Announcing a new rescue for Nova Scotia - no chains ALL LOVE

In association with People for Dogs - a new dog rescue has been started - one that focuses on the rescue of chained dogs in Nova Scotia.

There has never been a chained dog focused rescue before in Nova Scotia and I think the time has come to start one. A lot of times formerly chained dogs have special needs that regular rescues and shelters might not have the resources to dedicate, and no chains ALL LOVE will provide the specialized services that formerly chained dogs might need.

One of the big differences between a chained dog and a normal rescue dog is speed - a chained dog has spent their whole life within probably a 6 foot space of the world - so when they are rescued - everything has to be done very slowly, the slower the better - whereas with a normal rescue dog - a lot of the time the reason they went into rescue had absolutely nothing to do with them - they're ready to jump right into a normal life. With a chained dog - that is not the case.

The only thing they're ready to accept - at 150% is love. And all they can get.

So that's why we've set up a chained dog specific rescue - because People for Dogs think that the advocacy work that they're doing is going to be unearthing some chained dogs that are going to be needing rescue - and we want to have the resources ready to accept them.

We have a website built at http://nochainsalllove.ca/ - we have a facebook page you can check out - and we also have a twitter account.

We also have our first rescue!

His name is Ben and he's an english mastiff mix - he has come in at 120 pounds and should be probably about 170 pounds or so - so he's quite underweight.

He is a very gentle soul, and is about 5 years old - he has never lived inside but is enjoying all of the creature comforts that he is shown - just today he learned to lay on his back for belly rubs and stayed in that position for probably about 6 hours!

He won't be available for adoption for about another 2 weeks until after he's neutered - he needs to gain a bit more weight first and resolve some infections first that he has on his feet.

We hope that our little rescue will be embraced by people who care about chained dogs.

There are a lot of chained dogs out there that we can't help unfortunately - those owners who refuse to give them up - but for those owners out there who will relinquish them and do the right thing - we will be there to take them.

Is NS Agriculture Minister Lying to us? Or to himself?

In the last couple of days current Nova Scotia Agriculture Minister John MacDonnell has responded to animal activists letters with a standard response letter/email regarding proposed anti-tether legislation where he says -

Thank you for your email sent to Honourable Darrell Dexter on June 12, 2013, regarding the tethering of dogs. As Minister of Agriculture, Premier Dexter has asked that I respond to you on his behalf.

The Animal Protection Act (the Act) currently states that no person shall cause an animal to be in distress and no owner, or person in charge of an animal, shall permit an animal to be in distress. If an animal is tethered in such a way as to cause it distress, action can be taken to alleviate the distress and/or hold those responsible accountable.

Distress encompasses all of the concerns you have raised in your letter, including failing to provide a dog with adequate shelter or protection from injurious heat or cold, failing to provide veterinary care or medical treatment, abusing the dog, allowing it to suffer injury, sickness and undue hardship. Our current animal protection act applies to these exact situations, whether the dog is tethered or not. In order for the appropriate authorities to become involved, these sorts of problems must be reported. In the case of distress to dogs, the appropriate authority is the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA).

Yours truly,

John MacDonell
Minister of Agriculture

So in his letter the honourable John MacDonnell is saying that current legislation we already have gives the SPCA the power to deal with the tethering of dogs and the suffering that they go through on a daily basis - and that we don't need additional laws to help chained dogs.

If that's the case, why are so many dogs in our province (seemingly) still suffering silently in backyards tied to doghouses - even after having been visited - sometimes on numerous occasions by SPCA constables?

And why is it that the NS SPCA says that there number two most often call is for tethered dogs in distress? Why are they leaving so many dogs behind?

On the Facebook group that I copied the above communication from - "People for Dogs" - "a small group of advocates who are concerned about the lack of legislation and enforcement to help permanently tied/tethered/penned dogs in Nova Scotia" - a group that's actually not so small anymore because the group numbers almost 4,000 now - there are 63 comments on the thread that this email from - and one of the comments is from a former president of the Nova Scotia SPCA and he says of Mr MacDonnell's letter -

" The animal has to be in Medical distress in order for the SPCA to charge the person. If an animal does not have water and the SPCA shows up and the animal is not in distress then they cannot lay the charge and or seize the animal, or if they do the charge will not stick. He is either mislead or misrepresenting the truth."

As well - what constitutes distress? Nearly dead? Or just without water?

That would probably be where regulations would come into play - but the fact is - that the honourable John MacDonell has not passed/proclaimed the changes to the Animal Cruelty Act that were promised months ago.

Why is he holding back? Can anybody tell us? With an election coming up - I think these are good questions to ask any candidates who come up and ask us for their vote.

I think it's a little late for the Minister of Agriculture to be continuing to pawn this problem off onto the NS SPCA - he needs to stop misleading himself and the public - and proclaim the Animal Protection Act so that work on the regulations can begin - so that teeth can put into things like the definition of distress - so that when SPCA Constables go to a dog chained up who's suffering - they can seize him.

Or he can agree to anti-tethering legislation. Which is what the people of Nova Scotia really want. He could go the easy way. Or he can go. Which is what is probably going to happen.

Because at the end of every leash is a voter. If he doesn't know that now, he will know it.

Private Dog Park Still Moving Ahead on Lucasville Road

I first wrote about this private dog park in late April - at that time there hadn't been full disclosure about the terms of membership of the dog park - in that the park is practicing bsl - any dog that has the appearance in any way of a dog who might resemble a pit bull type dog is not allowed to have a membership in this park.

A greyhound who passes their assessment, but who in fact has a high prey drive when it comes to small white dogs - is totally welcome at that park - but any dog who has short hair, a wide forehead, and a goofy grin - is barred.

It's my belief that all dogs are individuals and should be treated as such - just because you look a certain way - it should have no bearing whatsoever on what your temperament is, how you act, or how you should be treated.

I took this picture today of 3 of my dogs - one of them is human aggressive, one of them is dog aggressive, and one of them loves everyone - can you tell which is which?

I bet you twenty dollars that you can't tell which is which - all 3 of them look adorable. They are proof you cannot judge a dog by how they look - and you cannot judge a dog by their breed. Period. And within those breeds - every dog is an individual - just like humans are individuals.

That's why this dog park is a big deal because it is being discriminatory to certain breeds - it is disrespectful to all breeds by judging certain breeds.

Hate starts somewhere - and it's starting here.

I know that my little hissy fit isn't going to change anything - I just feel the need to make it. A line has been crossed and I don't want it to go any further.

I made a point on someone's timeline that I wondered if I'd be making such a big deal if someone opened up a dog park for small breeds only - and I think I would be okay with that - as long as they let all breeds of small dogs in there - because you will find some bully breeds that are quite small - like staffordshire bull terriers.

So you can apply to get into this dog park - but know what you are signing up for - it's a big picture - and it includes the extermination of a lot of goofy grins.

Animal Farm Foundation has written a fabulous post on just this topic - it's a must read - it's called "Unique and Uniform: The #1 Myth that Fuels Canine Discrimination" - I hope you go read it.

Gail Benoit was a no show for her court appearance today

I have been negligent in keeping up with posts about what's going on with Gail Benoit - the last post I wrote about her was March 28th, 2013 - and it's amazing the number of news stories have come out about her since then - you'll see them at the bottom of this post - and you'll see she's been very busy.

The post I wrote in March was about how she wanted to have the terms of her release changed so that she could start selling puppies again - but I guess she must have been unsuccessful in that venture.

Just about every news organization has been reporting on her - CBC, CTV - even Frank Magazine did a sting operation and tried to buy a kitten from her and got clandestine photos of the operation - and even did a cartoon of her story.

In the courts she's currently on trial for fraud for selling 2 boxers that she had said she would babysit - but instead sold. Under terms of her release she hasn't been allowed to sell dogs - so it's alleged she's been selling kittens instead - so she has been staying in the animal sale industry, much to everyone's chagrin - and horror.

Today she was supposed to be in court to have the terms of her release changed - but she called in sick - so the court date was put over to July 9th - it's ironic that she is allowed to have due process but the puppies and kittens that she's sold over the years have had none of that - and the customers that she's sold her defective (allegedly) product to - have had absolutely no recourse to any kind of relief.

Here are the news stories that have come out since I last posted about her -

Beijing China bans large dogs, Ohio "humane" officer shoots a bunch of kittens

The world really is going to hell in a hand basket.

Beijing China has officially banned large dogs as of June 13, 2013 - and they are actively rounding them up so that they can kill them off.  I haven't seen anything written as to why they are doing it.

In the last couple of years China has been rounding up and killing dogs because of rabies fears - but I haven't seen that excuse used in this latest kill-off.

This time they are even giving people rewards for turning their neighbours in if they have a large dog.  China really does seem like a really fucked up place.  I'm posting an article at the bottom that explains more.

And also this week - in Ohio - a "humane" officer shot a litter of feral kittens - saying that was the best thing for them - and telling the family who's backyard they were living in that "they were going to heaven".

He's been cleared of any wrongdoing by his manager.  He was only feet away from the home where several children and their mother were watching what he was doing when he discharged his firearm to kill all the kittens at point-blank range.

We really can't say too much, really because here in Nova Scotia up until at least a couple years ago that same manner of "euthanasia" was still allowed by at least a couple of animal control departments - death by shooting - if the animal control officer thought he had a clear shot.  It may still be allowed as far as I know.  So we here in shangri-la really aren't that much more evolved than that fellow in Ohio.

It really makes you feel sour, doesn't it?

Here's the article about the story in Ohio -

Cop cleared of wrongdoing after shooting kittens in front of screaming kids

An Ohio policeman shot to death a litter of kittens on Wednesday, telling a group of screaming children that the animals would be going to “kitty heaven”. But instead of firing the officer, the local police department cleared him of any wrongdoing.

Humane Officer Barry Accorti was responding to a report of a litter of feral cats that were located in the woodpile of a home in North Ridgeville on June 10. The resident who made the call said the cats were bringing fleas to the home and leaving dead wildlife in her backyard. Twenty minutes after the call was made, the officer arrived at the scene. After spotting the five kittens, he told the resident’s distressed children that the cats would be going to heaven. Shortly thereafter, he took a gun from his vehicle and shot the animals to death.

“He informed [the resident] that shelters were full and that these cats would be going to kitty heaven,” Ohio SPCA Director Teresa Landon told the Cleveland Sun News. “She assumed he would be trapping them or something and taking them to a shelter and they would be humanely euthanized if they were not adopted.”

Initially, the woman who made the call assumed that the gun was a tranquilizer. But to her surprise, the 8-to-10 week-old kittens were shot dead, just 15 feet from the back door to her house.

“She was very distraught when this happened,” Landon said. “He started shooting them right in front of her. Her children were upstairs in view of the windows. They started screaming and crying because they heard the gunshots. They started screaming, ‘Mommy, he’s killing the kittens.’”

The homeowner’s four children are all between the ages of 5 months and 7 years.

Landon told the Sun News that the incident is heartbreaking and inexcusable, and that a humane officer should never resort to using a weapon unless the animal is in severe pain or attacking the officer.

Landon said that Accorti should be fired and charged with animal cruelty. But instead, Police Chief Mike Freeman cleared the officer of any wrongdoings and concluded that his actions were appropriate.

“After visiting the scene, talking with the responding officer and re-interviewing the complainant, I have decided his actions were appropriate and have decided not to impose any disciplinary measures for the incident,” Freeman wrote in a press release, describing the cats as having been “euthanized”. He also stated that research and animal organizations perceive shooting as a humane form of euthanasia. But Landon still believes the officer should be prosecuted

“The kittens were just sitting there,” she told The Morning Journal. “They didn’t have to die. They were only 10 months old at most and they still could have been socialized.”

And here is the horrific story about Beijing

IS THIS THE END OF ALL OF THE LARGE SIZED DOG RESIDENTS IN BEIJING?

A government order has been given out to capture all large-sized and aggressive dogs throughout Beijing. The order was put into effect on June 13th.

On June 2nd, Beijing Municipal Police Department released a public announcement about activating an order to capture any large or aggressive dogs found in the city beginning on June 13th. In the name of public order and safety, the order states that the police will “retain” all large dogs in the municipal area of Beijing, as well as some of the suburban areas. The order gave 10 days for dog owners to relocate the dogs to outside of the city. Any large dogs found in Beijing after June 13th will be “retained”. Owners of these dogs will then be fined almost 1,600USD (10,000RMB) if they are a business, and individuals will be fined almost 800USD (5,000RMB). The order is targeting not only all of the stray dogs and unregistered pet dogs but also legally registered dogs. Dogs are now being captured almost around the clock. These “captures” are not only taking place on the street. Police are also traveling to “suspects” residences to confiscate their dogs. According to the announcement, all resistance to the enforcement of this order will be severely punished.

In the public announcement, the Beijing Police department encourages the general population to report anyone they know that owns a large-sized dog. People who turn in such dog owners will be rewarded with cash, and their identity will be protected. Anonymous hotlines to the police station of all communities in the city of Beijing are listed on the announcement. Now, dog owners not only have to watch for the police, but they must also fear their neighbors, co-workers, or anyone else who might have knowledge of their dog. According to reliable inside information, the police officers have also been given incentives to capture at least 10 dogs per officer. Each officer who meets this quota will receive a cash reward.

Large dogs are classified as those that are over 35 cm in height (13.7 inches). All dogs that exceed this size restriction are subject to the order. The top three most popular dogs according to AKC registration – Labrador, German Shepherd and Golden Retriever are all targeted and in danger of being taken. According to the public statement, the order has equated a dog over 35 cm in height as a dangerously aggressive dog that presents a serious danger to public health and safety.

In reality, all dogs on the walking on the street, with or without their owners, are targeted for a possible capture. The following are the list of dogs that are subjects to be captured and retained:

All stray dogs
All large sized dogs (exceeding the limits of 35cm in height) with or without registration
Small dogs without registration
All small dogs if their owners failed to show proof of registration on the spot

Any dogs (either strays or pets) that are captured will not be returned to their owners and no adoption or retrieval of any sort will be allowed. Theoretically, the small sized dogs are allowed to be reclaimed by their owner if the owners register their dogs or show the proof of an existing registration. In reality, however, the chances for these small sized dogs to be returned to their families are low. The police department is also not allowing owners to register new large sized dogs or renew existing registrations. As any dogs that are seen and captured by the Beijing police will not be returned to their families, you may be wondering what will happen to them. The answer is, no one knows. No government office has released any information or responded to any questions in regards to what they will do to these dogs.

The severity and cruelty of this order has caught most Beijing residents completely off guard, and no one yet knows what motives could have precipitate it. The order and the actions taken in its name, however, have obviously outraged the many dog owners and dog lovers in China. News of it has gone viral on Weibo and created a massive online protest against the Beijing Police Department and this vile dog capture order.

Er mer gerg

I just realized there's an iPhone app for Blogger, so I don't have to be on my computer to make blog posts - so you can expect more posts coming up - please enjoy the below photos -