‘Allowable pets’ list is the wrong approach

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 18/10/2021 (1629 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

WINNIPEG Animal Services seeks to strengthen and improve the safety of both pets and the community with its Responsible Pet Ownership bylaw review, but many of its proposed ideas would do just the opposite. The proposed ban of many specialty pets will drive trade into the black market and put animals at risk, while wiping out legitimate pet businesses and potentially impacting hundreds of jobs.

The proposed list of “Allowable Animals” is completely wrongheaded in its approach. This narrow catalogue of permitted animals excludes a raft of very common pets, such as many breeds of fish, birds, small mammals, reptiles and amphibians. This is patently unfair to Winnipeggers who may not be dog or cats owners, but who still want a pet as a member of their family household.

Not only do they love their speciality pets every bit as much as some people love puppies and kittens, but many hobbyists also work closely with researchers to further the care practices and preservation of species.

Winnipeg’s proposed bylaw changes are largely unwarranted, because the federal government has already investigated all aspects of the importation of exotic animals and has established guidelines and laws. These protect the animals, human health and safety, and the environment, and they support the economic health of Canada and the countries of origin.

Other levels of government also already have relevant regulation in place.

Not only does Winnipeg Animal Services’ approach undermine the safety objectives of its proposed bylaw with relation to speciality pets, if adopted this restriction on specialty pet ownership would also detrimentally affect Winnipeg’s economy. Local pet owners invest almost $91.5 million annually in caring for their animals, and the pet industry supports approximately 450 area jobs.

Many Winnipeg pet-industry players invest heavily in training and education to create a workforce that is well qualified in the care of a full range of specialty pets. Indeed, thousands of Canadian pet-industry workers have taken and passed exams to achieve Pet Industry Joint Advisory Council (PIJAC) Canada’s pet care training certification, which gives them the skills and knowledge they need to work with many animal categories, including reptiles, small mammals, birds and fish.

Canadians love keeping fish, making it one of the nation’s most popular pet-keeping practices. However, Winnipeg’s proposed breed ban will debilitate the supply of most salt water and fresh fish species that are commonly prized by aquarium owners. This could kill off a sizeable number of Winnipeg’s legitimate pet-product retailers, including many that are independent and family-owned businesses.

Considering that more than 90 per cent of specialty pets sold in Canadian pet stores come from regulated, human-raised operations, perhaps the biggest risk of introducing this proposed breed ban is its potential to create a black-market bonanza. Driving the specialty pet trade underground, where there’s no regulatory or industry oversight, no visibility into standards of care or breeding ethics, really will put the safety of both animals and people at risk.

A list of “Prohibited Animals” would be a much better solution to keeping both pets and the community safe by ruling out those breeds which are a danger to the public, a threat to Indigenous wildlife or which fall outside national and international breeding conventions, regulations and agreements. This approach is more practical, as well. The city currently works with a prohibited list of 200 animals, and employees are already familiar with it and are knowledgeable about species it covers.

The proposed list of 58 “allowed” animals creates the situation in which city staff will have discretionary power over an unlimited variety of animals and would potentially be called upon for decisions about the housing and care of many thousands of breeds. You’d have to train up an army of bylaw enforcement officers.

As a not-for-profit organization with more than 1,500 members, PIJAC Canada is dedicated to leading the development of policies, resources and best practices that benefit pets, pet families and Canadian pet businesses. As such, we’ve developed a suggested list of prohibited species as part of our own Exotic Animal Policy.

It’s designed to be practical, enforceable and compliant with Canadian and international laws and best practices, and we believe it would serve the city of Winnipeg well.

Christine Carrière is president and CEO of the Pet Industry Joint Advisory Council of Canada (PIJAC), the voice of Canada’s pet industry, and is an advocate for the humane treatment, as well as the responsible sourcing and sale, of animals.