Les Pattes Jaunes: helping Quebecers ethically adopt pets

Have you decided to adopt a new cat or dog? Our province’s shelters are filled with animals who are waiting to find their forever home.

Why you should adopt a rescue dog or cat

When you adopt a pet from a shelter, you’ll be saving two lives – the life of the pet you welcome into your family and the life of the dog or cat who will be taking their place at the shelter.

Moreover, ethical shelters spay or neuter the animals before putting them up for adoption. That’s why when you adopt from these shelters, you’ll be helping to reduce Quebec’s overpopulation of pets, especially cats.

Adopting your new best friend from a shelter will also save you costs in terms of vet expenses. A dog or cat who is up for adoption has most likely received their basic vaccines, received a deworming treatment, and may have been implanted with a microchip.

What is Les Pattes Jaunes?

Every year in Quebec, hundreds of cats and dogs are abandoned, especially in the months leading up to moving season – April, May, and June. Unfortunately, most of these animals will be euthanized due to a lack of resources. Despite this, many Quebecers still hesitate to turn to shelters when adopting a pet.

Les Pattes Jaunes is an organization dedicated to making it easier for Quebecers to adopt from shelters. Their goal is to change the world, 4 paws at a time! To do so, Les Pattes Jaunes works to promote ethical adoption, educate the public about shelters, and become an ethical leader in Quebec.

In fact, “ethical” is a key word at Les Pattes Jaunes. One of their main goals is to provide future pet owners with the means to make an informed decision about their new four-legged friend. Shelters part of the Les Pattes Jaunes network are required to meet several membership criteria before they are added to the website’s directory.

What is an ethical shelter?

A shelter that wants to be added to Les Pattes Jaunes’ network must meet certain criteria. They must:

Only promote the adoption of pets that are spayed or neutered
Assess the animal’s health condition before putting them up for adoption
Only practice humane euthanasia
Implement a sanitation, safety, and quarantine protocol as well as provide proper accommodations

For more information about Les Pattes Jaunes, consult their website.

How does it work?

Finding the perfect fit for your family can be a complicated task. Les Pattes Jaunes wants to simplify the process of ethical adoption through a user-friendly search tool. This online catalogue (available in French only) lists all the pets up for adoption in ethical shelters in Quebec. You can use a set of user-friendly filters to find your new family pet.

If you don’t find the perfect match on the first try, create an account and sign up for notifications. You’ll receive an email when a cat or dog that meets your needs is up for adoption. You won’t have to wait long because many are added every day.

Quebec’s shelters are packed with pets up for adoption and they need our help. Visit Les Pattes Jaunes’ website and be part of the solution!