The world can be a very dangerous place to be a beagle ....

Mmmm ... what could be better than baked beans on a bitter day like this?  Simmering in a slow oven .... waiting like a warm hug to greet us coming home cold from our hike!
It is almost frosting on the cake to be able to build up the coals and have the comfort of our cozy fire!
This is not the kind of morning when we lollygagged along the trails ... poking noses into every scented nook and cranny!    On a 'fresh' ( valleyspeak for pfc ... or pretty darned cold if you prefer :) morning like this we gallop along the main trail quicker than the dratted dog teasing sqwirrels can scamper up a tree!
Do dogs need the comfort of a cozy fire to considered well cared for?   Of course not!   Separate and apart from the emotional and mental needs of a species that puts the Capitol C in Companion Animal .... it is even possible for dogs to live physically comfortable lives in properly insulated and heated outdoor kennels, built and maintained according to the standards provided in The Code of Practice for Canadian Kennel Operations
Does the poor dog in the picture below appear to be living in a structure that comes anywhere close to meeting the standards suggested by the Canadian Veterinary Association?
These pictures came from a current ad posted on Kijiji.   "8 year old female beagle. Good hunting dog just don`t have the time as I have started her pups.  $100.00 or best offer"
Even worse ... this is not tucked away in some remote spot back up the mountain.   Nope!   According to the map on the ad, this is smack dab in the middle of Aylesford ... surrounded by homes and within spitting distance of at least one church.
At the risk of sounding like a stuck record, little beagles with their thin coats were never meant to live in such inadequate housing!    It is simply rendered all the sadder that this particular doggie is a senior who has outlived her usefulness in punching out puppies :(
What time is it?   It is way, way past time for more specific housing regulations in our Animal Protection Act.  At the end of the day, that would be the most effective way to speak for those who cannot speak for themselves.
The world is a dangerous place, not because of those who do evil, but because of those who look on and do nothing Albert Einstein

And that is how I see it on Friday, December 30th ... the FORTY -FOURTH day since the dismissed shelter manager and the disbanded board created the renegade shelter.