Tazz. Australian Shepherd mix. Female weighs about 40 lbs, possibly in heat, injured back leg(walks with a bit of a limp) very frightened, terrified of going indoors, most likely was abused very very submissive. Maybe 1-2 years old.
Unnamed Chow Chow. 7 years old, surrendered male neutered. Very nice, obedient and house trained. He is a big suck, other dogs attack him and he says nothing.
These are just two of the dogs who could have been pulled from Montreal pounds/shelters and transferred to Toronto Animal Services for rescue by now if the city strike weren't still dragging on. Every day the two sides keep arguing brings these dogs a day closer to being euthanized.
Last week that's where I thought they were headed but with news that the strike might be over any day now, there's hope.
Still, I have to wonder, in the last 5 weeks, how many dogs could we have saved who are now gone?
Here are a couple of others.
Everest. Golden mix. Male, intact, very friendly, great with other dogs, listens very well, doesn't bark much, clean in cage. Bad ear infection possibly ear mites since the Surolan hasn't been working to treat it. Possibly 2-4 years old.
Tobby. Lab. Male, intact, surrendered, good with cats, dogs and small children. He is VERY obedient, house trained. He is a great dog and has been with us over a month now. He is about 5 years old ... was surrendered because he looses fur!
Update: Oops. Stop reading the news for a couple of hours and miss everything. Looks like a tentative deal has been made with both unions. Ratification vote on Wednesday. Back to work right after that hopefully. I don't see why there would need to be any ramp up time at TAS.
If all goes well, maybe we'll see a load of rescue dogs come in by the end of the weekend.
I'm in one of the CITY TV studios standing around like everyone else, waiting for the live broadcast of CP24's Animal House Calls to begin. I'm there because Johanne Tasse is going to be a guest on the show to talk about the rescue partnership between Toronto Animal Services and caacQ. Along with Johanne is Anne who is a rescue volunteer with Rosie Animal Adoption and Mica, a brown Lab from Quebec who will be put up for adoption by TAS South.
In front of me, I see what looks like a male, brindle Cane Corso and I recognize him immediately as one of the dogs seized by the Toronto Humane Society from the horrid living conditions in a backyard shed a few days ago. Along with the male, a female was also seized as well as some other smaller dogs and animals.
Is this the dog from the seizure? I ask the woman who is handling the dog and she says yes. Friendly?, I ask but just as a formality because it's obvious that it is friendly judging from its demeanor with strangers and also because there's no way the THS would bring an unmuzzled, aggressive large dog into a TV studio.
This dog, along with the seized female, are the likely but unconfirmed parents of the the two pups that landed at Toronto Animal Services a few days back. It likely may have been that incident with the stray pups which lead to the eventual call to TAS to investigate the premises of the owners of the adult dogs. After arrival of TAS officers, THS was called in to perform the animal seizures and to determine if any animal cruelty charges would be laid.
The division of enforcement duties between TAS and THS was explained to me some time ago as being: TAS enforces municipal by-laws whereas THS enforces animal cruelty laws but in practice these distinctions can sometimes get hazy.
I pet the dog and it is very responsive so I crouch down and give it a good scratch on its big noggin. What kind of dog is he? I ask because there had been some uncertainty about the breed of the pups. At this point, Tre Smith, the popular face of the Toronto Humane Society, in his familiar flak jacket uniform, turns around and looks at me and tells me some exotic breed name which I can't recall two seconds later because I was distracted looking at the thick layer of foundation on his face. There is something about make-up applied on an obviously masculine visage that is conspicuously jarring.
Well, he's a wonderful dog, I say and someone beside me wearing a headset agrees.
Tre says, Oh yeah, when I first went to get it, it tried to tear me ... it tried to attack me. It was just doing his job, though. Protecting its property. It was totally unsocialized but we took it in and socialized it and now it's great.
Tre gets the attention of the dog and says, It was probably beaten or hit. He demonstrates this by taking his open palm and whacking the air in front of the dog's face and the dog flinches and pulls away. See, it's a little hand shy, he says.
How's the female doing?, I ask. What's she like?
She's not so friendly, the woman handler says.
I mention that I've seen the pups at Toronto Animal Services that may or may not be the offspring of the dog in front of us and I get back a couple of grunts and the conversation ends.
I walk back into the waiting room with Johanne and Anne and Mica and we sit there and a few moments later, the live broadcast of Animal House Calls begins and we watch on the monitor as Anne Rohmer talks to Tre about the Toronto Humane Society's rescue of the dog and the other animals from a couple of days ago.
Johanne isn't on until the last segment of the show so we sit and talk and watch the jumble of people as they hurry around the studio. I watch Anne Rohmer as she smoothly conducts her interviews with her guests and I'm a little surprised that there is only one cameraperson working on or near the set. No directors, assistant directors, DOP's, etc. Other than the lights, it feels like it's just Rohmer having a chat with someone.
In the rest of the studio, though, there are lots of crew, and most of them are quite dog friendly. Mica gets much attention. The make-up person lets Mica sniff the tub of foundation powder that's been liberally spread around on everyone and for a second I think she's going to powder Mica's nose as well. A newscaster tells Mica she's very pretty and comments on how small she is for a Lab. I'm about to joke that she's actually a Pit Bull in disguise but decide against it in case someone overhears and believes me. Another woman walks by and crouches down to pet Mica and calls her a lovely dog and tells me that there's no way she'd ever actually own a dog because she doesn't want her clothes to smell.
Soon enough, the bunny woman and the vet are finished and it's Johanne's turn in the hot seat. She walks onto the set leading Mica with her leash but someone doesn't want Johanne holding Mica while she's talking to Rohmer and so Johanne suggests I hold onto the dog but then someone else gets the guy with the headphones to hold onto her instead. That's fine because I'd wanted to take a couple photos from the sidelines anyway.
Johanne does a good job plugging caacQ and Toronto Animal Services and everything goes smoothly but then after the segment is done and the cameras are turned off, Rohmer pulls Johanne over to a copy of Toronto Humane Society's monthly magazine and opens it up to a page comparing THS euthanasias to TAS euthanasias, slightly concerned that caacQ might be sending Quebec dogs to their deaths. Johanne explains that isn't the case at all and I blurt out something about how the numbers are misleading but I doubt I allay Rohmer's fears much before she runs off to check something on the monitors.
As we head back to the waiting room to gather up our stuff, one of the producers stops Johanne and tells her something like, Okay, you were supposed to bring someone to handle your dog. If I had known you didn't have anyone to handle your dog, I wouldn't have allowed you on the show. We could have been sued. Our guys can't handle your dog. If one of our guys is holding onto your dog and the dog rips his face off, he could sue me and you and we just can't have that kind of liability. You must have someone handle the dog. Our people cannot do that.
Johanne handles the rebuke without breaking her smile and I bite my tongue.
It always starts with a phone call. Cherie was no different than the others.
"She needs help," I was told.
"What kind of help," I inquired.
"Medical, psychological and physical." I already knew her story - even before meeting her.
Cherie was "snatch" from a puppy mill.
As I travelled to meet the guardian angel who saved her I was wondering how broken her spirit would be. As I stepped out of the car to cradle her in my arms, her body language rang out loud and clear. This was a dog with a broken spirit.
As I drove to the veterinarian with Cherie you try to make sense of this needless cruelty. Then my grandfather's voice came to me, "Don't look at the road but the destination." It came to me that her destination was for today to be the first day of the rest of her life and it starts with me, in this car, right now.
At the vet clinic, the diagnosis was all too frightening. She was severely underweight, her fur matted and dirty. Her vocal cords were cut to prevent her from barking. The tip of her ear was missing. We noticed a tattoo in her ear, teeth and gum infections and, the most disheartening news, Cherie was missing an eye.
Where do we begin? A good bath was a first step. She was so frightened we thought she would try to escape from the grooming room but Cherie was too petrified to move. Years of abuse often result in such behaviour. She just stood there. Three baths later her white fur began to resemble that of a Bichon Maltese. The nails had to be trimmed; will she bite in fear? Again she stood still.
As we proceeded to clean her ears we were able to decipher her tattoo number. Quickly I took note of the numbers. The vet prescribed antibiotics for her tooth infection, a nutritious diet and a crate for her to call home. Her foster Mom came and took this little bundle of helplessness under her wing.
Now the questions were racing through my mind. Where does she come from? The person who snatched her was hesitant to provide too many details. But we had an idea…
Monday morning I contacted a Canadian dog registry. Once I was provided with the name of the breeder I explained Cherie's condition. I said that they should monitor their members with closer scrutiny. Then came the usual mindless answers, the excuses and the final response "it's not our job". I realized this association has only one objective in mind. Make money.
One day we will overcome this awful and inhumane situation.
But in the meantime, how is Cherie doing? She has gained weight, some confidence and is learning, a few steps at a time, to tame the stairway. She is now starting to cuddle with humans. She enjoys the grass under her feet and the most rewarding thing of all; she has learned how to play. What more could we ask for!
Next time you are contemplating the purchase of a pet, don't walk past a pet store during your lunch hour to admire the pups/kittens or scrutinize the internet ads. Contact the CAACQ or Humane Society in your area and adopt. Just remember the cute puppy you are thinking of buying has a mother in a puppy mill, who never had the option to be called Cherie.
written by Johanne Tasse a few months ago for a caacQ release,
As I am writing this article I just sent my last email providing details to the driver - details that will ensure our precious cargo arrives at its destination.
Transfer to where, what are you sending, merchandise ... I guess they are to be considered as such since they were discarded. But the difference is this product has a pulse, feelings and lots of love to give.
Since the beginning of January, we the rescue group members of the CAACQ were quietly going about our business of sending dogs to Ontario. It just started with a few every second or third weekend then the numbers of animals being abandoned was increasing and so did our transports.
What is happening? Maybe the long winter discouraged many to adopt, when spring arrives things will change. Spring has arrived and nothing has changed. The members of the CAACQ could no longer accommodate the ever growing demand. We had to find a solution to provide a safe haven for these abandoned pets no longer cherish by their owners. Some had valid reasons: death, divorce, sickness - but for the most part just a change of lifestyle and the family pet was getting in the way.
Euthanasia has long been the tool of choice to rid the problem of pet overpopulation. In Quebec the issue of pet overpopulation is swept quietly under the carpet. City officials are not interested in the issue, "taxpayers' money not put to good use". The provincial goverment offers us Anima Quebec to appease the animal activists and the federal government - well it’s just too enormous to comprehend.
Nothing is working to reduce the number of unwanted pets. So what is the problem?
The lack of will and empathy is at the root of the current crisis. As you are swiping your credit card to pay for that new puppy or kitten, you have signed the death warrant of hundreds of animals, who through no fault of their own find themselves on the euthanasia table or worse.
Harsh you say! No, not really, I am pointing out a reality that we face each day. The irony of this export of dogs to Ontario is they are being adopted at a rate that we would never dream of in Quebec. The mutts are always overlooked here so when I select the ones to be shipped I will give the "mystery" breed the best opportunity to find a home, the one who is older, or has been overlooked because of it’s imperfections.
It seems Torontonians don’t really care if the ear is not straight if the tail is crooked or that it’s not in "perfect" condition. Perfection is not what they are looking for. They seek a good family dog. That would qualify Torontonians as guardians. Guardians, who will cherish, care and accept this animal as the family pet.
For many Montrealers the 401 is a long trip to visit family and friends.
For these fortunate creatures it’s the highway of hope, a trip of a lifetime.
Please adopt and if your companion animal is not sterilized make an appointment today.
Be part of the solution not the problem.
Johanne Tasse Founder of the CAACQ www.caacq.ca
P.S. Sadly cats are being warehoused across Canada and euthanized by the thousands. If you have feral cats in your neighbourhood do not feed them, instead have them sterilized.
In spring of 2007, Johanne Tasse was wondering what the next step should be in her quest to find homes for as many abandoned Quebec dogs as possible. She was already well versed with the dog rescue world from her involvement with Animatch, a Quebec rescue that has been around since 1999. She toyed with the idea of opening a shelter but she didn't think she had the right temperament to run one and she also knew that just opening another shelter wasn't going to help solve the increasing population of unwanted dogs in Quebec. It didn't matter how many shelters there were, if people continued to treat their dogs like disposable objects then the death toll would always remain high.
So, more shelters wasn't the answer. Public education was. To that effect, Johanne formed the Companion Animals Adoption Centers of Quebec or caacQ. caacQ basically does PR and government lobbying to reduce euthanasia rates for companion animals in Quebec. Since incorporating caacQ in May of this year, five rescues have signed on as supporting members.
Johanne has been busy with writing press releases, making appearances at media events, giving interviews and advising municipalities on how they can improve their pound contracts, not only to make the lives of pound animals more bearable, but also to help reduce animal control costs over the long run. One thing she constantly stresses to bureaucrats is that one of the regulations listed in the Cahier de Charges (the marching orders given to every pound) must be that no animal ever leave a pound intact. Intact animals only increase the potential for more unwanted dogs or cats ending up on the street which means more pound usage and thus more expense to the municipality in the long run.
And of course, Johanne still does rescue work. She often goes to the Montreal SPCA and picks out dogs that have been malingering in their pens for too long or she will visit the local pounds and take their castoffs and puts them in places where they will have a better chance of getting adopted. One of those places is Toronto Animal Services. In general, she feels her dogs have a much better chance of getting adopted out in Toronto than in Montreal.
"The French buy. The English adopt," she says. She believes that because of Quebec's rural past, there is still a feeling among the French that dogs are disposable property. Johanne has spent a good part of her life trying to change that attitude and hopefully with the formation of the caacQ, she'll get closer to accomplishing that goal.
One of the pounds Johanne works with is run by a veterinarian, Dr. Plasse, out of the Lasalle Veterinary Hospital. He's a supporter of caacQ and has done work with their rescue dogs in the past. And because the hospital is also a pound, every so often, he'll end up with unclaimed dogs. Two of those dogs showed up at Toronto Animal Services just yesterday through the efforts of caacQ. This is one of them (my camera batteries died before I could take pictures of the other one):
Posts
