Her body had already gone into rigor mortis. The SPCA had to get inside the kennel with an ice pick to remove her body from the kennel it was frozen so hard inside.
That's how long she'd laid there unattended and alone with no notice from her owners.
Those are the "facts".
To say that that dog did not die in a state of distress and neglect - however she died - is such utter bullshit - in today's world - would just blow anybody's mind - no matter who you are.
And yet the Nova Scotia SPCA is saying just that.
They are quoted - and on videotape on CTV news as saying "Based on the evidence that is factual, we will be going forward and our first priority would be to talk to the people that were responsible for the care of this animal and from that point, depending on what they say and the evidence we have, we may or may not proceed with charges,”
They also say in a Chronicle Herald article published today -
“We are very sad,” he said, (David Ross, chief inspector with the SPCA) adding that unfortunately these calls come in often from around the province."
He goes on to say - "Unfortunately, we deal with a lot of this. Every day we're out, we’re dealing with these."
What does he mean when he says these things?
That' he's dealing with dead dogs everyday? That everyday, they deal with a lot of "this" - what is "this?" Dead dogs?
If that's the case - we have a problem here.
I went on Global TV news tonight and I said something that I think a lot of people are thinking - I said that I think that the NS SPCA should have their powers to enforce the Animal Cruelty Act in Nova Scotia be revoked IMMEDIATELY - taken away - and given to some other organization - obviously they do not care about animals in distress whatsoever - they are willing to walk away from dogs in distress - they are willing to let dogs die on a daily basis - based on what we have learned today.
THIS CAN NOT CONTINUE!
The dogs of Nova Scotia deserve better!
This is a call to arms - the Nova Scotia SPCA cannot be allowed to continue to sit in their their office and let dogs die!
Dogs are dying while the Nova Scotia SPCA says things like “We know what we’re doing. We know how to handle the case. We know how to hold people accountable.”
May I say again what I said at the beginning of this blog post? That is utter bullshit. Please excuse my french - but strong words are needed here - someone must be held accountable - and right now - it's the Nova Scotia SPCA.
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We don't know where this poor girl is tonight - .jpg)
but this was her doghouse - her owners refused all forms of intervention - and then they moved - and we can't find them now - the SPCA didn't think there was anything wrong with their setup so nothing was done by them to intervene - and now she is lost to us. I hope she is safe and inside tonight.
Joan I have been calling the SPCA and police about a dog in Amherst and nothing has ever been done. I feel helpless and sick to my stomach. I hope something can be done. The last call was today and the spca told me if the dog had a dog house there wasn't much they could do but they would take the complaint anyway...they didn't even mention about checking on the dog to see if it was in good health etc. It's like nobody cares.
ReplyDeleteSPCA ,Police and RCMP : Do what you are called to do ....PROTECT !!!
ReplyDeleteAll Nova Scotians : Do not allow those who are supposedly the ones having the authority and mandate to protect all living beings from abuse ,dire neglect and danger to hide behind flimsy excuses when it comes to removal of animals from unresponsible ,uncaring and just plain terrible animal owners . Insist in loud terms that they do their job !!!!!
ReplyDeleteI love the rants of Anonymous idiots!!! The dog is dead! Correct, The dog was frozen to the ground, Dead! Thats all we know? Isnt that enough? someone is responsible for that dog's death. She was left outside in the freezing cold and left to die.. something really wrong here. and all u can do is be a jerk and name call.. You probably work for the NS SPCA???
ReplyDeleteI run an animal rescue and one thing is an absolute certainty - until the animal cruelty laws from a century ago are amended, the RCMP and SPCA are POWERLESS to do anything. People misplace their anger at the SPCA all of the time, but they cannot enforce laws that do not exist. There is no anti-tethering law, nor is there a law stating animals cannot be outside. It is pathetic that people bother having dogs if they cannot be a proper part of the family, but there is no current law to enforce love and comfort. What is the SPCA supposed to do? All they are allowed to do is phone owners and make suggestions. If you are actually angry, and actually care, call your local MLA and demand changes to legislation.
ReplyDeleteif the NSSPCA doesn't understand their own mandate "adequate shelter " and can't tell what adequate is then Dept of Agriculture needs to take away their authority and give it to someone who understands what adequate means to a living creature. Very simple adequate is a common sense judgement call neither of which NSSPCA has shown themselves capable of.
DeleteYou are wrong, Anonymous at 10:35PM - the laws at they currently exist are sufficent - go read them.
ReplyDeleteHow can you dare to say the laws are sufficient when you are at the forefront demanding change?! Outrageous. I'm sorry but I can't bring myself to respect you any longer now that you can be attributed to this quote.
DeleteIf I had a nickel for everytime someone has said they had completely lost respect for me in the last 10 years - I would be pretty rich right now...
DeleteWow!!!! Julien you obviously did not comprehend what Joan's statement meant. Anonymous is saying their hands are tied but in some cases under the existing law and regulations they have the power to do something.That is what Joan meant.I believe you owe her an apology
DeleteI know of at least 3 dogs in my area that are chained outside 365 days a year and have been for years~I have called my local branch of the spca a bunch of times and nothing has ever been done~they were never even checked on~pathetic and disgusting :(
ReplyDeleteI feel it should be noted that the article also mentioned that there was a possibility of charges being laid against the owners of this animal. With that in mind it's hard to say anything at risk of disclosing 'confidential' information that may jeopardise any potential court cases relating to this incident.
ReplyDeleteIt would be a shame for Mr. Ross to come out and say the dog died as a result of neglect only to have autopsy results come back with other possible causes of death (e.g: cancers, age) at play and the charges dismissed due to things said on record that were incorrect, however unlikely that may be, it needs to be considered in order to build a successful case.
This is much the same as the double-murder last Friday in Bible Hill in which we also know nothing more than "two women were found dead in a home" with no cause of death yet made available to the public.
We all want answers, but it's basic criminal justice. Time will *hopefully* reveal the details. Just throwing my two cents in, not trying to start some kind of a war here. We're all concerned about the welfare of animals. SPCA included.
And throwing a question: do we know if this was brought to the attention of the RCMP or the SPCA before the dog was deceased or is it just being universally assumed that everyone was aware?
Wow. Imagine how many children you could raise from poverty if you focused all of this attention on them? Yes animal cruelty is a crime. How do you justify calls to allocate more resources to enforcement when doing so will take resources away from other important issues such as food security, health care, education? There is only one tax payer. Are you advocating that more nova scotians be denied the necessities of life to fund your vendetta against possibly inhumane dog owners?
ReplyDeleteHow about we take all the money being wasted on political foolishness like "robust cameras" and questionable travel expenses and patronage appointments and spend that to help all who are suffering?
DeleteWow. Imagine chaining a child or a homeless person to an inadequate, dilapidated shelter with a bowl of frozen water and food sometimes. Imagine frostbite and parasites making their every living moment pure torture. Imagine the fear and the pain. Humans have resources and the potential to better themselves. It would seem that laziness, greed, lack of education and selfishness puts most humans at a disadvantage. Education is available to everyone and they can better their lives themselves if they apply themselves to it. Most will not, but prefer to live in poverty and whine about it. There are umpteen services available to humans. There is nothing available to animals. Humans are the problem and it's attitudes like yours that breed generations of lazy, unethical and morally corrupt people that continue to abuse and neglect every living thing around them. So, yes, we are proposing to allocate resources to correct the inhumane activities of the people who cannot or will not be morally, legally and financially accountable for their behaviors. Animal cruelty is a crime and it must be stopped and it is the beginning of teaching people to be more humane, responsible and accountable for all facets of their existence. If humans will not act morally and ethically of their own account then they must be made to do so through penalty. Think about the human who will attend you when you become ill or unable to fend for yourself and think about their attitude towards you when they are the one who would leave another living being to agony and death at the end of a chain in a blizzard. That should scare you to the bone.
DeleteWell lets take the DUFFY fund and allocated it the animals and food security. Shelly
Deleteget real MATT HENNIGAR cruelty starts with animals and then moves on to people. Maybe the government can cut down on their waste of our tax dollars and then there would be plenty of money...oh and dont forget many many people give money out of their own pockets to help those without a voice. I doubt Nova Scotians would be denied anything
ReplyDeleteWell said Audrey....if money wasn't be wasted foolishly, there'd be enough to go around to help all causes, without anyone suffering or going without. And the mentality of people like Matt would be the reason why I would NEVER help causes for people and choose to help animals instead! Get real is right!
DeleteA dog is dead. Is this tragic? Absolutely. However it is a bit extreme to place the blame entirely on the SPCA and show such under appreciation for the good work that they do accomplish. You cannot simply place blame solely on the SPCA and demand that another organization take over in their place and actually believe that this is the best resolution. For you to assume that the SPCA are not doing their dogs simply because one dog is dead shows that you clearly informed on the number of reports that the SPCA receive on a daily basis and the current laws on animal cruelty.
ReplyDeleteAs you said the only "facts" are that a dog is a dead and no one knows for how long. Based on this information alone you took it upon yourself to place blame and judgement on the SPCA. Perhaps you should ask yourself the following questions: Was the SPCA aware of ongoing issues with this dog? Had the SPCA received complaints? Did the SPCA ignore the complaints? Until there is more information regarding the events leading up to the death of the dog and the involvement of the SPCA your comments are uninformed and based on assumptions, not facts.
I think it's probably that the dog died suffering even if it isn't found that it froze to death, but from the story as posted there is no indication that this dog was known to the SPCA beforehand, so it's hard to lay blame on the NSSPCA. I also think there is an issue of people wanting "instant" information as well. There are rules of privacy that have to be followed by the NSSPCA while they investigate. People will call and then 2 hours later are railing and raging all over social media that "nothing" has been done and that the NSSPCA is just short of evil. How do they know "nothing" has been done or said or in the works - so now the NSSPCA is expected to respond with full information immediately to the people? Get rid of the NSSPCA but the same problems and issues will plague ANY group that takes over. Unfortunately you cannot legislate kindness or morality. These abusive assholes are always going to exist, but for some reason social media believes that they can be eradicated. It's a tough job for anyone who takes it on.
ReplyDeleteMy problem with the SPCA at 11:23pm i s that the SPCA saying thy are dealing with the facts - whether they were to this address previously or not - they found a dog in rigor mortis frozen to the ground - that dog would have been to have been unattended for a long time to have gotten to that condition. If you are feeding and watering your dog twice a day you would have noticed your dog dying and then when it died - so that dog was neglected - to go on tv and say you can't factually say that dog was neglected is some utter misreading of the legislation that I cannot fathom - and because of that they have lost all confidence by the public
ReplyDeleteThe SPCA are dealing with facts. Sometimes people take action without looking at facts and turn out to be very wrong e.g. a group of wannabe vigilantes taking action last night based on something they had read on facebook and facebook alone.
DeleteYou won't find anything about it now because when they arrived the found that - as had already been said by the RCMP - that everything was fine. Yet this person has now had to deal with their personal address posted on the facebook pages of multiple rescue groups, newspapers and media outlets.
To act before all facts are known is foolish and hopefully now people will learn to think before they go out in a snowstorm and attempt to steal a dog.
who in the hell are you?
DeleteAn excellent response.
DeleteObviously there will be charges! They probably dont want all savior wannabes like you running your mouth off all over Facebook with only half information before they get a chance to charge. I guess that didn't work! ! Surprise surprise our running all over with only assumptions bashing them. You should call yourself the official opposition party of the SPCA. Nothing they ever say or do will ever be right because YOU could do so much better. Id like to see you try . Go before a judge with hearsay evidence and assumptions. Good luck with that!
ReplyDeleteOk Joan. Here is a question for you why dont you write a blog telling everyone what you would do in situations like out in Preston where evwry second house has an aggressive pit bull. How wpuld you take care of that? Please keep in mind the absolute culture difference and the reality of needing police escorts. What do ypu do with all these poor dogs chained to crappy dog houses. Do you seize them? If so how, remember, you can't get near most of them. Do you tell them to get a new dog house and make it adequate? Oh yes! They can't afford it and don't take them in. So now what? What does the almighty Joan do? Or, lets say there is a dog in Yarmouth. You het a call about an inadequate dog house. You take a whole day to drive there and ues the doghouse needs work. You tell them to fix it up. Great! Oh yes, you tell them to take the dog in when it is cold. Sounds reasonable. So you drive back to Dartmouth and plan a recheck in a week ( you hope considering weather provided you dont have to be in Amherst or Cape Breton. Its now next week and you still haven't neen able to get back for that recheck. Now there is a snow storm coming! You have another 40 new calls that you have to get to . What would you do with 2 people, 1 vehicle, and to top it off you're being hammered all over the news and social media. PLEASE TELL ALL OF US HOW YOU WOULD handle all of this!
ReplyDeleteI don't have all the answers - that's not my job - that's the department of Agriculture - I just know that dogs are suffering - I do know that whoever you are you are very rude and aren't helping anything - and you aren't posting here to help animals, that's for sure.
DeleteMy suggestion is that there would be - like the minister says - enforcement officers across the province - whether they are local animal control officers or specially trained police officers - so that' takes care of the police officer aspect - they'd already be police officer - they plan on giving out immediate fines for infractions instead of just humming and huffing like the SPCA does now, and if a dog is irredemabibly aggressive - then it would probably be happier to be put to sleep - better for the community, and better for the dog. It is after all illegal in just about every place to have a ferocious dog.
As well - if I have learned anything in the last 6 months - it's that if you remove a dog from his environment - he becomes a different dog - so just because he's being aggressive when he's chained to insufficent shelter with no access to food and water - remove him from that and he'll become a normal, non-aggressive love muffin very quickly who jumps into your car - you just have to approach him in a certain way. I took a dog into my care who the SPCA said was "nasty" - and within minutes he was taking treats from me and being very affectionate and we've had no problems with aggression - so just because a dog is being aggressive in one environment doesn't mean he'll be aggressive in another. Don't be so quick to judge the dogs of Preston.
DeleteI dont judge dogs...I judge the people that own them. How are shelters supposed to put their staff at risk and afford the time in rehabilitating aggressive dogs. Not a risk they can afford to take
ReplyDelete