Homing Summit Award winner nominated for local award

Summit Award winner James McLean has been listed by The Grid TO as one of 49 people who made a difference in Toronto in 2013. 

"As the Animal Care and Control Officer for Toronto Animal Services, James McLean has his paws in a lot of projects—namely, connecting the shelter’s menagerie of dogs, cats, and even members of the fowl family (chickens and ducks) with loving owners. For his efforts—in particular, his skilled home-finding for mill dogs and barn cats—McLean was bestowed with the National Summit Award for Homing in October. Think of him as the city’s foremost expert in mammalian matchmaking."

With this recognition, McLean is up for a Mensch Award (a.k.a. "The Menschies"), the Grid TO's annual collection of notable people who "rocked the city, both downtown and in the 'burbs" over the past year. 

Voting for Mensch Awards is available HERE. Polls close at 11:59 p.m. on Sunday, January 5.

Photo Credit

Karen Stintz Luncheon Guest at 2013 Central Regional Conference

Karen Stintz will be joining the delegates of the 2013 Regional Conference as their luncheon guest on Wednesday. Karen who is also a dog owner, was featured in the recent CBC/Bountiful Films production of DOG DAZED. She will briefly address her experience as the elected official in the middle of the Ledbury Park neighborhood war over off-leash dogs.

Karen is a city councillor in Toronto, Canada. She represents Ward 16, one of two municipal wards enclosed within the federal-provincial riding of Eglinton—Lawrence. She is also the current Chair of the Toronto Transit Commission, the third busiest public transit system in North America.^[1]

Karen grew up in North York and attended St. Joseph's Morrow Park. After receiving a BA from University of Western Ontario, she obtained a Master of Science degree in Journalism from Boston University and worked briefly as a journalist. Returning to school, she received a Master of Public Administration degree from Queen's University, and launched her present career.

"As a politician I have learned that there are two things that you never do. You never change parking restrictions and you never get yourself involved in a dog park."

Karen learned the hard way not to get between voters and their dogs. But it has becoming increasingly more difficult for politicians to get away from dog debates. Canine ownership has doubled in Canada over the past decade and all those dogs need somewhere to run, play, and evacuate. 

A positive pet experience includes understanding how dog owners and other citizens can live together in neighborhoods that serve the purposes of all. Karen's segment of the Conference will set up the Pet Experience Project workshops, directed by Dr. Jason Coe during the afternoon.

Toronto Celebrates International Feral Cat Day

October 16 marked an empowering day in the companion animal industry. International Feral Cat Day was celebrated to generate awareness surrounding the feral cat situation in urban areas. The City of Toronto hosted an event meant to bring feral cat caretakers, volunteers and the public together. 

Members of Toronto Animal Services, the Toronto Feral Cat TNR Coalition and other partners invited media and the public to attend a series of events including spay/neuter surgeries, tours of the spay/neuter clinic, the witnessing of participants building winter shelters for feral cats and a visit to the Animal Services Chip Truck. 

Members of the Toronto Feral Cat TNR Coalition were also on hand to spread the word and educate the public about their accomplishments and goals. The Coalition is a city-wide collaborative effort to decrease the feral cat populations, improve the welfare of street cats and decrease animal shelter euthanasia rates by strategically sterilizing colonies of feral cats in Toronto. 

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Shelters applaud limits on pet store sales

Montreal animal shelters are applauding a Toronto bylaw banning pet stores from selling dogs and cats that come from breeders and asking for the move to be copied here.

The Companion Animal Adoption Centres of Quebec regularly delivers dog to Toronto for adoption, since May of this year approximately 700 have been sent.

"Our pounds and shelters are overflowing, because nobody's adopting - they're buying them from pet stores that buy them from producers who are creating a product that is not needed," Says Johanne Tassé head of CAACQ. "There is a glut in the market. As long as shelter animals are being killed in shelters and pounds, only shelter animals should be sold."

Read the full article in the Montreal Gazette

Also of interest

See what the Canadian Federation of Human Societies says.

Pet Industry Joint Advisory Council of Canada (PIJAC) Statement

A Message from PIJAC Canada

September 21, 2011 - Toronto, ON

The city of Toronto has made a decision to amend the bylaw concerning the sale of dogs in retail pet stores. The changes would include:

• City Council require that pet stores provide every purchaser of a cat and dog, a health assessment report from a licensed vet for all cats and dogs kept in the store that receive vet care.
• City Council require that all retailers, including any person or business that sells more than 10 dogs per year, obtain animals from one of the following sources only:
  i. municipal animal shelters;
  ii. registered humane societies;
  iii. registered shelters or rescue groups; or
  iv. from people who have surrendered their pets to them at no charge.
  

To read the amendment in its entirety please click in the link below.

City of Toronto - Sale of Cats and Dogs in Pet Shops

For the last year PIJAC Canada has been working with a core group of city councilors. Despite months of effort to avoid this outcome the decision has been made and we are extremely disappointed. PIJAC Canada believes that reputable pet stores are an excellent source to find a dog and this will continue to be the association's position. Dealing with concerns regarding sourcing must involve educating the public about the right questions before making a selection.

As was advertised in the PIJAC Canada newsletter, we have created a Municipal Tool Kit for our members. This kit is designed to guide business on how to get the jump on issues like this one and deal with them if they are already underway. You can find a link to this Tool Kit below.

We will keep you updated on any new developments.

Louis McCann

Executive Director

PIJAC Canada