Why we don't let the fox guard the henhouse, part two

From this evening's CBC News website
100 sick dogs found in Quebec puppy mill
Last Updated: Friday, December 12, 2008 6:23 PM ET CBC News
Authorities have busted yet another puppy mill in Quebec, this one with about 100 dogs living in "appallingly inhumane conditions" in a three-car garage northeast of Montreal, the head of the Montreal SPCA said.
The dogs were living in filthy, cramped cages in the poorly ventilated garage in the town of St-Jacques-de-Montcalm, said Alana Devine, acting executive director of Montreal's Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.
Conditions in the garage were so bad that the smell of ammonia burned the eyes and it was hard to breathe, the CBC's Amanda Margison reported.
Some of the dogs are pregnant and others are young puppies. Several have urgent medical issues including "ear problems, eye problems [and] skin problems," said Alain Dessureault, a veterinarian.
The animals have been taken to Montreal, where the SPCA will clean them up before they're matched with foster care homes.
There may be enough evidence to file criminal charges against the owner, Devine said.
This is the third puppy-mill bust in Quebec in the last two months.
Animal rights activists have called for tougher laws to crack down on breeders who mistreat dogs.
Or, as my friend Joan has been tagging it lately, another facility with "substandard care".
According to the official policy statement of the CKC, with respect to Puppy Mills, http://www.ckc.ca/en/portals/0/pdf/Chptr%2012%20Legislative%20Policy%20Statements.pdf :

The term “Puppy Mill” generally refers to a high-volume, sub-standard dog-breeding operation,
which sells purebred or mixed breed dogs, directly or indirectly to unsuspecting buyers. Some
of the characteristics common to puppy mills are:
(a) Sub-standard health and/or environmental issues;
(b) Sub-standard animal care, treatment and/or socialization;
(c) Sub-standard breeding practices which lead to genetic defects or hereditary disorders;
(d) Erroneous or falsified certificates of registration, pedigrees and/or genetic background.
Note: These conditions may also exist in small volume or single breed establishments.

There is a great glossing over of things by the use of the word "substandard" but where it is to be found in the CKC official legislated policy statement it is no wonder the CKC members spout it like Gospel. Even more interesting is article 12-13 of the same document which officially differentiates between "Animal Welfare" and "Animal Rights" groups, encouraging the support of the former without stating anything at all about the latter.
There is another portion of their website where the CKC Breeder Code of Ethics maintain that all members must adhere to the housing standards which are laid out quite specifically in CVMA Code of Practice for Canadian Kennel Operations,
Now that sounds quite impressive, until one realizes that the CKC only has authority over its members.
Hmmm..... so who watches the rest of the henhouse? Is it those darned animal activists? The dreaded animal rights folks? The animal welfare people are normally too busy cleaning up after massive seizures like the ones in tonight's news.
Letting the commercial breeders who are not CKC members police themselves is right up there with letting the food production industry do its own inspections. The recent outbreaks of listeria have clearly shown that letting the folks with the vested financial interest monitor themselves wasn't the path to public safety.
Who should be crafting the legislation on behalf of the animals at the federal level? Should it be the folks with a vested financial interest? Or should it be the Canadian Federation of Humane Societies, who already have an established legal research and lobbying department in place?
Before the last election, CFHS http://cfhs.ca/ surveyed all the political parties to determine their stance on animal welfare. Visitors to their site are actively encouraged to contact their politicians about animal welfare issues in general and on Bills C-373 and C-558, which were removed from the order paper when the last election was called.
While it is understood that the current political climate is not about getting work done, but about jockeying for power by all parties concerned, that should not deter animal lovers from reminding the people who represent them at all levels how important this issue is to them as voters.
"Substandard" operations like this one will only become obsolete through effective legislative change. The way ahead, as always will be paved by voter feedback.
If you wish to contact the Senator for your area, http://www.parl.gc.ca/common/senmemb/senate/isenator.asp?sortord=P&Language=E. If you wish to contact your Member of Parliament, http://webinfo.parl.gc.ca/MembersOfParliament/MainMPsCompleteList.aspx?TimePeriod=Current&Language=E
What time is it? Its time to stop pretending that the CKC has any legal or moral authority over "substandard' operations.

It shouldn't happen to a dog

From this morning's Herald
Loyal lab didn't abandon N.S. duck hunter in sinking boat
Last Updated: Wednesday, December 10, 2008 8:30 PM AT
A Louisbourg man hopes he never has to relive the harrowing three hours he spent in a sinking boat Wednesday — with his loyal dog paddling behind.
Charlie Lahey was duck hunting on Bras d'Or Lake, near Christmas Island, when the wind picked up and blew his small aluminum boat off shore.
With waves close to a metre high, Lahey's engine died and then his oar locks broke.
A friend back on land saw what was happening 1,500 metres away and called 911.
"I was just stuck out in it," Lahey told CBC News. "I let [the boat] fill full of water so it wouldn't tip over. I made oar locks up with a rope and three hours later, I made it ashore."
While Lahey struggled to row back to shore before his boat sank, his dog Tess had her own struggle.
For the entire three hours, the chocolate lab swam behind the boat, refusing to head to shore. Lahey said Tess grew so tired she was frothing at the mouth.
"The wind took the boat and she couldn't catch up to the boat, it was blowing so fast. She wouldn't leave. She stayed right with me until I got ashore," he said.
Both Lahey and Tess made it to shore just as rescue crews arrived. They were both exhausted but otherwise fine. "I don't ever want to ever be there again," Lahey said. "It was terrible."
Rescue personnel say Lahey is lucky to be alive.
"[It was] not a day to be out in a boat," said Bob Bonnar, a rescue team dive master.
When animals will go the distance like that for us, why can we not return the favour?

Twas the Night Before Christmas for a Chained Dog

Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house
Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse;

The stockings were hung by the chimney with care,

In hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there;
The children were nestled all snug in their beds,

With no thought of the dog filling their head.

And mamma in her 'kerchief, and I in my cap,

Knew he was cold, but didn't care about that.

When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter,

I sprang from the bed to see what was the matter

Away to the window I flew like a flash,

Figuring the dog was free and into the trash.

The moon on the breast of the new-fallen snow

Gave the luster of midday to objects below,

When, what to my wondering eyes should appear,

But Santa Claus - his eyes full of tears.

He unchained the dog, once so lively and quick,

Last years Christmas present, now thin and sick.

More rapid than eagles he called the dog's name.

And the dog ran to him, despite all his pain,
"Now, DASHER! Now, DANCER! Now, PRANCER and VIXEN!

On, COMET! On CUPID! On, DONNER and BLITZEN!

To the top of the porch! To the top of the wall!

Let's find this dog a home where he'll be loved by all"

I knew in an instant there would be no gifts this year,

For Santa Claus had made one thing quite clear,

The gift of a dog is not just for the season,

We had gotten the pup for all the wrong reasons.
In our haste to think of giving the kids a gift

There was one important thing that we missed.

A dog should be family, and cared for the same

You don't give a gift, then put it on a chain.
And I heard him exclaim as he rode out of sight,

"You weren't given a gift! You were given a life!"

Webmaster Note: These two pictures are of the same dog. Before he was rescued in Cape Breton his name was Po. Not only did they keep him chained out back, but he was also behind a fence so they did not have to look at him.

Lucky for Po, a very kind woman kept on insisting that something be done about his plight.

Even luckier for Po, after he was rescued, he came under the loving umbrella of ARC , who really walk the walk when it comes to No Kill. ARC never defines treatable by the dollar sign and they keep each pet in their care until the appropriate Forever Home is found.... no matter how long that takes. Po is now Handsome Henry and is living the life he should have had all along : ))))

If you have a chained dog in your neighbourhood... be their Santa and speak up. Now we all know that people who can do this type of thing aren't always the nicest or the easiest to talk to. What a great blessing that at http://www.dogsdeservebetter.com/ you can download printable material to hang on their mailbox and they will even mail the literature to your neighbour if you prefer to remain anonymous. And of course for neglected dogs like Po, here in NS you can call the Nove Scotia SPCA Toll Free Cruelty Line 1-888-703-7722

Henry's story had a happy ending because one woman wouldn't take no for an answer and kept speaking on his behalf until action was taken.

"..it does not require a majority to prevail, but rather an irate, tireless minority keen to set brushfires in people's minds."~Samuel Adams

Why I Muse about things at Midnight

From this morning's Herald
'Slap on the wrist' for C.B. women who admitted animal abuse By LAURA FRASER Cape Breton BureauTue. Dec 9 - 5:28 AM
An animal rights activist says that allowing two Cape Breton women convicted of animal cruelty to keep pets exposes the flaws in the province’s animal cruelty laws.
Janet Chernin, who runs a daycare for dogs, says she’s outraged that the former owner of Celtic Pets Rescue and her mother got only a "slap on the wrist" after each pleading guilty to a provincial animal cruelty charge Friday.
Zonda MacIsaac and her mother Alice will each have to pay a fine of $1,000 and are prohibited from running any business that would care for or board animals.
Both the Crown and defence lawyers agreed upon the sentence.
They must also allow the Nova Scotia SPCA to search their properties for the next 20 years without a warrant. Zonda will be allowed to keep her five pets and the SPCA will give Alice back two of the dogs seized from her home. The rescue society had not been able to find new owners and the dogs would have otherwise been put to sleep. But Ms. Chernin said it would be more humane to euthanize those dogs than return them to a convicted animal abuser.
"To allow these women to have animals of their own is a travesty. To me, they should be doing jail time. They should be living in the same condition the animals were living in."
The charges against the former operator of the Celtic Pets Rescue shelter were laid after the SPCA found more than 100 feces-encrusted animals living in a compound in West Bay Road. Some of the animals were found dead. The SPCA later seized 25 animals from Alice’s home. The two women were well-known in the animal rescue community before the raid. Alice had been a special constable with the SPCA and the Crown attorney said Zonda had helped find homes for about 600 animals.
The sentence reflects the fact that the pair did have a clean record when working with animals in the past, said Daniel MacRury, the chief Crown attorney for the region. He said the women also got credit for pleading guilty at an early date.
The Nova Scotia SPCA was involved in the discussions between the Crown and defence lawyers, a society spokesman said.
Sean Kelly said the parties had to reach this compromise because of the toothless animal cruelty laws in place. Typical sentences usually only prevent someone from owning an animal for a couple years, he said.
( lfraser@herald.ca)
There has been a lot of buzz in the animal loving community about the conditions of last friday's judgement. People who were initially outraged by the betrayal of trust after the seizure were hoping for more than our legal system had to offer.
There have been so very many hard lessons learned from the whole sad miserable Celtic Pets story. It shone the light in some grubby corners and was the catalyst for the changes we have seen in the society.
But it is impossible to talk about the Celtic Pets story without talking about the situation for the animals in Cape Breton in general and the problems with the CB Branch of the SPCA in particular.
One of the society's unwritten mandates is to lead the way for the animals by their own example. How has the Cape Breton branch done this?

• by killing healthy adoptable pets at the owners request
• by inappropriately labelling animals as unhealthy or unadoptable to justify killing them. This number is never included anymore in their branch statistics, which is how they were magically able to improve their adoption rate without actually changing anything. In the business world that is referred to as 'cooking the books"
• by only ever listing a few token adoptables on their petfinder site, which btw this morning has no animals. Is it too much trouble to have to keep the ones listed on the site alive for a little while? Is it too embarrassing to have to explain when anyone inquires that " nope we killed that one already" ? Is the branch worried that people would pay attention and actually notice how many they are killing?
• and last but not least, by attempting to sugar coat the whole situation by sweeping all the dirt under the rug instead of letting the light shine in. Trying to pretend everything is alright when they are so evidently in need of real assistance.

With such a role model at hand, is it any wonder that it is such a crapshoot to be a homeless animal in Cape Breton. All the laws in the world are not going to make a difference until the inadequacies of the Cape Breton Branch are tackled head on.

What time is it? Its time to recognize that Celtic Pets was just the tip of the iceberg.

Midnight musings - part two

Why did I vote NDP in the last federal election? Do you remember Bill S 203, the woefully inadequate piece of animal cruelty legislation that was galloped through the House and Senate at breakneck speed last spring? My own MP at the time, Liberal, not only voted for this particular bill, but never replied once to any on my emails inquiring about this. I may be a middle aged granny, but the last time I looked I was a registered voter in this country.
But I digress. What was wrong with Bill S203? Basically it really didn't change anything. There is no point in increasing penalties as long as offences against animals are categorized as property offences. Why is that? Because under the current law, animal cruelty ( except for some odd reason against cattle ) is a summary conviction offense and not the more serious indictable offense.
Whats the difference? Under our Criminal Code, a summary offense conviction makes the accused liable to a two thousand dollar fine and/or six months in prison. That's what the first difference is. What else ?

• Bill S- 203 did not change the wording of the offense, 'willful neglect" Why is that a problem? Proving that a person intended to neglect their animals has made it difficult to lay charges in offenses, even where dozens of animals have been starved to death. Bill C -373 introduces the word 'negligent' with a clear definition that minimizes legal loopholes
• Bill S- 203 does not address the Brutal and Vicious killing of an animal as a form of violence, while Bill C-373 introduces it as a specific offense, whether or not the animal dies immediately. Why is this a big deal? Under existing law, if an animal dies on 'the first blow' it is impossible to get a conviction
• Bill S- 203 did not change the fact that under the existing law, it is not illegal to train and use animals to fight other animals. Bill C-373 makes it a specific offence to either train and use the animals to fight other animals as well as to profit from the same.
• S- 203 contains no protections or standards for the 'traditional uses of animals" , which includes animals used for hunting, farming and medical or scientific research. This is addressed in Bill C- 373/

So why did our federal politicians vote for Bill S 203 when there was a much better piece of legislation on the table, an NDP introduced version, Bill C-373, which would have moved animal cruelty offenses to a new and separate section of the Criminal Code?

Politics is a funny game and bills in the House move according to the priority they are assigned. Although much is made of the fact, on the Prime Minister's website, http://pm.gc.ca/eng/default.asp, that our PM supports pet adoption, at the end of the day most of politics is a game of expediency. We didn't get the good bill because it obviously wasn't an issue of importance.
Did they not know about the difference between the two bills? Of course they did. The Canadian Federation of Humane Societies , http://cfhs.ca/ , repeatedly lobbied the government on behalf of the better bill. They are still determined to reopen the issue , but of course now our House is on an extended holiday that will sadly very likely result in the second election within the space of a year.
It is a sad day for the animals when playing politics has become more important than getting on with the job of making our Canada a better place.
Until then, if you live in NS, you can reach your MP, their riding office and or their parties at:

Brison, Scott (Hon. ) Kings—Hants Liberal
Casey, Bill Cumberland—Colchester—Musquodoboit Valley Independent
Cuzner, Rodger Cape Breton—Canso Liberal
Eyking, Mark (Hon.) Sydney—Victoria Liberal
Keddy, Gerald South Shore—St. Margaret's Conservative
Kerr, Greg West Nova Conservative
Leslie, Megan Halifax NDP
MacKay, Peter Gordon (Hon.) Central Nova Conservative
Regan, Geoff (Hon.) Halifax West Liberal
Savage, Michael Dartmouth—Cole Harbour Liberal
Stoffer, Peter Sackville—Eastern Shore NDP

Before the last election, the CFHS sent all of the parties a questionnaire to determine their stance on animal welfare issues. If you are interested in reading the results, http://cfhs.ca/law/urging_candidates_to_debate_animal_welfare_issues/

Why do I take the time to follow all these things? Because at the end of the day, all politics is personal. When I was a young woman, the human rights legislation completely changed how employers could treat women. If I had become pregnant with my daughter one year earlier, there would have been no guarantee that the military could not have released me on my maternity leave.

Politics isn't an arbitrary bit of entertainment on the six o'clock news. It defines our freedoms and protects what is close to our heart. At the end of the day, democracy only works if we pay attention. If we don't keep our eyes on the ball, it could turn into a game we don't want to play.

No Batteries Required

Holiday Trimmings are everywhere now

Even the streetlights seem softer somehow

Hanging the mistletoe, trimming the trees

Mailing the letters that start Santa Please

will I unwrap my gifts and say wow

Good will unto men is found everywhere

Even from those who don't normally care

Neighbourhood grudges get put on the shelf

People start looking outside of their self

for ways they can help and can share.

So many good causes its so hard to choose

No one wants anyone needy to lose

When people are looking for ways to be kind

The animals often get left far behind

the stories of need in the news.

Love doesn't need to be measured that way

For a pet in a shelter with no place to stay

If you find the room in your home and your heart

For a second hand pet who just needs a new start

You will wake up to love everyday.

with apologies in advance to all of you who expect decent prose, not cheesey poetry from me : )))))

Fourteen Very Special Kitties

These are fourteen very lucky kitty cats. Now why would I say that, when they are quite obviously in a shelter. Well these particular kitties are at SHAID , where they are pulling out all the stops for their long term residents. These are the fourteen kitties who have been at SHAID the longest .... so to help them out, SHAID has a very special holiday adoption fee for these kitties. It began on the first of December and will be in effect until the fifth of January. SHAID will absorb half the adoption fee for these purrfect guys and gals.

Some of them, like Boomerang are more mature..... while others, like Amos and Andy are still quite young.

SHAID is a No Kill shelter .... many of these great cats were at the shelter when I drove over to Bridgewater to adopt my own little Morgan ( And before anyone asks, no we weren't out of homeless cats in the Valley at that time, but I was so taken by her brave story that my heart just went out to her. Morgan is very lucky she was rescued by SHAID, as other shelters at the time wouldn't have held out any promise of hope for a cat who couldn't walk..... but that is a tail for another day )

But.. back to the kitties who are there today..... SHAID is closed on Mondays, but is open to the public from Tuesday to Friday from noon until 3 pm and on Saturday from 11 am until 4 pm. They can be reached by email at shaidtreeanimalshelter@yahoo.ca and by phone at 902 543-4849

PS Morgan has been loved here with me since a year ago last September..... so that tells you how long some of these great kitties have been waiting for their Forever Homes. If Cagney , Salem , Boomerang , Diva , Sally , Sooky ,
Amos , Horace , Buddy , Josie , Keri , Andy , Beamer and Sky could sing for you, they would give you a chorus of I'll Be Home for Christmas.