Caledon recognized as a pet-friendly city

April 13, 2023 · 0 Comments

By Zachary Roman

Caledon is a great place for pets, according to Mars Petcare.

On April 11 at the dog park behind the Caledon Animal Shelter, Caledon was recognized by Mars Petcare as a pet-friendly city as part of its “Better Cities for Pets” program.

Mars Petcare is a division of Mars Incorporated, which has operations in Bolton.

Caledon is the first Canadian city to be recognized as a “Better City for Pets” in 2023.

Mayor Annette Groves, and Councillors Christina Early, Mario Russo, Dave Sheen, and Lynn Kiernan, attended the April 11 event. An award was presented to the Town and accepted by Groves, who shared a speech.

Groves said she’s proud of the designation and what it says about how Caledon is a caring and pet-friendly Town in many ways. She thanked Caledon’s animal services team for “providing excellent services for pets and their owners.”

“Our community cat program helps keep our outdoor cats healthy, and our adoption program helps find homes for pets at the shelter,” said Groves. “This team also educates and raises awareness around responsible pet ownership year-round.”

There’s a new dog park coming to Caledon this year, and that’s something else Groves is proud of.

A fenced-in off-leash dog park is being planned at the corner of Kennedy Road and Abbotside Way in the south of Caledon. It will have a small parking lot and two off-leash areas — one for small dog breeds and one for big ones.

“Our off-leash dog parks connect pet owners, pets and their friends,” said Groves. “The new park will be located near a stormwater management pond and will offer an attractive and safe setting for pets and their owners.”

Also noted by Groves was Caledon’s many trails that offer residents great places to walk their pets, and Caledon’s pet-friendly businesses.

“Many Caledon businesses have opened their doors to pets…. in fact, we have a new page on our Town of Caledon business website that lists all of the pet-friendly businesses,” said Groves.

She thanked Mars Canada for the recognition and award.

Daniel Calderoni, General Manager of Pet Nutrition in Canada for Mars Petcare, attended the April 11 event to present the award to Mayor Groves.

Calderoni explained Mars Petcare launched the Better Cities for Pets program five years ago as a way to recognize cities across Canada who make efforts to become pet-friendly “to make the benefits of pets available to as many people as possible.”

Calderoni said he and Mars Petcare were very proud to present Caledon with the Better Cities for Pets award.