Help protect dogs and cats in Ontario

Ontario is the only province in Canada that still allows unnecessary and cosmetic surgeries such as declawing, ear cropping and devocalization on cats and dogs. Thankfully, this may soon change. The provincial government has proposed new regulations to prohibit these inhumane procedures, and your voice is essential to ensuring Ontario adopts the strongest protections possible.

Sign our letter today,  which will be submitted to the Government of  Ontario, and urge the adoption of the most comprehensive and rigorous protections by prohibiting all nontherapeutic and cosmetic surgical procedures on cats and dogs.

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Humane World for Animals Canada is an animal protection group that works on a variety of issues, including companion animal welfare. For decades, Humane World for Animals has been advocating for an end to unnecessary medical procedures on companion animals and was successful in implementing such prohibitions across North America. Notably, Humane World for Animals Canada helped secure a province-wide ban in Quebec in 2024 on unnecessary and cosmetic surgeries such as declawing, ear cropping, tail docking and devocalization. Internationally, Humane World for Animals has achieved bans on declawing in Massachusetts, New York and California. 

In support of Humane World for Animals, I strongly support the ministry’s proposal to prohibit declawing. This unnecessary yet serious amputation surgery is performed solely for the convenience of the animal’s guardian, not for the animal’s health or wellbeing. Declawing carries profound and long-lasting welfare impacts, including nerve damage, chronic pain, mobility challenges and hypersensitivity. Nontherapeutic declawing is banned or considered an unethical veterinary practice in a vast number of countries, from New Zealand to Brazil to the United Kingdom. The European Convention on the Protection of Pet Animals prohibits the procedure throughout the European Union. Many jurisdictions in the United States have also banned the procedure. It is widely recognized that declawing has no place in a modern, humane society. 

I also support the proposed ban on ear cropping. This major surgery is performed exclusively to meet arbitrary breed standards or aesthetic preferences. Ear cropping has significant physical and psychological consequences for the animals affected and serves no therapeutic purpose. Furthermore, a dog’s ears play a critical role in communication and overall wellbeing. Cropping can impair a dog’s ability to communicate stress, fear or friendliness, and potentially increase the likelihood of behavioural misinterpretation on the part of veterinary medical professionals, family and community members. Cropped dogs can also remain head shy throughout their lives because of ongoing or remembered pain due to this surgery. 

I support the proposed prohibition on devocalization. This invasive surgery carries inherent risks of anesthesia, infection, hemorrhage and other serious postoperative complications. Barking and meowing are natural and essential behaviours for dogs and cats. When animals are deprived of their ability to vocalize normally, they often experience heightened frustration because a key outlet for expressing their needs and emotions has been taken away. Dogs and cats communicate their mental and emotional states to both humans and other animals through a combination of body language and vocalizations; variations in tone, intensity and frequency play a crucial role in conveying a wide range of messages. Devocalization severely undermines this communication, making it significantly more difficult for animals to express themselves clearly and for people to understand them, ultimately compromising their wellbeing. 

In addition, I urge the ministry to include tail docking in the list of prohibited procedures. Just like ear cropping, tail docking is performed solely to conform to artificial breed standards. Amputation of part of the tail inflicts acute pain, poses risks of infection, and can lead to chronic pain and nerve damage. Because a dog’s tail plays a critical role in communication, balance and overall wellbeing, docking can also impair a dog’s ability to signal stress, fear or friendliness—potentially increasing the likelihood of behavioural misunderstandings and aggression. 

I believe that these procedures should be comprehensively banned unless they are performed solely for legitimate physically therapeutic reasons and carried out by licensed veterinarians. I do not support granting exemptions for research facilities to perform any of these surgeries under the justification of research. Invasive procedures of this nature should occur only when they are necessary medical interventions required to ensure an animal’s health and welfare, as determined by a veterinarian. Additionally, the plan to perform these procedures should be included in the research proposal submitted to the institution’s Animal Care Committee (ACC) and should not be performed without prior authorization. 

Exemptions should be limited to situations in which a veterinarian has determined that the procedure is medically necessary for the health or safety of the individual animal. 

I respectfully urge the ministry to adopt the most comprehensive and rigorous protections by prohibiting all nontherapeutic and cosmetic surgical procedures on cats and dogs. Ontario remains the only province in Canada that has not yet implemented such prohibitions, and aligning these regulations with those already in place in the majority of the country is both necessary and overdue. Adopting these measures will ensure that Ontario meets national standards for companion animal welfare and demonstrates a clear commitment to preventing avoidable harm to animals.

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