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

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