Because of you, our many supporters, rescue organizations across Canada are receiving lifesaving financial support from Animal Alliance of Canada (AAC). Our faithful supporters are making it possible for AAC’s Project Jessie network to help save the lives of cats and dogs along with rescued farmed animals, domesticated rabbits, and others .
You can help save even more animals throughout the year through this beloved campaign.
You too can be an ally to dogs, cats, rabbits and others in desperate need of protection and rescue.
Your support will help organizations across Canada give companion (pet) animals their second chance to find good homes instead of falling into the hands of experimenters; of being euthanized as ‘surplus’; or of struggling alone, stray and abandoned.
Do you know about Project Jessie? I am so proud of this program and want to tell you more about it.
In 1991 we founded our longstanding and cherished campaign, Project Jessie, to stop companion dogs and cats from being sent from pounds to research laboratories. We also committed to preventing the unnecessary euthanasia of former ‘pets’ who were considered ‘surplus’. Just as importantly, we were determined to relieve the suffering of unprotected, homeless cats and dogs living stray or abandoned without human guardians.
Former family members sent to research institutions.
Many animal victims used for research are bred for that specific purpose, including dogs and cats. But for decades, ‘pet’ dogs and cats in pounds have been handed over to researchers. Such animals, referred to as ‘random sourced’, are less expensive for researchers to acquire than those who are purposely bred, which is likely why research and teaching institutions have been so resistant to losing access to former pets. No animal deserves to be used in such cruel ways, but surely former family members should never be betrayed so faithlessly. Learn more about our No Pets In Research campaign here.
The story of Jessie, the dog we tried to save.
Our first attempt to save a dog from being sent into research had a heartbreaking ending. A dog named Jessie had been brought to an Ontario pound due to a family break up. When we heard that Jessie was slated for sale to a laboratory, we worked hard to get her into our care. But, in spite of our efforts, she was instead sold to researchers. Jessie, a former family member, was sold to a laboratory, her final days spent as a nameless research subject. We grieve still for Jessie and all the others like her. Determined to never forget her betrayal by a cruel system, we founded our rescue program in 1991 and named it after her – Project Jessie. Our goal was to get dogs and cats like Jessie out of pounds where they were at risk of being provided to researchers, or of being euthanized as ‘surplus’. In the years that followed, Project Jessie successfully found homes for thousands of animals at risk.
The history – and successes – of ‘Project Jessie’.
After our painful experience of not being able to save Jessie, we kept up our efforts to get dogs and cats out of pounds, and we’ve had a lot of success. When pounds were unable or unwilling to find adopters for dogs and cats, we found them loving homes.
Just as importantly, we convinced numerous municipal governments across the country to ban sending former pets to experimentation. And we persuaded many municipal pounds to establish adoption programs instead of supplying dogs and cats to researchers. These actions have saved the lives of countless dogs and cats, more than we can ever know.
The evolution of Project Jessie.
When we founded Project Jessie, there were not enough rescue groups to meet the need. Today, there are a vast number of rescue groups across Canada. In 2020 we realized we could help far more animals by assisting rescuers working in regions across the nation, including in remote or under-serviced areas. So, we decided to evolve Project Jessie from direct rescue work to partnering with allies. We believe we can do so much more when we work together and help each other. Establishing the Project Jessie network to help save the lives of cats and dogs among other individuals was a significant next step.
Thousands of dogs and cats still harmed year after year.
Shockingly, even in 2023, a large number of former family members are still being supplied to researchers. We know this because we work hard to obtain reports from the two agencies that provide basic statistics on the numbers of animals used in experimentation and training. We don’t know which pounds and other sources are supplying these former pets because the system is designed to keep this information hidden. But the numbers of pet dogs and cats being used is horrific.
More than 11,000 dogs and cats used, in just one year.
The statistics show that thousands of dogs and cats are still being used for research and training in Canada, more than 11,000 each year!
Canadian laws don’t require researchers to explain or account for how they use these animals. Heartbreakingly, a significant percentage of these animals are former pets taken from municipally-funded pounds; dogs and cats who could be enjoying lives with loving adopters if only given that chance.
Why we are fighting – and why we need your help.
Across Canada, some municipally-funded pounds still supply homeless pets to research and educational institutions. These former pets can be used for various purposes, including teaching veterinary and medical students. They can be used for multiple procedures without benefit to themselves, from one procedure to another, or as part of long-term training and experimentation.
Legislated Cruelty
Cats and dogs can be subjected to procedures causing extreme suffering, including those categorized as provoking “moderate to severe distress or discomfort”.
After a short holding period has passed, a pound can hand over a dog or cat to researchers and are not required to share that information with a guardian searching for their lost friend. Your lost pet can disappear into the dark world of research and you will never be able to find or save him or her. Our elected officials allow this to happen!
More shocking still, according to Ontario’s Animals for Research Act, even an injured dog or cat who is in pain and needs relief cannot be euthanized if there is a request from a research facility for such an animal. Requests from researchers must be met first, and come before the needs of the injured animal. Even injured cats and dogs in pain are not free from the demands of researchers!
Fight with us!
We are fighting for changes in legislation that will ban pounds from selling pet dogs and cats to researchers.
When we win this battle, we will prevent the suffering of millions of dogs and cats across Canada, for years to come.
Dogs and cats need your help!
Today’s Project Jessie (PJ) network provides financial support, from people like you, to rescue organizations across Canada. Our PJ grants have already sent relief to hundreds of dogs and cats in regions where services are badly needed, such as northern Manitoba, northern Ontario, the Northwest Territories, and rural regions where the practice of animal abandonment is, sadly, still common. And we are reaching out to more regions, to help more animals in need.
You can save lives, and save animals from suffering!
Be a supporter. Become a monthly donor.
Monthly donations allow us to plan ahead and make commitments. Please become a monthly donor today.
For those who prefer occasional or one-time donations, know that your gift will be greatly appreciated, and will be well-used to help the Project Jessie network to help save the lives of cats and dogs and others in need.
As a special thank you, for donations of $50 or more, you will receive an official Gift of Compassion package in the mail. These are envelopes that contain information about how the program helps dogs and cats and a formal ‘thank you’ for your generosity. They can be tailored to feature cats and/or dogs.
You can also send a Gift of Compassion to a friend or family member as a gift for any occasion.
You can order Gift of Compassion packages at: www.projectjessie.ca Or phone our office to place an order or make a donation: 1-416-462-9541
We’ve come a long way, but there is much more work to do.
Please – Stand with us. Stand with animals!
Let’s get between vulnerable animals and the experimenters who want to get their hands on them.
Let’s help the lost and abandoned cats and dogs who are struggling on their own, without homes or protection.
Together we can change the way research is conducted in Canada by removing animals from laboratories. We can reduce the numbers of dogs, cats, rabbits and farmed animals, too, who do not have homes and loving guardians.
We can change the hearts and minds of Canadians everywhere to never again see animals as being disposable.
These are our goals. This is our fight.
Join us.
Sincerely,
Vicki Van Linden
Board Member
