The City of Calgary wants to introduce a pet licence reward program. This is an attempt to increase compliance with the city's licensing by-law. Each year when they mail out your annual licence, they'd send you a rewards card giving you discounts at participating local businesses.
Has anyone heard of a program like this in another city? Please let us know!
The city operates an animal shelter which is separate from the Calgary Humane Society. If a city bylaw officer picks up a stray (or lost animal), it goes to the city shelter. The Humane Society is a not-for-profit society. It employs peace officers with the power to enforce Alberta's Animal Protection Act. If someone can no longer care for an animal and wants to surrender it, they can take it to the Humane Society, but not to the city. Both have an adoption service. I think there is some cooperation between the two, but I don't know the details. (Off topic, I have to mention that there are also many volunteer rescue societies operating in the city as well.)
One fantastic benefit of the city licence is that it helps lost cats and dogs get home! Each tag has a unique ID number, and even if the pet gets lost without the tag, the city also keeps track of microchip numbers and ID tattoos. Contact info is updated annually when the licence is renewed, which doesn't happen with other registries. When we found a Yorkie wandering in the park, the city was able to identify her and get her back home!
