Finding Fido campaign puts power to stop puppy mills in dog buyers' hands
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
Ottawa / Aug. 22, 2011 – Canadian dog-buyers now have a one-stop online source for learning how to make smart decisions when looking for a new dog. FindingFido.ca was created by the Canadian Federation of Humane Societies (CFHS) as part of its program to help pet lovers steer clear of buying puppies that come from shoddy breeders or cruel puppy mills.
“Puppy mills are a big problem in Canada. Every few months we hear about dogs being rescued from inhumane mass breeding operations,” says Barbara Cartwright, the CFHS’s chief executive officer. “We know that this is only the tip of the iceberg, because puppy mills are often hidden away in rural areas and go undiscovered.”
Dogs in puppy mills are underfed and kept in filthy, crowded cages, with minimal human contact and little or no veterinary care.
“This terrible industry would no longer exist if all dog buyers did their research and insisted on checking out breeders and their facilities before buying from them,” says Cartwright. “With FindingFido.ca, we’re showing Canadians how to do just that.”
The website also makes the case for adopting a homeless dog and gives tips for finding puppies and dogs up for adoption from humane societies, SPCAs, animal rescue groups and municipal pounds all across Canada.
“We estimate that 100,000 or more dogs enter Canadian animal shelters every year. Some never get adopted, even though they’re perfectly healthy and lovable, and they end up being euthanized,” says Cartwright. “I think if most people knew how many dogs are in need of homes — and what a great job shelters do making sure those they put up for adoption are healthy and well-adjusted — they would make adoption their first option.”
Visitors to FindingFido.ca will find advice on how to choose a shelter dog, a quiz to see if they’re really ready to own a dog, a downloadable checklist of criteria to bring on visits to breeders, and other essential tools for making smart, humane decisions when looking for a dog.
The CFHS’s Finding Fido program will run into 2012 and beyond, and is sponsored in part by wireless service provider Fido, Pacrim Hospitality’s Purrrfect Place to Paws program and OnCouRSS Web Solutions.
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