To: sunletters@pacpress.southam.ca
Sent: Friday, December 27, 2002 9:24 AM
Subject: re: dog attacks

I am infuriated by the ignorance and lack of laws in place that ended up in this tragedy of a young girl being mauled by two dogs.

I have volunteered at the pound and various other shelters where I worked with dogs. Dogs are social animals and the importance of socializing them to people and various situations should not be underestimated. These dogs who attacked this young girl had obviously had no experience around children,and I would venture to guess these dogs could be chained up, tied up or kept in a yard 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Anyone reading about dog behaviour in books by Dr. Ian Dunbar or Jean Donaldson know that keeping a social being isolated from society as many dogs are kept is a recipe for disaster. Why is this not against the law? Why are there no by-laws in place to make it illegal to chain, pen or tie dogs up? Instead we wait for disaster and then kill the dogs. It is disgusting.

Beside my mother-in law's house is a dalmation that is kept outside in a yard 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. When it rains or it is night time, the dog is left in the garage with the family car. The dog sits at the outside porch crying at its owners. This has been the only social contact this dog has received; watching its owners from sliding glass windows and the two seconds it takes for the owners to put the dog from the yard to the garage. My mother-in law has put up with incessant crying from this very lonely and frustrated dog for seven years. She has called the Vancouver city pound and the Vancouver SPCA to no avail. The only thing the pound did was license this dog. Great. So, if the dog is lucky enough to get out of its prison it can be returned to its owners.

There is a lonely and frustrated dog who has no idea as to how to act around human beings because it never had a chance to be around human beings. What could happen if this dog does get out? It very well could bite because of the total lack of socialization this dog has received. And if it does bite, we kill it. Why are there no by-laws for control of breeding? Whoever bred this and all the other outside, lonely dogs obviously did not care who they sold the dog to (reputable breeders thoroughly check any prospective dog owners and will take a dog back if they deem the owners not fit), and how could it possibly not be inhumane to treat a dog in such a way? I am sick of hearing the excuses the SPCA gives for not being able to do something about backyard dogs. The line, 'the dog has food and shelter and under our laws we can not anything' has grown tiresome. Then do something to change those laws!

It is the responsibility of the city and the SPCA to do something to make sure that laws are in place to protect not only the dogs, but the citizens who live with dogs as well. Please, no more excuses.

Lori Cumiskey