ABOUT US

RainCoast Dog Rescue Society is committed to providing animal ownership education to all communities across Canada, while advocating for the humane treatment of all animals and their right to have progressive and improved animal welfare protections. 

Here are the most current and important issues we focus on:

We advocate for there to be more thorough, structured and humane definitions in the BC PCA (Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act) in regards to what is considered safe, clean, protective and supportive in regards to a dog or cats shelter, food, water, and care. 

We advocate for there to be a more thorough and comprehensive review of animals that are seized by the SPCA due to neglect and cruelty, but the cases are reviewed by F.I.R.B. (Farm Industry Review Board). These cases should not be reviewed by F.I.R.B. who gets funding through the very industry that could be investigated for cruelty, and the abuse cases should be handed over to a neutral and independent review panel before ever being considered to be returned to their owners / abusers, in which they were seized from originally. 

We advocate for more funding for municipal bylaw officers and enforcement, bylaw improvements that include more owner responsibility when incidents occur, and continuing to enact breed neutral bylaws in more communities across BC and Canada. We think it’s very important as well that we advocate for actual government funding for more SPCA cruelty officers, more resources for training and cruelty investigations, and a direct link to have the RCMP create a joint task force with the SPCA to handle the large volume of animal abuse cases that fall under the PCA act (Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) which is under the BC provincial criminal code. 

We advocate for our justice system to take animal abuse cases with more seriously in regards to the increased pressure to investigate, charge, and prosecute animal abusers under the full extent of our criminal code. We need to be urgently addressing the seriousness and severity of animal abuse cases in Canada. We need a better determination and passion for justice and public safety when it comes to animal abuse cases being handled, or lack there of, by the crown counsel and judges presiding over them. Their track record across Canada has very poor past precedents; that is unacceptable and lacks compassion and a real understanding of public safety. 

We advocate for strict breeding regulations and the banning of abusive puppy mills and backyard breeding that exploit animals through abuse for personal greed and profit. Thousands of dogs and cats are forced into slavery and suffering in Canada each year to produce puppies or kittens at a rapid rate, while being forced to live in filthy and unsanitary conditions. They are then sold off to anyone with cash in hand. Then buyers end up with very sick animals with really poor genetics, that usually tragically live a short life. Millions of dollars are made through this exploitation, and it’s also a massive tax evasion. The same people that abuse these animals are more often than not connected to causing other forms of abuse to their own family or friends, and it gets progressively worse. This is also a public safety concern for communities. 

We as well feel it’s important to have animal rescue regulations and oversight in regards to the operational ethics and values of the organization, and more defined, structured, humane and health conscious regulations for the importation of dogs and cats into Canada. 

We advocate for the Canadian government to allocate proper funding and access to Veterinary programs in schools to be operational throughout the country at major universities, and not just the current and very limited select few that have wait lists that are years long to be accepted into the veterinary medicine program. Having more access to veterinary medicine will allow us to treat animals in quicker time frames, allow for more sustainable veterinary costs for owners, and give relief to the current vet shortage and the massive increase of animals people have acquired throughout Canada since 2020. This will only help benefit the lives of the animals, their owners, and the veterinary staff we depend on so dearly. 

We advocate for the more humane treatment and protections for Canadian Sled Dogs. The Canadian commercial sled dog industry riddles our country with wide spread abuse, suffering, torture, murder, and the mass exploitation of sled dogs for profit and ego. This is what thousands of sled dogs have to endure each day across Canada. Please choose to enjoy other humane and ethical winter activities with your money.  Then we have the Iditarod dog sled race in Alaska. The Iditarod Trail dog sled race is a sled dog race from Anchorage, Alaska to Nome, Alaska, a route that is over 1,100 miles long. Aside from basic animal rights arguments against exploiting dogs for entertainment and profit, many people object to the Iditarod because of the animal cruelty and deaths involved. The Iditarod has been smeared with horrific dog abuse, corruption, death, and drug use within the operators and dogs. This has led to the drop in large sponsorships due to the controversy that is the Iditarod. Sled dogs are currently labeled as agricultural animals in Canada and therefore have less protections under our animal welfare laws than other dogs do, and we are working towards changing this with many other animal rescue and welfare organizations across Canada. 

We advocate against BSL (Breed Specific Legislation) in any and all communities across Canada. We believe all dogs, regardless of breed or look, are to be treated equally without prejudice or bias. Breed Specific Legislation unfairly targets dogs off of a breed or look, which can result in their demonizing, a false fear create through propaganda, the dog being seized, shelter confinement, and or euthanasia.  This harms families and communities by unfairly targeting a whole breed of a dog, which gives the perception that all dogs of one breed are the same; that’s like saying that all of one race of human will all act the same, and are to be treated as so. That’s completely unacceptable, uneducated, and ignorant. BSL only hurts good dogs and their responsible owners, and does not make communities safer. American Pit Bull Terriers and Staffordshire Terriers, and dogs that resemble them, are the highest numbers euthanized in shelters across North America. The only way to make communities safer regardless of the breeds and sizes of dogs that live within in, is to educate owners and make sure they’re being responsible. Owners need to be held accountable for their individual dogs actions, and not the breed or dog itself. Instead of punishing the dog, we need to educate and have real consequences for the irresponsible owners. Any dog can bite, any dog can act out, any dog can be a problem if not raised right, trained right, or unsuitable for that persons current abilities. We need more compassion and understanding for the dog, and more education and consequences for irresponsible dog owners. We will always advocate for breed neutral bylaws in all communities across Canada. 

We advocate for proper access to animal education, resources, rescue and veterinary services for all communities across Canada. 

One of our main goals is to help educate and raise awareness throughout all communities in Canada when it comes to caring about responsible animal ownership, animal rights and animal welfare, and ethical and force free training. We do this through various outlets such as live online and social media discussions, podcasts, school education events, yearly UVIC class discussions, books, accessing remote and indigenous communities, and events with our local pet stores and other businesses or organizations that are proud supporters. We share health facts to support owners in knowing what is best for their dog’s health, body, mind, and spirit.