We have been discussing shelters a lot lately. As a matter of fact to some of you it may seem as if I am attacking the shelter system. I am not. I am merely pointing out what is wrong with our current system, as well as exposing common practices that some of you are unaware of. After all we have to know what it is we are truly dealing with before we can hope to change it.

However, not all the problems associated with the shelter system can be placed on their shoulders. They are merely trying to find a way to deal with the large number of animals that irresponsible pet owners abandoned or abuse each and every year. Granted, there is a better way to handle it and NO KILL is possible, but we will get to that later. Right now I want to discuss the irresponsible pet owners that create the problem in the first place.

If you are reading this, you are probably not one of them, but you probably know at least one irresponsible pet owner. They are the people to whom a pet is simply a possession. They have no problem abandoning an animal for their own convenience, after all they can always get another one when their situation changes. They believe animals are primitive creatures incapable of thinking or feeling, and emotional attachment. Some of them see their animal as a status symbol the same way they view their car or their home or that $500.00 pair of shoes.

This past summer I took in a pair of ten year old cats. They had been together since birth, always lived with the same owner. The recession hit their owners hard and they had to sell their home and move into rented lodgings. Sad, but it happens. Most people would be sure to find rental housing that would allow them to have their family pets right? Not this couple, to them the pets they had shared their home with for the past decade were DISPOSABLE. They were that $500.00 pair of shoes, now weathered worn and comfortable but a little shabby. The kind of old shoes you throw away because they are too worn for anyone else to want. These owners did not bother to look for a suitable rental home that would allow them to keep the pets they had shared the past ten years with. They took the first rental that came along which suited their purpose, it did not allow pets.  Their moving date was a month away.

Most of us would want to place our animals in a loving home if we were forced to part with them. We would start looking for that home as soon as we knew we had to part with or pet. The owners of these two ten year old cats did not bother. On their moving day they called me. If I did not take the two cats off their hands they would drop them in a box outside the local shelter. I of course grabbed my car keys and a crate and headed out. No animal was going to end up in a shelter on my watch! Especially not a pair of seniors that had always been together.

I arrived at the home battling my way through boxes and moving men to get to the front door. Upon speaking with the owners I asked why they had not rehomed the cats prior to their move. I was told that wasn’t their job, that was what the shelter was for! I lost no time getting the cats in the crate and putting the crate in the car. On my way home all I could think was “these types of owners are the root of the problem.“  Until humans stop viewing animals as property, nothing will change. Once again I renewed my vow to educate as many people as possible about the worth of animals. I also renewed my resolve to see an animal rights act drafted and passed in Canada. Until animals are given individual rights they will be viewed as possessions. As long as animals are viewed as possessions, people will dispose of them the same way they would an old pair of shoes.

Until Tomorrow Remember

BE THE CHANGE YOU SEEK

Janette

Had her mother found her way into a shelter before the end of her pregnancy this little girl would never have been born.

We are all aware of the horrors of euthanasia in shelters all over North America. Thousands of vibrant, healthy, loving animals whose lives are snuffed out because the shelter was overcrowded, or because they were fearful and have been deemed unadoptable because of it. There is another horror, one seldom spoken of, one the average person is unaware of, yet it takes just as many lives every year. That is the horror of abortions performed on pregnant animals that find their way into the shelter system before giving birth.

These abortions are performed in shelters all over North America on a regular basis. There is NO gestational cutoff, abortions are performed regardless of how far the pregnancy has advanced. No consideration is given to the psychological effect this may have on the animal in question.

This practice creates a moral dilemma for most of us regardless of our stand on abortion. Those who are anti-abortion will have the standard argument that abortion is murder, and we do not have the right to play God. Those who take a pro-choice stand will argue that being pro-choice means believing that every individual has a right to choose whether to abort or carry to term. That having been said, pro-choicers could conceivably argue that these animals are not given a choice the choice is made for them by well meaning but misguided shelter vets playing God.

While arguments could be made stating “shelters are merely controlling the population problem” or “there are already too many animals in shelters.” the fact remains that abortion of gestating litters is neither humane or moral by any definition. It is merely less work than the alternative.

Fact is that strays are not checked for pregnancy when brought into shelters. Most pregnancies of strays are discovered during spay surgery, and while surgery can be halted, and the animal allowed to give birth, it is simply easier and more cost effective to kill the viable litter.

Those of us who work with animals are well aware that they grieve loss, but how does an animal grieve a loss it can not possibly understand? One moment it feels life growing inside. It goes to sleep, and when it wakes up that life is gone. No explanation, just simply gone! Would shelters have us believe this has no effect on the animal? That it does not cause un-necessary suffering and misery? That ripping the young from an innocent animal’s body is not inhumane? Is there no moral line shelters will not step over?

The shelter system in North America is in dire need of a review of its practices. No kill is a possibility, and the only humane solution to the problem. However, in order for it to work, things must change drastically. Shelters MUST stop the killing of adoptable animals, and abortions of litters must be brought to an end. Legislation must be toughened, and new animal welfare legislation must be drafted. Sentencing of offenders must be toughened, and an animal rights code must be established.

The list of  change that must take place is endless. One thing however, remains crystal clear. We as a society must band together, we must BECOME the change we seek. We are responsible for the mess we have made, it is up to all of us to clean it up.

You there! Yes…you! Don’t try to hide behind that couch! I see you! Will YOU be the change? Will YOU speak up and make a difference? Will YOU fight for what you believe in? Will YOU speak out for those who can’t? If you are not a part of the solution, you are a part of the problem. Join us! BE a part of the solution.

Until Tomorrow Remember

BE THE CHANGE YOU SEEK

Janette

Dogs are naturally social beings who thrive on interaction with human beings and other animals. A dog kept chained in one spot for hours, days, months, or even years suffers immense psychological damage. An otherwise friendly and docile dog, when kept continuously chained, becomes neurotic, unhappy, anxious, and often aggressive.

In many cases, the necks of chained dogs become raw and covered with sores, the result of improperly fitted collars and the dogs’ constant yanking and straining to escape confinement. Dogs have even been found with collars embedded in their necks, the result of years of neglect at the end of a chain. In one case, a veterinarian had to euthanize a dog whose collar, an electrical cord, was so embedded in the animal’s neck that it was difficult to see the plug.

Continuous confinement of dogs by a tether is inhumane. A tether significantly restricts a dog’s movement. A tether can also become tangled around or hooked on the dog’s shelter structure or other objects, further restricting the dog’s movement and potentially causing injury.”

Numerous attacks on people by tethered dogs have been documented. For example, a study published in the September 15, 2000, issue of the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association reported that 17% of dogs involved in fatal attacks on humans between 1979 and 1998 were restrained on their owners’ property at the time of the attack. Tragically, the victims of such attacks are often children who are unaware of the chained dog’s presence until it is too late. Furthermore, a tethered dog who finally does get loose from his chains may remain aggressive, and is likely to chase and attack unsuspecting passersby and pets.

A chained animal may suffer harassment and teasing from insensitive humans, stinging bites from insects, and, in the worst cases, attacks by other animals. Chained dogs are also easy targets for thieves looking to steal animals for sale to research institutions or to be used as training fodder for organized animal fights. Finally, dogs’ tethers can become entangled with other objects, which can choke or strangle the dogs to death.

Rarely does a chained or tethered dog receive sufficient care. Tethered dogs suffer from sporadic feedings, overturned water bowls, inadequate veterinary care, and extreme temperatures. During snow storms, these dogs often have no access to shelter. During periods of extreme heat, they may not receive adequate water or protection from the sun. What’s more, because their often neurotic behavior makes them difficult to approach, chained dogs are rarely given even minimal affection. Tethered dogs may become “part of the scenery” and can be easily ignored by their owners.

To become well-adjusted companion animals, dogs should interact regularly with people and other animals, and should receive regular exercise. It is an owner’s responsibility to properly restrain her dog, just as it is the owner’s responsibility to provide adequate attention and socialization. Placing an animal on a restraint to get fresh air can be acceptable if it is done for a short period. However, keeping an animal tethered for long periods is never acceptable.

Attaching a dog’s leash to a long line� such as a clothesline or a manufactured device known as a pulley run� and letting the animal have a larger area in which to explore is preferable to tethering the dog to a stationary object. However, many of the same problems associated with tethering still apply, including attacks on or by other animals, lack of socialization, and safety.

A chained animal is caught in a vicious cycle; frustrated by long periods of boredom and social isolation, he becomes a neurotic shell of his former self� further deterring human interaction and kindness.

We need to ban tethering of companion animals in Canada. There are many humane ways to contain our pets so they do not roam free and endanger themselves and others, tethering is not one of those ways. If your dog has been chained outside your home, you need to rethink your desire for a family pet. Any animal that is not permitted to interact with the family is not a family pet and could be a danger to both itself and others. Free your dog now, it deserves a better life. If you can not see your way to sharing the inside of your home with your pet, perhaps you need to find someone who doesn’t see things the same way you do.

The following video gives insight into the life of a dog on the end of a chain.

Here is the link to the petition mentioned in the video, please sign it, and speak out to help end tethering of dogs in Ontario.

http://www.unchainontariosdogs.org/

Until Tomorrow Remember

BE THE CHANGE YOU SEEK

Janette

Pitting dogs against each other for sport was common in many societies in the 1800’s. After England introduced a ban on bull-baiting – using dogs to bait bears, bulls and other animals earning them the name pit bulls, these dogs were instead trained to fight each other. Although dog fighting is a reprehensible act, it continues to be practiced in many parts of the world including illegally in Canada.

The breed of dog that is most associated with dog fighting is the pit bull. Recent media attention featuring high-profile dog-fighting rings, such as the case of former NFL-star Michael Vick, has focused attention on this heinous activity. Because these breeds were historically bred for fighting, they have been labelled as “dangerous dogs”. Unfortunately irresponsible breeders who intentionally produce aggressive dogs are to blame for the negative image of the pit bull.

Hercules explores a backyard (mine) for the first time in his life. Before that day he had never seen grass.

Hercules is our tiny little curly bundle of hilarity. He came to us as a puppy mill rescue in the summer of 2009. Shy and scared he hid from us for the first few weeks he was here. He still has no trust for strangers, but has progressed to the point where he enjoys playing with his pack members, Samson (the biggest and youngest of our dogs)in particular, and trusts myself and my husband, although no other humans can get close to him. His disposition is understandable given the way he was treated in the first two years of his life. Hercules had no name until he came to us, he was just a breeder a commodity and was never given a name. He was kept crated all the time, and the only human contact he ever knew was being moved from one cage to another for breeding purposes.

When I first brought him into our home and set him down on the floor he froze staying in one place and one position for the first 45 minutes. He was simply too afraid to move. The rest of the pack finally brought him out of his shell but it would be months before we could touch or hold this little guy.

Hercules will live in our home until his last days. He will never be rehabilitated enough to live in the ordinary home, his puppy mill experiences caused far too much damage. He is happy here with us and here he shall remain. Had he found his way into a shelter after the raid on the puppy mill he came from, he would have been euthanized as unadoptable.

Is the life of this little dog not worth more than that? Why should he and others like him lead a life of abuse to line the pockets of people with no morals or respect for life?

Animals like Hercules all over the country NEED you to help change their fate. Please sign the petition to ban retail sales of animals in Canada and ban the operation of pet mills. You owe it to the animals to speak up and be heard. Here’s the link:

http://www.gopetition.com/petition/40090.html

As you will see I have signed, and authored this petition, you asked me to do something, and I have responded. Please show Hercules and I your support by signing it as well especially if you are Canadian. Changes can be made but not without YOU!

Until Tomorrow Remember

BE THE CHANGE

Janette

We are all well aware that the state of animal welfare in Canada is deplorable. You are reading this today because you, like me want change. How do we as ordinary citizens bring about the change we seek?

That got me thinking, so last night unable to sleep, I sat down and wrote the following letter to the Prime Minister of Canada:

Dear Mister Prime Minister

My name is Janette Hamilton. I live in Ontario. I write to you today about a very serious issue that has been overlooked for far too long. The issue of animal welfare in our country sorely needs to be addressed. I mean no disrespect but feel the following must be said by someone, and I can not sit back and wait for that someone. I must step forward and BE that someone, or as a cherished circle of friends would put it, I need to BE THE CHANGE I SEEK. So I write in hopes that someone hears me.

An estimated two thousands puppy mills are thought to operate in the province of Quebec alone. Thousands of animals are being habitually abused in the name of commerce on a daily basis. Despite complaints from the public, and pressure from animal advocates, the abuse continues to be condoned by the authorities refusal to act. Puppy mill “entrepreneurs” are allowed to willfully abuse thousands of animals for profit every year, and rarely if ever are puppy mills raided and charges laid. In cases where charges are laid and a conviction is handed down the slap on the wrist sentencing meted out is laughable at best.

Puppy mills are not the only problem. Kitten mills also exist. It is more difficult to prove, but those of us who have worked in any capacity of animal rescue are well aware of their existence. We have dealt with the product of their abuse many times over.

Mill animals often end up in city shelters when mill operations are raided. Many of them are euthanized after being deemed unadoptable due to the trauma of a life time of abuse. These animals are not unadoptable, they just need time to heal, but “overcrowding” makes it so they are executed for the crime of being abused instead of being given the care they need.

The solution to this particular problem requires legislation of breeders, and outlawing of puppy and kitten mill operations on a national scale. It requires laws that ban retail sales of animals in pet stores, and restrict animal sales to registered government inspected breeders. There is a need for a breeding ban of at least two years in order to give shelter animals a chance to have a second chance, and a need for proper training of rescue workers across the country.

This problem is only the tip of the iceberg, but I have learned over time that sometimes one problem at a time is the only way we can solve the bigger situation. To that end I will continue to send weekly emails to your office until I receive a reply. I understand that may seem forward of me, but Sir, I have no more time for politics. Thousands of animals lose their lives every year because we have not taken the responsibility to stop it. Therefore I am making it my responsibility to do so, but more will follow. Please do not let our questions and pleas fall on deaf ears. Canada is “no country for animals” and that needs to change!

Respectfully,

Janette Hamilton

I sent it this morning, both by snail mail and email. I could not simply ignore the questions that I had raised in my own mind. My Father always told me to choose my battles wisely. I have chosen my battle. Who will join me? I can’t change things alone!

Until Tomorrow Remember

BE THE CHANGE

Janette