A few home truths

From the Cape Breton Post
Two men arrested in animal cruelty case The Cape Breton Post
BADDECK — The RCMP arrested two men in connection with the recent abandonment of five puppies in the woods near Middle River.The two Wagmatcook men have since been released from custody on a promise to appear. One of the men will appear in youth court in Baddeck, while the other will appear in provincial court in Baddeck. Both are scheduled in court, April 20.Two of the collie mix puppies died in sub-zero temperatures, estimated at minus-30 C, while the three female survivors were taken to Baddeck Veterinary Clinic for treatment.*For more, see Monday’s Cape Breton Post.
From this morning's Herald
Arrests made after pups abandoned Sun. Feb 15 - 5:19 AM
BADDECK — The RCMP have arrested two men after a trapper recently found five puppies abandoned in sub-zero temperatures amid a clump of alder bushes in rural Cape Breton.
Two of the pups died there.
Police say the two men from Wagmatcook were released from custody Saturday. Both are scheduled to appear in court on April 20.
Meanwhile, the three puppies that survived have found new homes.
The five mixed-breed pups, believed to be about three months old, were found in Middle River area on Tuesday.
The temperature at the time was -30 C.
Const. Aaron Brown of the Baddeck RCMP says the three survivors — named Daisy, Mazy and Wags — have all been adopted.
It’s unclear how or when the puppies ended up in the woods. The survivors were suffering from hypothermia, malnutrition, dehydration and puncture wounds.
The Canadian Press
This horrible story has highlighted some real home truths.

• there are as many kind hearted animal lovers in Cape Breton as anywhere else. Why do I say that? Even though the RCMP have considerably more training in criminal investigation than the society cruelty investigators, there would have been no quick arrest without community support.


• it should be no surprise that the vet clinic was flooded with adoption offers for the three surviving puppies. People always react quickly to any story that hits the mainstream media. Do you remember when the Herald did the two stories about SHAID's Home for the Holidays? The second story featured a cat named Sky who was adopted almost immediately afterward. Any successful adoption strategy has to include a partnership with the mainstream media.
• the horror of the story is only magnified by the fact that one of those arrested will have to be tried in youth court. In a just world, everyone who hurt an animal would be successfully prosecuted, but in a truly perfect world the book would be thrown at any youth committing the same. To quote Margaret Mead - "one of the most dangerous things that can happen to a child is to kill or torture an animal and get away with it.
• this is exactly the type of story that can be a catalyst for positive change. When people in Annapolis County discovered that impounded dogs were being shot, that stopped almost overnight. Why? Because it galvanized a caring and concerned group of animal lovers to form CAPS . At this time, all three counties in Cape Breton have only one SPCA branch to serve them. In fairness to the society, in the minutes from the January 12, 2009 BOD meeting an action item was to "contact vets in the Port Hawksbury/Port Hastings/Port Tupper area to get a sense of people in the area who might be interested in opening a SPCA branch as currently this appears to be an area without adequate coverage "
• And last but not least, successful prosecution of this case would not only serve as a deterrent for the future but would provide a positive way for the society to present a better image in Cape Breton. At the end of the day who knows what wonderful things could come of that?