Unenlightened BSL in New Brunswick

In case you didn't realize, or had forgotten - this is what a rottweiller looks like!


In 2004/2005 we all worked hard and fought long and the government of New Brunswick made the right choice and saw the truth of the fact that breed specific legislation was stupid and wrong. I myself wrote a submission to the public hearings that went on up there and talked about Daisy. And unlike Ontario last year - New Brunswick based their decision on the fact presented to them and wrote their legislation about dangerous dogs instead of targeting certain breeds. All responsible dog owners rejoiced because New Brunswick appeared to be such an enlightened province!

And then this week we hear about the case in Florenceville (which calls itself the french fry capital of the world) - the home of the huge corporation - McCain foods - about the case of Shire - a certified therapy dog - who also happens to be a rottweiller - just like my Daisy - who is under an eviction/death order, simply because of what he looks like.

And the most ridiculous part is that this family did absolutely everything correctly before they moved to this little town of 800 inhabitants and invested their hard earned money in the village's real estate. They called the town, bought dog tags, talked to the realtor, double checked everything - and were told over and over that there was no problem with any type of dogs - there was no BSL in Florenceville. And then within 2 days of moving into their house they were visited by Animal Control and told the dog had to go.

How can this happen in a province that has show itself to be so forward in regards to this topic? What is wrong with this little town?

If you live in New Brunswick I'd suggest you contact your MLA because as I'm sure you're aware the provincial legislature is teetering on the brink of an election, and this would be a fabulous time to make some noise. Bill 55 - which is the Restricted dogs Act in New Brunswick is a must read. Kelly Lamrock is the originator of that Act and would be a super person to contact I am sure - he's a Liberal MLA for Fredericton and his email address is kelly.lamrock@gnb.ca

Here's some further info I got today from the DLCC: The Dog Legislation Council of Canada (DLCC) is heavily involved with this case. Shire is a 5 year old Rottweiler that has been trained to work with her mom Jane deWeerd in her work as a board certified child psychologist. In their years together, Shire has never done ANYTHING untoward to man or animal. She is a true ambassador for the breed. Her owners are truly responsible dog owners.

In April of this year, the family moved from Ontario to the sleepy town of Florenceville, New Brunswick, Canada. BEFORE they moved there, they had their real estate lawyer check the by laws regarding breed specific legislation (BSL). The estate agent was told by the town clerk, NO there were none.

When viewing homes, John deWeerd dropped into town hall and again asked about BSL. He was told all dogs were welcome and was issued a license for his ROTWEILLER (note the spelling). Three days into their new home ACO came knocking demanding the dog be removed from town or otherwise she would be euthanized.

This family is moving however their deep and abiding love of Shire and her breed has made not making a stand impossible. They are going to fight this and fight this in court. The DLCC team will be there hand in hand working behind the scenes to ensure this family will no longer be alone in their fight to save their dog.

Please sign the below petition.

For any of you who may have not heard of our current dilemma with Shire and the village of Florenceville, there are some details in the link. There are also copies of Jane's CBC Radio and Woodstock Bugle-Observer articles at www.florencevillesucks.com

All support for this petition is appreciated. Please forward this to anyone you know. To sign the petition, go to http://www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/891894426