Platypus
Posted: Fri Dec 08, 2006 10:26 am Post subject: re: Warning
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It's true - they're looking for a way to get penned outdoor dogs. I saw an interview with this family in Surrey who keeps a big German Shepherd out in this "pen" where it runs the fence line continously looking for a way out.
The little girl was telling the reporter how they tried to come get their dog, posing as Animal Control or the SPCA. They even have the van on tape. The people tried to tell them the dog was being seized due to "cruel living conditions." It is clearly a tactic to get these chained, penned dogs away from the owners...albeit very illegal.
Then she proceeds to say that the SPCA came out afterwards to check the conditions for the dog and said "it was fine." Sad, because it clearly sent a message that it is totally okay to keep your dog outside 24/7 in a pen with nothing in it for enrichment. :( Great message to get on national media for sure :(
So it's about someone trying to get the dogs out of less than desirable conditions, but ended up being a piece sending a message that it's okay for dogs to be penned up outside all the time.
Posted: Fri Dec 08, 2006 11:29 am Post subject: re: Warning
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yes I had to admit when I read the Sun article, that my first thought was that it may be someone trying to help penned/chained dogs, and if that was the case, wondering if any of the media were going to be savvy enough to pick up on that angle, i.e. why do people feel a need to do this.
I know we all have diverse views about how the SPCA responds to 24/7 yard dogs, and maybe the media will pick up on this topic -- about how the SPCA and municipalities might do more to stop dogs being kept as lawn ornaments.
I still have the image burned in my brain of a dog a few blocks from me who was kept on a concrete driveway it's entire life with no proper shelter, and the SPCA did not step in until the dog was no longer able to get up off the ground. Only then did they act - by picking it up for euthanization. I spent the whole summer last year, watching that dog drag its hind end around in a blind stupor, and it gave me nightmares that nothing was done.
However, I will give limited kudos to Shawn Eccles, who at least went so far as to say this in today's Sun follow-up article:
"They are concerned for animals," Eccles said. "And they certainly won't hesitate to take some action. So I would strongly suggest to anyone receiving letters of this kind to protect themselves. And the best way to do that is to take care of their animals. If you leave your house and tie up your dog on a chain, you're a target." (Full article can be viewed here: http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/news/story.html?id=e5aa8a10-07eb-411b-9473-c5ccbe2127c7&k=15298 )
Posted: Sat Dec 09, 2006 12:26 am Post subject: re: Warning
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Carol I just spoke with someone in this group and they actually had been out every day since the snow had come. They had been running non stop. Dog's that had no shelter at all were given priority because of the risk of freezing, but the Shepherd at least had a large shelter to shield him from the cold, so he wasn't high up on the list.
The SPCA had been called four times for one old dog and didn't remove it. This group had to use a shovel to "scrape" the dog off of the ground as he had frozen in his own urine. The SPCA reassured them that they had visited the dog and he was fine.
This group banded together for the cold spell, and rescued dogs that had already been reported to the SPCA and did not receive help. The reason they left when the man said that he would call the SPCA is because they knew that all the other rescued dogs could be tied to them, and they didn't want to put the rescued dogs safety at risk. I hope that this answers any questions that you may have.
Now that this is out in the open they will no doubt have to disband, but at least the word has gotten out a bit about the dangers of leaving your dogs outside.
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Rescuing one cold nose at a time