Members Urged to Participate in the Government of New Brunswick Consultation Re: Proposed Animal Protection Regulations

As you may know, the Government of New Brunswick has proposed changes to the General Regulation and Pet Establishment Regulation under the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act. The draft regulations are available for public review and input and we strongly urge you to review the proposed amendments in detail and submit personalized feedback by November 1, 2021. Your input should be directed to the Department of Environment and Local Government via ELG-Reg@gnb.ca or
(506) 453-2690.
 
The proposed changes include:

• Requiring people selling dogs and cats to provide a valid veterinarian certificate of health to purchasers.
• Requiring a person who owns or cares for a dog to adhere to improved tethering standards (i.e., the type/length of tether, cleanliness of tethering area, and access to food, water, shelter, and shade).
• Adding two new standards for animal care: NB SPCA Code of Practice for the Care of Dogs and the Code of Practice for the Care and Handling of Rabbits (published by the National Farm Animal Care Council).
• Updating the reference to the Code of Practice for Canadian Kennel Operations, published by the Canadian Veterinary Medical Association, to the latest (2018) edition.

CKC and our members have been engaged with the Government of New Brunswick over the past two years regarding the potential animal protection legislative changes, to request that CKC members be included as part of stakeholder consultation. With the recent release of the proposed amendments, CKC and Zone 2 Director, Paul Oslach, have also requested a meeting with Minister Allain to further our discussions.

CKC and its members support the humane treatment of animals and the efforts of the Government of New Brunswick and SPCA to ensure the protection of dogs across the province. However, the proposed regulatory amendments present several concerns for CKC members, member breeders and their dogs. They include:

1. Lack of Stakeholder Consultation
   • New Brunswick CKC members—the largest stakeholder group in the province—were not consulted to develop the proposed regulatory amendments.
2.   Incorporation of the CVMA Code of Practice for Canadian Kennel Operations (COPCKO)
   • The majority of our CKC member breeders are small-scale, preservation breeders that breed for the betterment of the breed. Although a good general resource for puppy buyers and large-scale breeding operations, if the CVMA COPCKO is legislated, many CKC members would be concerned that some of the requirements would be discriminatory as they are not applicable to small-scale home-based preservation breeders.
3.  Incorporation of the NB SPCA Code of Practice for the Care of Dogs in New Brunswick (2018)
   • Standards of care regarding shelter and weather conditions can vary based on the size and breed of dog. 
4. Inspection Process
   • There is inconsistency with kennel inspections and enforcement, and we respectfully request a thorough review of the existing inspection process, including appropriate oversight.

 
Additional regulatory amendments concerning dog control in rural areas are expected later in the fall. The proposed changes to the animal protection regulations are effective January 1, 2022.

For more information, please contact your Zone Director, Paul Oslach at zone2director@ckc.ca.