“All I know is, I love my dog more than anybody on the planet. There is nobody who will take better care of her or work harder to keep her safe and sound, with all the necessary aids and precautions.”

“When people tell me how much they love Brindi, I think that’s really great, because it reassures me that even behind bars, she is being her wonderful, beautiful, smart, attentive, fun, eager to learn, and above all, loving self. Even behind bars, all of that comes through; she is weary, she is lonely, she needs more exercise, her teeth and coat need attention, and Lord knows she needs to come home — but she has not gone crazy, she has not become vicious. Not this dog, people!”

“And it gives me a bit of hope. Who in their right mind could kill a dog like Brindi?

“My hope is that maybe, just maybe, people who say they love Brindi will put themselves in my shoes for just a moment. A fraction of a moment. Any amount of time, no matter how brief, would be enough for them to know one thing for certain: nobody loves Brindi as much as I do. And then they would understand exactly why I say that I am not going to stop until she is back home, safe and sound.” [May 2009]

“Good news: permission from the authorities to see Brindi 30 minutes a week, noontime Wednesdays. Two visits so far since January. Unlike back then, this time we were allowed to be inside the building, since it was cold and rainy that day… .” [Note: These are the first two visits Francesca has been "permitted" since Brindi was seized in July 2008.]

“I can’t help thinking that Brindi has easily served ten times more time behind bars than even the worst animal abuser. My time has been much like prison; I certainly have not been living a real life. Knowing your dog is literally on death row makes that kind of impossible.” [May 2009]

[Note: Today's post is taken from Francesca's blog, Free Brindi!. The text comes from May 2009, roughly halfway between today and where this ordeal began in late July 2008. It's but a small part of her story as told in her own words.]

Francesca makes her pre-sentencing statement before the judge on April 16, 2010.
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Please call and/or email the contacts below.

Do it often and do it regularly.

Ask them to correct this iniquity and return Brindi to her owner, Francesca Rogier.

Because the morning afforded it, I spent a little extra time in bed this morning snuggling with Ike and Maude, two of my rescued dogs.

They aren’t anything special. They were born in the woods to a dog who had been dumped on the side of the road. They will likely live their whole lives and pass meaning very little to anyone… except me.

But with thoughts of Brindi in my head, our morning snuggle took on a new perspective.

What if someone took them away from me? What if I was not even allowed to visit them?

I recall Francesca’s words from her blog where she describes some of the images she keeps in her head of her beloved Brindi:

“Random images. The look of joy – Lebensfreude – on a turned-up snoot, big brown eyes rolling up at [me], exquisite pleasure voiced in low grunts in being readied to go outside for any reason at all, but especially, for a nice long walk in the tall grasses. Even better, a towel rub-down after she comes back from a walk soaking wet, which is about 30-40% of the time. I stretch the ends of the towel and rub it perpendicular to her back, from neck to tail. Efficient method. Also makes one happy just to see how happy it makes her. Going to the car, trotting expectantly, looking back for instructions every other step. Sitting upright there. Or, moving through the yard with me, never more than one inch from my left leg, anticipating the route, hoping for the words ‘cross the street.’ Her visible bodily struggle to maintain self-control against sheer glee. Watching her wriggle on her back as soon as we hit the lushest, deep green grasses on the slope, sometimes managing a bit of a slide, always getting really into it, legs in the air, body winding back and forth like a snake. This dog knows how to enjoy a real life and make every simple joy and basic need fulfillment a truly great experience. Ears prick straight up at a sound, a word from me. Snuggle at a moment’s notice.” [August 2008]

What would I do if this was taken away from me? Would I put my life on hold to save the life of my closest companion? Invest all my savings to take a stand against a bad by-law?

But it’s “just a dog.” Just a dog?

“Well, all I can say in response is, ‘It is death, you know. Senseless, needless killing that we are talking about.’ Just because she’s a dog does not make it okay for a city to kill her, when a fence and training will take care of the problem. It is not okay to kill. Brindi is a dog… I love her. She hears, smells, and loves me better than any human I know. She is irreplaceable. I will not simply go to the SPCA and ‘get another one,’ as one of the other dog owners suggested.

“If we cannot honor these helpless creatures who love, give, and forgive us without a thought for themselves, what good are we?” [September 2008]

I took the extra time to snuggle with my dogs this morning BECAUSE I CAN. I took the time to snuggle precisely because Francesca CANNOT. She has shown me what I take for granted.

Give your pet something extra today. And realize… it should not be wrong to stand up for what is right.

Please call and/or email the contacts below. Do it often and do it regularly. Ask them to correct this iniquity and return Brindi to her owner, Francesca Rogier.

All of nature has the ability to reason and the ability to negotiate. It’s innate in us. As natural as rain.

You need only look at the pecking order in a herd of wild horses to see this or the feeding rotation of birds around a birdfeeder.

Society sets rules to govern us, to guide us on acceptable behavior. They provide lines and structure.

If we paint outside those lines, we negotiate the consequences.

Your son breaks your neighbor’s window with an errant baseball. Does your neighbor seize your child? Confiscate his baseball? No, you negotiate with the neighbor to replace his window at your expense. You teach your child a new behavior: don’t play baseball so close to windows.

We negotiate the consequences.

A look through the Halifax Animal By-Law Violation report included by the city each month in the minutes on their website shows that violations are negotiated every month. Fines are routinely negotiated.

There is nothing unusual about Brindi’s incident.

She broke away from Francesca while getting muzzled. She ran to the edge of her property and scuffled with a dog being walked past the house. It was over in seconds. There were no visible wounds nor was the dog vetted for any injuries.

So why has the city of Halifax NOT negotiated this case in all the time that has passed since Brindi was seized in July 2008? The only words we seem to hear from their camp is the long passed cliched response: “We cannot comment because the case is before the court.”

Even the Criminal Code of Canada clearly states in section 718.2 (b) “a sentence should be similar to sentences imposed on similar offenders for similar offences committed in similar circumstances…”

It’s an indifference of sorts to not even attempt to negotiate.

Justice IS blind in Halifax. The same rules applied to other by-law violations are not being applied here.

Please call and/or email the Mayor of Halifax and the head of the city’s Legal Department. Ask them to correct this iniquity and return Brindi to her owner, Francesca Rogier.

It should not be wrong to stand up for what is right.

Mayor – Pete Kelly
kellyp@halifax.ca, mayorhrm@gmail.com
902-490-4010

Head of Legal – Mary Ellen Donovan
donovad@halifax.ca
Phone: 902-490-4232

Ciao, Holly

WHAT IF the city impounded your pet and wouldn’t let you have visitation… what would you do?

“On Monday, I sent another request to Animal Services for permission to see Brindi. Two weeks ago, after sending three letters in a row, I got a written refusal. There is no law or written policy banning [visitation].” October 2008

“Before leaving the [courthouse], we asked the city’s counsel once again if I could be allowed to visit Brindi. Answer: a flat NO.” January 2009

WHAT IF your only alternative to save your pet from euthanasia was to sue the city… would you do it?

In 2008, Francesca Rogier pursued that very alternative. In January, 2009, the Supreme Court declared certain portions of By-law A-300 invalid and quashed the decision to have Brindi euthanized.

Nova Scotia Supreme Court Judge Duncan Beveridge quashed Brindi’s original euthanization order because the city failed, he wrote, to accord Rogier “even the most minimal requirements for procedural fairness.” One example? In what the city called its “complete investigation” of the third attack, no one bothered to take a statement from, or even contact, Rogier. [The Coast]

Brindi should have been a free dog that day.

Instead, the city launched their second attempt to KILL BRINDI. They charged Francesca Rogier with three violations of the By-Laws.

The city continues, today, to hold Brindi.

Please call and/or email the Mayor of Halifax and the head of the city’s Legal Department. Ask them to correct this iniquity and return Brindi to her owner, Francesca Rogier.

It should not be wrong to stand up for what is right.

Mayor – Pete Kelly
kellyp@halifax.ca, mayorhrm@gmail.com
902-490-4010

Head of Legal – Mary Ellen Donovan
donovad@halifax.ca
Phone: 902-490-4232

Ciao, Holly

WHAT IF city authorities arrived at your door one night with a warrant to SEIZE AND DESTROY your family pet… what would you do?

“From the minute they drove the big white truck away with Brindi sitting quietly in a locked metal cage, I began looking for help everywhere and anywhere – that is, after I finished screaming long and hard, enough to damage my vocal chords… For me, the excruciating pain of separation is compounded by horror and disbelief that in a case where no serious harm was inflicted, the city will actually kill a dog rather than punish me, her human owner and the responsible party.” [August 2008]

WHAT IF the same by-law that brought them to your door — a by-law designed to safeguard the city — offered you no option for challenging this warrant… what would you do?

“For the last ten days, I have been phoning, emailing, and visiting people, soliciting letters of support, and basically going crazy…. As a single woman, public safety is certainly important to me. I do not want people to worry about walking by my house. I have offered to install a fence right away, and work with a special trainer to correct her behavior. I will pay whatever fines and boarding costs are imposed. Animal Services has not responded to my offer, and the city’s lawyer declined my lawyer’s proposal to send Brindi to stay at an out of town facility until her behavior can be improved. Instead, Halifax appears determined to kill my dog.”[August 2008]

Between January 2007 and March 2010, THIRTY-ONE dogs were seized and destroyed IN HALIFAX by the letter of these very by-laws.

In 2008, one woman dared to stand up to the city and fight to save her dog.

It’s now the end of March, 2010, and she is STILL fighting.

Please call and/or email the Mayor of Halifax and the head of the city’s Legal Department. Ask them to correct this iniquity and return Brindi to her owner, Francesca Rogier.

It should not be wrong to stand up for what is right.

Mayor Pete Kelly -
kellyp@halifax.ca, mayorhrm@gmail.com
902-490-4010

Head of Legal – Mary Ellen Donovan
donovad@halifax.ca>
Phone: 902-490-4232

Ciao, Holly