By Deb Fair
I’ve always been passionate about animals, having a menagerie of pets from a guard goose named Harry to chickens, other birds, cats, dogs, hamsters, rabbits and guinea pigs. So, it was probably no surprise to my family and friends when my passion turned into my life’s work. As Director of PEDIGREE Foundation and owner of three Cavalier King Charles Spaniel rescue dogs, it’s fair to say this cause is incredibly close to my heart, my “why”, and it’s serendipitous that my job and I are perfectly matched!
PEDIGREE Foundation was established 15 years ago with the sole purpose of helping millions of beautiful, loyal dogs find loving homes. There was a real need back then — and that remains to this day — because more than 3 million dogs end up homeless every year in the U.S., and more than 80,000 are currently homeless across Canada. Since 2008, in pursuit of our mission, we’ve provided millions of dollars to shelters and rescues through thousands of annual, collaborative and disaster relief grants, helping us become an active part of the animal welfare system across North America.
Helping transform the lives of Canadian dogs, one grant at a time
In 2022, PEDIGREE Foundation began its mission of expanding its programs into Canada through the launch of PEDIGREE Foundation Canadian Grant Program. This was in response to a growing pet shelter crisis across North America — shelters were faced with rising surrender rates and resource constraints due to the pandemic.
With ongoing cost-of-living challenges causing hardships that can prevent pet owners from taking care of their beloved animals, PEDIGREE Foundation has focused its efforts on helping more dogs find forever homes through four types of support programs. Our behaviour programs help dogs overcome habits that might stop them from getting adopted, while our transport programs help organizations that move dogs from overpopulated areas to increase their chances of finding a new home. We also support programs in remote communities provide medical care to reduce the number of homeless dogs in these areas. Finally, our safety net programs provide money and resources to shelters, helping support their communities by keeping people and their pets together through hardships.
To help all the animals that end up homeless in Canada each year, we committed $100,000 CAD in grant awards to eight Canadian shelters and rescue organizations in 2022. In our very first year, we were able to make a life-changing difference to over 5,000 dogs in need. This year, we continued our mission, giving an additional $100,000 CAD to 10 animal shelters across the country and expanding our efforts to include disaster relief, providing support for areas widely impacted by wildfires.
We are already seeing a positive impact for our furry friends in Canada: an additional 3,300+ dogs will be helped this year and over 1,500 dogs supported by disaster relief donations. In total, more than 10,000 dogs across Canada will now have benefited from PEDIGREE Foundation grants.
The numbers show the impact we’ve already had in Canada and give us a lot to be proud of, but they mean so much more when you consider that each one of those numbers represents a dog like Alvin, a 2.5-year-old Akita mix currently up for adoption at Niagara SPCA & Humane Society, one of our recipient shelters for 2023.
According to Tyler Greer, Supervisor of New Initiatives and Community Engagement, Niagara SPCA & Humane Society, funding from the program makes a big impact when it comes to helping dogs just like Alvin. As he explains, it helps them achieve their goals of improving things like behaviour and socialization, creating better experiences for both the dogs and their new families and helping Alvin and his friends at the SPCA find homes that last a lifetime.
Supporting innovative programs that help both dogs and their friends!
Each Canadian shelter that receives a PEDIGREE Foundation grant uses the funding to improve their unique range of programs making a real-world impact for animals based on where they need it most. I’m so inspired by what each of the shelters implement, including the Nova Scotia SPCA. This year, it will be using its grant to make its innovative Got 20 Minutes? program even better — for dogs and people!
This exciting program creates fun activities for adoptable dogs while helping folks in the area get involved as volunteers. Every dog gets a Got 20 Minutes? tag on its cage or kennel, letting everyone know they’re ready for their daily dose of fun — and these 20 minutes with a volunteer go a long way towards helping dogs become friendlier and improve their overall behaviour.
According to Alicia Avendano, the Shelter Liaison at the Nova Scotia SPCA, funding from PEDIGREE Foundation and its grant program provides crucial support for dogs in their adoption journey. As she explains, the funding helps dogs get increased socialization time that keeps them mentally and physically healthy, improving their chances of adoption. Moreover, it provides training for the organization’s volunteers who spend one-on-one time with the dogs in its care.
Spreading the love throughout Canada
The Nova Scotia SPCA is just one example of ten Canadian recipients of a PEDIGREE Foundation Canadian grant in 2023 doing incredible work. An additional nine organizations were granted funds to help even more dogs like Alvin find a loving home:
The Humane Society of Kitchener Waterloo & Stratford Perth in Ontario is expanding its safety net program through veterinary outreach services providing free veterinary care to dogs. It will also expand its pantry operations.
In Alberta, the Cochrane & Area Humane Society is improving its behaviour and support program, paying for additional staffing rehabilitation services for dogs and hosting behaviour discussion meetings with potential adopters. It will also allow the shelter to provide a free post-adoption support call or behaviour consultation for 35-50 dogs with a certified consultant on site.
The B.C.-based Victoria Humane Society is expanding its transport program, which provides rescue and transport efforts to dogs in need from remote communities, bringing them to the safety of their organization in Victoria.
Creating a better future for dogs
Today, PEDIGREE Foundation grant funding truly goes where it’s needed most. We’re continuing to spend time with shelters and welfare organizations across North America to understand where the gaps are and where we can make the greatest difference.
Each of this year’s 10 PEDIGREE Foundation grant recipients is making a huge difference in its community, bringing adoptable dogs one step closer to their forever, loving homes. We can’t wait to continue our mission in Canada to create a future where all dogs are safe, secure, cared for, fed well and loved.
It’s so rewarding when our grants can connect beautiful dogs to their future families. For anyone in Canada looking to help, or get involved as a volunteer, we recommend contacting or donating directly to your local shelters and rescue organizations. And for organizations looking to apply for the grant next year, keep an eye out for more information on PedigreeFoundation.org.
Deb Fair is Executive Director of the PEDIGREE Foundation.
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