Frequently Asked Questions

• How does the program work?

  The gift you purchased, such as Care for a Cat or Kitten, is symbolic and not actually sent to your friends/family. However, to let them know that you have made a gift in their honour, you can either download and print a PDF certificate or send a personalized eCard.

  Ordering is as easy as 1, 2, 3 - Choose a Gift, Check out from the Store, and Send your eCards(s) or Download your Certificate(s). It's the easiest shopping you'll do.

  If you order Rocky & Friends plush toys, they will be shipped out within 3 business days of your purchase.

• How can I purchase the gifts?

  You can purchase any of the Paws & Give™ gifts by using your credit card on-line at pawsandgive.ca or by calling our toll free Paws & Give™ telephone number at 1-888-668-7722, ext 360.

• What are the administration costs for the program?

  Paws & Give™ is one of the many ways the Ontario SPCA raises money to fund our programs across Ontario. While administration costs vary from year to year, the Ontario SPCA strives to ensure that our donor's gifts are used effectively and to maximize program effectiveness. In our most recent, audited fiscal year - 2015 - here's how donations were spent:

  • 63.0% - Animal Care and Rescue & Relief Services
  • 13.0% - General Management and Administration
  • 8.6% - Fundraising & Stewardship Programs
  • 7.6% - Distributions to Affiliate Animal Welfare Organizations
  • 3.9% - Amortization
  • 3.2% - Public Awareness and Humane Education
  • 0.7% - Interest and bank charges

• What is Rocky & Friends?

  Rocky & Friends is a new program from the Ontario SPCA, offering limited edition and collectible plush toys. The plush toys featured this year - Rocky, Maddison, Tyson, Bear, Velvet and new this year - Judy, are all inspired by real animals that found their forever homes through the Ontario SPCA. Our Tyson plush is only available in limited quantities and is soon to be retired!
  
  Every Rocky & Friends purchase includes an adoption certificate, high-quality plush toy and animal story postcard. You can have your gift sent to you to deliver in person, or have us send your gift directly to your gift recipient. Each year we will add a new plush toy to Rocky’s group of friends.

• What do I receive when I order a gift?

  There is definitely a feeling of joy and excitement when giving a gift, especially a gift that you know is going to help so many animals across the province. Just in case that isn't enough, you will also receive a tax receipt for your donation.

• Can my gift go to a particular shelter?

  Coordinating the delivery of items on this level is very costly and would reduce the effectiveness of the program. We can ensure that your gift will go to one of our communities and is spent where it is most needed.

• What kind of cards do you have?

  In an effort to direct more funds towards the animals, we no longer offer Mailed cards as an option. Instead, you can either send a personalized eCard for each item purchased, or download a PDF certificate to print at home.

• Can I place a message in the card?

  If you are sending a personalized eCard for your gift, you can add your own message. We no longer offer Mailed cards online, however please contact us at pawsandgive@ospca.on.ca if you would like to make special arrangements.

• How long does it take for my digital certificate to be delivered?

  If you choose to send an eCard to your gift recipient, you can choose to send right away or at a later date. If you choose a PDF certificate, the delivery date is yours for the choosing - you will be able to download your certificate as soon as you've finished checking out from the store.

  Forgot to send your eCard(s) or download your certificate(s)? Contact us at pawsandgive@ospca.on.ca to request replacements.

• What happens if my gift recipient does not receive my eCard?

  If your gift recipient does not receive your eCard by the specified date, please call 1-888-668-7722 ex.360 or email pawsandgive@ospca.on.ca and we are happy to assist you.

• Will I receive a tax receipt?

  Symbolic (Virtual) gifts receive a tax receipt for the full amount of the gift.
  A plush toy is sold for $40 and comes with a $32 tax receipt. A plush toy add on is sold for $20 and comes with a $12 tax receipt.
  The Plush Puppy Trio is sold for $100 and comes with a $76 tax receipt (Rocky, Maddison and Tyson).
  The All The Friends! is sold for $180 and comes with a $140 tax receipt (Rocky, Maddison, Tyson, Bear and Velvet).
  The 2016 Second Chances calendar is sold for $20 and comes with a $15 tax receipt.
  The 12-pk Animal-Themed Holiday cards is sold for $18 and comes with a $12 tax receipt.
  

• When will I receive a tax receipt?

  We will issue a tax receipt in your name and send it either by email within 24 hours or by mail within 14 business days.

• Can I have the tax receipt issued in the name of the person I am sending the gift to?

  In accordance with Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) regulations governing the issue of tax receipts, we can only issue the receipt in the name of the individual or organization making the donation or gift.

• Why is giving my email address mandatory?

  Providing your email address allows us to reduce our costs, eliminates tax-receipting errors and ensures that you get your electronic tax receipt within 24 hours. If you do not have an email address, please phone 1-888-668-7722 ex.360 and speak with one of our representatives who will help you with your order and arrange for you to receive your tax receipt by mail.

• Why do you need my phone number?

  In the past there have been occasions when gift items that are shipped have not been received in time because of incorrect address information. Having a phone number allows us to contact you to verify or update information to ensure quick and efficient delivery!

• Is the program only for the holiday season?

  Paws & Give™ is available all year round! When you are looking for a gift, whether it's for a birthday, graduation, wedding or holiday gift for your teacher, friend or co-worker or anyone else, Paws & Give™ provides you with a variety of gift options that help animals all across the province as well as giving to your loved one.

• How does the Ontario SPCA decide where my gifts go?

  Working closely with our communities, the Ontario SPCA team of experts are responsible for deciding where and which programs will receive the Paws & Give™ Gifts . The decision where to direct the gift is determined by community needs and where the gift can do the most good.

• What happens if you sell out of an item in the catalogue?

  Every gift offered through the Ontario SPCA represents programs offered by our communities around Ontario. The actual number of items delivered is determined by community needs. Therefore, it is possible that we could end up with more of a particular item than we can reasonably and responsibly program. If this is the case, the Ontario SPCA will ensure that the funds are used to support our overall work within the same or similar program area of the item.

• What types of payment do you accept?

  We accept credit card (Visa, Mastercard, American Express).

• How secure is my information?

  The Ontario SPCA uses an encryption to protect the transfer of personal and financial information between your browser and our servers. When using the Ontario SPCA's registration and donation pages, a small lock or key symbol in the status bar of your browser indicates that you are connected securely.

  Personal information and financial transactions are stored on our secure database server. Stringent security guidelines are in place to protect this data, and its use and release. All other questions regarding privacy and how personal information is governed and managed by the Ontario SPCA and can be answered by clicking on this link to our Privacy Statement .

• Are credit card transactions secure?

  The Ontario SPCA uses the Moneris eSelect Payment Gateway, which processes online payments in real-time.

  All transactions are encrypted using 128 bit encryption. Transactions are processed in real time, normally taking between 5 and 15 seconds to obtain authorization.

  Credit card details are NOT stored at any time by the Ontario SPCA. Only summary information including the amount of the charge, transaction date and approval code are retained. For this reason, credit card transactions using this service are likely to be more secure than traditional methods of payment where a physical record of the credit card details is made and retained by the merchant.

  Overview of the secure payment service used by the Ontario SPCA:
  
  1. Donor makes a donation using an online donation form (hosted with convio.com).
  2. The order is posted securely across an encrypted link.
  3. The Convio.com system receives, logs and verifies the card number and date - then the valid card number, payment details are sent via a secure encrypted link - the Moneris eSelect payment gateway.
  4. The Moneris eSelect payment gateway receives logs and forwards payment details via a dedicated private link to the Banking System.
  5. The Banking System clears payment.
  6. The Banking System forwards encrypted details and authorization code via a dedicated private link.
  7. The Moneris eSelect payment gateway payment system logs the transaction result, and forwards it encrypted via the internet back to the Convio.com system.
  8. The convio.com system formats, records and forwards the response to the donor, via the internet.
  9. The donor receives the response from the gateway typically in 5 to 15 seconds.

• What does the Ontario SPCA do?

  The Ontario Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Ontario SPCA): Protecting animals since 1873, the Ontario SPCA is a registered charity comprised of over 50 communities relying primarily on donations to fund animal protection, care and rehabilitation; advocacy; and humane education. The Ontario SPCA Act mandates the Society to enforce animal cruelty laws and provides Society investigators with police powers to do so - making the Ontario SPCA unique among animal welfare organizations in the province. The Ontario SPCA is a member of the Canadian Federation of Humane Societies (CFHS), the World Society for the Protection of Animals (WSPA), and is affiliated with the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA).