Your Province
Dogs are man's best friend -- if they are cared for properly

The Province
Published: Thursday, December 28, 2006

It was heart-warming to read the story about an 83-year-old North Vancouver woman who will be taking a freezing ocean plunge on New Year's Day to raise money for a group that trains dogs to help disabled people.

And our best wishes go out to Pacific Assistance Dogs (PADS) volunteer Juanita Valentine -- as it does to the thousands of other volunteers who are engaged in something special this Christmas to help their communities.

Our admiration extends also to our animal friends, especially those dogs who are trained to help people suffering from such disabilities as multiple sclerosis and cerebral palsy.

As Valentine herself notes, they are wonderful companions and give the disabled a sense of independence and security. "People will come and stop to talk to them just because of the dog," she told Province reporter Ethan Baron.

There are other dogs, however, who are not so well trained or cared for, like the two Rottweilers who mauled a two-year-old boy in an Ontario playground on Christmas Day.

And that is where the law has to step in to ensure owners live up to their responsibilities to other humans -- and to their own dogs.

In California, for example, it will soon be illegal to tether dogs to stationary objects for more than three hours, or leave them unattended without food or water.

Here in B.C., we need the best legislation possible to ensure the welfare of our dogs and other animals. That's the least we can offer them.
© The Vancouver Province 2006