At noon today as you are all aware, pit bull owners and lovers from all over Ontario will be meeting at Coronation Park in Toronto. Their reason is simple, but it is something no Ontario dog owner should have to face, they are meeting in an effort to save their dogs from a life of restriction because of their breed. Now some of you may say "well I live in Ontario, but I don't own a pit bull, so why should I go to the rally?" I will explain. If we allow the government to continue using BSL to control dogs, how long will it be before more breeds are added? Maybe your breed will be the next to get the order to wear their Hannibal Lecter masks in public. What would you do if suddenly YOUR dog was the banned breed?
If BSL is not erradicated in Ontario, the possibility exists for the Ontario government in all their wisdom, to begin adding more breeds, and more dogs will be targeted. It is bad enough that pit bulls have been on the government's witch hunt list for the past five years, and so many dogs have been euthenised because of it. Do we really want to pave the way for the government to kill more animals in their insane quest to make the general public feel safe? Of course we don't, but that is why it is important for ALL Ontario dog owners to attend today's rally. If you live in Ontario and share your life with a dog, any breed of dog, you owe it to yourself and your canine companion to attend today's rally and show the government of Ontario you will not stand idly by while they perform mass genocide on the pit bull breed, or any other breed for that matter. Stand up for those who have no voice! See you at Coronation Park in Toronto at noon!
August 29, 2010
August 28, 2010
Ontario Must Repeal BSL
What is your nationality? Are you Irish, Turkish, German, Canadian? What if I told you that because one of your fellow countrymen committed a crime the government was going to round up everyone of your nationality and incarcerate or euthanize them. Simply because of their nationality and the fact that they MIGHT commit a crime thousands perhaps millions of people would be banned from existence all because of one bad apple. "Ridiculous" you'd say."That would never happen." Perhaps not, but in Ontario if you're a pit bull the above is reality.
Since August 29th, 2005 Pit bulls and pit bull mixes have been a banned breed in Ontario. Since that date it has been illegal to take possession of or breed a pit bull in Ontario. Dogs already living in the province prior to the breed ban could stay but only if owners followed some very strict conditions set out by the province. Problem is, the law's definition is so broad that many dogs who have no "pit" in them have been targeted and either euthanized or forced to leave the province unless their owners could prove in court they were not pit bulls.
Under this legislation, a pit bull is defined as a Staffordshire bull terrier, an American Staffordshire terrier, an American pit bull terrier or any dog that has an appearance and physical characteristics that are "substantially similar" to those dogs. That definition is broad enough to include a wide range of dogs, the vast majority of which have never bitten anyone.
This coming Sunday will mark five years since the controversial pit bull ban came into effect in Ontario, critics are still fighting to have the legislation overturned, arguing that it has led to the unwarranted deaths of hundreds of dogs yet has not decreased the number of dog attacks. One of the people leading the fight is Ontario MPP Cheri DiNovo, who introduced a private member's bill urging the immediate removal of the amendment targeting pit bulls in the Dog Owner's Liability Act. "This legislation is just so wrong-headed," said DiNovo, who represents a Toronto NDP riding. "This idea of mass euthanization of a particular breed due to silly legislation is simply cruel." DiNovo plans to celebrate the anniversary of Bill 132s inception by rallying supporters in a protest aimed at overturning the amendment.
On Sunday August 29th, 2010 pit bull owners and pit bull lovers alike will meet at noon in Coronation Park in Toronto to protest the breed ban. I urge all of you to attend and show your support we must end BSL in Ontario before more innocent animals die simply because someone decided they look like pit bulls. In the very near future I will call upon all of you to sign a petition, or perhaps send an email. When the time comes I hope I can count on your support.
For those of you who do not clearly understand why overturning the breed ban is so important, I leave you with the following images of what one city's BSL laws resulted in:
Is mass murder really the answer? Join the Let's Adopt! Canada network on Facebook and help us tell The Canadian government that dogs should not be killed because of breed.
Since August 29th, 2005 Pit bulls and pit bull mixes have been a banned breed in Ontario. Since that date it has been illegal to take possession of or breed a pit bull in Ontario. Dogs already living in the province prior to the breed ban could stay but only if owners followed some very strict conditions set out by the province. Problem is, the law's definition is so broad that many dogs who have no "pit" in them have been targeted and either euthanized or forced to leave the province unless their owners could prove in court they were not pit bulls.
Under this legislation, a pit bull is defined as a Staffordshire bull terrier, an American Staffordshire terrier, an American pit bull terrier or any dog that has an appearance and physical characteristics that are "substantially similar" to those dogs. That definition is broad enough to include a wide range of dogs, the vast majority of which have never bitten anyone.
This coming Sunday will mark five years since the controversial pit bull ban came into effect in Ontario, critics are still fighting to have the legislation overturned, arguing that it has led to the unwarranted deaths of hundreds of dogs yet has not decreased the number of dog attacks. One of the people leading the fight is Ontario MPP Cheri DiNovo, who introduced a private member's bill urging the immediate removal of the amendment targeting pit bulls in the Dog Owner's Liability Act. "This legislation is just so wrong-headed," said DiNovo, who represents a Toronto NDP riding. "This idea of mass euthanization of a particular breed due to silly legislation is simply cruel." DiNovo plans to celebrate the anniversary of Bill 132s inception by rallying supporters in a protest aimed at overturning the amendment.
On Sunday August 29th, 2010 pit bull owners and pit bull lovers alike will meet at noon in Coronation Park in Toronto to protest the breed ban. I urge all of you to attend and show your support we must end BSL in Ontario before more innocent animals die simply because someone decided they look like pit bulls. In the very near future I will call upon all of you to sign a petition, or perhaps send an email. When the time comes I hope I can count on your support.
For those of you who do not clearly understand why overturning the breed ban is so important, I leave you with the following images of what one city's BSL laws resulted in:
August 27, 2010
Bill Bruce Calgary, AB, Canada - Animal control by-laws that actually work!
(Original article from KC Dog Blog)
Calgary has a 90-95% dog licensing compliance rate. Most cities hover between 10-20% licensing compliance....and 20% are the good ones. Calgary has done this by providing benefits to people for licensing their dogs....for animal cotnrol being a SERVICE instead of a pain in people's butts.
Overall, they have about 95,000 licensed dogs (in a city with the population of about 1 million). Licensing fees are $31 per year ($52 for an unaltered dog).
In 1990 they raised the fines for getting caught with an unlicensed dog from $30 to $250 - -Bruce said that fines should generally run about 10x the cost of actually obeying the law in the first place in order to encourage compliance with the law. They also made it very easy to license your dog -- online, via phone, at your vets office, and keosks at the animal control office, etc.
Every dollar that they raise from animal licensing (and fines for non-compliance) go back into funding animal control -- not back into the city's slush fund. So with an operating budget of $3.5-4.0 million, they are able to really do some things right with their animal control department.
They strongly encourage all people who license their dogs to also have them microchipped (which allows the dogs to be scanned and the owner determined immediately). Every animal control vehicle is equipped with a scanner -- so if they find a stray dog, the animal control officer can instantly scan the dog for the chip, and deliver the dog home free of charge (although there are fines if your dog becomes a frequent flyer).
This home delivery a) is a service for people who obey the rules and b) saves money in animal control costs because stray dogs seldom even make it to their shelter. They are returned home where the dog belongs. The city then doesn't incur the costs of putting the dog in the shelter, maintaining the dog while it's in the shelter, food etc. Bruce's goal for next year is to gett 50% of the dogs returned directly home without ever reaching the shelter.
If a dog does end up making it to the shelter, its photo is taken immediately and placed on their webpage within 15 minutes of the dog reaching the shelter. All the dogs in the shelter are treated for the basic diseases - -and if a dog is found injured, animal control will take the dog to a vet. The vets treat the dogs because a) animal control is usually able to find the owner of the dog because they're all licensed and b) if they don't, animal control will cover the medical costs associated with treating that dog. Wow.
Calgary built a new shelter for their animals about 5-8 years ago that is state of the art...and has never been filled to its capacity.
Calgary also focuses a lot of its energies on education and encouraging responsible dog ownership. They have a full time staff member, that is trained in education, that puts together a public education program. They have six specific programs that are part fof their public school's curriculum that emphasizes respect for living things.
Calgary also has 140 dedicated off-leash areas for dogs -- so that's 140 "dog parks". Kansas City, MO is struggling to find a way to get a second one. These off-leash areas provide a ton of areas for socialization for the dogs to learn how to enteract with other dogs and other people.
The net results of their efforts have been impressive. Over the past 18 years, the city of Calgary has cut their number of dog bites and chases by more than 50% (all the while, the human and dog population of Calgary has doubled). Last year calgary only had to euthenize 256 animals (Kansas City, KS alone euthenized 5,000 DOGS last year, the KC metro area kills in the neighborhood of 40,000 dogs and cats each year). Almost all of the euthenizations came from dogs that had behavioral or health issues. Bruce estimates that Calgary will become a true no-kill city within the next 3-5 years.
When Bill was talking it sounding like a utopia. I hear stories about local animal controls breaking through locks to steal people's pets based on what breed they think it might be, the massive killing of dogs in our shelters, dogs that are put to sleep because they've been in the shelter too long but never made it up on the website or petfinder or anywhere so people knew where to find them. I hear about dogs being taken out of someone's loving home and euthenized because someone was over the pet limit -- apparently death is perceived to be better for animals than having to live with 3 other dogs.
Calgary has accomplished so much by focusing on root issues of problems, providing service to their "customers" (it was so weird to hear an animal control officer refer to their constituents as "customers"), and getting people to obey their current laws.
They did it all without mandatory spay/neuter laws, breed specific laws, anti-tethering laws or pet limit laws. And through paying animal control officers a fair wage -- as Bill said, "If you pay peanuts, you'll only get monkeys."
The full article can be found here:
KC Dog Blog
Calgary has a 90-95% dog licensing compliance rate. Most cities hover between 10-20% licensing compliance....and 20% are the good ones. Calgary has done this by providing benefits to people for licensing their dogs....for animal cotnrol being a SERVICE instead of a pain in people's butts.
Overall, they have about 95,000 licensed dogs (in a city with the population of about 1 million). Licensing fees are $31 per year ($52 for an unaltered dog).
In 1990 they raised the fines for getting caught with an unlicensed dog from $30 to $250 - -Bruce said that fines should generally run about 10x the cost of actually obeying the law in the first place in order to encourage compliance with the law. They also made it very easy to license your dog -- online, via phone, at your vets office, and keosks at the animal control office, etc.
Every dollar that they raise from animal licensing (and fines for non-compliance) go back into funding animal control -- not back into the city's slush fund. So with an operating budget of $3.5-4.0 million, they are able to really do some things right with their animal control department.
They strongly encourage all people who license their dogs to also have them microchipped (which allows the dogs to be scanned and the owner determined immediately). Every animal control vehicle is equipped with a scanner -- so if they find a stray dog, the animal control officer can instantly scan the dog for the chip, and deliver the dog home free of charge (although there are fines if your dog becomes a frequent flyer).
This home delivery a) is a service for people who obey the rules and b) saves money in animal control costs because stray dogs seldom even make it to their shelter. They are returned home where the dog belongs. The city then doesn't incur the costs of putting the dog in the shelter, maintaining the dog while it's in the shelter, food etc. Bruce's goal for next year is to gett 50% of the dogs returned directly home without ever reaching the shelter.
If a dog does end up making it to the shelter, its photo is taken immediately and placed on their webpage within 15 minutes of the dog reaching the shelter. All the dogs in the shelter are treated for the basic diseases - -and if a dog is found injured, animal control will take the dog to a vet. The vets treat the dogs because a) animal control is usually able to find the owner of the dog because they're all licensed and b) if they don't, animal control will cover the medical costs associated with treating that dog. Wow.
Calgary built a new shelter for their animals about 5-8 years ago that is state of the art...and has never been filled to its capacity.
Calgary also focuses a lot of its energies on education and encouraging responsible dog ownership. They have a full time staff member, that is trained in education, that puts together a public education program. They have six specific programs that are part fof their public school's curriculum that emphasizes respect for living things.
Calgary also has 140 dedicated off-leash areas for dogs -- so that's 140 "dog parks". Kansas City, MO is struggling to find a way to get a second one. These off-leash areas provide a ton of areas for socialization for the dogs to learn how to enteract with other dogs and other people.
The net results of their efforts have been impressive. Over the past 18 years, the city of Calgary has cut their number of dog bites and chases by more than 50% (all the while, the human and dog population of Calgary has doubled). Last year calgary only had to euthenize 256 animals (Kansas City, KS alone euthenized 5,000 DOGS last year, the KC metro area kills in the neighborhood of 40,000 dogs and cats each year). Almost all of the euthenizations came from dogs that had behavioral or health issues. Bruce estimates that Calgary will become a true no-kill city within the next 3-5 years.
When Bill was talking it sounding like a utopia. I hear stories about local animal controls breaking through locks to steal people's pets based on what breed they think it might be, the massive killing of dogs in our shelters, dogs that are put to sleep because they've been in the shelter too long but never made it up on the website or petfinder or anywhere so people knew where to find them. I hear about dogs being taken out of someone's loving home and euthenized because someone was over the pet limit -- apparently death is perceived to be better for animals than having to live with 3 other dogs.
Calgary has accomplished so much by focusing on root issues of problems, providing service to their "customers" (it was so weird to hear an animal control officer refer to their constituents as "customers"), and getting people to obey their current laws.
They did it all without mandatory spay/neuter laws, breed specific laws, anti-tethering laws or pet limit laws. And through paying animal control officers a fair wage -- as Bill said, "If you pay peanuts, you'll only get monkeys."
The full article can be found here:
KC Dog Blog
August 25, 2010
No Glory Wanted, Just Foster Homes Please!
Do you know my name? I wouldn't be surprised if you did, strangers recognizing me is somewhat of an occupational hazard since I began working full time with rescues. People know me when I walk down the street or comment in an internet forum. They stop me and try to pick my brain for training tips, or spend five minutes praising the work I do and telling me what a great person I am for doing it. What they do not do is ask about the animals I work with, and therein lies the problem.
I did not begin rehabilitating rescued dogs with the intention of becoming "known". I began rehabilitating rescues because I truly wished to give them a second chance. Besides I owe the species my life. Just over twenty years ago a dog gave her life to save mine. I feel it is only right to dedicate the rest of my life to ending the pain and suffering of her fellow dog (and cat, horse, bird, rat, etc.) whenever I can. To me that means saving and removing them from an abusive or otherwise detrimental situation, seeing that they are properly socialized and trained, and finding them homes that fit right with their individual needs and personality.
What I do is a labor of love. It gives my life meaning, but I do not want to be glorified for doing it. I just want to be left in peace to do what I do best, rescue and rehabilitate animals. I do not want to be known, I do not want you to remember my name. I want you to remember THEM, the animals I help. I want you to thank me by stepping up and saying "I have room in my heart and my home for one more, and I can make a difference!" I don't want your praise, I NEED your support, I need you to thank all animal rescue workers out there in the best way you possibly could, by stepping forward to help make a difference.
DON'T GIVE ME PRAISE! Forget my name. Remember the animals! FOSTER! ADOPT! Your support is my reward. BE THE CHANGE! That is all the thanks or praise I want or need.
Reach out to a rescue near you and volunteer to foster, or transport a pet in need. Volunteer at your local animal shelter and give a dog some time out of it's kennel. BE A PART OF THE CHANGE YOU WANT TO SEE!
I did not begin rehabilitating rescued dogs with the intention of becoming "known". I began rehabilitating rescues because I truly wished to give them a second chance. Besides I owe the species my life. Just over twenty years ago a dog gave her life to save mine. I feel it is only right to dedicate the rest of my life to ending the pain and suffering of her fellow dog (and cat, horse, bird, rat, etc.) whenever I can. To me that means saving and removing them from an abusive or otherwise detrimental situation, seeing that they are properly socialized and trained, and finding them homes that fit right with their individual needs and personality.
What I do is a labor of love. It gives my life meaning, but I do not want to be glorified for doing it. I just want to be left in peace to do what I do best, rescue and rehabilitate animals. I do not want to be known, I do not want you to remember my name. I want you to remember THEM, the animals I help. I want you to thank me by stepping up and saying "I have room in my heart and my home for one more, and I can make a difference!" I don't want your praise, I NEED your support, I need you to thank all animal rescue workers out there in the best way you possibly could, by stepping forward to help make a difference.
DON'T GIVE ME PRAISE! Forget my name. Remember the animals! FOSTER! ADOPT! Your support is my reward. BE THE CHANGE! That is all the thanks or praise I want or need.
Reach out to a rescue near you and volunteer to foster, or transport a pet in need. Volunteer at your local animal shelter and give a dog some time out of it's kennel. BE A PART OF THE CHANGE YOU WANT TO SEE!
August 23, 2010
Samson Gets Neutered
It certainly was a crazy morning here on Perry Street. One of our dogs was scheduled for surgery and had to be at the clinic at 8 a.m. He was not happy about it, and when an almost 100 lb. dog decides he is not happy about something it makes for an interesting tale.
It all started last night when we had to crate him. Samson is one of the most food oriented dogs I have ever seen. Hold a dog biscuit in front of him for more than five seconds and you have a puddle of drool on the floor at his feet. So because he had to be NPO (nothing by mouth) before his surgery, we had to crate him, or he would have managed to eat something even if it was not really something edible. So we hauled the monster sized crate out of storage and set it up in the dog den next to Nakita's crate. (The only dog I have crate trained in years is Nakita, and then only because she is related to Houdini.) We put Samson in the crate, but no sooner had we settled into bed to watch an evening movie, when the howling began. Samson it seems does not like small spaces, the crate is quite spacious even for a dog his size but he simply sees no reason why he should be confined. Well we could not have this dog howling all night long, what would the neighbors think? So we tried the bark collar (the ones that emit high pitched sound when a dog barks) but that did not stop him. Eventually we were forced to muzzle him or get up in the morning bleary eyed and sleepless. Finally all was quiet and we settled down to sleep. At 6 o'clock this morning an unholy whining could be heard from the dog den. It seems Samson had had enough of confinement and was voicing his displeasure, but since he was muzzled he could not bark so he set about whining as loudly as possible. Our furry alarm clock had spoken, it was time to start our day. Samson wanted out of that crate and he wanted that muzzle off! He got his one wish but we could not remove his muzzle or he would head straight for the food dish. So Samson wandered around pawing at the muzzle and bumping into everything in sight until it was time to leave for the clinic.
Samson does not like to ride in the car, so we have to get a running start and trick him into jumping into the back of the wagon. This morning thank goodness he did not make putting him in the car an issue. With the rest of the dogs settled in the house and Samson in the car we set off for the clinic. We use a high volume low cost Spay and Neuter clinic to sterilize our rescues, and they have some very strict criteria for how things are run. You must arrive with your pet on the dot of eight, no later, and leave your pet in the car while you do the paperwork. I have already mentioned that Samson does not like the car, so leaving him alone in a vehicle is out of the question if you want to come back to an intact car. My husband took an hour off work and came with me so he could walk Samson around the parking lot while I did the paperwork. A good plan in theory...in execution not so much!
I went into the clinic to get the paperwork started. As I got to the door a clinic employee was giving an orientation talk so we were all waiting to hear what she had to say. A woman standing beside me had broken the rules and was holding her cat in her arms. That is when Samson escaped as my husband was taking him out of the car. He began running around the parking lot looking for "MOM." Spotting me he made a beeline for me, and the woman next to me panicked thinking he was going after her cat. I managed to grab him by the collar just as he discovered the cat. Samson contained (my husband took him for a walk) I proceeded to finish the paperwork, we took Samson in, and we will pick him up at 5 this evening groggy, sore, but incapable of breeding! In a society where there are so many unwanted pets in shelters, is it not MY responsibility to ensure that my pet does not add to the problem? I feel that it is, and so all my pets are spayed or neutered or scheduled to be so soon.
If your pet is not spayed or neutered please have them spayed or neutered. If cost is an issue check into low cost spay and neuter clinics that may operate in your area. It is important not only to control the pet population, but spaying and neutering are healthier for your pet and could prolong their life. If there is something you can do for your pet to ensure they live a longer healthier life, don't you want to do it?
It all started last night when we had to crate him. Samson is one of the most food oriented dogs I have ever seen. Hold a dog biscuit in front of him for more than five seconds and you have a puddle of drool on the floor at his feet. So because he had to be NPO (nothing by mouth) before his surgery, we had to crate him, or he would have managed to eat something even if it was not really something edible. So we hauled the monster sized crate out of storage and set it up in the dog den next to Nakita's crate. (The only dog I have crate trained in years is Nakita, and then only because she is related to Houdini.) We put Samson in the crate, but no sooner had we settled into bed to watch an evening movie, when the howling began. Samson it seems does not like small spaces, the crate is quite spacious even for a dog his size but he simply sees no reason why he should be confined. Well we could not have this dog howling all night long, what would the neighbors think? So we tried the bark collar (the ones that emit high pitched sound when a dog barks) but that did not stop him. Eventually we were forced to muzzle him or get up in the morning bleary eyed and sleepless. Finally all was quiet and we settled down to sleep. At 6 o'clock this morning an unholy whining could be heard from the dog den. It seems Samson had had enough of confinement and was voicing his displeasure, but since he was muzzled he could not bark so he set about whining as loudly as possible. Our furry alarm clock had spoken, it was time to start our day. Samson wanted out of that crate and he wanted that muzzle off! He got his one wish but we could not remove his muzzle or he would head straight for the food dish. So Samson wandered around pawing at the muzzle and bumping into everything in sight until it was time to leave for the clinic.
Samson does not like to ride in the car, so we have to get a running start and trick him into jumping into the back of the wagon. This morning thank goodness he did not make putting him in the car an issue. With the rest of the dogs settled in the house and Samson in the car we set off for the clinic. We use a high volume low cost Spay and Neuter clinic to sterilize our rescues, and they have some very strict criteria for how things are run. You must arrive with your pet on the dot of eight, no later, and leave your pet in the car while you do the paperwork. I have already mentioned that Samson does not like the car, so leaving him alone in a vehicle is out of the question if you want to come back to an intact car. My husband took an hour off work and came with me so he could walk Samson around the parking lot while I did the paperwork. A good plan in theory...in execution not so much!
I went into the clinic to get the paperwork started. As I got to the door a clinic employee was giving an orientation talk so we were all waiting to hear what she had to say. A woman standing beside me had broken the rules and was holding her cat in her arms. That is when Samson escaped as my husband was taking him out of the car. He began running around the parking lot looking for "MOM." Spotting me he made a beeline for me, and the woman next to me panicked thinking he was going after her cat. I managed to grab him by the collar just as he discovered the cat. Samson contained (my husband took him for a walk) I proceeded to finish the paperwork, we took Samson in, and we will pick him up at 5 this evening groggy, sore, but incapable of breeding! In a society where there are so many unwanted pets in shelters, is it not MY responsibility to ensure that my pet does not add to the problem? I feel that it is, and so all my pets are spayed or neutered or scheduled to be so soon.
If your pet is not spayed or neutered please have them spayed or neutered. If cost is an issue check into low cost spay and neuter clinics that may operate in your area. It is important not only to control the pet population, but spaying and neutering are healthier for your pet and could prolong their life. If there is something you can do for your pet to ensure they live a longer healthier life, don't you want to do it?