animals enter Canada. 

Importers transporting dogs by air must have a post-import quarantine facility that has been pre-approved by the CFIA in case arriving animals require further inspection and/or quarantine. 

Permits can only be obtained through mycfia.org.  
 
If importers are found non-compliant, or the puppies don’t meet the health and vaccine requirements to enter into Canada, the puppies will be shipped back to their country of origin. 

While these are important improvements for the protection of puppies, please note that the CFIA has indicated that they will return puppies of non-compliant importers back to the importers, once the regulations have been met, or to their port of origin. Both of these scenarios raise animal welfare concerns depending on the age, physical and emotional health and conditions the puppies were raised and shipped in.  

 Humane Canada continues their public education campaign in partnership with the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, to encourage the public to do their due diligence when searching for a dog, the goal is to empower and educate the public to look out for red flags and not support a puppy mill or puppy broker inadvertently. 

Thank you for joining us in our crusade to end puppy mills in Canada.  

Links:

• Puppies for sale, CBC Marketplace Hidden Camera Investigation
• Essential Questions to Ask a Breeder
• Government Introduces New Import Rules For Dogs Under 8 Months