Taking a new tack

from the CBC News website
Rescued U.S. dogs to find homes in Edmonton
Last Updated: Sunday, June 28, 2009 1:27 PM MT CBC News
The Edmonton Humane Society has 43 new canine residents who made the long journey from California on a private jet.
The small puppies, including Chihuahuas and Yorkshire terriers, flew in Friday as part of the society's Operation California Canine Cuties.
The goal is to save dogs that were to be euthanized and put a dent in the puppy mill industry.
"It's also to help with the Alberta-born animals here, because …when they went up for adoption … our numbers overall for animals in our care for adoptions spiked. People were just coming to the humane society and adopting any kind of animals," said society spokeswoman Shawna Randolph.
Twenty-nine dogs were previously brought in from California in November, and the society said they were adopted within a few hours.
Randolph said having small, popular dogs at the shelter will help cut down on puppy mills by giving people a reliable source to buy dogs.
Honestly, this is one of the sweetest ideas I've seen .... but sadly we don't need anyone with a private jet here in NS.
SPCANS doesn't have to go south of the border to find puppy mills. As the laws have tightened up in Ontario and Quebec, the big operations have started shifting east. Its only a matter of time before Nova Scotia's will be famous for more than its hospitality.
Do we need better legislation? Of course we do. Its no secret that existing legislation is woefully inadequate. Changes are stymied by a horrible catch 22 .... with so many pet lovers, pets have become a multi million dollar business. The economic benefits for the CKC from its partnership with PIJAC pale by comparison to the PR benefits for PIJAC. This provides a mantle of respectability for PIJAC while promoting an adversarial relationship between CKC breeders and animal welfare groups.
So here in the real world, there is a country mile between recognizing the need for a strong Puppy Mill Law and actually getting legislation that would still be meaningful after the CKC lobbyists were consulted for input.
In the meantime, there is one thing that all rescues could, and should, be doing. Everyone should be listing every animal that comes into their care.... even the cute little ones that are usually spoken for by preapproved adopters. Especially the cute little ones.
I know I go on like a stuck record, but hand in hand with that, that would allow all the groups to have all kinds of cute little ones listed in their Happy Tails.
It isn't only the big and harder to place pets who should be listed on Petfinder. Why would I suggest that when they already have homes waiting? By listing them, however briefly, it lets the public know that cute little dogs DO come into rescue. Not listing them sends the exact opposite message.
Even though adopting from rescue is becoming more popular, at the end of the day, the heart wants what the heart wants. People who want one cute little dog will go to the pet store or the dreaded free online site if there are none available on rescue.
People who aren't involved in animal rescue don't know about preapproved adoptions. Nor are they aware that all the groups in the Maritimes will move heaven and earth to find the right fit for a good home. All they know is that when they go to Petfinder, or MAR, or even the homeless pet site, that they don't see the cute little dogs very often.
I don't need to remind anyone who works frontline animal rescue how many of their adoptees began their journey at a pet store or with a backyard breeder. Yes, it would take more time to list every adoptable pet. Yes it might not seem like time well spent for the ones who will surely be spoken for.
Still, I don't need to remind anyone that every pet adopted from rescue represents one less pet that will potentially need to be rescued later.
What time is it? Its time to use the 'easy to place' pets to boost adoptions and more importantly, to undercut the competition.