Cleo shortly before her death in 1997

I have always shared my home with an animal or eight. My in resident feline at the time of my youngest daughter’s birth was a large striped tabby named Cleo. When I adopted her from the Brampton animal shelter in1991 she was mere hours from euthanasia. I took her home. Little did I know at the time, but it would prove to be one of the smartest decisions I had ever made.

My youngest daughter was born prematurely. The first seven years of her life were riddled with illness. When my daughter was about eighteen months old, Cleo the cat whose life I had saved, returned the favor and saved the life of my youngest child.

Now you’re probably all scratching your heads, looks of puzzlement on your faces as you ask “How does a cat save a baby’s life?” I am about to answer that question.

Cleo was a very independent cat. She wasn’t the type to curl up in your lap or cuddle up in bed beside you. As a matter of fact in the six years I shared my life with her she never once entered either of the bedrooms, except on that night.

It was two in the morning when Cleo began to meow incessantly. I hollered at her to be quiet and threw a pillow in her general direction. She scampered off into the living room and I rolled over and tried to find sleep again. Five minutes later the meowing began again, this time accompanied by a strange tapping noise. I hauled myself out of bed and went to see what was going on. Meows led me to my daughter’s closed bedroom door. Cleo was meowing as loudly as she could and beating the bedroom door with her front paws. I shooed her off puzzled by her uncharacteristic behavior and went back to bed.

A few minutes later the noise began again, what on earth was this cat’s problem. I got up again. The closer I got to my daughter’s bedroom the more frantic Cleo’s meowing became. Suddenly I realized, the cat wanted INTO the bedroom. Something was wrong!

I opened the door and the cat shot into the room. She jumped up on the windowsill and launched herself into the crib. I went to the crib to remove the cat. Something in the way Cleo looked at me as I reached for her made me turn and pick up the sleeping baby instead. It was then that I realized my baby was burning up with fever. Grabbing a thermometer I checked her temperature. 104.7, if I didn’t get this baby to the hospital immediately she was going to go into convulsions. I grabbed the baby and my car keys and headed for the hospital.

Cleo saved my daughter’s life that night. Had she not been so persistent in her efforts to alert me I never would have known how ill my daughter was, and by morning it may have been too late. She had never entered either bedroom before that night, and never stepped foot inside them again after that. Cleo went where she never ventured because somehow she knew my daughter was in trouble.

The next time you see an animal in need of help, take it home, care for it. You never know what it may do for you in return.

Until Tomorrow Remember

BE THE CHANGE

Janette

In May of this year the Newmarket, Ontario branch of the OSPCA announced that they would euthanize 350 animals due to an outbreak of ring worm that had spread throughout the facility. For those of you who are unaware, ring worm is treatable.

OSPCA Officials claimed euthanizing the animals was the only way to stop the spread of the disease. Treatment of that many animals would be costly and would not ensure positive results. Truth is treating the animals would have been more cost effective than killing them.

Citizens stepped forward willing to take the animals into their care and pay all medical expenses incurred to treat them. OSPCA officials refused the offer saying that would only spread the disease outside of the shelter. Then they began the slaughter euthanizing 119 animals before public outcry drew attention and the killing was halted.

Citizens had no recourse, the agency that investigates crime against animals was the one doing the killing. Asking them to investigate their own organization would be pointless. It was then that the public decided that there must be outside oversight of the OSPCA.

The conflict of interest is blatantly clear here. The OSPCA is a charity run organization. That means that they must fund raise on a yearly basis to stay afloat. They have an estimated thirteen million dollar a year operating budget. How do they raise funds? Through actively campaigning the public, and through adoption fees collected for the animals in their shelters.

Lots of charities do the same. However when we look into the track record of the OSPCA we notice many cases in which animals were seized from owners with no basis for the seizure. Paul St. Amand of Sudbury, Ontario had three of his purebred racing horses (worth $40,000.00 a piece) seized only to have them returned when the Animal Care Review Board determined that no abuse of the animals had taken place. There had been no complaints against St. Amand, so why were the horses seized by OSPCA enforcement officers? Could it be that the judgement of the OSPCA enforcement officer was clouded by the need to raise funds? Perhaps so.

Steve Straub of Elgin County, Ontario had 87 animals seized without ANY written order of complaint. Due to pressure from the OSPCA he plead guilty to not cleaning his budgie cage, he now has a criminal record, and has been billed $172,000.00 for the care of his animals while they were impounded by the OSPCA. The organization is taking Straub to court to collect the money. The are  going after his Father’s home and farm.

Stories like Steve Straub and Paul St. Amand’s are not unusual. In fact they are a shocking regularity. The OSPCA is an organization out of control. They abuse their power to line their own pockets. They can do as they please and are accountable to no one.  They can not be above the law and must be held accountable for their actions.

Citizens of Ontario have started a petition demanding government oversight of this organization. If you live in Ontario, you owe it to yourself to sign this petition. The next door the OSPCA comes knocking on could be YOURS!

Sign the Petition

UPDATE! WE NEED YOU AT QUEEN’S PARK ON NOVEMBER 18TH

It is vitally important to have as many people as possible at  Queen’s Park on November 18, 2010.   There will be room in the viewing gallery and rooms with televisions will be available.  Pre-registration (for security reasons) is preferred via telephone 416-325-7316 or via  email at alex.roman@pc.ola.org .

PLEASE ORGANIZE A GROUP – NO ONE WILL BE TURNED AWAY
GOVERNMENTAL OVERSIGHT OF THE OSPCA WILL HAPPEN IF WE WORK TOGETHER.
www.ospcatruth.com
Meet before & after: Fox & Fiddle, 27 Wellesley St East 416 944 9369 www.foxandfiddlewellesley.com

Until Tomorrow Remember

BE THE CHANGE

Janette

When I first became involved in animal rescue, I was on the fringe of a new movement. I believed that no animal should be killed because it was homeless. I was a radical, I believed in the NO KILL movement. Nathan Winograd was my hero.

Now years later, the NO KILL movement has grown stronger. Many more people are starting to understand that animals should not pay with their lives for the irresponsibility of humans. The problem lies with those in authority simply not understanding that NO KILL is not only possible, but practical.

PETA would have us believe that the companion animal overpopulation problem can not be solved without euthanising the majority of unwanted companion animals. Indeed statistics released by PETA themselves have them killing 97% of the animals they “rescue.” They say the NO KILL movement will result in shelters “storing animals like stacks of oranges.” PETA would have the public believe that those of us who advocate NO KILL are creating an overpopulation problem that can not be solved without euthanising large numbers of adoptable animals. They say that adoption can not possibly reduce the shelter population unless animals are killed to reduce their numbers. The truth of the matter is that PETA is wrong.

If 3% of the population adopted one animal it would clear shelters of their current occupants. All without killing a single animal. Only 3%, think about that for a moment. Granted, strays and abuse cases will still exist, but education and proper legislation and enforcement of animal rights laws will bring that under control if properly managed. The solution lies with stopping the killing, with educating the public to the fact that these are LIVES not merely unwanted belongings. As long as we allow the slaughter to continue unchecked the general public will accept euthanisation as the cost of doing business.

But back to the 3% solution. Look around you at your one cat or one dog. Would it really be that much trouble to adopt just one more? Would it hurt your cat to have a friend to spend its days with during the long hours when you are at work? Would your dog look at you funny if you brought home a friend for him to run and play with on that weekly outing to the dog park? Somehow I don’t think so. It would be good for your pet, and your heart. So what are you waiting for? There are hundreds of adoptable animals who need your love, all you have to do is visit your local shelter. YOU can be a part of the 3% solution, you simply have to choose to BE THE CHANGE.

In the following video Nathan Winograd (Director of the No Kill Advocacy Centre) speaks about the NO KILL movement. While Winograd does not speak about the 3% solution, he outlines NO KILL on a level anyone can comprehend:

Until Tomorrow Remember

BE THE CHANGE

Janette

Meatless garbage in a bag.

So you’re vegan. Good for you, you’ve made a conscious choice to eliminate meat from your diet. Wait a minute, what’s that you are feeding to your dog? Vegan dog food?  Hmmm, when did your dog, a carnivore, make the conscious decision not to eat meat? Oh that’s right they didn’t, you in your wisdom made the choice for them. So now your dog is vegan too, or so you think! Your dog is now enlightened and you just KNOW that he has seen the light and will NEVER eat meat again. Until I put a nice juicy raw steak or meaty bone under his nose, then all bets are off. Your dog will forget all about his vegan diet choice. He’ll gobble up that steak and look for more. He is after all a dog and dogs are carnivorous by nature.

“No, no” you say my dog would never do that, he loves his vegan food, he does not like meat. You would be wrong of course, your dog is not a VOLUNTARY vegan. Truth is a dog will eat just about anything you put in front of it whether it should or not.  If all you offer is vegan dog food your dog will eventually adjust, that doesn’t mean he likes it or that it is good for him. A dog will eat feces if it is the only thing around, doesn’t mean we should make that his diet.

Raw meat is the NATURAL diet of any carnivore. After all you don’t see packs of wolves out in farmers fields gathering carrots now do you? Wouldn’t do them any good if they did, truth is the nutrients in fruits and vegetables are unavailable to your dog, his body can not absorb them. Your dog NEEDS raw meaty bones and organ meats for a BALANCED healthy diet.

“If that is the case why do pet food companies make vegan foods?” you ask smugly. The answer to that is simple. Pet food companies are in the business of making money. They know that if they make it misguided vegans will purchase it, and for bigger bucks than they would pay for regular garbage in a bag.

Now if you wish to turn vegan and eliminate meat from your diet, you have that right. You also have the ability to check out the vegan way of life for yourself before making a conscious decision to do so. However, your dog does not have the same nutritional needs as you do. His system does not work the same way yours does. He needs meat for health. Turning your dog or cat into a vegan is depriving them of the most healthy natural balanced diet their body craves.

My dog is healthy, you say, but is he really. A dog can be sustained by any type of diet, but that does not mean it will be optimally healthy. The only way to completely ensure the health of your cat or dog is to feed them as nature intended. Raw.

For more information on raw feeding check out the following web site;

Raw Learning

Your dog or cat will thank you for understanding and satisfying their natural need for meat. Remember their needs are not the same as yours.

Until Tomorrow Remember

BE THE CHANGE

Janette

I had a Bell Canada tech in today to fix my phones. Not surprising, it happens. However, in the course of talking with him while he worked it came out that I do dog rescue. When I mentioned looking for a home for our purebred Shih Tzu rescue Diva, his face lit up. Not because he liked ShihTzu’s or because he wanted to adopt, but because he thought he had solved a problem for me. He knew a breeder who would be happy to take Diva off our hands seeing as she was a purebred and all. That is when I informed him that Diva is fixed, and that under no circumstances would I consider adopting her out to a breeder even if she were not. He seemed puzzled by this, saying , “but I can find her a home, and then she won’t be in your way anymore.” It was then that I informed him that NO dog or cat leaves my house unfixed, and breeders need not apply, because I never have nor will I ever allow a breeder to adopt one of my rescues. I do not condone Backyard breeding, and never will. I have spent far too much time over the past twenty years cleaning up the messes that BYB’s leave behind in their quest to make a fast buck. Besides I took these dogs in to protect them and give them a better chance at life. That better chance does not include being forced to pop out puppies litter after litter, that would not be an acceptable life for any of them. As far as I am concerned it is not an acceptable life for any dog or cat.

As I said, my phone tech looked puzzled by this concept. So for those of you who are puzzled right along with him let me explain dog rescue in a manner in which you can understand. Dogs come to me because they were strayed, abused or abandoned by their owners, or rescued in puppy mill raids. When they get here they are damaged by the trauma they have suffered at the hands of humans. They are shut down and trust no one, sometimes not even other dogs. In this state they are pretty much unadoptable. But you have heard me say before that there is no such thing as an unadoptable dog. I work hard, sometimes for months on end to rehabilitate them and teach them to live in the average home with the average family. I also assess the needs of the dog to determine what their perfect family dynamic would be. (i.e; can they live with other dogs, cats, children?) At no time do I ever look at a rescue purebred or otherwise and say “we need to find a breeder who will make you pop out puppies until you are too old to do so anymore.”

While all my dogs leave here fixed and incapable of breeding, it is especially important for any small breed purebreds that may come through our compound. People see these popular little dogs as money makers, and the only way to find perfect loving forever homes for them is to ensure they no longer have the ability to be bred. We who rescue dogs do not do so just to move them around from place to place, and we are not just looking for any home that will take them in, we are looking for the home that will treat them like the beloved pets they are. We are looking for the home that will give them the second chance at life they missed the first time around. Placing a purebred rescue with a breeder would be abusive to the dog, and I am in the business of stopping and preventing abuse, not giving it a helping hand.

It is not enough just to find a place for a dog, we must find the right place, the place that they will be well loved and cared for until the end of their natural life. We must find them HOME.

Until Tomorrow Remember

BE THE CHANGE

Janette

The last picture ever taken of Queenie before her death in 1989

The dog had entered the store in search of a meal, had stolen a package of meat and been caught. Sharon got there just as they were deciding what to do with her. “Take her to the pound” said one man. “Take her out back and shoot her” said another. Sharon stepped up and said “Excuse me? What do you think you are doing with my dog?” AS you can imagine they turned on her yelling and gesticulating. “I am sorry” Sharon said calmly, “She got away from me, if she has done any damage I will pay.” They worked out the cost of the “Damage” the dog had done, and Sharon the ever resourceful one even then pulled a leash out of her purse, wrapped it around the dogs neck and lead her out of the store. Once outside she panicked. What was she going to do with this dog?

She called me. “Bring me the dog” I said thinking I would let the local shelter take care of it. (This was in the days BEFORE I woke up, when I still believed shelters took care of dogs.) When Sharon walked through my door something in this dogs eyes told me she would stay right here with me. I named her Queenie.

Years went by, I was now married, but separated from a very abusive husband.

One night coming home from work I found him in my apartment.

He had managed to get Queenie out onto the fire escape and trap her there. Then he began to beat me. Queenie hearing my screams backed down the length of the fire escape and ran.  Launching herself through a plate glass window, she threw herself at my husband and the two went down a flight of stairs behind him. At the bottom of the steps my husband lay unconscious, but Queenie lay dieing. She had been cut badly by the glass of the window as she came through it, badly enough to bleed her out in a matter of minutes.  Queenie had given her life to save mine. As I sat by her side I made a promise, I would never again turn my back on an animal in need. I would remember Queenie’s sacrifice and I would help any animal who needed me.

More than twenty years later, I still help every animal who needs me. Every time I think it is futile, and every time I think it takes up too much of my time or money, I think of Queenie who gave up everything so that I could live, and I renew that promise. Queenie taught me that dogs are so much more than just dumb animals. It was after Queenie’s death that I began to study animal behavior. Now twenty years later I am still learning all they have to teach me.

The next time you see an animal in need think of Queenie. Do something for that animal, you have no idea what they might do for you in return.

Until Tomorrow Remember,

BE THE CHANGE

Janette