As both a dog walker and pet parent, I've experienced firsthand how pets are treated as mere "property" under BC law. One day, while walking two dogs, I was confronted by a man holding a pocket knife, acting aggressively toward the dogs. I called the police and was given a disturbing wake up call when an officer said to me a sentence along the lines of: “Because he didn’t threaten you and just the dogs, there’s not much we can do since pets are considered property under BC law.” That’s when I knew a change needed to be made.

Our pets aren’t just objects—they’re sentient beings with feelings, capable of experiencing joy, fear, and pain. Unfortunately, current laws in Canada don’t reflect this. As a result, animal abusers often face only light consequences, if any at all.

The Canadian Federation of Humane Societies reports that only about one-quarter of animal cruelty complaints result in charges, and even fewer lead to serious penalties (Source: CFHS). Our pets deserve more protection.

We need to act now to make sure pets are recognized as sentient beings under the law. Please sign and share this petition to help ensure stronger protections and harsher punishments for those who harm animals in Canada.