I have read through, a number of times, the new City of Steinbach Animal Control By-law and I have some questions, although I'm not hopeful that we'll get any clear answers the questions will remain.
The sections of the Animal Control By-law are in a different font below with some key areas highlighted. It is important to remember that in Manitoba the Animal Care Act requires inspection and licensing if all shelters, pounds and kennel facilities. We would need to see that license on file with the City of Steinbach as it is their facility although it resides in the R.M. of Hanover.
Destroying dogs for humane reasons
6.5 Despite section 6.4, if the Animal Control Officer believes that an impounded dog
is suffering from injury, disease, sickness, or other cause which it is unlikely to survive or
from which it is unlikely to recover, and that destroying the dog would be humane, the
Animal Control Officer may destroy the dog immediately.
The Animal Control Officer has no veterinary training to make this determination and should be required to consult with a veterinary professional, either local or provincial, to make a determination of the health of an animal.
Caring for dogs/animals
6.6/8.10 The Animal Control Officer, as he or she considers necessary and humane, may
maintain and care for impounded dogs including the provision of food, water, and shelter,
and may arrange for veterinary care and medication.
I combined the sections 6 and 8 because their wording is the same whether it be for dogs or 'other' animals. What expertise or training does an Animal Control Officer have to qualify them to determine what is necessary and humane for the care of impounded animals? Do they know the recommended food rations, quantity of water, the need for shelter that is adequate year round? How is the humane treatment of someone's PET discretionary? I really have issue with the words "may maintain and care" and if they choose not to? What is the penalty? Has the job description for the Animal Control Officer changed enough to require training and resources? Who provides the food? At what point is veterinary care determined and for what duration during the 72 hour window?
Disposing of dogs/animals
6.7/8.11 After expiry of the 72 hours referred to in section 6.4, the Animal Control Officer
may destroy, or sell by auction or private sale, an impounded dog.
Destroy, sell by auction or private sale - and to whom do the proceeds go? What methods of rehoming these animals are going to be used? We would strongly encourage the City of Steinbach to use their website, Facebook, Steinbach Humane Society and Steinbach & Area Animal Rescue as resources to foster and rehome these animals. The decision to destroy healthy, adoptable animals based soley on a clock or space requirements is wrong.
No destruction of cats in by-law, is the animal control officer still hoarding them on his property or setting them loose in the country? There is very little in the by-law about how cats are handled, nothing on their disposal once impounded or what is being done with feral cats. This is a big gap and a huge concern.
SECTION 10
EUTHANASIA
Destroying of an animal
10.1 Any reference to the destroying of an animal will follow the American Veterinary
Medical Association (AVMA) Guidelines on Euthanasia. The principle for a humane
method of killing an animal is a rapid unconsciousness and death, with the least possible
pain and distress accompanying the procedure. The most appropriate method of
euthanasia may vary depending on the circumstances and the animal species. Euthanasia
is not desirable as a sole means of population control, but is a necessary requirement for
unwanted companion animals. Optimal methods of euthanasia will be used. Shooting an
animal is considered a humane way to destroy an animal as it produces immediate
unconsciousness prior to death. Shooting may be the most practical and logical method
of euthanasia of wild or free ranging animals. Gunshot will not be used for routine
euthanasia of animals in animal control situations.
There is no reason, absolutely NONE, that would require the City of Steinbach to euthanize 'unwanted companion animals' as a method of animal control. Killing healthy adoptable pets doesn't stop people from dumping them, doesn't prevent irresponsible pet owners from causing their pets harm, it doesn't stop puppy mills or other activities that are detrimental to animals. Killing is easier than finding homes...and that is not a way forward.
I would encourage EVERYONE who reads this to write the Mayor and Council of the City of Steinbach to reconsider their KILL POUND policy and move forward into a new age of social networking and using the internet to return or rehome animals rather than killing them. The Mayor can be reached at his email: mayor@steinbach.ca
You can view the entire by-law at this link: http://www.steinbachonline.com/images/stories/pdfs/2010_04_animal_control.pdf
Friday, April 9, 2010
Saturday, April 3, 2010
The Good, The Bad & The Ugly
“It’s disgusting that people would do this,” she said. “It’s sick. This is one of the worst cases (of neglect) I’ve ever seen.”
The bad and the ugly is taking an older dog, such as Tribe, not letting her walk enough to wear down her own nails, leave her starving on the side of the road. The ugly is her being hit not once, but twice by cars. The bad is her condition. The really bad is that Tribe is not alone, there are many dogs, cats, horses and other animals experiencing abuse, neglect, outright abandonment and cruelty this very moment!
The good is Animal Control Officers like Bonnie, the good is people like Sally Hull of Hull's Haven Border Collie Rescue, Darcy of D'arcy's Arc in Winnipeg, the people who have joined forces to have a single voice for small shelters and all rescues in Manitoba. Manitoba Voice for Animals has been working to find Tribe a foster to care for her and help her golden years be her best.
The comments you see expressed on social networking sites, blogs and in emails express our outrage (entirely justifiable), our horror (completely understandable) and our disgust (if you aren't then stop reading right now). They show our displeasure and strong feelings about this dog and all animals who have been treated like her with no love, no respect and no care.
The old saying, "The more I get to know people, the more I love my dog (cat, horse, fish, ferret, etc)!" can be no truer than when you hear the voices of animal lovers united in outrage. I would love to be able to harness that sense of outrage and channel it in a slightly different direction.
When we feed the negative, when we build comment upon comment we do get our feelings out. No doubt about it. We also don't get a chance to use that energy to say, "Hey someone cares!" or "Hey, someone is looking out for animals, let's help!" It doesn't give us a chance to say good things about rescue, about animal control officers who truly put welfare first, about shelters working hard to have a no-kill world.
As loud as our voices can be in outrage, the do NO GOOD! We only add to the UGLY, we only remind ourselves and others of the BAD. We don't get the chance to speak out, and be heard, about the choices people have. About the resources available to them that the side of the road is not acceptable and here's why...fill in your reasons...
We don't get to use our voices to shout out about rescues needing fosters, shelters needing loving forever homes, we don't get to speak up for the animals. When we spend out time on the outrage too long it passes and our voices are lost in the noise of the day. No one is left with an idea, a clue, that there are better choices, better options and we lose a chance to gain a friend, a foster, an adopter.
When we get past the first few chances to speak with outrage we have a small window where people pause to get their breath - a moment that the media and the public share - where we can fill it with good information. We can use that small window to paste a link, post a blog, write a comment, volunteer our selves and our voices for the greater cause of caring for our animals!
Responsible pet owners do not do this to their animals. This act of cruelty is going to be a rally point for people. We as people care enough to share our resources, our knowledge, our passion and fill that window with something other people and the media can use. Links to rescues, links to vets, links to Facebook groups and fan pages where the questions of "What can I do?" and "How can I help?" meet face to face with the people who can properly answer them.
We can choose to turn the outrage into something that can bring good, we can choose to use our space of time to be heard in a way that gives people tools, choices and resources. Options for something better for themselves and animals.
Be outraged! Be angry! Be offended! Be careful...the hateful words you say today could drown out the information you would wish to share tomorrow. The unfocused anger could leave us with no energy left to speak out and advocate for change.
It's okay to say this is terrible but it is even better to follow it with but together we can do something to change it!
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