If you live in Richmond, please write Mayor Brodie and Councillors and tell them that you strongly support a ban on yard dogs in Richmond

From: Animal Advocates Society of B.C.
To: Richmond, City of,
Email: mayorandcouncillors@city.richmond.bc.ca
Sent: Tuesday, September 16, 2003 3:15 PM
Subject: SPCA contract up for consideration

September 16, 2003

Mayor Brodie and Councillors,
City of Richmond

Animal Advocates Society of BC wrote the letter (below) to the the Richmond Review newspaper in response to an article regarding the City's contract for dog control with the BC SPCA.

We hope that you will take note of the only humane, and also the only effective, way to end the problem of barking dogs, and that you will consider incorporating our suggestion in an amendment to your animal control bylaw.

We look forward to your earliest reply,

Judy Stone, President,
Animal Advocates Society of BC

September 13, 2003

Editor,
Richmond Review

"People are getting fed up with barking dogs in Richmond." says Coun. Bill McNulty.

There is a simple solution - make it illegal for people to leave a dog outside.

Too many people with no time or no understanding of a dog's social needs (which are the same as humans), get them for various selfish reasons and leave them outside all day, and all night too.

These dogs are so unhappy and frustrated that they get loose if they can and cry if they can't. Picking up and impounding loose dogs and responding to noise complaints costs Richmond taxpayers money, when rightly it should only cost the owner of the dog.

Yard dogs also are largely responsible for attacks on humans if they get loose and the majority of victims are children. Every municipality that permits the keeping of desocialized yard dogs is facing an attack like the one on Shenica White in December 2002.

Dogs have been bred for companionship for ten thousand years and they suffer profoundly if isolated. Dogs that live inside with their family are happy, socialized, and quiet. If you want an animal in your yard - get a cow.

Richmond already has bylaws that could limit the keeping of dogs outside 24/7 that council adopted in 1998 at our urging, but Richmond's dog control contractor, the SPCA, has not used them to do anything about outside dogs, so it is unlikely that it will enforce any future bylaws that try to prevent this cruelty.

Judy Stone
President, Animal Advocates Society of BC
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