Pets Sign Historic ‘Pet-Ition’ to Be Seen as Living Beings Not Property

A partnership between award-winning pet rescue Mattie’s Place and Publicis Toronto has gone all the way to the House of Commons. The ground-breaking ‘Pet-ition’ campaign - the first petition signed by pets - was officially presented in the House of Commons on October 29th, thanks to the backing of federal member of parliament Julie Debrusin. 

In response to Canada’s antiquated Federal animal welfare laws and an influx of pet abandonment, Publicis Toronto worked together with Mattie’s Place, an award-winning volunteer-run pet rescue located in Toronto, to create the ‘Pet-ition’; a first-of-its-kind petition signed by pets to help all animals become recognised as sentient beings instead of as property; affording them a much-needed increase in protection. 

The campaign is built upon an insight pulled from petition law, which doesn’t specify that you must be human to sign a petition; in fact, you just need a name, address, and unique signature, which pets all possess. Using this loophole and paw prints as signatures (since they are genetically unique), the campaign was launched at North America’s Large Dog festival in June, before gathering thousands of signatures throughout the summer. Mattie’s Place hosted various events and collaborated with pet stores and rescues nationwide, before catching the attention of federal member of parliament Julie Debrusin. 

“We believe that this campaign sends a powerful message,” said Denise Angus, founder of Mattie’s Place. “These are living creatures with their own autonomy, and they should be treated and protected as such, instead of being regarded under law as mere property. Having animals participate in the movement to change Canada’s outdated laws is truly symbolic of where we as a country must strive to be ”.

“This work is a testament to our collaborative efforts, the expertise of our team and the boldness of our client Mattie’s Place”, said Publicis Toronto CCO Vini Dalvi, “From creative to strategy, PR, digital, accounts, and more, the passion and commitment of every member of the team was on show for this project, and we’re proud to have created a campaign that resounds with Canadians and supports such a noble cause”.

As World Animal Month ended, the campaign culminated as the petition was presented in the House of Commons on the morning of October 29th by Julie, with a gathering of several other MPs who were supportive of the cause later that day.