Importing cat and dog fur to help kill seals?

Dear [[First Name]],

Would you wear a jacket made with fur from a beloved pet?

Some members of the Canadian government seem to think it's okay for you to wear a hat made from someone's best friend. Or for your children to play with a toy made with hair skinned from a real cat.

An internal memo shows government officials in Canada urged Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz not to follow the United States and Europe in barring cat and dog fur from entering the country.

The reason?

Politicians fear a Canadian ban on cat and dog fur could weaken their efforts to overturn seal product bans in other countries, jeopardizing the cruel and unnecessary slaughter of baby seals.

We must make this story one of the most popular on the Web in order to pressure the Canadian government into stopping this travesty. Please vote for this story on Digg.com, a social news website with the power to make this a lead story in the international media and online.

An estimated 2 million cats and dogs in Asia are raised under cruel conditions to be skinned alive, strangled or stabbed for their furs and skins to fuel this cruel trade. Even more horrific, many consumers often don't even know they are wearing pet fur because labels are often fraudulent or missing completely.

It's appalling that Canada's government thinks additional cruelty is the way to continue an inherently cruel slaughter of seal pups for products no one needs. Government officials who support the trade in pet fur might as well take a hakapik to cats and dogs in Asia this spring while they're out bloodying the ice with baby seals.

I know that you must be as outraged as I am. We must show them that two wrongs do not make a right.

To support a story on Digg.com, simply click the "digg" button to the left of the story headline and then register or sign in to your digg.com account. It only takes a few seconds to register and vote, but those few seconds of your time could mean the world to millions of innocent cats, dogs, and baby seals.

There is absolutely no reason why Canada cannot ban pet fur and do it immediately. With an election fast approaching, we must fight with every last breath to ensure the Canadian government ends the abuse of cats, dogs...and seals. Publicizing this outrage is only the first step. Please take it with me by voting for this news story today.

Yours gratefully,


Fred O'Regan
IFAW President

P.S. Please also be sure to spread the word on Facebook, Twitter and any relevant blogs. We need at least 1,000 votes on Digg.com to make this spread like wildfire in the media and around the Web. And don't forget to forward this email to everyone you know!

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