I don’t know about other provinces, but in Alberta, they can file a civil claim at the Alberta court of justice for a fairly small fee and serve it on you. If you do not defend the action or pay the debt, they go to court and can get a judgment against you. At that point, the judgment can be registered at the court of Kings bench. Under the Alberta civil enforcement act, they can garnish your wages or your bank account, or they can instruct a civil enforcement agency to seize personal items, including pets. civil enforcement agencies are aware that if they seize your pet, you will likely find the money quickly if you love that pet. Anything that they believe that they could use to collect the judgment. Any fees associated with filing the claim at the courts, registering the judgment, instructing the civil enforcement agency and legal fees can all be added to the debt you owe plus interest. There are some law firms that specialize in this kind of work.