Protesters outside the Newmarket facility during the supposed ringworm outbreak in May of 2010.

All of you are aware of the 102 animals slaughtered at the Newmarket shelter last year. Shelter officials claimed it was the only way to handle a mass outbreak of ringworm that hit the facility. Ringworm is a treatable condition, however those that run the shelter decided treatment was not an option. They planned to kill the entire animal population of the shelter, but were stopped by public reaction and the intervention of  MPP Frank Klees.

The incident lead one former supporter to look into the goings on at the Newmarket facility. What that person found in their investigation of this facility and the people who run it will shock you, it will anger you, and hopefully it will cause you to seriously look into the choices you make in the next election when you cast your ballot.

The general public is often misguided when it comes to knowledge of what goes on inside a facility like the Newmarket OSPCA shelter. For years the OSPCA has been pulling the heart strings of the public in their quest for funding. They will tell you they are not government funded. That’s a lie, it is a matter of public record that  the federal, municipal and provincial governments fund the shelter on a yearly basis. In 2009 the facility received the following funding; Provincial Government $3,274,190.00, the Municipal Government $2,549,528.00 and the Federal Government $37,939.00, for a total of  $5,861,755.00 in government funding. That is almost six million dollars of the tax payers money, in the hands of people who are not qualified to perform the jobs they were hired to do.

“What do you mean they are not qualified?” you scream in my ear. “They must be qualified, no one would hire anyone who couldn’t do the job!” Unfortunately you would be wrong, that is exactly what they have done. Those in power at the Newmarket shelter have absolutely NO background working with animals! Their qualifications contain no animal related experience prior to their employment with the OSPCA. In fact many of you reading this post are likely more qualified to do the job than those who have been hired for the position.

Kate McDonald

CEO OSPCA Headquarters Newmarket, Ontario 2007 – Present

Salary 2009: $193,081.00 annually

Qualifications: William Mosler Medical Foundation

United Way

Canadian Living Foundation

Juvenile Diabetes Foundation

*Property Services, City of Toronto

*(not confirmed)

Please explain to me how someone who has never worked with animals can be given responsibility for an animal rescue organization? Doesn’t running such a facility require knowledge of animal needs and behavior? If this woman had applied for a job working with animals in the private sector she would never have made it to the interview stage, she simply isn’t qualified.

Jim Sykes

Chief Operating Officer, Newmarket, Ontario 2009 – present

Qualifications:  Hamilton SPCA President & CEO 2004 – 2009 (Please note that Sykes left the Hamilton shelter with an operating deficit of  $400,000.00, and is also responsible for Katrina dogs with heartworm entering Canada)

Hamilton Mohawk College Faculty Member; Urban Politics

YMCA Community Development Co-ordinator

In the public sector do you honestly think this man would have been hired to do the job when it is known that he could not handle a similar position in Hamilton without causing a massive deficit? I think not, yet he was hired to run the Newmarket facility.

Brian Moreau

Provincial Education and Animal Centre Manager August 2010 – present

Qualifications: Owns two cats

Volunteered at 4 non-profit organizations (none animal related)

Owned winery until it was destroyed by fire in 2003

Worked for CN Rail

Yet this is the person hired to handle education of the public? Someone whose only claim to fame when it comes to animals is that he owns two cats? Again many of you reading this are likely more qualified to do the job than the person hired.

The point here folks is simply this, do we as taxpayers wish to sit back and watch our tax dollars mismanaged by unqualified employees paid large salaries for jobs they are incapable of doing because they do not possess the qualifications?

Think on that for today, there is much more to come. In the coming weeks we will discuss the Newmarket shelter, and what needs to be done to see that the facility is run by qualified people with only the animals best interest at heart. We will discuss how the OSPCA as an organization moves workers from facility to facility to cover up any scandal much like the Catholic church moves paedophelic priests from one parish to another to avoid scandal. We will discuss the reasons why the Newmarket SPCA shelter needs a serious overhaul in management. We will tell you what the OSPCA doesn’t want you to know.

Stay tuned…

Until Tomorrow Remember

BE THE CHANGE YOU SEEK!

Janette

When you see a muzzled pit bull walking down the street with it’s owner what is the first thought that comes into your mind? Do you automatically think, “there goes a vicious dog!” and avoid the dog and it’s owner as you pass? Most people do, but are they basing those thoughts on actual fact or merely on the illusion of fear muzzled dogs conjure up? Usually that opinion is based on the sight of a dog wearing a muzzle and not on the true temperament of the animal in question.

It is time for Canadians to wake up! That dog is muzzled not because it is vicious (in 95% of cases) but because Ontario law says it has to be. truth be told, most pits raised by responsible dog owners are the biggest marshmallows you’ll ever meet. They, like any other dog, just want to be loved, and they have a lot of love to give in return. The passing of bill 132 that introduced BSL into Ontario and caused our good dogs to be muzzled in public has cast these dogs in a bad light. The true nature of the pit bull has been marred by the muzzles they are forced to wear.

Phoenix the dog on the right has a history of aggression. I muzzle him in public because it is my responsibility as a dog owner to see that he is under control at all times.

While I agree that aggressive dogs should be muzzled in public, I do not feel that the answer is muzzling all pit bulls. I do not own a pit bull, but I do own a dog that has a history of aggression. I muzzle him in public for his own safety as well as the safety of those around him. It is my responsibility as a dog owner to do so. I take that responsibility very seriously, the lives of my pets depend on it.

As I said, I do not own a pit bull, but I would if I could. Hell, I’d have a pit bull plantation if the law would allow. I grew up with the breed and am well aware of their gentle temperament and loyal dedication to their family. BSL has stopped me from working with these dogs or having one in my home.

Husky/lab cross Nakita has been mistaken for a pit bull more than once. I muzzle her in public for her own safety.

“So why are you screaming at us about the evils of BSL?” you ask, a puzzled look on your face. “You don’t own a pit bull so BSL doesn’t affect you! Why do YOU care?” The answer is simple, BSL does affect me because I own a dog who bears some of the physical characteristics of a pit bull. She has in fact been mistaken for a pit several times. Therefore despite the fact that she has NO pit blood, I felt the need to muzzle her last Sunday during Toronto’s Million Mutt March, for her own safety. Now tell me BSL doesn’t affect me or my dogs!

It affects you too! If your family pet is a medium sized short haired dog, BSL affects you! Even labrador retrievers have been mistaken for pit bulls and impounded. So pull your head out of the sand and see BSL for what it truly is, the easy way out for politicians.

Speaking of politicians, in the upcoming federal election Canadians have a chance to vote a leader into power who will address animal welfare issues. Before you cast your vote this May be sure you know the position your favorite candidate is taking on animal rights and welfare issues. You have the power to bring about change, do your homework, let’s vote people into power who are willing to clean up the state of animal welfare in our country. Ask the tough questions, be sure the candidate you plan to vote for is NOT in favor of BSL.

(Many thanks to Beth Mischitelle, for the photos of my dogs used in today’s post.)

Until Tomorrow Remember

BE THE CHANGE YOU SEEK!

Janette

I apologize to our cat loving members for the absence of our Kitty Korner blog this weekend. I was busy lending support to our friends at Stop K9 Profiling by attending the Million Mutt March in Toronto. Our goal? To end BSL in Ontario. (Breed Specific Legislation) Almost two hundred people and their dogs turned out to march through the city to Nathan Philips Square.

There was a noticeable difference at yesterdays walk, back in August of 2010 when I attended the rally against BSL at Coronation Park in Toronto, the only dogs in evidence were pit bulls. Yesterday things were very different. Yesterday the pit bulls were joined by many other breeds of dog. Chihuahuas, poodles, mastiff’s, german shepherds, many breeds and breed mixes brought their owners out to fight BSL.

Now you may wonder why it is significant that owners of non pit bull breeds attended yesterday’s march. I’ll tell you. We have been fighting BSL in Ontario since about five minutes after it was passed. In that time we have only seen the support of pit bull owners. Every rally every gathering, has been populated by pit bull lovers and their dogs, and only pit bull lovers and their dogs. Yesterday the same did not hold true, yesterday we were joined by dog owners of all kinds of breeds, and a few people who don’t even own dogs.

It is obvious from yesterday’s turn out that Ontarians are beginning to understand that BSL affects ALL dogs not just pit bulls. No medium sized short haired dog is ever truly safe in Ontario. Many non-pits have been labeled as pit bulls and forced to follow BSL restrictions. Owners are starting to realize this, they are also starting to realize that ANY dog is capable of aggression.

The general public is beginning to realize it too. Many times yesterday as people on the street watched us pass with our procession of dogs and owners I clearly heard bystanders comment on how “it’s not the dog, it’s the owner.” They’re right of course, it is the owner! That is what we have been trying to make politicians understand since we started this fight!

C’mon now, we all know that in the wrong hands ANY dog can be a potential lethal weapon, so why is it that politicians still don’t get it? We are expected to take responsiblity for the actions of our children, philosophy being that children learn what they live, and so parents are responsible for their actions. How is it then that we do not look at the relationship between dog and owner in the same manner? Should owners not be held responsible for the actions of their dogs?

Let's Adopt Canada member Colleen McKoy walks our rescue Chester at yesterday's Million Mutt March in Toronto. Chester was delivered to his forever home right after the march.

Almost two hundred dog owners came out and braved the cold yesterday. But what struck me more than that, was the number of people who attended that did not own a dog. One Let’s Adopt Canada member made a six hour trek from Ottawa to attend yesterday’s march because nothing had been planned for our nations capital. She does not own a dog, but feels that BSL is cruel and unusual punishment for animals that have committed no crime.

This is not the last time you will see us protesting BSL, we will continue until BSL is no more. Why? Because we will not allow our dogs to be slaughtered because they LOOK like pit bulls, and because we will not rest until our dogs are safe.

One of Toronto’s well known sidewalk chalk artists came out yesterday. He is a pit bull owner and speaks out against BSL whenever the mood strikes him. He showed up yesterday with a protest sign that got a lot of attention. His dog Lady, a fourteen year old pit bull was by his side. It was the first protest he has ever attended, but it won’t be his last. You may not find him at any other protest rally for any other cause, but when it comes to his dog, he’ll move heaven and earth to protect her.

Toronto's "Chalkmaster" stands in Dundas Square with his pit bull mix "Lady" a fourteen year old dog he adopted when no one else wanted her because of her age and breed mix.

After yesterday’s march, one thing is abundantly clear, Ontario residents are finally starting to understand that BSL affects all dogs and their owners. They are finally beginning to see that BSL is NOT the answer.

Until Tomorrow Remember

BE THE CHANGE YOU SEEK!

Janette

Okay folks, this is it, my last chance to stir some of you into attending tomorrow’s Million Mutt March in Toronto. It is also a chance for you to meet some of my dogs. Check for yourself how the rehabilitation of Phoenix, the dog deemed aggressive and ordered destroyed by Toronto Animal Services is going. I think you will be surprised!

Phoenix will be attending the march, as will my own dog Nakita, and our little senior rescue Chester. For those of you who have been following Chester’s story, this is your last and only chance to meet him and wish him luck in his new home. Chester will be delivered to his new home in Toronto right after the march! It will be a very busy day for the thirteen year old “dog in the box.”

I urge you all to bring out your dogs, big or small, pit or not, mixed breed or purebred, it doesn’t matter, BSL affects us all! Not only does it put good dogs in danger, but it tramples our basic rights and freedoms as citizens.

During the second world war, one group of people was singled out to be annihilated, and the world reacted with horror and outrage. BSL is basically the same thing, mass genocide of a single breed or breed mix of dog based on it’s looks. Should we be any less outraged because the victims of this particular cull are not human? What makes us think that we have a right to wipe out an entire breed of dog for our own self serving purposes? What gives us the right to label all pit bulls as vicious and uncontrollable? Isn’t that a little like saying that ALL Mexicans are illegal immigrants, or ALL black people are criminals? Of course we know neither is true, but you get my point!

We in North America pride ourselves on the fact that we consider an accused innocent until proven guilty. If a human being commits a crime parliament does not convene and ban all of his fellow countrymen because they MIGHT be criminals. How then can we allow the government to do so with our precious family pets? Crimes are taken on a case by case basis, and convictions are based on the evidence found. How is it then that we can condemn ALL pit bulls merely because they ARE pit bulls?

Breed Specific Legislation was intended to put a stop to dog bite incidents in the province, however it has not done so. For this tactic to work we would have to assume that the ONLY dogs that bite are pit bulls and pit bull mixes. We are well aware this is not the case. ANY dog no matter it’s breed or size has the potential to bite. All dogs have the potential to be dangerous dogs.

The only way to ensure that bite incidences are reduced is to hold the dog owner liable for the actions of his/her dog. Having a dog is a privilege and a responsibility, not a right. If you are not willing to be responsible for the actions of your pet, you should not have a pet. I keep and control multiple dogs, and have never had any of them bite a human being, not because they do not have the potential, but because I take responsibility for ensuring that it does not happen. I do so because it is MY responsibility as a pet owner, and I do not own a BSL regulated dog!

BSL does not work, it just turns dogs who should have freedom into animals who must live with unnecessary and cruel restrictions. People still get bitten, just not by pit bulls, so what has BSL really done for the province of Ontario but take the lives of innocent animals? What has it done, but cast fear into the hearts of people unfamiliar with the breed? What has it done save to serve to give pit bulls a bad rap? I’ll tell you what is has done, it has slaughtered thousands of innocent animals. It has cast sweet loving pits into a bad light, but is has not accomplished anything it was intended to. People still get bit by dogs, and as long as there are dogs around and people who refuse to learn how to interact with them properly, there will be people bit by dogs.

Don’t let the Ontario government turn our pit bulls into scapegoats. Support our efforts to abolish BSL. Come out tomorrow, and show your support! See you there!

Here’s the information:

Until Next Week

May your feet stay furry, your nose stay wet, and your food bowl never empty!

Love Ya Lots

Harley & Pebbles

When I took in our latest rescue Chester, some of you told me he would never find a home due to his advanced age. I am proud to say that today’s “Happy Tails” post is Chester’s story. Chester will be going HOME on Sunday!

Chester found himself ousted from his home at the age of 13.

Cold and alone, the little dog huddled in the bottom of the box. He was too old and weak to claw his way out. He laid down and waited to die. But God did not want Chester that day. So He sent an angel in the form of a close friend of mine, who in the nick of time found the box containing the little freezing senior dog and discovered what it held. After taking the little dog to the vet to make sure his ordeal had left no lasting effects, my good friend called me.

“I don’t know where he came from, but the vet says he is between 11 and 13 years old!” my good friend exclaimed so loudly I had to hold the phone away from my ear. “What are we going to do? I can not take him, and he will never survive the shelter! No one is going to want to adopt such an old dog.”

“Calm down,” I told her. “We will take him, don’t worry!” Still my friend worried that no one would want the little dog because of his age. I had been through this before, and had my own misgivings, but the little dog needed my help, and I was not going to turn my back on him. I took him in, knowing full well that he might be with me for the remainder of his years, and fully prepared to take that responsibility.

Chester lounges on the bed with a few other pack members.

Chester was in bad shape. It was clear he had not been properly groomed in quite some time. His nails had grown so long they were curling and walking was painful. The fur on his legs was matted and pulled painfully at his skin. A bath, a nail clipping, and a good grooming fixed all that. The grateful look in the little dog’s eyes brought a tear to my own. Chester was starting to learn that humans could be loving towards him.

About a week after Chester came to us, our college age daughter came home for a visit.  Chester and she were destined to become a pair. You could see the connection the second they met! Chester’s ears perked up, his head tilted and he looked at the new visitor with obvious interest. “Hmmmm, who’s this?” said the little dog’s sparkling eyes. “I quite like you!” Chester followed her everywhere she went for the remainder of her visit, curling up in her lap or right beside her wherever she sat.

Before leaving my daughter came to me, “Mom tell me his story?” she asked. I sat and told her of the phone call about the little dog in the box, and how someone had left him to die. Through her tears she said “Mom, if my room mate agrees, I would like to adopt him.” She had fallen in love with the little dog who had been left for dead, and even though she knew he might not have many years left, she wanted to love him for the time he had.

This week she called me. “Mom,” she said “the next time you come down to Toronto can you bring my dog with you?” She had spoken to her room mate and he had agreed, Chester had a new home! (N.B. I never had any doubt, I knew that my daughter’s room mate had adopted a senior cat the previous summer. He is an animal lover who knows the value of a senior pet, and understands a displaced animal needs a home with a loving, caring owner. He’s a real man!)

So as you all know I was already headed to Toronto this weekend for the Million Mutt March. Chester will travel with us attend the march to show his support for his pit bull buddies, and then he will go HOME!

We raise our kids thinking they never listen to us, that nothing we say to them or try to teach them gets through. I learned this week, that if you teach them the right way they will follow. I am proud of my daughter. Her decision to adopt this senior dog tells me she has grown to be a compassionate and caring person. I had one job given to me the day she was born, and that was to raise a socially conscious, morally responsible person. I think I have managed to do my job!

What’s more? This one simple act of kindness by a nineteen year old girl, has given me hope for the future! You see, my daughter was offered a puppy the same week she met Chester. She chose the senior dog who needed her, and for that Chester and I are grateful!

If you would like to see your rescued pet’s story here in our weekly “Happy Tails” blog, write it in 800 words or less and send it with pictures, to:

jhamilton_LA_Canada@bell.net

Don’t forget to hug your pet!

Janette

When BSL was first introduced in Ontario in 2005, I disagreed with it, but since I did not have a pit bull at the time, I did not feel it affected me personally. (At least that is what I thought at the time.) Then in August of 2010, five years after the passing of BSL, I took over the running of Let’s Adopt Canada, and it fell to me to be “up” on the issues. One of the first things I did in my official capacity was to attend a BSL rally at Coronation Park in Toronto. It was at that rally that I interviewed Joseph Branco, the owner of Brittany, a boxer mix who had been caught up in the BSL hype despite the fact that she was not a pit bull mix.

In speaking to Joseph Branco I learned first hand why BSL affects ALL dogs. His dog faced a fight for her life because an ignorant person had identified her as a banned breed. In meeting and speaking with Joseph, I also met Brittany, a friendly dog, who clearly does not have a drop of pit bull in her bloodline. I got down on the ground with Brittany, right in her face, for my trouble I was rewarded with doggie kisses and a wagging tail. This dog was far from vicious. Unless her scheme was licking people to death, I had nothing to fear. Yet Brittany, who had never bitten or menaced anyone was now labeled a dangerous dog. Her family must place a sign on their property saying a dangerous dog lives there, and Brittany is NEVER again allowed to roam in public without her Hannibal Lecter mask. Because someone mistook her for a pit bull, Brittany now has no life. She did nothing wrong, she is being punished for the ignorance of someone else.

This is what BSL has wrought. Pit bull owners can no longer walk down the street with their dogs without seeing fear in the eyes of citizens they pass. Pit bull type dogs no longer have the freedom to run and play with other dogs. As we saw with the case of Leo a pit bull in Oshawa who ended up on death row because his owner gave him a drink of water on a hot day, pit bull owners are not permitted to remove their dogs muzzles long enough to allow them to be treated in a humane manner.  Leo and his owner have since relocated to another province which does not have BSL as have many other pit bull owners.

According to the provincial government BSL was introduced in Ontario to stem the tide of dog bite incidents. It has not done so, and the reasons for that are simple ones. Any dog no matter what their breed has the potential to be a dangerous dog, breed has absolutely nothing to do with it. Dog bites still happen in Ontario, as we all knew they would. The idea that banning a single breed or mix thereof will stop dog bite incidents from happening is unrealistic. But will the government admit they have made a mistake? Of course not!

The government wants to ban MORE dog breeds. They figure that if banning pit bulls did not stop bite incidents they must have banned the wrong breed. There has been discussion about adding breeds to the ban, meanwhile Ontario dog owners want the ban lifted. The government has dismissed any advice from experts that does not support their breed ban, instead going outside of the country to seek “experts” that agree with their take on things.

If we do not defeat BSL now where will it take us? Will we end up like Italy, a country which now has over 90 breeds of dog on their BSL list? Or Australia, who has added Chihuahuas to their banned breed list? Where will the maddness end, and how many breeds will have been eradicated when the smoke clears?

On Sunday March 27th, 2011, I will raise my voice for those who can not speak for themselves. I will walk with my dogs (non-pits) through the streets of Toronto from Queen’s Park to Nathan Philip’s Square, and we will tell the Ontario government that OUR ONTARIO INCLUDES ALL DOGS! Join us! Be the voice for those who have none!

Here’s the info: (please note there is also a march in Cambridge on Saturday March 26th, 2011 information on that one is also listed below.)

We hope to see you there!

Until Tomorrow Remember

BE THE CHANGE YOU SEEK!

Janette