New regulations on pet ownership and breeding go into effect next month in Quebec, which include a ban on non-therapeutic surgeries such as tail-docking, ear cropping and declawing.
The regulations, which take effect on Feb. 10, is something the SPCA has long championed.
“Imagine walking on your toes and every step, you have phantom pain,” said Dr. Kelly Faubert, who describes how when cats are declawed, it’s the equivalent of a person losing the tips of their fingers.
“Can you imagine if all your fingers were cut off, how much it would affect your behavior, your interactions?” said Faubert, who is a vet of the Center Veterinaire Laval.
The SPCA has been advocating for these regulations for years.
“A ban on decapitation and other types of convenient or aesthetic surgery on companion animals; a ban on the use of cages as a method of euthanasia; and stricter regulations on the breeding of cats and dogs, ” said Montreal SPCA director of animal advocacy Sophie Gaillard, listing some of the upcoming changes.
Quebec cat and dog breeders are limited to owning no more than 50 animals at a time.
“We’ve been known in the past as the puppy mill province in Canada, and we’re really pleased that this new regulation that’s coming into effect will be very strict in terms of breeding and selling companion animals, and we hope it will eliminate the large-scale, unscrupulous breeders from our province, finally,” said Gaillard.
He said the new rules are a step in the right direction. The next hurdle is implementation.
“It’s going to be a complaint-based mechanism for enforcement, so a member of the public, a client of a breeder — a human witness — has to call the authorities and report a situation.”
The full Regulations relating to the welfare and safety of companion animals and equines can be found here.
