Humane Canada

Last updated
Humane Canada
Founded1957;67 years ago (1957)
Type Non-profit
Purpose Animal welfare
Headquarters Ottawa, Ontario
Location
  • Canada
Official language
English
French
Key people
Barbara Cartwright (CEO)
[1]
Budget
$535,000 (2013) [2] :11
Staff
5
Website humanecanada.ca
Formerly called
Canadian Federation of Humane Societies

The Canadian Federation of Humane Societies (CFHS), branded as Humane Canada, is a non-profit animal welfare organization in Canada, representing humane societies, SPCAs, and animal rescue organizations. The organization's stated goal is to promote the welfare and humane treatment of animals and work to end animal cruelty. [3]

Contents

History

Based in Ottawa, Humane Canada was founded in 1957 as the Canadian Federation of Humane Societies. [4] Some of its founders were Richard Taylor, president of the Ottawa Humane Society; Alne Cameron, former Veterinary Director General for Canada and president of the Ottawa Humane Society; Senator Frederic McGrand; and former lawyer Gord Gunn, who had witnessed the suffering of horses in World War I. [5]

Currently, the organization is led by Chief Executive Officer Barbara Cartwright, who joined Humane Canada in July 2011. Recent prior CEOs include: Steve Carrol (2006-2011) and Robert Van Tongerloo (2000-2005).

In 2018 the organization rebranded its name to Humane Canada, though its legal name remains the Canadian Federation of Humane Societies.

Programs

Humane Canada's program work focuses on companion animals, livestock and legislation. The organization works to improve legislation to improve the prosecution of some animal abusers. The Federation works with the Canadian livestock sector to improve standards of care for animals on farm, as well as in transit and at slaughter. As a founding member of the National Companion Animal Coalition, Humane Canada has been involved in setting the standard for microchip identification for pets, and has worked on such issues as dog bite prevention, puppy mills and municipal bylaws for dogs and cats. Humane Canada is also a member of the Animal Welfare Committee of the Canadian Veterinary Medical Association. [6] :3

National Animal Welfare Conference

The organization holds national animal welfare conferences. The 2014 conference included presentations by Jane Goodall, [7] veterinarian Michelle Lem on a Community Veterinary Outreach Program in Ontario, and a discussion of trap-neuter-return to humanely reduce community cat populations. [8] Animal testing was also discussed. [7]

The 2015 conference took place in May in Richmond, British Columbia. [9]

Funding

Humane Canada does not receive any government funding. It relies on donations from the public, corporate sponsorship and some membership fees to fund its programs. [10]

Governance

Humane Canada is governed by a volunteer-based Board of Directors. Board members may be employed by member societies. The members of the Board meet four times each year (two face-to-face, two conference calls), while both the Executive and Finance Committees meet monthly. The CFHS website maintains a current list of directors. [11]

Membership

In 2013, the organization's members included 45 animal welfare organizations, humane societies and SPCAs operating across Canada. [2] :8

Publications

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pet adoption</span> Adoption of pets that have been abandoned by previous owners

Pet adoption is the process of transferring responsibility for a pet that was previously owned by another party. Common sources for adoptable pets are animal shelters, rescue groups, or other pet owners. Some organizations give adopters ownership of the pet, while others use a guardianship model wherein the organization retains some control over the animal's future use or care.

Neutering, from the Latin neuter, is the removal of a non-human animal's reproductive organ, either all of it or a considerably large part. The male-specific term is castration, while spaying is usually reserved for female animals. Colloquially, both terms are often referred to as fixing. In male horses, castrating is referred to as gelding. An animal that has not been neutered is sometimes referred to as entire or intact.

Trap–neuter–return (TNR), also known as trap–neuter–release, is a controversial method that attempts to manage populations of feral cats. The process involves live-trapping the cats, having them neutered, ear-tipped for identification, and, if possible, vaccinated, then releasing them back into the outdoors. If the location is deemed unsafe or otherwise inappropriate, the cats may be relocated to other appropriate areas. Ideally, friendly adults and kittens young enough to be easily socialized are retained and placed for adoption. Feral cats cannot be socialized, shun most human interaction and do not fare well in confinement, so they are not retained. Cats suffering from severe medical problems such as terminal, contagious, or untreatable illnesses or injuries are often euthanized.

An animal rescue group or animal rescue organization is a group dedicated to pet adoption. These groups take unwanted, abandoned, abused, or stray pets and attempt to find suitable homes for them. Many rescue groups are created by and run by volunteers, who take animals into their homes and care for them — including training, playing, handling medical issues, and solving behaviour problems — until a suitable permanent home can be found.

In some countries there is an overpopulation of pets such as cats, dogs, and exotic animals. In the United States, six to eight million animals are brought to shelters each year, of which an estimated three to four million are subsequently euthanized, including 2.7 million considered healthy and adoptable. Euthanasia numbers have declined since the 1970s, when U.S. shelters euthanized an estimated 12 to 20 million animals. Most humane societies, animal shelters and rescue groups urge animal caregivers to have their animals spayed or neutered to prevent the births of unwanted and accidental litters that could contribute to this dynamic.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peninsula Humane Society</span> Animal organization

The Peninsula Humane Society & SPCA (PHS/SPCA) is one of the largest humane organizations in the United States. Located in San Mateo County, California, it is a private non-profit charitable organization. It is an animal rescue, rehabilitation and adoption operation with two locations. The Tom and Annette Lantos Center for Compassion, where adoptable animals are housed, is in the city of Burlingame and the older physical plant, which serves as the intake shelter, is located at Coyote Point in the city of San Mateo. PHS/SPCA has been responsible for considerable progress in the California Legislature with new humane laws in the state, especially since the late 1970s. PHS/SPCA has been characterized as a progressive and innovative humane organization.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Hong Kong)</span> Charity

The Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals is a registered charity to promote animal welfare in Hong Kong, with outreach services to China.

A no-kill shelter is an animal shelter that does not kill healthy or treatable animals based on time limits or capacity, reserving euthanasia for terminally ill animals, animals suffering poor quality of life, or those considered dangerous to public safety. A no-kill shelter uses many strategies to promote shelter animals; to expanding its resources using volunteers, housing and medical protocols; and to work actively to lower the number of homeless animals entering the shelter system. Up to ten percent of animals could be killed in a no-kill shelter and still be considered a no-kill shelter.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nova Scotia Society for the Prevention of Cruelty</span> Animal humane society in Nova Scotia, Canada

The Nova Scotia Society for the Prevention of Cruelty (Nova Scotia SPCA) is a not-for-profit charitable society organized under the Animal Protection Act of the Canadian province of Nova Scotia. The Society is dedicated to the prevention of cruelty to animals and to the promotion of respect and humane care for animals. Its members are committed to providing humane leadership in animal advocacy, protection, education, and veterinary care.

AB 1634 was a 2007 bill in the California State Legislature which would require that dogs and cats in California be spayed or neutered by 6 months of age.

Alley Cat Rescue is an international nonprofit organization, headquartered in Mount Rainier, Maryland, that works to protect cats using trap–neuter–return for community cats; rescue, and neuter before adoption; promoting compassionate, non-lethal population control; and by providing national and international resources for cat caretakers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Philippine Animal Welfare Society</span> Organization

The Philippine Animal Welfare Society (PAWS) is a volunteer-based, non-government organization whose goal is to prevent animal cruelty through education, animal sheltering and advocacy, based in Quezon City, Philippines. It was founded in 1954 by Muriel Jay. PAWS believes that the creation of a more peaceful society starts with the widening of mankind's circle of compassion which includes animals, thereby envisions a nation that respects animals, practices responsible pet ownership and protects wildlife. The volunteer-based organization rehabilitates these animals in the hope of finding them new homes and a second chance at a good life. PAWS does not take in pets of other people, but only victims of cruelty or neglect where the animal offenders are charged with violation of the Animal Welfare Act in court.

The National Animal Interest Alliance (NAIA) is a non-profit organization in the United States dedicated to promoting animal welfare and animal husbandry practices, strengthening the human-animal bond, and safeguarding the rights of responsible animal owners and professionals through research, public education and public policy. The NAIA mission is "to promote the welfare of animals."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ontario Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals</span>

The Ontario SPCA and Humane Society is a registered Canadian charity focused on animal protection and animal advocacy.

World Spay Day advocates spaying, or neutering, advocating it "as a proven means of saving the lives of companion animals, community cats, and street dogs who might otherwise be put down in a shelter or killed on the street." It is an event held on the last Tuesday in February each year.

Alley Cat Allies is a nonprofit organization that advocates for reform of public policies and institutions in regard to the humane treatment of all cats. Based in Bethesda, Maryland, the group is best known for introducing trap–neuter–return (TNR) practices to the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">PetSmart Charities</span>

PetSmart Charities and PetSmart Charities of Canada, are non-profit organizations dedicated to saving the lives of homeless pets. In the United States, PetSmart Charities is the largest financial supporter of animal welfare and among the 400 largest philanthropic organizations working on any issue. PetSmart Charities was formed in 1994 by PetSmart founders Jim and Janice Dougherty, who chose never to sell dogs and cats within their stores. Their primary goal is to save the lives of homeless pets through programs such as their In-Store Adoption Centers in many PetSmart locations, Rescue Waggin' disaster relief program, grant program for animal welfare agencies across North America, and community adoption events. Another focus of the organization is increasing spay/neuter services to help communities solve the problem of pet overpopulation.

Based in Oakland, California, the No Kill Advocacy Center is a non-profit organization led by Nathan Winograd, dedicated to expanding no kill animal sheltering across the United States.

Project Bay Cat is a trap-neuter-return initiative for community cats in Northern California.

The British Columbia Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals is a non-profit animal welfare organization which advocates for animal protection legislation, operates animal shelters, and runs educational workshops and public awareness programs throughout British Columbia, Canada. Founded in 1896, it is a registered charitable organization and one of the largest such animal welfare organizations in North America. As of 2017, BC SPCA had 36 branches, over 500 staff members, nearly 5500 volunteers, operated 5 veterinary hospitals/clinics and a wildlife rehabilitation centre, and sheltered more than 22000 animals. It is also one of the few animal welfare organizations to monitor animals in film.

References

  1. "Our Team". Canadian Federation of Humane Societies. Retrieved 2017-07-21.
  2. 1 2 "Improving the lives of animals: CFHS 2013 Annual Report", available for download at link, accessed Oct. 5, 2014, at p. 11.
  3. "About Us". Humane Canada. Retrieved 2023-01-17.
  4. "About Humane Canada: Over 50 years of animal welfare" Archived 2009-02-07 at the Wayback Machine , Humane Canada, accessed Oct. 5, 2014.
  5. "About the CFHS: Meet some of our founders" Archived 2007-10-16 at the Wayback Machine , CFHS, accessed Oct. 5, 2014.
  6. "Animal Welfare in Focus: Winter 2011" Archived 2009-01-29 at the Wayback Machine , available for download at link provided, Canadian Federation of Humane Societies, accessed Oct. 5, 2014.
  7. 1 2 "A date with a legend", Rene Francoeur, Red Deer Advocate, April 30, 2014.
  8. "Canadian Federation of Humane Societies Conference 2014" Archived 2014-10-06 at the Wayback Machine , Jennifer White, Nature Conservancy of Canada, August 7, 2014.
  9. "National Animal Welfare Conference" Archived 2013-07-06 at the Wayback Machine , CFHS, accessed Oct. 5, 2014.
  10. "Who we are", CFHS, accessed Oct. 5, 2014.
  11. "Who we are: Board of Directors" Archived 2007-10-13 at the Wayback Machine , CFHS, accessed Oct. 3, 2014.
  12. "Animal Welfare in Focus" Archived 2009-01-29 at the Wayback Machine , Canadian Federation of Humane Societies, accessed Oct. 5, 2014.
  13. "About the CFHS: Publications", CFHS, accessed Oct. 5, 2014.
  14. "Canada’s celebrity cats speak out: It’s World Spay Day, and they want YOU to spay/neuter!" Archived 2014-07-27 at the Wayback Machine , Canadian Federation of Humane Societies, February 25, 2014; report is available for download here: "Accessible Spay/Neuter" Archived 2014-02-24 at the Wayback Machine .
  15. Cats in Canada: A comprehensive Report on the Cat Overpopulation crisis Archived 2014-10-06 at the Wayback Machine , CFHS, 2012.
  16. "Position statements" Archived 2007-02-09 at the Wayback Machine , CFHS, accessed Oct. 5, 2014.