AAS's letter to the Province:

Why was Mr Gharibian's dog barking so much that it made someone mad enough to kill it? Was it left outside while he was at work? Or maybe it was left outside night and day. "Outside" dogs are bored, anxious, depressed, and frantic for the security and familiarity of the house which is their "den". Mr Gharibian admits his dog was a guard dog that was outside unattended, and that this is the second of his dogs that have been poisoned. A dog is not a cheap alarm, it is a feeling being with strong social needs. Every sound makes some of them fearful, some just bark because there is nothing else to do while alone all day. As usual, it is the dog that pays the price for the neglect that our society permits.

Judith Stone
President, Animal Advocates Society of BC