Posts in Kijiji Pets

Things to Consider Before Adopting a Pet

posted by on May 22, 2013 Leave a comment

Here at Kijiji, we love pets. The pets section has given many people the opportunity to re-home pets they can no longer care for, but we hope any pet re-homed once finds their forever family! The best way to ensure that you and the animal you bring into your life are a good fit is to do your research and consider the following factors beforehand:

Lifestyle – whether you prefer a night in snuggling on the couch, or like to spend your spare time doing sports, you want to make sure your choice of pet matches your lifestyle. If you like to go out after work frequently, that should definitely enter into your decision.

Living arrangements – do you live with room mates, family, or alone? If other people are living with you, how do they feel about a pet and taking on some of the responsibility? Allergies and schedules can also be big issues, and should be discussed beforehand, as the entire household should be on board for a new pet acquisition. How settled are you in your location? Some pets are stressed by frequent moves, and having certain pets can make finding new rentals more challenging in some areas. You also need to take into account what sort of outdoor space you have access to (balcony, fenced backyard, or a nearby park) and consider if they are appropriate for the species or breed that you are considering.

Time & Timing – the amount of time that different pets require every day varies. Consider carefully whether you actually have the spare time to devote to exercising, walking, training, and playing with the breed or animal that you are considering. Also think about how long you realistically can commit to having this amount of time free daily. A pet can be a major complication in future plans such as travel, so think long term when considering the future of pet ownership, including whether you are planning a family. If you know you want a baby soon, but don’t think you will be able to handle both, consider waiting until the timing is better for your family to adopt a pet.

Lifespan – how long does the pet you are considering live? Most cats and dogs live about 15 years, but some animals live even longer. Can you commit to caring for an animal for the next 15 years? If you can only be sure about the next 5 years, consider adopting a senior animal instead. There are many great pets available in shelters that may be overlooked due to their age.

Money – pets cost a lot of money. Do you have the funds to spay or neuter, and to stay up to date on vet visits and vaccines? The Calgary Humane Society reports that the average cost for dogs annually is $1,550 and the average for cats is $850 annually – and these numbers do not include the one time costs such as adoption fee, spaying, microchipping, and unforeseen large vet bills. If your animal has any destructive tendencies, that can also lead to many surprise costs as well. Do you have the money available for both the predictable and the unforeseen costs associated with pet ownership?

Handling – dogs can pull four times their body weight, and the largest breeds can overpower even the strongest people. If a large dog got into a fight or attacked a person or animal, it would be difficult or impossible to pull them off – do you have the knowledge and skill required to ensure that your pet is properly socialized and trained so they are not a nuisance or danger to others?

Personality – the personality of you (and any other co-adopters) should match the animal! If you are always on the go and exercising, an energetic companion will suit you. If you love to play, or prefer to stay in and snuggle, the best match will be an animal with similar preferences.

Source – you want to ensure that the animal has been properly cared for. Research the source of the pet as well as the breed to help avoid unpleasant health surprises later on. We recently partnered with the Ontario SPCA to create a video on safe pet adoption.

Pet ownership is extremely rewarding, but should never be entered into lightly. When you adopt an animal, think of it as gaining a new lifelong friend.

Do your research to ensure that your new pet is a great match, and that puppy or kitten will grow old at your side!

Do your research to ensure that your new pet is a great match, and that puppy or kitten will grow old at your side!

Categories: Kijiji Pets, Kijiji Tips

Buying and Adopting Pets Safely with Kijiji

posted by on Mar 21, 2013 Leave a comment

It’s hard to resist the puppies, cats and other animals that appear in the Kijiji Pets category. As with many other items, Kijiji is a great place to comparison shop and find the perfect item to suit your needs. However, pets are more of a commitment then a new sofa or car.

At any given time, Kijiji has thousands of pets ads. Many of these are posted by reliable breeders, shelters or owners looking to rehome loved pets. However some people who list pets for sale on Kijiji are not ethical breeders and you want to avoid those ones at all cost. Our customer service team does a great job of keeping the site clean, but it’s also up to you to ask the right questions about where the animals are coming from.

Our animal loving staff, and their furry friends (including Brody the Pomeranian, JD the Chihuahua and Tank the Shih Tzu) teamed up with Kijiji partner, the Ontario SPCA to share our tips for puchasing a pet from an ethical breeder on Kijiji.

You can review the Kijiji Pets Policies here and if you run into any suspicious posts or sellers you don’t trust please report them to the Kijiji Help Desk, or your local SPCA.

Big thanks to all the Kijiji staff and Agent Brad Dewer from the OSPCA and his dog Jersey, a visually impared Brussels Griffon for helping us make this video possible. Here are some cute behind the scenes shots from our day on set in Toronto

Categories: Inside Kijiji, Kijiji Pets, Kijiji Tips

How much is that doggie in the window? Should the curtains be closed for the holidays?

posted by on Dec 14, 2012 1 Comment

This time of year many people struggle to avoid the luring “impulse buy” of a companion animal. Everyone finds a kitten or puppy with a bow on its head absolutely adorable, and probably one of the biggest reaction-getting Christmas surprises possible. But the issue facing the animal welfare industry this time of year, is that too many of the decisions to adopt/purchase a pet are done on “impulse”, and the proper planning/research is not being done.

Why should you think twice before giving someone a pet as a holiday gift?

Let’s start with the obvious reason. The Holidays are a crazy time of year! Family visits, social gatherings, parties, holiday concerts. The first few days or weeks that an animal has moved in to a new environment are the most important. This is the time you want to make them feel safe, comfortable, and welcome. If the first impression of their new forever-home is a complete madhouse, then you’re not setting the right tone.

Have you done the appropriate amount of research, planning and discussion with your family before making this choice? Pets are not a new toy. They require a lot of work (especially at first), cost a lot of money, and are a big responsibility. If this is not something you have thought of, discussed with the kids, and planned for, you should not be jumping into a quick decision.

Animal welfare groups have mixed opinions on the topic. These groups are now doing an amazing job at screening/educating potential pet-parents, so if they feel that a person is perhaps being a little too impulsive, or has not made a right decision, they may take the time to educate them before allowing them to adopt a pet, if at all. For this reason, most of these groups still discourage pets as presents. Some, however, have faith in their ability to work with people, and do not discourage at all.

Kristin Williams, Executive Director from the Nova Scotia SPCA is one of those people. “We feel confident that regardless of the time of year, we can place animals responsibly. Bringing a pet into your home should always be an informed decision and never a surprise, but there are so many animals in need of loving forever homes and we need to start actively removing barriers to their successful adoption.” Williams added, “I know that all of us would feel better if more animals were enjoying this time of year with loved ones.”

The one thing we all can agree on is that companion animals are not something that should be bought on a “whim”. Please do your homework, and be sure that your family and lifestyle is ready for a new addition. If you do make that decision this time of year, please remember that there are many animal shelters with great pets available, with a lot of love left to give.

Categories: Kijiji Pets

Woofstock 2012: Kijiji Pooch Parlor

posted by on Jun 13, 2012 Leave a comment

For the4th year in a row, Kijiji was front and center showing our love for our furry friends at Woofstock on June 9 & 10 in Toronto.

This event is all about the dogs, with people coming from all over southern Ontario to go for a stroll and check out the great booths and vendors

This year Kijiji had a Pooch Parlor set up at our booth where our groomers gave   grooming services to some very cute visitors. Everyone who got their dog groomed got a bandana as the finishing touch. We had more then 800 dogs groomed over two days!

In addition to the pooch parlor we had our giant dog bowl filled with treats. This is always a hit and made sure even dogs who didn’t need our help looking great got to hang out with Kijiji

 

One of our favorite parts of events like these is hearing from users about how much they love the site, and meeting the dogs who found their forever homes through Kijiji.ca pets category.

Thank you to everyone who came out to visit us at Woofstock!

Categories: Awesomesauce, Kijiji Pets

Kijiji and Calgary Humane Society launch Breeder Certification Program

posted by on Jun 04, 2012 1 Comment

In honour of national Hug Your Cat day and our love of all things furry, we wanted to share an amazing program that we are running with the Calgary Humane Society.

As part of Kijiji Canada’s efforts to provide safe pet adoptions and sales, we have formed a partnership with the Calgary Humane Society. Starting this spring, the Breeder Inspection program will certify listings on Kijiji.ca with a ‘stamp of approval.’

This program was developed with an experienced Animal Health Technologist and will be used to inspect and certify Calgary and area breeders. Breeders who pass the inspection and will be awarded a badge that they can feature on their Kijiji ad.

Some of the things inspectors will be reviewing are:

  • Conditions animals are kept in
  • Overall health of animals
  • Business practices of the breeder

Follow up inspections will be conducted to ensure the breeder’s practices remain in good standing.

This program will complement Kijiji’s screening of classified ads by ad reviewers, who will continue to review all ads posted to the site, including those posted to the pets category and stringent pets policies.  We have a long history of supporting animal rescue agencies and in 2011 launched a page to allow users to search for pets from shelters  however we are hoping this program help our customers who are looking to purchase their companion animal from a breeder.

Shawn McIntyre, our Community Relations Manager at Kijiji Canada worked with Calgary Humane to develop this program. We asked him some questions on the program and how it is going to be rolled out across Canada

Q. Can you give us some background on how this program came to be?

A. The idea actually came from numerous discussions with several groups, including the Calgary Humane Society, around how we could take our working-relationship a step further.  CHS really championed the idea from the start.

Q. Why did Kijiji choose to pilot this program in Calgary

A. We are thrilled to pilot this in Calgary.   CHS has been a long-time partner of Kijiji’s, and has helped us make many positive changes to our Pets category, including new policies, and a code of conduct.  They have a great structure in place, and great ties with their local communities.  It was the perfect place to try this program out.

 Q. What is the objective of the program

A. The objective is to provide our users with an additional level of confidence when looking at companion animals on our website.   We encourage users to adopt whenever possible, however if they are looking to purchase from a breeder, we want to highlight the really good ones that use Kijiji.

Q. Have breeders been receptive to this?

A. For the most part, they have.  Some were a little apprehensive initially, but as we expected, the good breeders are proud of their business and facility, and those users have already started coming forward to voluntarily seek out this certification.

 Q. How many breeders are currently enrolled in the program?

A. We have conducted several inspections already, with several more waiting to be conducted.  We have started slowly, as to not overwhelm the Calgary Humane Society in their regular operations.

 Q. What is the timeline for rolling this out in Canada?

A. We are already seeking out communities that might be interested in participating in similar partnerships.   We hope to launch a few more by year’s end.

Looking to add a new pet to your family? Determine that a breeder has been meticulously inspected and passed by looking for a badge on their ad on Kijiji, which will indicate that the pet was listed by a breeder approved by the Calgary Humane Society.

If you are a breeder and want to set up an inspection email kijijisupport@kijiji.ca.

Categories: Kijiji Pets, Site Updates + Improvements