Buttercup and Sassy on a day in May

 Today was a nice day so I took a couple pictures of Sassy and Buttercup - please enjoy the photos...

One true love

Our love transcends all space and time forever now and ever through the whole universe we are together

If you want to see more photos that I post you can follow me on Instagram  -

http://instagram.com/dogkisser

A different take on anti-tethering legislation for Nova Scotia

A few weeks ago I wrote a blog post about the fact that the NDP Government was going to introduce legislation toughening up the current Animal Cruelty Act that we currently have in place, as well as make the topic an agenda item for the upcoming Provincial election.

One thing that is on the top of everyone's mind in the animal advocate community is the plight of chained dogs.

We see them suffering everywhere in the province and there is almost nothing we can do about them because if they have even the most nominal shelter and access to some kind of water - then it's legal to keep them in that condition in Nova Scotia.

Everyone knows that's wrong - and there is a movement - to make the changes that are needed - now.

I have some ideas about what changes can be made, and they are slightly different than what others are suggesting - and I'm going to put them forward here, for whatever they are worth.

I've been involved with chained dog issues for almost 10 years, so anti-chaining legislation is something I've been following for quite awhile.  I really don't think we need to reinvent the wheel in Nova Scotia.

There's other places in Canada and the US who already have anti-tether legislation in place - just a couple of those places are Delta, British Columbia, Hillsborough County Florida and Cumberland, North Carolina - they both have unbelievably fabulous anti-tethering legislation.

One thing that my type of legislation is different from that the one's that are being proposed both by the provincial government and the "humane organization" they are working with - is that I believe this legislation should be in MUNICIPAL by-laws - not PROVINCIAL laws.

Everywhere else in North America that you find anti-tether legislation - it is within municipal legislation.  Even here in Nova Scotia - if you look at the fantabulously wonderful Parrsboro municipal bylaw - they talk about anti-tether regulations in their bylaw.

There's several reasons why I think it should be in municipal  bylaws and not provincial legislation.

In Nova Scotia the Nova Scotia SPCA enforces the Animal Cruelty Prevention Act for the whole province.  They currently have about 2.5 Cruelty officers for the whole province.  That is not enough manpower to deal with all the chained dog complaints that would come in if we had actual anti-tether legislation enacted.  The complaints would never be dealt with.

Every municipality in the province has an animal control officer - so if every Municipality enacted an anti-tether bylaw - when complaints came in - there's a hope that those complaints would be dealt with - and some animals might be saved.

The Provincial government is currently not even planning on enacting any anti-tether legislation - what they are planning on is including the topic in some kind of "regulations" - which are really just policies and procedures that the NS SPCA will have to follow - not really actual laws - so we want to have any teeth for anti-tether legislation - putting them into municipal bylaws is really the only way to go.

So on to what other cities bylaws actually say in their anti-tether bylaws:

Delta, British Columbia -

No person may keep or leave a domestic animal, other than a spayed cat, unattended outside for more than an hour, unless it is provided with outside shelter to ensure protection from heat, cold and wet that is appropriate to the domestic animal’s weight and type of coat. Such shelter:
(a) must provide sufficient space to allow the domestic animal the ability to turn around freely and to easily stand, sit and lie in a normal position;
(b) must be at least 1 ½ times the length of the domestic animal and at least the domestic animal’s length in width, and at least one hundred ten percent (110 %) as high as the domestic animal’s height measured from the floor to the highest point of the domestic animal when standing in a normal position;
(c) must provide sufficient shade to protect the domestic animal from the direct rays of the sun at all times;
(d) must contain bedding that will assist with maintaining normal body temperature for the domestic animal; and
(e) must be regularly cleaned and sanitized and have all excrement removed and properly disposed of daily.
37. No person may cause, permit or allow an animal:
(a) to be hitched, tied, or fastened to a fixed object where a choke collar forms part of the securing apparatus, or where a rope or cord is tied directly around the animal’s neck;

Hillsborough County Florida's bylaw generally is excellent (one super thing they have is a rebate program if you spay or neuter your dog - if you speuter your dog you get money back from the city!  Now that would increase the amount of altered pets, don't you think?) - their anti-tether section states:

Confinement to property; tethering.
Pet owners, harborers and keepers must use sound judgment and take reasonable steps to ensure the health and wellness of their pets in order to comply with this article. This includes the following:
(1)It is unlawful and a violation of this article for any person to tether a dog, except when:
a.The dog is in visual range of the owner, harborer or keeper who must also be physically present with the dog and attending to it while it is tethered;
b.The tether is connected to the dog by a commercially available buckle-type collar or a body harness made of nylon or leather that is of sufficient size to adequately and safely restrain the dog;
c.The tether is of a size and weight that is reasonably necessary to safely restrain the dog without placing excessive strain or weight on the dog; and
d.The dog is not tethered outside in periods of extreme weather, including but not limited to, extreme heat or cold, thunderstorms, lightning, tornadoes, tropical storms or hurricanes.
(2)Exceptions. Provided that a dog is tethered in a manner and under conditions that do not jeopardize its health, safety or well being, Subsection (1) of this section, shall not apply to a dog that is:
a.In attendance at, or participating in, any legal, organized publicly attended event in which both dog and owner are permitted attendees or participants;
b.Actively engaged in conduct that is directly related to the business of shepherding or herding cattle or livestock or related to the business of cultivating agricultural products, as long as the restraint is reasonably necessary for the safety of the dog;
c.Tethered, chained, tied, or restrained by a veterinarian or groomer while attending to the dog;
d.Trained, or being trained, to act in a law enforcement capacity;
e.Being lawfully used to actively hunt a species of wildlife in this State, during the hunting season, for that species of wildlife;
f.Tethered temporarily while being kept in a bona fide humane shelter approved by the Department or at a commercial boarding facility;
g.Tethered in accordance with the regulations of a camping or recreational area;
h.Being cared for as part of a rescue operation during a natural or manmade disaster; or
i.Being transported in a vehicle.
(3)A dog that is sick or injured cannot be tethered as a means of confinement by the owner, harborer or keeper.
(4)A puppy under the age of six months old may only be tethered, if attended to at all times by the owner, harborer or keeper, during the entire time the puppy is tethered.
(5)In no case shall a dog be tethered outside if the owner, has been issued a "letter of dangerous propensity" for that dog by the Department, or if the dog has been declared dangerous in accordance with F.S. Ch. 767, or if the person responsible for the dog has knowledge of the dog's prior aggressiveness, unless the tethered dog is in a fenced enclosure that will prevent the public or domestic animals from coming into contact with the tethered dog.

Cumberland County North Carolina has an amazingly detailed 23 page dog bylaw which includes a ridiculously huge anti-tether section.  I'm not going to copy it here, because there's no way that we would want to enact what they have there - but it's interesting reading none the less.

So after having putting Delta BC's and Hillsborough Florida's anti-tether bylaws above - do I think we could have anything so intricate here in Nova Scotia?  No.  But I think we could have something like -

1. No person may keep or leave a domestic animal, other than a spayed cat, unattended outside for more than an hour, unless it is provided with outside shelter to ensure protection from heat, cold and wet that is appropriate to the domestic animal’s weight and type of coat. Such shelter:(a) must provide sufficient space to allow the domestic animal the ability to turn around freely and to easily stand, sit and lie in a normal position;(b) must be at least 1 ½ times the length of the domestic animal and at least the domestic animal’s length in width, and at least one hundred ten percent (110 %) as high as the domestic animal’s height measured from the floor to the highest point of the domestic animal when standing in a normal position;(c) must provide sufficient shade to protect the domestic animal from the direct rays of the sun at all times;(d) must contain bedding that will assist with maintaining normal body temperature for the domestic animal; and(e) must be regularly cleaned and sanitized and have all excrement removed and properly disposed of daily.2. No person may cause, permit or allow an animal:(a) to be hitched, tied, or fastened to a fixed object where a choke collar forms part of the securing apparatus, or where a rope or cord is tied directly around the animal’s neck.

That is very similar to what Parrsboro's bylaw already says - except for a couple little changes.  So it already exists in Nova Scotia - there's already a precedent.

I think it's enforceable.  It's enforced in other places, and it would be good legislation.

One last thing I wanted to talk about is something that hopefully a few people will remember - and that is the Waddell Inquest report from 2004.

In that report one of the recommendations to parents read as follows:

"Recognize that dogs require frequent contact with social partners to maintain balanced behaviour. Social isolation as a result of being tied outside or kennelled excessively will predispose dogs to a wide variety of behaviour problems, including aggression."

The Waddell Inquest was such an important report and gave us so many insights.  I have talked about it many times over the years and I hope that James Waddell's death is never forgotten - and the lessons we learned from it - continue to be taken to heart.  You can read the report in it's entirety here.


In regards to the importance of my views on what we should do with anti-tether legislation, I hope other people will agree with me.

New Private Dog Park Opening on the Lucasville Road

The owners of Paw Prints Doggy Day Care are opening a private, 6 acre fully fenced in dog park on the Lucasville Road - and they are looking for members to sign up to join.

With the absolute dirth of public off leash space that the Halifax Regional Municipality has provided to the tax pay dog owners of the city - it's an idea who's time has come and I'd imagine the private dog park will have an absolute huge amount of members - myself among them - as long as they are loose with their vaccination requirements, because I do not vaccinate my dogs.

That will be a killer if they require all those stupid unnecessary vaccinations.

Anyway - if you want to sign up or get more information - you can email Darlene Walker at pawprints_63@hotmail.com

Animal Cruelty is firmly on the election's agenda

The need for legislation to protect domestic animals couldn't have been made any clearer than yesterday's news of Gail Benoit's application to the court to continue selling puppies because it's the way that she earns her living.

She has said under oath in court that she has been selling puppies - and this was in 2009 - for more than 16 years at that time, and in that time had sold more than 30,000 puppies.

During that time she has been charged with animal cruelty several times - and in 2009 was finally convicted of it - along with assault, for the 3rd time - which was the thing that got her some jail time.

Obviously education of the public is not working in regards as to what is the best way to buy our companion animals.  Just like educating the public about the fact that it really is in your best interest to wear a seat belt - it isn't until you legislate it - will people start to do it.

People just can't seem to figure out that it's not okay to go to Kijiji and find a picture of a cute puppy - contact the person selling it - sometimes at a hugely inflated price - and then meet them in a neutral location like a parking lot - and then listen to that person give you a sob story about why that puppy looks like it is only hours away from dying - and you give them a bunch of money, take the puppy home - and it dies right in front of you - and there's nothing you can do.

• We need legislation that doesn't allow people who have been convicted of animal cruelty to buy or sell domestic animals.  Period.
• We need legislation that limits the amount of time that dogs are tethered - and I am going to write a future post about the specifics of that topic.  We do not need to re-invent the wheel on this - legislation has been passed in lots of areas that has workable and enforceable laws.
• We need legislation that doesn't allow pet stores to sell domestic animals - unless they are in association with a rescue organization such as is going on currently with so many pet stores currently here in Nova Scotia, which is absolutely awesome.
• We need legislation that if you are selling domestic animals they must documented veterinary records go with them - so that you know you are getting a healthy animal.
• We need legislation at the provincial level - ie the Animal Cruelty Act - that makes it illegal for municipalities to enact BSL. 

And from this - Breed Specific Legislation - MUST BE REMOVED from the Muncipal Government Act - right now there is a line in the Municipal Government Act that allows municipalities to enact BSL - and that is so wrong - and it needs to be removed immediately.

It currently says  under the dog bylaw section -
(e) defining fierce or dangerous dogs, including defining them by breed, cross-breed, partial breed or type;

That is BSL - and that needs to be removed.  This has long been a bug-a-boo of mine - and it's time that it was addressed.

If you want to get involved and or be informed - you can join the Facebook group "People for Dogs" - they are leading the thrust to get legislation passed that will help domestic animals.

You can also contact your MLA - and talk to all the people who are running for office in the upcoming elections - the NDP have said in  the Crown Speech this week -

"My government will work to better protect animals and 

stiffen penalties for animal abusers." 

Make the NDP do something about what they said in their crown speech - and have them do something to protect the animals that we all love so much - and also make sure that it becomes a very important election issue later this year when they are all begging for our election votes.

This year we can make a big difference for animals.  Let's make sure we do it.

Gail Benoit wants to get back to work

It was a cruel trick of fate for Gail Benoit when proceedings for a murder trial were happening on the same day in the same court as her application - where yesterday she was applying to be able to sell dogs again while she waits to go on trial for fraud.

She wasn't expecting to have every news organization in the province at the court house too see her application - and they weren't expecting to see her there either - it was just a happy coincidence - they were all there for an ongoing murder trial - but it worked out very positively for the people who like to keep track of what's going on with Ms. Benoit because this petition might have gone through unnoticed otherwise - so it all worked out fabulously.

The decision has been put over until next week - and let's hope the condition of her undertaking is not removed - although I don't see long term how we can keep her from performing what her life long chosen vocation has been - Kijiji isn't going anywhere, she's not going anywhere - and people willing to buy puppies after hearing a sob story aren't going to go anywhere.

There's already other people out there to take her place started popping up - so it's a way to make money that's not going away - whether Ms. Benoit does it or someone else, unfortunately.

Ms. Benoit just does it with a lot of flairand  cruelty.

It's the puppies who will continue to lose out until the government of Nova Scotia decides that domestic animal's deserve some true, real protection under the law.

Don't hold your breath.

Here's today's Chronicle Herald story about the subject -

Some photos on a Sunday evening

Here's a few photos I took tonight of the crew - Diego and Bubby have finally started playing, which is fabulous - it's taken about 3 weeks I think since he arrived - but it's finally started happening. And they are playing furiously tonight. I'm so glad it's finally happening. Diego will be so much happier now.

Nova Scotia SPCA suspends enforcement program and ceases animal cruelty investigations due to lack of funds

Well the NS SPCA made good on it's - I don't want to say threat - and issued a news release today saying that "The Nova Scotia SPCA was denied core funding by the Province and has imposed an interim suspension of animal cruelty investigations as a result...The suspension is effective April 1, 2013."

There has been a huge response on local social media - of outrage and anger - and interestingly enough - none of it is directed at the NS SPCA - it is all being directed at the Nova Scotia government and the Minister of Agriculture, John MacDonell.

He actually went on the news tonight and said the following -

‎"MacDonell said the SPCA has more than enough money to handle animal-cruelty investigations....“Their most recent revenue statement shows that they took in over $1 million, and they’d indicated that the investigations cost them $200,000 to $270,000,” he told reporters at his office in downtown Halifax."

I have to say that this could perhaps be the most ARROGRANT thing I have ever heard a politician say in my entire life.

Where does he think that one million dollars came from?

Did he think it came from fairies or some money tree? It came from hard working Nova Scotians who DONATED that money to the Nova Scotia SPCA - and through the hard working volunteers at the SPCA who spent tireless hours fundraising for the homeless and abandoned animals of Nova Scotia.

What unmitigated gall does Mr. Mcdonell have to just claw back that one million dollars into his own coffers and say that that money is pretty much his own by saying that the NS SPCA can use that money to do the government's work?

I do a lot of volunteering with an organization called "Second Chance Charity for Animals" - and we give money to local rescues - and one of those rescues is the NS SPCA - and I have spent a lot of my personal time volunteering to raise money - so that John Mcdonell can then say that my tax dollars can be spent in places that I have no interest in.

I can pretty much guarantee you that not one dollar of that one million dollars went to purchase a generator to be installed in the personal home of the President of the NS SPCA, or for other frivolous items that you hear about every day being bought by the Nova Scotia government.

Every dollar of that one million dollars went to actually working on helping homeless and abandoned animals in Nova Scotia.

The outrage that is poring out today that is being directed at the Nova Scotia government is being directed at the correct organization.

You can contact your MLA from a list found here

You can contact John Mcdonell directly here - and his direct phone number is 1-888-827-2212

The NS SPCA's press release from today is here

A facebook campaign to "Keep the SPCA Cruelty Unit Going" - has been started and you can join it here

CTV News story about the story

Diego on a Sunday night

Here is Diego on his first Sunday night outside California, and inside Nova Scotia - living life large...

Tpday was the 9th annual GPAC Doggie Expo!

Today I went to the 9th annual GPAC Expo at the Forum - I've gone to every one - the first one was held in 2005 at the Pawplex in Dartmouth - which doesn't exist anymore - but thank dog the Expo does!

It's gotten bigger and better every year - and so has the dog culture in the HRM, if only the beauracy at HRM's City Hall could keep up with us, eh?

There were tons of great doggy services showing us their wares - so I will highlight a few of them.

The first one I came across was Sophie's Fancy Upcycled Pet Apparel - she makes all her dog gear from used items and gives part of her proceeds to lab rescue - you can find her on Facebook





There is a local vet who does housecalls - and that's what they do!  She's Dr. Emma Slater and she has a website at http://4pawshousecalls.ca/ - it's an awesome idea and I'm glad that a local vet is finally doing it!










Amanda Layton from Tinydog Tailor was there today selling her beautiful clothes - I have a few of her things for my guys and they are awesome - you can find her on facebook too










Krazy Kritter Kookies are awesome - my guys love them - and I bet your dogs will too














This was neat - you've seen them for your babies - and these guys do this too - but they'll also do this for your dogs - imprinting your dogs foot prints and then putting them with their photos for a beautiful display - nice!  Their website is at http://weepiggies.com/







This was another idea that was super neat - Sand Dollar Silver - You can get your dogs paw print embedded in a piece of silver jewelry!  Now that is just too neat!  Their website is at http://sanddollarsilver.com/













I was happy to see all the rescues that were present today - one of them was Elderdog - which concerns themselves with older dogs and older people - which is such a fabulous thing








Another one I was really happy to see was Homeward Bound Pound - going out and meeting the public is absolutely imperative to keep a no kill mandate - so going to events like today is 100% needed - and so impressive to see for a municipal pound - and especially so when they maintain themselves as a no kill facility, which is awesome.








Also there was the NS SPCA - this little guy is one of the graduates of their newly minted Woof program -

Other rescues represented today at the Expo were -

The Smiling Dog

Ador-A-Bull

Animal Rescue Coalitions

Beagle Paws Rescue

Cool Dog Rescue

French Bulldog Rescue Network

Lab Rescue Nova Scotia

NS Golden Retriever Rescue


Lastly - here's a couple dog's enjoying the fun - a rottie getting some lovin'

and a 10 week old chocolate lab soaking everything in

Another take on the 100 dogs coming from California - it's all good news!

There has been a lot of negative press about the 100 rescue animals that started arriving yesterday from California through a campaign with Animal Rescue Corps and several local rescue groups.

People are wondering why they would import animals when there are so many local animals that are in need and shelters seem to be overflowing - these animals coming from away are taking away from much needed resources needed to save local animals.

On the surface these are all really valid points, but when you look at the story from some other angles you might start seeing some other viewpoints.

Bringing in animals from away is not something new to Nova Scotia - several rescues do it regularly, and a couple local rescues exist for no other reason.  Cool Dog Rescue exists to bring dogs in from shelters in Quebec, Paws Across the Border exists to bring dogs up from the States, Ador-a-Bull rescue exists to bring pit bulls down from Ontario, East Coast German Shepherd Rescue regularly brings dogs up from the States, Litters n Critters brings dogs in from Labrador on a regular basis - and individuals regularly bring dogs home when they go on vacation to warm climates - a local woman is right now bringing 2 heart worm positive dogs home from the Bahamas that she found there.

So bringing dogs here from away is not something new and novel - this current shipment is simply getting the most press.

And I think that's a good thing - whenever rescue work of any type gets media attention - that's a good thing.

Everyone of the rescues that's involved with this operation has other local dogs also waiting to be adopted - so hopefully this added exposure will help to get them adopted more quickly.

As well - the local rescues involved with this venture - Atlantic Small Dog Rescue, East Coast German Shepherd Rescue, and the Maritime Pit Project - are some of the hardest working rescues in Nova Scotia today - they take in the most dogs, the most challenging behavioural issues - they will not be accused of doing any rescue work for the glory of the job.

I personally support the bringing in of the rescue dogs from California because there is a shortage of small dogs to adopt currently in Nova Scotia - and people today are looking in the wrong places when they go looking for a small dog - they are first going to look for them on Kijiji - and what they are finding there are people like Gail Benoit and back yard breeders.

And those are people who should not be supported.

The first place people should go look is to rescue - and if we can't supply them with what they want, then we're not much help.  If they want a small dog - they aren't going to adopt a large dog just because that's all we have - they are going to move on and go on to other places - like Kijiji - and we all know the type of things they're going to find there - and it's not pretty.

So if we have to import small dogs in order to shut down the ugly things that sell on Kijiji - I don't have a problem with that - the small dogs that are dying or staying for months in no-kill shelters in other areas are in just as much need - so why not bring them here.

I also wanted to talk about the few large dogs that came in the shipment - they came because there was a raid on a hoarders house in California - which was the impetus for this whole campaign - there were 15 dogs in that house - and most of them were large - and those are the large dogs that came here - and they all have homes and foster homes to go to - the small dogs that came were just tagged on to sweeten the deal (is my understanding) - since they were coming anyway - they thought they could help to empty the shelter out a bit - which is what they did.

There is something that I don't agree with - and almost everybody disagrees with - and that is the impending arrival of the 50 cats.  Everybody knows that we have a cat problem - but those cats are going to PEI - maybe it's different in PEI, I don't know - but I'm glad they are going there and not here, that's for sure.

I should also say for clarity's sake that I brought one of the dog's home yesterday for myself - his name is Diego - and you'll be seeing a lot of him here from now on.  He is coming with his own set of peculiarities - but so does everyone.

His intake card said that he had been at the Palm Spring's shelter since October 22, 2012 - can you imagine a 10 pound dog being at any shelter in Nova Scotia for almost 5 months?  It would be unheard of - but that's the state of the shelter system in California - and that's why these dogs came here - because these dogs will be adopted much faster here.

And I also have to say - that we here in Nova Scotia have enough love for every animal - whether they come from away, or whether they are born here.  Any rescue animal has a home here as far as I'm concerned and we can love them all equally.

We did such a fabulous thing when pet stores in Nova Scotia stopped selling puppies - and now we really need to step up our game and show the province that the number one place to acquire your animal is through rescue - and we have whatever type of animal you want - small, medium, large, puppy, adult - whatever - we have it - rescue is the way to go - and we will go to the ends of the earth to get it for you.

And that's what we did this week - it's all good news!!!!!

Couch Wrestling!

Sassy and Buttercup start off saying - "There's nothing to see here" - you can just go about your business - but Bubby won't have any of that and Buttercup gives in and the fun quickly ensues

See the full gallery on Posterous

How to stop a window barker - the easy way

I got a fabulous new leather couch, and the only place it looked good was in front of my big picture windows - which is a spot I've always avoided putting furniture that Bubby could climb up on - because when he can get up there he will stay up there and bark 24 hours a day at whatever is going by, and for anyone who has a dog - you know that is the most annoying thing in the world!

But looks trumped Bubby's barking and I moved the couch over there - and I had to think of some way that I could keep Bubby from doing what he loves to do - so what was I going to do that would keep both of us from going completely insane?

I couldn't knock him down everytime he started barking, I couldn't put a shock collar on him, I couldn't keep him from climbing up on the couch, I couldn't ignore his barking, the blinds I have are in no way a visual barrier for him - so what I decided to do was something that has worked to stop his barking 100% - so I thought I'd write about it here - because it is also completely non-violent and non-punitive.

I put up visual barrier mac-tac on the windows - so he cannot see what's happening outside the windows, but the light still comes in - but he can't see what's going on outside - and it has completely kept him from barking - even though the couch is right next to the windows.

It's awesome. I haven't had to do anything to stop him from barking - if only Cesar had thought of that in the episodes where he had window barkers - it's a lot less punitive than putting skat mats on the couch, that's for sure. And he can still enjoy the couch all he wants.

I can still see outside because I'm tall enough to see over the mac-tac - and my view outside isn't all that spectacular - directly across the street from me is only a business, so it's not very pretty anyway - so I'm not missing much.

So if you've got a horrible window barker - put up some mac-tac, and I'd bet you'll solve your problem pretty quickly, and very non-violently - they don't bark at what they can't see.

Problem solved.

Happy dogs, happy lives.

NS SPCA says it may give up enforcing Animal Cruelty Act

The NS SPCA's Executive Director, Kristin Williams said in an interview with CBC Radio this week that if funding isn't found this year - that her organization is going to run out of money, and they will not longer be able to investigate animal abuse in Nova Scotia.

The organization has only been given $3,000 a year by the Nova Scotia government to enforce the Animal Cruelty Act - and last year the NS SPCA received 18,000 calls that they were asked to investigate - so you can understand how $3,000 did not cover those expenses.

Historically the SPCA has used money that they've brought in through fundraising and donations - as well as from investments - but they've spent all the money that they had in investments - and the fundraising and donations are just not enough to cover their costs - and this year - 2013 - the money is totally going to run out.

They have crunched their numbers - done fantastic statistical work, and know that for the work they do - they are an amazingly efficient organization - but still the department of Agriculture, for some reason will not give them the money they require.

We seem to be the only province in Canada that is refused to be supported by government money to support abused animals through enforcement of our animal cruelty laws - every other province gives money to their SPCA's to fund their organizations so that they can go out and enforce animal protection laws - but for some reason here in Nova Scotia - all our legislators seem to care about is making wine making kits legal.

So push has come to shove - and the NS SPCA has said that by the end of 2013 - they won't be able to enforce our laws anymore - they will move to being a simply educational and advocacy organization (as I understand it).

So then who will be enforcing our animal cruelty laws?

The police and the department of Agriculture - 2 departments with a less than stellar history - police - who love to shoot dogs that they think are moving in any kind of direction towards them (shoot now, think later) - and the department of Agriculture - who's budget for enforcing JUST farm animals right now is like 10,000 times greater than the SPCA's is - so imagine how much it would cost them to enforce the domestic animal part too - so why don't we just give the SPCA the money they're asking for - and save the tax paying Nova Scotia animal lovers a ton money right now?

I don't imagine that's going to happen, but wouldn't it be nice if the Nova Scotia government did the right thing?

I think we should all write our MLA and tell them we would like to have our tax dollars spent appropriately - give the NS SPCA the money they need to do the jobs that need to be done - to enforce the Animal Cruelty Act - and not have the police or the Department of Agriculture do it - which would end up costing the province - a whole lot more money in the end.

You can find your MLA - here

Did Gail Benoit pose as a dog sitter to steal someone's dogs?

One of the most inventive (allegedly) dog flippers in all of Canada has her name in the news for the second time this month - Gail Benoit has been accused of using a false name and posing as a dog sitter to only sell the dogs she took in to look after - and now the victims have multiplied - not only the original dog owner was victimized, but so have the people the dogs were sold to.

If this story is true - I have said it before, I really wish this lady would use her very obvious unimaginable sales skills for good rather then evil. Can you imagine the things she could do if she worked for some non profit group instead of peddling the death and sadness that she's been doing for the last 20 years.

Read the below stories and video links for more info on the current story - there is hopefully going to be some more disclosure - and perhaps charges later today.

Woman thinks pets were dognapped

Police probe report of theft

A woman in Saint John, N.B., says she worries about her beloved boxers, Diamond and Bentley.

Cassie Craft believes the two were dognapped by Gail Benoit, a Nova Scotia woman who has a previous conviction for selling sick and dying puppies.

Meanwhile, Bridgewater police say they were contacted by someone who may have bought the dogs locally and is now wondering if they were stolen.

“We are actively working with some people that have approached the Bridgewater Police Service wanting to find out if the dogs in their possession were stolen and what’s going on here,” Const. William Creamer said Tuesday.

Craft said she needed a place to board her dogs temporarily while she studied accounting and worked full time. She found a place last November through an online site.

Craft said she was later convinced, based on photos she has seen, that the person to whom she entrusted her precious dogs — dogs she hasn’t seen since — was Gail Benoit.

“I guess it was Gail Benoit, but she told me her name was Ashley,” Craft said.

“She didn’t actually tell me her last name. She emailed me and I’m not really positive what her last name came up (as).

“I think she said Bent.”

The arrangement was that the dogs would be cared for over a period of a month or so.

Craft and her father drove the dogs from Saint John to a home in Waverley.

“That’s where she was supposed to babysit (the dogs), at her place,” Craft said.

“I kept checking on them and saying, ‘Oh, I miss them so much, how are they doing?’ and she said, ‘Oh, they’re doing great. My husband loves them.’”

At first, the dog sitter replied by email. Then the messages stopped.

“She disconnected her phone,” Craft said.

Her father went to the home a couple of times but was unable to find anyone there, she said.

Craft said someone then warned her the woman could have been Benoit and showed her a photo of Benoit online.

“I know that it was her,” Craft said.

Benoit rents a home on Beechcrest Drive in Waverley and has lived there almost a year, her landlord, Chang Lin, said Tuesday.

“They always have a couple of little dogs,” he said.

Lin said he was unaware of any allegations involving Benoit.

“As long as they pay rent there’s not much I can say about them,” the landlord said.

Although some phone numbers Benoit once used have been disconnected, a gravelly voiced woman is heard on one number saying “Ms. Benoit” when the caller is prompted to leave a message.

Benoit didn’t return calls on Tuesday.

“I know what happened to them,” Craft said of her beloved boxers. “She sold them.”

Craft has heard that her dogs are in Bridgewater and are OK. She wants them back.

Scott Saunders, an animal advocate in the Annapolis Valley, has worked with Kijiji website administrators for more than a year to filter out questionable dog-for-sale ads he believes are posted by Benoit.

He alleges she is now enlisting others to post ads on her behalf by pretending she needs help using a computer.

“We will continue to exhaust ourselves, battling this woman,” Saunders said. “We will not go away. We will not give up.

“But ultimately it is up to the authorities to realize that this is a chronic issue that needs to be addressed.”

Benoit, 42, and her partner Dana Bailey, 50, were convicted in 2009 of animal cruelty for selling sick puppies.

Benoit was also convicted of assaulting an SPCA officer, her third conviction since 1994 for assaulting a peace officer.

The trial was tied to the seizure of 10 pups from their Roxville, Digby County, home in October 2007.

They were fined $1,500 each and Benoit was jailed for 21 days for resisting arrest. She was handed a suspended sentence for the assault.

At sentencing, the Crown alleged the couple had sold up to 30,000 dogs in 13 years.

The CTV news clip from January 29th can be found here - http://atlantic.ctvnews.ca/video?clipId=854147&binId=1.820651&playlistPageNum=1

The CTV news piece from January 28th can be found here - http://atlantic.ctvnews.ca/woman-claims-dog-sitter-sold-pets-without-permission-1.1133180

It says -


A New Brunswick woman claims she has been cheated out of her dogs, possibly by a woman convicted of animal cruelty.

Cassie Craft says she boarded her two Boxers, Diamond and Bentley, when she returned to school in November after realizing she couldn’t care for the dogs while working and attending school.

She began looking for help and after exhausting her search in the Saint John area, a Nova Scotia woman answered her online ad.

Photos
Cassie Craft believes her beloved pet Boxers have been stolen and sold and she wants them back.
Craft reluctantly moved the dogs to the Halifax area on a temporary basis and kept in regular contact with their keeper for awhile.

“She emailed me and she said they’re doing great. She talked to me on the phone and said they’re doing great, and then all of a sudden I stopped getting emails.”

Another ad appeared online around the same time the emails stopped, offering to sell two dogs similar to Craft’s.

Craft grew concerned when she saw the ad, and went online saying her dogs might have been stolen and sold by the same woman with whom she entrusted their care.

“Her name was Ashley, as I knew her, and then after I put that ad out, people started emailing me her name was Gail.”

What Craft learned next shocked her.

“I searched her on YouTube and Google and that’s where I seen everything and I recognized her.”

Craft says the woman is Gail Benoit, who has been convicted of animal cruelty in the past.

CTV News phoned the number included in the ad, but it has since been disconnected. Other attempts to contact Gail Benoit were unsuccessful.

Police in Bridgewater say they have only just begun looking into the case, conducting only a portion of the interviews they need.

They aren’t releasing any information just yet, but indicated they may release information about the case later this week.

Meanwhile, Craft says she has spoken to those who bought the dogs she claims are hers.

“They basically told me…that they don’t want to deal with people saying that their dogs are stolen and they bought them and they said they bought them from some girl in a black SUV.”

Craft says she is worried about her dogs and has learned a hard lesson. She hopes her dogs will be returned to her, and if they are, she says she won’t let them out of her sight again.

She says she will also have trouble trusting others in the future.

Sunday morning - a good time for some cuddling

Stuff to do coming up

There's some fun stuff to do coming up - so I thought I'd list some of them here -

The first thing coming up is a cat event - but it's dog friendly, and I'm helping to organize it, so it qualifies to be listed here!

It's the next Meow Mover - a super adoption event and fund raiser for several different cat rescues that's being held at the Chocolate Lake Best Western Hotel on February 9th from 10am to 2pm on 20 Saint Margaret's Bay Road in Halifax - admission is $1.00 - and it's being held by Second Chance Charity for Animals.

The cutest kittens in the HRM will be there waiting to be adopted - and there will be free tea and coffee to warm you up - and lots of cat themed items to buy - and you'll be raising funds for much needed local cat rescues - you can't lose by attending this function.

And the funniest thing is - it's the same weekend as the Halifax Kennel Club's dog show being held the same weekend out at Exhibition Park - which you cannot take your dog to - but you can most certainly bring your dog to our cat event! Go figure!

And many thanks to the Chocolate Lake Hotel and Cocoa the dog for helping us put on this event!!

East Coast German Shepherd Rescue is putting on their 3rd Annual Dancing for Dogs Valentines Day Dance at the Cole Harbour Fire Hall, 1150 Cole Harbour Rd., Dartmouth, N.S. - also on Saturday February 9th - from 8pm to 1am - their ad says - "Join us for dancing, door prizes, 50/50 draw and more. Only $10 per person. We will also be selling tickets on a chance to win a romantic getaway to the Clockmakers Inn, Windsor, NS. All money raised at this event will help us pay down our vet bill" - sounds like fun to me!

You can find out more about the event on their facebook event page.

The premiere event of the winter is GPAC's Doggie Expo - being held this year on February 17th - it is an action packed day starting at 10am and ending at 3pm - held at the Halifax Forum - last year they had over 70 vendors - so hopefully this year will be just as busy - you can find out more at their facebook event page.

Tonight's configuration if the besties

Am I a lamb or am I a dog, no - I am Sidney!

Little white dogs going in all directions

4 little white dogs waiting for a nap

Local Journalism student does a story on my dogs

I was contacted last week by a University of King's college student who had found my blog who was doing a project on someone who was "obsessed" with something - and he figured I fit the bill - so he came over on Saturday and took a tour of my house and met the dogs and asked me a few questions - he was very nice, his name was Martin - and he sent me his story today and said I could put the article here - I thought it was very nice and well done - the dogs really liked him - even Bubby! So he must have been a really nice guy!

The first time I ever did a story with a King's student was way back in 2003, and since then I've done quite a few stories - I never turn them down because I graduated from there myself way back in 1987 - so I always say yes to whatever journalism type projects they want to do.

Here's the story he sent me.

Joan Sinden devotes her life to her five dogs, both online and off

Stepping into Joan Sinden’s quaint home in Spryfield was immediately a catalyst for
memories concerning my childhood wish list. A batch of yelping dogs and greeted me
that seemed all too eager to say hello, pushing against a small wooden gate that Sinden used whenever guests arrived. Suddenly, all my desires had been granted as I now had five dogs, four Bichon Frisé and one Jack Russel mix, jumping all over me. Euphoria is an understatement: I was a child.

Sinden’s affection for the four legged creatures far surpasses mine however. The family of dogs not only has a blog catering to their everyday actions but up to date social media reports such as Twitter, instagram, and Facebook to name a few. All of these have become very popular in the dog community gathering over a million hits. When asked about what differentiates dogs from all other domestic animals, Sinden replied that it was really a lifestyle choice.

“The quality of love is much greater. They’re good for cuddling. You can talk to them as well. Buttercup here pretty much speaks English at this point,” she said pointing over at the oldest bichon of the family, just gracing 18 years of age.

Sinden’s blog is littered with pretty much anything someone would want to know about
their dog and the Nova Scotia community. Outside of the general tips and tricks to keep your dog happy, a “Yelp”-esque service provides eager dog walkers with locations to visit.

“Point Pleasant Park is the number one location I would say for ‘off leash’. On leash
socialization is important too though. I like downtown or by the waterfront for this,” she said further explaining that different trails or streets catered to each of her dogs since some of them were very friendly, while others, who had endured unpleasant situations before being rescued, were not so much.

Sinden’s blog is also important for individuals thinking of purchasing their own canine companion. A central aspect of the blog is Sinden’s own battle against animal cruelty such as is present within Nova Scotia puppy mills and an infamous backyard puppy seller named Gale Benoit. Benoit is the subject of much controversy concerning the conditions in which she keeps her puppies before selling them.

“Before I built the Gale Benoit website, nothing would come up when you googled her. Now people know to stray away. She doesn’t scare me,” Sinden stated boldly.

As well, Sinden even performs Shikavati Budhist rituals for dogs that allow them to pass happily into the next life and undergo rebirth 49 days later.

“The regular ceremony that’s done for humans is read. We have pictures of the dogs that we burn up to allow safe passage,” she said.

Finally, I came upon the various urns containing her old pet’s ashes. Sinden made it clear to me that when she passed away, she would like to have her ashes mixed with those of her prior animals.

I entered Sinden’s home as a curious child and left it as one desperately wanting a canine companion after seeing the love present between owner and pet.

I'm still here, I'm asleep - but I'm still here

Sleeping Sidney

Gail Benoit gets caught conning woman out of litter of puppies

Gail Benoit has surfaced again - this time on local social media - Facebook.

And it is turning out that this is something she has done before. A lady was advertising her puppies on kijiji - and Gail contacted her that she wanted all the puppies - free to good home of course.

Gail wanted one for herself, one for family, and ones for a couple co-workers.

She even got the puppies delivered to her for free from Cape Breton because someone had posted that they were driving from Cape Breton and if anyone had anything they wanted delivered, they`d do it for free - so she emailed them that her puppies needed a drive up.

The guy who delivered the puppies to her said she looked familiar, so when he got home he did a google search on her name - and when he saw her picture, he immediately knew who she was - and that`s how we`ve come to know what she`s done this time.

And now that this has come to light - other people are coming forward with similar stories.

So once again - it`s another opportunity to get the word out there that - PLEASE - if you are looking for a canine companion - it doesn`t matter where you look for them - whether it`s from a rescue, from a breeder, from Kijiji - wherever - make sure you do not just pick them up at a neutral location - you MUST go see where they were living, you must make sure that there is some application process - you must also interview the person you are acquiring the animal from.

If you are giving the person money - you must get some value for the money. Do your research - at the very least - do a google search on the name of the person you are getting the animal from - if anything negative comes up - RUN FAST.

We now have a more than ten year history of news files about Gail Benoit and her partner Dana Bailey at http://gailbenoit.ca/

The reason I built that website was because when you did a google search on her name - nothing came up - nothing good, nothing bad - and that was wrong - if people wanted to find out anything about the puppy they had dying in front of them - they wouldn't be able to find out anything - and now they can.

There's also a lot of other people advocating to try to end dog brokers in Nova Scotia which is also fabulous - and they've got some great educational materials as well -

Here's a video with some voice mails from the lady herself -



Today the Facebook group "People for Dogs" issued a public warning about Gail Benoit that as of the evening of January 3rd had almost 3,600 shares, and 140 comments which is fabulous - the word is getting out there - they said "PUBLIC WARNING - Please be advised that convicted animal abusers and puppy traffickers Gail Benoit & Dana Bailey have recently conned a litter of puppies out of lady in Cape Breton. Not only did they use aliases to convince the lady to turn over the 5 pups, but also targeted and conned a good Samaritan into transporting them to the Fall River exit ramp for them. Although these actions by Gail Benoit & Dana Bailey are nothing new, it’s something that everybody should be aware of, and exercise extreme caution when being asked to hand over litters of puppies and/or provide transportation for puppies to Waverly / Fall River / HRM roadsides / parking lots."

Gail Benoit has said over and over that she will never stop selling puppies - and everytime she gives advocates in the dog community to provide educational opportunities about the way that she sells dogs - we will never stop trying to show people that there are safer and more humane ways to acquire puppies and dogs.

As a last note - you may ask why we think it's bad to get dogs from people like Gail Benoit - I had a comment left on one of my posts about Gail today that said "People don't want older dogs. Plain fact. This will continue forever"

The thing is - people like Gail Benoit don't care about the quality of product they are selling - they only care about getting the money out of your pocket.

And they've been very good at it - when they were on trial for animal abuse in 2008 they said under oath that they had sold more than 30,000 puppies in the past 16 years they'd been in business - that's a lot of puppies, and of course some of them would've had to be healthy.

But I continue on because I want to see Nova Scotia become a place where people know that you can get puppies at shelters, that if you want to get a puppy on kijiji - that you shouldn't meet the person in a parking lot - you should go to the person's home to meet the puppy's mom and dad - it's just common sense.

It's as simple as that - we do not need a middle man.

We have almost completely gotten rid of pet stores in Nova Scotia.

Now it's time to get rid of dog brokers. The time has come.

The law definitely is not going to do it. Public education and pressure is.

Some more Sassy and Buster lovin'

New Years Eve nap

Buster snuggled up to Sassy on the couch and Sidney checking them out to see what's going on

Buster and Bubby love in