Maple Ridge, BC: Paws for Hope launches major campaign to educate the public about the dangers of buying a pet online. “Thanks to a very generous grant from Lush Cosmetics, we will be able to run an active campaign for an entire year,” says executive director, Kathy Powelson. “Our campaign to end the retail sale of cats, dogs and rabbits has been very successful and our goal is to engage with consumers on where we are seeing the biggest issue, and that is the massive, unregulated business of online pet sales.”

Online pet sellers can be very devious and it is important to know what to look for.  The campaign will encourage people to acquire pets from reputable sources, whether that is a breeder, shelter or community-based rescue organization. There are things you can do to ensure that you are getting your pet from a reputable and humane source, and the campaign will help to arm people with the information they need to make an ethical choice.

“We also want to spread the word as wide as we can,” says Powelson, “and this grant provides us with the resources to engage communities across the province.

Media Contact
Kathy Powelson, Executive Director
604-396-9297 or [email protected]

Since 2012, Paws for Hope Animal Foundation’s Pets Are Not Product’s campaign has actively lobbied for the end of the retail sale of cats, dogs and rabbits and has seen victories in New Westminster, Vancouver, Surrey, Delta, Victoria and Burnaby.