Calgary Humane Society and Kijiji Canada Team-up for Animal Welfare

New partnership and certification program is a first of its kind in Canada

CALGARY AND TORONTO, April 11, 2012 /CNW/ - The Calgary Humane Society and Kijiji Canada have formed a new partnership to improve the safety of online pet adoptions and sales. Starting this month, the Calgary Humane Society will certify listings on Kijiji.ca with a "stamp of approval" through the new Breeder Inspection Program.

Working with an experienced Animal Health Technologist, the Calgary Humane Society and Kijiji have developed the Breeder Inspection Program to inspect and certify reputable Calgary and area breeders. As part of the program, breeders will undergo an inspection that will look at the health and environmental conditions of the animals, as well as the breeder's business practices. The comprehensive certification process will also include a series of follow-up inspections to ensure the breeder's practices remain in good standing.

Consumers will be able to identify breeders who pass the rigorous inspection program by looking for a badge on Kijiji classified ads. The badge will indicate that the pet has been listed by a Calgary Humane Society approved breeder.

"We are excited about working with the Calgary Humane Society to provide Canadians with a safe and easy way to adopt, re-home, or purchase a pet," said Zac Candelario, General Manager, Kijiji Canada. "Approximately 1,100 pet listings in Calgary and surrounding areas will be reviewed to launch the certification process."

The new program will complement Kijiji Canada's stringent policy for posting classified ads. Kijiji Canada's team of dedicated ad reviewers will continue to review all ads posted to the site, including those posted to the Pets category.

"This is a collaboration that will help protect people and our pets. We look forward to working with Kijiji to make pet adoptions and sales safer," said Calgary Humane Society Acting Executive Director, Joe Coffin.

Consumers will start to see the Calgary Humane Society approval badge on listings later this month.

For more information on the Breeder Inspection Program, breeders and consumers can email: [email protected]

About Calgary Humane Society
The Calgary Humane Society (CHS) is the only organization providing a service under the Animal Protection Act in Calgary and provides care for 8,000 surrendered, neglected, abandoned, and abused animals per year. The Calgary Humane Society continues to work for the animals with the aim of preventing and suppressing cruelty. The mission of CHS is to help as many animals as we can.

About Kijiji Canada
Kijiji, which means "village" in Swahili, is the number one classifieds site in Canada, connecting ten-million buyers and sellers each month. Kijiji.ca offers Canadians a free, easy, and local way to buy, sell, and trade goods and services in their community. With local sites for more than 100 cities and towns across the country, Kijiji makes it easy for Canadians to find exactly what they're looking for in their own community. Kijiji Canada is part of the eBay Classifieds Group, the global leader in online classifieds with a global presence in more than 20 countries and 1,000 cities.

For further information, media please contact:
Nicole Tuschak
Environics (on behalf of Kijiji Canada)
416.969.2712
[email protected] 

or

Christy Thompson
Calgary Humane Society
403.723.6033
[email protected]