Animal Advocacy

The Provincial Government has launched its consultation on banning  Medically Unnecessary Veterinary Procedures, as it promised last year. We had hoped to provide you with an update about how excited the Ontario SPCA and Humane Society was to see the consultation moving forward. 

However, the province has quietly dropped one of the key procedures, tail docking of dogs, from the list of procedures it is considering banning. This is unacceptable! 

Tail docking, a procedure where puppies as young as a few days old have their tails amputated for non-medical and cosmetic reasons, needs to be banned. This procedure is often performed without pain medication and needlessly puts puppies at risk of infection or death due to blood loss.  

The Solicitor General committed to a consultation on banning this procedure in 2023, and at no point in our discussions with the provincial government on this issue was it ever suggested that it was no longer up for consideration.  

We don’t know when or why it was what dropped from the list of procedures the government is considering banning. We can only assume that people who like the appearance of tailless dogs somehow influenced the government.   

That’s where you come in. We need to send a strong message to Premier Doug Ford and the Solicitor General that the few people in Ontario who still support this cruel practices are dramatically outnumbered by people who are willing to raise their voice and protect defenseless dogs. Please sign our letter, demanding that the provincial government include tail dock on its list of Medically Unnecessary Procedures it intends to ban. 

Unnecessary Veterinary Procedures  

The provincial government has announced that it is moving forward with consultations on banning Unnecessary Veterinary Procedures. The consultations will begin in early 2026, and we will be calling for a ban on feline declawing, ear cropping, tail docking, and devocalization of dogs. 

This is a major victory for the Ontario SPCA and Humane Society. We have invested significant time and energy pushing the provincial government to follow through on its commitment to holding a consultation.  

While the provincial government hasn’t banned the procedures yet, we are a big step closer to Ontario coming in line with every other province in Canada in having a ban or regulations in place.  

When further details of the consultation are announced, we will share them with you so that you can add your voice.  

Animals In Research  

The province has also introduced legislation towards banning the use of dogs and cats in medical research as part of a larger piece of legislation; they will be launching consultations to develop the regulatory details.  

The Ontario SPCA wrote to the government earlier this fall with specific ideas about how to implement such a ban and ensure legitimate veterinary training and research are not accidentally impacted. While we are still reviewing the details, it appears that many of our concerns were reflected in the approach the government is taking.  

The Ontario SPCA and Humane Society has been pushing the provincial government to follow through on its long-overdue commitments to consult on banning Unnecessary Veterinary Procedures and bringing in regulations under the PUPS Act. If they didn’t show progress, we would move to a public-facing approach to these issues.

Since then, Premier Ford promised to act on dogs being used in medical research. We wrote to the Premier to support action on this issue and to offer our help in finding real solutions. At the same time, we highlighted our concerns about his commitment to the issue, given the government’s recent history of unkept animal welfare promises.

Following further engagement with the province over the last several months, animal welfare issues, including Unnecessary Veterinary, are very much back on the government’s agenda. Over the coming weeks we will provide the provincial government recommendations on the best way forward on these issues.

This is a huge victory which wouldn’t have been possible without your support. The government knows that the public cares deeply about animal welfare and will vocally support our work when it is needed. If you want to stay up to date on our advocacy work, please visit changeforanimals.ca

We are also very aware of the developing situation at Marineland and the animals housed there. We are currently working with other animal welfare partners to develop specific recommendations on what action the provincial government can take that will provide the best care possible for the animals there. As we are finalizing details of the recommendations we will be sending to the province, you can send them a letter indicating support for action here:

The Ontario SPCA and Humane Society has sent the following letter to Premier Ford on the issue of animals in research:

The provincial election was held in February, and the final results largely continue the composition of the legislature and government from prior to the election. As new Ministers and key staff are announced, we will be engaging with leadership in the Ministries most closely aligned with animal welfare issues in the province.

We have also sent a message to the Premier outlining what we want to be included in the government’s Ministerial Mandate Letters. These letters are given to each new Minister, setting out the government’s policy priorities for that Ministry. We have indicated that we expect action on several key priorities, including following through on the government’s previous commitment on a consultation towards ending unnecessary and cosmetic medical procedures on animals, as well as regulations to further address the issue of puppy mills and unethical dog breeding, ending the pit bull ban and updating the Dog Owners Liability Act, and ensuring greater access to veterinary care throughout the province.