Humane Initiative has been addressing the matter of 5 municipal animal shelters and 1 humane society here in Southern Ontario who have partnered with a US based animal rehoming service who is using seemingly irresponsible and unethical rehoming practices.
One of those animal shelters is Mississauga Animal Services (MAS).
We had contacted the management of each of these agencies to express our concern for their public facing partnership and endorsement of this company and their practices.
Below is our initial (Oct 15) email to City of Mississauga management then below that the response from Georgios Fthenos, Mississauga’s Director of Enforcement (Oct 16).
Observations:
- Mr. Fthenos mentions responsibility 10 times but mostly pointed at the animal owners responsibly, not that of Mississauga AS (MAS).
- He fails to see that the mere fact that MAS are directing members of the public to this company to have them facilitate the rehoming should bestow some accountability to them.
- Being in the animal welfare space, they know the dangers out there. Case in point the recent case in the news of Faith, the cat rehomed via FB Marketplace..no screening, no checks/balances…Faith was raped and abused incessantly until her body gave out.
- We are not telling MAS that they must intake all animals – this is not possible – BUT they should ensure that if they are directing the public to other options – that that option is a ethical.
Email from Humane Initiative to Mississauga Animal Services, Oct 15:
Good afternoon,
See below a link to a post (note to reader: we had included a link to our fb post), we just made concerning Mississauga Animal Services endorsement of an animal rehoming service that facilities rehoming for FREE and UNALTERED animals.
You are among 6 large municipal shelters and humane societies around the GTA using this unethical manner to rehome animals.
Now you may say, the responsibly is not on you as Mississauga does not have custody of the animals – but on your website – you are directing people to this platform.
That alone makes you complicit.
This is completely unethical and you know better!
Your municipal Animal Services knows the risks out there to animals that are not ethically rehomed.
Just look at the recent case in the news of the Niagara cat Faith. Rehomed by a service similar to what you are endorsing and the cat was abused and raped over and over again.
When she was discovered she had to be euthanized because her insides were destroyed.
As a taxpayer funded agency and as an animal welfare agent you must remove this association with Home to Home.
Email response from Mississauga Animal Services, Oct 16:
Good Afternoon Donna,
Thank you for contacting us and sharing your concerns regarding the Home To Home platform.
Mississauga Animal Services takes responsible pet ownership and animal welfare seriously. We recognize that any rehoming arrangement carries some inherent risk and requires owners and prospective adopters to exercise care and good judgment.
At the same time, we believe the benefits of responsible, direct rehoming are significant and support making this option available to residents.
Home To Home connects pet owners directly with prospective adopters and foster homes, allowing animals to remain in their current homes while new homes are found.
This approach offers several important animal welfare benefits, including reducing the stress associated with shelter stays, supporting smoother transitions to new homes, and preserving shelter capacity for animals with more urgent needs.
It is also important to recognize that the decision to rehome an animal rests with its owner.
By making this platform available, the City is not encouraging residents to surrender or rehome their pets unnecessarily. Rather, we are providing an additional resource for those who have determined that rehoming is necessary, with the objective of supporting more responsible placement decisions and reducing the likelihood of animals entering the shelter system.
Importantly, the responsibility for ensuring the welfare and well-being of an animal rests with the owner choosing to use the service. Animals listed through Home To Home remain in the custody and care of their owners, who are responsible for exercising appropriate due diligence when considering prospective adopters and determining whether a placement is suitable. This includes taking reasonable steps to satisfy themselves that their animal will be placed in a safe, appropriate and responsible home.
I also recognize your concern that distinguishing between animals in the City’s care and those being rehomed privately does not, in itself, address the potential risks to animal welfare. That is a fair observation. However, the distinction remains important because the responsibility for assessing prospective adopters and making appropriate placement decisions rests with the animal’s owner.
Our objective in making this platform available is to provide an additional rehoming option, not to replace the responsibilities of pet owners or assume oversight of individual placements.
Mississauga Animal Services does not select or approve adopters, conduct home assessments, or authorize individual placements facilitated through the platform. The City’s role in making this resource available should not be interpreted as an endorsement or guarantee of any individual placement.
That said, we appreciate the perspective you have shared and will take your feedback under advisement.
We recognize that programs such as this benefit from ongoing review and constructive feedback. We will consider whether there are opportunities to strengthen our communications, particularly around responsible rehoming practices, the responsibilities of participating pet owners, and the City’s role in making the platform available.
While we acknowledge that no rehoming arrangement is entirely without risk, we believe that providing residents with access to responsible rehoming options is a valuable resource and a reasonable alternative to shelter surrender.
Thank you again for taking the time to share your perspective and for your advocacy for animal welfare.
Georgios
Georgios Fthenos
Director, Enforcement
T 905-615-3200 ext.5244