Friday, May 21, 2010

No-kill IS attainable

Once again, stealing from the best....Brent of KC Dog Blog is doing a terrific job of covering the progress of the no-kill movement in animal shelters in the U.S. and elsewhere.

Please be clear that no-kill is not no-euthanasia. Animal welfare IMHO encompasses the humane euthanasia of an animal at the end of its life, suffering, with no hope medically, or the humane euthanasia of an animal that after professional evaluation and attempted rehabilitation/behaviour modification remains a risk to public safety.

Brent has a great post entitled No Kill - Politically Speaking covering the politics that kill animals.

He also has a terrific post about why we should be talking about no kill communities, not just no kill shelters. Changing the benchmark from no kill shelters to no kill communities really raises the bar in animal welfare.

His latest post, entitled Knowing that it's possible, segues nicely from a marketing guru's words to the latest developments in U.S. no-kill, and has points that make it easy for the average person to understand how no-kill can be achieved.

Nathan Winograd is essentially the founder of the no kill movement. His site has an incredible amount of information about no kill and how it can be achieved. He also has graphic photos, videos and text of the abuse that goes on in shelters and pounds.

No-kill is attainable. We know it's possible.
All it takes is the knowledge and the will.

Thursday, May 20, 2010

Dog's ribs broken in City of Brampton animal pound

Stealing directly from the Brampton Guardian, "Rambo, a dog wrongfully impounded by the City of Brampton for more than three months, was returned home with two broken ribs, The Guardian has learned." Read about it here.

Addendum: My first dog was a rescue with broken ribs from being kicked. One rib punctured the skin and abscessed, it required a lot of care (thanks, Mum) to clean the abscess daily and keep the dog from reinjuring herself. I'm heartsick that Mrs. Gaspar, a pensioner, now has to incur veterinary expenses for this injury to Rambo.

For parents looking for summer fun for their kids...

...K9 Rescue Me runs the Pawsitively Pets Kids Camp. It's a fabulous program with sessions targeted for children 5 to 8 years old (Young Pups), 9 to 12 (Cool Catz), 10 to 13 (Animal Care) and 12 to 16 (Mini Vet).

Explore the programs and sign your child/ren up because the programs fill up fast!

Wish this had been around when I was a kid!

Wednesday, May 19, 2010

CP24 LeDrew show on May 19, 2010 and kittens to die because of THS

Update: Bob Hambley sent out a dancing-backwards communique saying that the current board would not shut down the feeding program. You can read the text of the message (and the comments) on One Bark At A Time.

I only steal from the best..and Red Star Cafe's live blogging of the CP24 show with candidates from the two slates, Faces of Change and Save The THS, is brilliant. One Bark At A Time has a short and succinct summary of the event.

Toronto Humane Society has condemned hundreds of kittens to die by shutting down the kitten feeding program. One Bark At A Time has an eloquent dissertation on this latest inhumane move by Bob Hambley and the board of THS. THS spent almost half a million dollars, probably more, on lawyers last year but can't keep a kitten feeding program going. When is THS going to be about the animals again, instead of egos?

For those who are as annoyed as my friend still is by the improper acquisition and use of THS members' e-mail addresses, I suggest a PIPEDA complaint against the Save The Toronto Humane Society slate and Sussex Strategy Group. The form is here, quite simple to complete.

Addendum: Those in the Beltline area should be aware of two hairy dogs that are severely dog-aggressive with an irresponsible owner who allows the dogs to attack other dogs. Read about it on Toronto Dog Blog. Where's the "public safety" for this dog and its owner, Mr. McGuinty & Minions?

Monday, May 17, 2010

Shenanigans in the Toronto Humane Society election

STOLEN FROM ONE BARK AT A TIME: "Wednesday night, I'm told, there is going to be a live debate broadcast on CP24 at 9 (but check your listings to make sure about this) between an FOC candidate and an STHS candidate. While I enjoy a lively debate, I suspect that STHS is going to stick David Turnbull, their spokesperson, in front of the camera to rep their side because he's a seasoned pro, being a politician and all, and if he's a good politician, he'll be able to talk his way around anything and come out sounding good but saying nothing. Let's hope substance wins over style tomorrow night."

To my mind STTHS is playing a shell game, trying to distract from the fact that they do not have a concrete plan for dealing with THS and to play on the emotions of the people upset by the OSPCA situation. Remember that the THS situation was FAR worse, with animals left to die in agony in their cages. STTHS should get their priorities in order, back off from anything involving the OSPCA and deal with the issues on the THS doorstep. Last time I was in THS, it stank to high heaven and it wasn't just animal waste that stank.

If there's a call-in portion, call in and hammer STTHS for their specific plan for dealing with THS. Tell them to can the "ideologies and politics" smoke and mirrors bullshite and let members know exactly how STTHS plans to deal with the financial situation of the shelter, animal intake, euthanasia. Ask how "ideologies and politics" killed Casper in the ceiling. I have LOTS of ideas for other questions.

Don't let 'em try to fob it off with a "ooh, the managers will do that." If the managers can do everything, why do the shelter and the animals need STTHS?

===============================================================

The dishonesty, deceit, misrepresentation and malice going on while people grasp at straws to try to stay in power have the stench of desperation about them.

The ONLY group behaving honourably is the Faces of CHANGE slate.

Tailspin has an eloquent post about why members of the Toronto Humane Society should vote for the Faces of Change slate. Tailspin's first paragraph really resonated with me; it's a sickening feeling watching the dark side overtake the light.

Addendum: One Bark At A Time has a very thoughtful post on the election issue.

A friend received a mailing from "Concerned Members of Toronto Humane Society" in the same vein, reminding people of why the old must be swept out forever and the new brought in.