Dog Cat Fur Dot Com

It is LEGAL to bring Dog and Cat Fur into Canada - and sell it at a store near YOU.

In Canada, cats and dogs are our beloved friends and life-long companions. We develop an incredible bond with these animals, receiving from them perhaps more than we give! Loving them as we do, one would think that they would never be killed for something as unnecessary as fur - like for a cat's toy 'mouse', or for needless trim on the hood of a jacket.

However, unknown to most of us, products made from dog or cat fur are out there and are being welcomed through our borders, into Canada.

It is legal to import dog and cat fur into Canada.

And it is legal to sell dog and cat fur in Canada.

Puppies found suffering in international fur trade investigation

Puppies. Canada is supporting this terrible cruelty.

Dogs and cats, like those many of us love so dearly, are being brutally slaughtered and killed for their fur. Reports estimate about two million per year internationally. These beautiful, trusting animals are being skinned, just to provide fur and bits of fur trim, for clothing and accessories.

Video footage taken as part of an undercover investigation by the Humane Society of the United States in China, Thailand, and the Philippines, reveals dogs and cats in unspeakable, horrific conditions. They were found imprisoned in dirty, cold, damp cages, sometimes beaten, stabbed, strangled, or worse before being butchered horribly in plain view of the other animals. Some were strays. Some still had collars on.

Chained dog found in international fur trade investigation

This dog was killed for his fur.

Dog fur trimmed jacket on sale in USA before their ban

This jacket has trim made of dog fur.

Any situation in which an animal is made to suffer at the hands of a human fills the heart with sorrow. Though it's hard to believe, dogs and cats are now suffering, along with so many other animals, to make frivolous fur products and fur trim.

Fur, fur-trimmed items, knick-knacks and accessories made with cat, dog or other fur, can be sold at a store near you, without any label stating that it is real fur, let alone what kind of fur it is or where that fur came from.

Fur-Bearer Defenders and our members across the country have been shocked at how easy it has been to find numerous examples of unlabelled fur products being sold in our communities.

Canada's Textile and Labelling Act requires labelling on all kinds of materials on garments and other products. But real fur and fur trim slips through the cracks. There is NO requirement that these be labelled at all. And much fake fur trim is also not required to be labelled.

Canada's Competition Bureau is responsible only for the mislabelling of fur. IF someone decides to label fur (though they don't have to), then it cannot legally be falsely labelled. However, their label can be as vague as "fur fibre".

China is already Canada's second largest trading partner, and a key trade partner for fur products. Under Canada's Pacific Gateway Strategy, we are also aiming to double trade with China by the year 2010.

In addition to the US ban - Italy, France, Denmark, Greece, Belgium, and Australia have also banned dog and cat fur. (Switzerland also banned the import of dog and cat fur in order to end their participation in this cruel trade. What they never anticipated was recent reports of cats being killed within Switzerland for the fur trade. So there is a growing movement there now also to ban the 'production' and export of dog and cat fur as well the import.)

And now the European Parliament has backed a proposed ban throughout the entire 27-country European Union. The proposal is expected to come into effect by December 2008, after formal adoption by member states, who have already given their approval. EU Health Commissioner Markos Kyprianou said it "will help stop the slaughter of millions of cats and dogs in Asia whose fur is often sold to shoppers without them knowing the origin." (source: Press release from the EU in the UK website (June 20, 2007)

As foreign markets close their doors to dog and cat fur, Canada will become an even more appealing market for individuals looking to profit from this cruelty.

It is imperative that Canada ban this trade, and now!