January 16, 2006

Mayor Derek Corrigan and Councilors,
City of Burnaby

Re: Anti-tethering and Yard Dogs bylaw

Dear Mayor Corrigan and Councilors,

Animal Advocates received letters of support for a bylaw that prohibits all tethering, not just unattended tethering and also bans other inhumane forms of keeping dogs such as penning and keeping in garages, on and under porches and decks, etc. I am attaching the letters we have received to date.

Judy Stone,
Animal Advocates Society BC

January 15, 2006

As homeowners in Burnaby I can tell you that the pleas of Judy Stone to Council on Monday Jan 9th are in no way exaggerated or misrepresented. Indeed, I can say there are few people that I trust to speak genuinely about the plight of animals with no self agenda whatsoever.

I have on so many occasions while walking in the many different neighborhoods of Burnaby come across heart wrenching sights of animals on chains or in back yards; skinny, frightened, with visible injuries or sores and whimpering or barking as you pass. There have been many times I have called the SPCA in the hopes they would intervene and alleviate the suffering.

Although the SPCA can be very sympathetic and will assure you they will speak to the owners, in my experience, nothing significant has ever resulted from any of my complaints.

Two incidences in particular stand out for me. One was a Doberman confined between a fence and garage of a house on Edinburgh St. It was left out day and night confined in a small dark space during one of the coldest winters we ever had. It was pacing non stop back and forth. We called the SPCA twice. They said that the owners were doing nothing illegal because there was a dog house. Even though there were no blankets or insulation in this box, it was still considered shelter and that was all the owner’s were obligated to supply. The fact that it was isolated, ignored, lonely, freezing and underweight did not seem to be of any legal concern. When time went by and the dog was still left in the same condition, my husband approached the owner himself. He explained that dogs needed more from shelter then a thin plywood windbreaker and that isolating a dog was cruel. The owner was shocked to hear that he was not treating his dog right and said, “Well that would explain his severe weight loss of over 10 pounds in one month.” The dog disappeared shortly after that. We can only hope that the dog’s life improved and it was not destroyed. Often you wonder if you are doing the right thing by complaining. Are you ending the dog’s life or helping it?

Another sad incident that sticks in my mind was at a house on Broadway and Holdom. It was Christmas time and every year this house is one of the more spectacularly decorated homes in the area. Of course, you would assume by the Christmas display that these people were good compassionate and joyous people. In the dark back alley, however, were two pathetic looking dogs of different breeds and very different sizes, underweight, both on short chains lying on cold pavement between a truck and a boat. From one dog we could hear the faintest whimpering that seemed to have become part of its breathing. It just looked at you as you went by and continued to cry softly. The smaller dog was motionless. I wrote the owners a letter. I expressed my disgust that they could put so much effort and money into a splashy house display and yet treat living beings so inhumanely. Those dogs also disappeared. I have no idea if they were banished to a dark basement where no one could witness their torment or whether they just gave them away to rid themselves of their embarrassment. I don’t know if we did the dogs good or did them harm.

I could go on and on. When I walk my dogs and meet and talk with others they too have countless stories of witnessing animals in cruel and sad predicaments right here in our community.

That is why we are grateful to know that the Council is giving AAS’s request serious consideration. We are hopeful that this Council is the one to rise to the challenge and pass a substantial new bylaw that will provide a higher standard of care to the creatures that live among us. After all there can be no harm in strengthening laws that propose people behave ethically, morally and decently.

Alfie & Gwendy Williams
North Burnaby B.C.

January 15, 2006

Dear Councillor Jordan,

I was unable to attend the Burnaby City Council meeting on January 9th, 2006 to support Ms. Judy Stone and the Animal Advocates Society of British Columbia as I was in Europe. I eagerly awaited news of the outcome of the meeting and was heartened that our Council was not prepared to pass a bylaw that would have “fallen short” in terms of promoting a safe community and ensuring humane treatment of dogs who, it is well documented, have strong psychosocial needs.

I originally heard about the plight of yard dogs after the well-publicized attack by an escaped yard dog on young Shenica White a number of years ago. When I investigated the matter further I was stunned to find out about the dreadful conditions in which dogs could be kept both in my home community of Burnaby and the remainder of the Lower Mainland.

On occasion I had been frightened, when out walking, that a vicious “guard dog” may escape and attack me or my canine companion, but I never gave a thought to the conditions in which these poor creatures were condemned to live or the cause of their aggressiveness.

“Yard dogs” may live their whole life terribly neglected on the end of a chain or in a pen; have little or inadequate shelter; be out in all weather; have little or no food or fresh water; be forced to live in their own excrement; and most of all be isolated, with no companionship. These dogs are viewed simply as objects, not as living, sentient creatures that have many needs in order to be healthy and safe.

I strongly concur with Ms. Stone and the Animal Advocates that we need tougher by-laws and fines in order to ensure that no child is ever again attacked by an escaped yard dog and so that these highly social, sentient creatures will no longer live a life of abject misery in Burnaby.

I’m hoping that Burnaby City Council will adopt a leadership position by taking a strong stand against these neglected and desocialized dogs. I urge you to pass a strong bylaw, one that will prohibit dogs from being left outside day after day, or being consistently locked up, chained or penned outside of the owner’s primary residence.

Thanking you and your colleagues for your efforts in this matter.

Susan L.Hearsey,
Burnaby

January 17, 2006

Dear Mayor Corrigan and Councilors,

Thank you for your willingness to defend the most helpless of our society.  The proposed tethering bylaw is truly a step in the right direction. I now ask you to consider ending the suffering of so many dogs that live right in our neighbourhoods.

As an example, my husband and I were out for a walk one night and went down a back alley.  As we passed one house a dog starting barking.  We looked closer and could see it was tethered to a clothesline, which gave it the ability to move side to side.  It was also penned in behind plywood and wire mesh, in an enclosure that measured about 4 feet x 10 feet.  We didn't think much about it until we passed the house again the next night and the dog was still there.  In fact, we made it a point to drive down the back alley at all times of the day and night and that dog was always there, always tied in the same place, looking out forlornly. 

One day we saw someone on the upper porch and asked them if the dog was ever walked.  They replied that they were only visiting and would be gone in three weeks.  That was ten months ago and that dog has been tied up constantly - through freezing winter snow and boiling summer heat.   We have never seen it have any interaction with humans and, in fact, it barely has any stimulation at all because it's behind plywood walls on an alleyway.

We need a bylaw that does not allow the isolation of dogs.   Merely providing food, shelter and water is not enough for the well-being of these animals.  They are social creatures that need human contact.  If someone who lives in Burnaby is not willing to commit to proper care, they need to reconsider whether a dog would be right for them.  The only way to make that happen is to enact tough bylaws that can be enforced.

 Please make Burnaby a great place to live - for humans and animals alike!

Sincerely,
Tamara Poirier
Burnaby, B.C.

January 15, 2006

Dear Councillors,

I attended the council meeting on Monday January 9, 2006 concerning the topic of tethering. I was deeply saddened by the information reported by Judith Stone and the Animal Advocates. I know tethering is an on going problem in many communities in the lower mainland and it is hard to monitor. I believe that if people were educated on the effects of tethering they would think twice before doing so again. A parent would not leave their child outside for long periods of time to play in the back yard while tied up, that I believe would be child abuse. Pets feel pain too.

Mr. Mayor, you yourself said to personally call you if the S.P.C.A. does not act upon complaints or concerns. I appreciate that and I thank-you very much for giving us that option. That shows me that complaints of animal neglect or abuse will be taken seriously on your end. At the end of the day, Sir, we shouldn't have to call the Mayor and add another problem to your desk to deal with if the SPCA, that gets by hugely on donations from the public, did their job. I know from personal experience with the SPCA over the years that the SPCA generally fixes the obvious problems such as catching stray dogs and cats. A dog that is tethered is more likely to stray when given the opportunity due to being tied up all day.

"FREEDOM!!" O.K, so here is where the SPCA comes in...to catch the dog because the dog could potentially harm someone out there on the loose. Then he will (maybe) be picked up the next day by the same neglectful owners. People should know the responsibilities of owning a pet before purchasing one. They are alot of work. I understand, we can't hold a big meeting for all the people of Burnaby next month to educate them on the responsibilities of pet ownership. Hey, I wish we could hold meetings like that for alot of things. So, let’s put tougher laws out there to prevent further neglect. Eventually the public will learn. Our Mayor, other politicians, our local SPCA, the local pound, neighbours and Animal Advocates etc. should not have to take care of someone else’s pet because the owners are uneducated or just don't care anymore about the pet they took in a time ago. Looking in the paper and on the internet nowadays, it seems that most breeders think of animals as a cash grab and I feel this should be looked at as well. Bottom line? Stop a problem where it starts is the most obvious solution.

I appreciate the time it took to listen to the concerns of the Animal Advocates of BC. I hope that you will consider passing a new, tougher by-law on back-yard dogs and the like.

Many thanks,

Jason Nazareno
Burnaby, BC

January 14, 2006

In January, 2005 my husband and I adopted a three year old Akita cross from Animal Advocates and of the 8 dogs we have had in our 33 years of marriage, he (Teddy-bear) is the best behaved, most gentle dog we have ever had. Teddy was a yard dog, living in a confined area, with no social skills and when rescued, he was checked by a vet, given all necessary shots, trained and socialized in a home environment and housed in a REAL home until we adopted him. Teddy, our dog Suzie and two cats quickly bonded and live in harmony.

We were so impressed with the care and consideration given to abused animals by Animals Advocates, we would strongly recommend the Association as a resource in implementing the proposed by-law.

Our sincere thanks for the positive stand I am certain Council will take on behalf of our furry friends."

Mary and Alex Turkington
Burnaby, BC

January 14, 2006

Dear Mayor and Council,

I attended the Burnaby City Council meeting on Monday night as a show of support for Judy Stone and Animal Advocates of BC. It was reassuring to hear Councillors take the issue of animal cruelty seriously. Thank you and your fellow councillors for your willingness to take a closer look at animal rights and for understanding that an anti-tethering bylaw is only one piece of a very complicated puzzle.

As Ms. Stone pointed out, there are many yard dogs in Burnaby and the Lower Mainland that are not chained but are still terribly neglected and socially isolated. A dog that lives it whole life locked outside of a house, forced to live in a pen, under the stairs, on the patio, in a garage or left to roam around a backyard without proper socialization is still a risk to public safety. A yard dog that accidentally gets loose in the neighbourhood can easily maim or kill a child. Also, many yard dogs are bred and sold for the sole purpose of protecting one's home.

In my opinion, this is the same as a person walking around his yard waving a loaded gun to scare people away. Accidents happen. I believe that public education in combination with tougher by-laws and fines is needed to create a more humane society. A dog is a social animal and should never have to live its life on the end of a chain, nor live in a cage, nor suffer from lack of human interaction and lack of access to adequate medical care. Owning a dog is a privilege, not a right.

I urge Burnaby City Council to take a strong stand against desocialized, neglected dogs by setting a high standard for communities across BC. No one should be allowed to own a dog that gets left outside day after day, or lives its life locked up, chained up or penned in.

Thank you again for your efforts.

Jeri-Lyn Ratzlaff
Burnaby, BC

Burnaby Mayor and Councillors,

I worked in North Burnaby for almost 20 years before moving to Victoria. I encourage Council to support the proposal that AAS has made for a Bylaw which can improve the lives of so many dogs in the community of Burnaby. This would then be a positive example to so many other jurisdictions. I have volunteered working with dogs that have been in shelters and pounds for many years and know how much distress and suffering could be eliminated if a Bylaw along the lines suggested were passed and acted upon.

Mike Stephen
Victoria BC