Nova Scotia is currently facing an unprecedented companion animal abandonment crisis. In 2025 alone, regional volunteer rescues saw a massive surge in dumped animals, costing our provincial rescue coalition over $88, 500 in private funds to manage. 

Our current laws are entirely reactive—enforcement officers are forced to wait until an animal is in severe, clinical distress before they can legally intervene. This framework protects irresponsible owners while burying volunteer rescues and taxpayers in an ongoing crisis.

We, the citizens of Nova Scotia, demand that our elected officials formally champion a modernized, four-pillar amendment to the Animal Protection Act to shift our province from reactive crisis to proactive prevention:
 
1. Mandatory Microchipping: To create a traceable, legal chain of custody for companion animals.
2. Strict Liability for Abandonment: To make the act of roadside dumping a 'per se' offense, shifting costs back to irresponsible owners.
3. Proactive Standards of Care: To allow early enforcement intervention before profound suffering occurs.
4. Provincial Spay/Neuter Grants: To fund accessible, low-income preventative surgeries at the source.

Rescues are at a mathematical breaking point. If the volunteer safety net fails, the financial burden of animal control will land squarely on local municipal taxpayers. We call on Council to move a formal motion to review these amendments and push for immediate provincial reform. Sign to stand with our frontline rescues.