Courage through the storm

Blizzard again, New Year's Day celebrations are rather muffled. Christmas came and went in a dream, because I slept through most of it. News of the blackout at the SPCA shelter was like a twist of the knife - especially because it probably lasted about four days, but nobody found out until Boxing Day, the 26th. By then it had been going for at least two days; the storm that knocked out power all over Nova Scotia was pretty much over on Tuesday morning, and Christmas was Thursday. It does not add up. Somebody donated a generator since then; I hope they set it up and it's working, because there are people without power in Dartmouth right now, and the shelter is in Dartmouth. The temperatures outside are monstrously cold.

I am holed up in the house, as usual, and sadly, trying to revive my computer. This is the second one, also an older laptop which I had repaired; the other one is still in pieces. Thanks to a mix-up at the repair shop, everything on the entire hard drive (which is new) was deleted. I mean everything. They ran a restore program all night but everything came back without the right labels - and no applications. So I have to fish around to find documents and images, and worse, essential software like Photoshop and Microsoft Office (Word) is gone. It's not able to take the newest versions and nobody has the older ones, and online - well it's a pain, in a word. A BIG HUGE pain, right when I need to finish preparing materials for Monday's court appointment. 

The Supreme Court is located downtown, on the waterfront; it starts at 9:30 am and will go all day, just to

Many messages coming in on Facebook and email, from across Canada and the US - from North Carolina to Colorado, California, and Texas - as well as Holland, Peru, Italy, South Africa, England, Scotland, France, Brazil, New Zealand, and Australia - accompanying the letter below - plus more! Support also from Dr. Andrew Jones, an online veterinarian; Gerdy's Rescue in Montreal, D.A.I.S.Y. Foundation in Calgary, Teja's Animal Rescue in Ontario, and the Kinship Circle in St. Louis, Missouri. Presumably, as Heather Anderson reports, from the Animal Rescue Coalition here in Nova Scotia. Plus bloggers - TitanicBugle and Dogkisser (Joan Sinden) here on blogspot; Susan Ito on readingwritingliving at wordpress; For the Love of the Dog, and others. 

So Mayor Kelly must have received quite a number of letters by now, from all over. With help from Linda Koekman (while I was computer-ess), all the city councilors and the mayor, as well as the board of directors at the SPCA, have been sent a copy of Silvia Jay's assessment, to the effect that Brindi's behavior does not justify an order to destroy. Anybody reading it ought to have trouble sleeping at night, realizing what has been done to her all these months, on top of two years in a shelter - not to mention what is supposed to be done to her, if I didn't fight it. More information to go along with the report is a chart showing by-law cases from July 2007 to July 2008 that involve similar or worse dog offenses, but were resolved with owner fines rather than killings. Quite a hefty number of these exist and all were ruled on by a judge. Objectively, they show that our case is a pretty major departure from the usual practice of animal control in Halifax.

It's clear that the councilors and the mayor have a lot to do to fix the by-law, especially now that we also know Halifax is the only major city in Canada to bestow powers to individual animal control officers possessed exclusively by judges elsewhere. The sooner that changes, the better, and quite frankly, there is absolutely no reason for it to take 14 years. 

The SPCA has a rather more pressing dilemma, for three reasons. First, I have combed through the SPCA's oft-cited contract with HRM, and as far as I and my lawyer can tell, the $376,000 a year payment notwithstanding, as long as its shelter continues to fulfill the terms of the contract (which it most certainly is doing), SPCA officials are not in any way prohibited from speaking out - to the city, or, for that matter, a Supreme Court justice, in writing or in person - on behalf of an animal it is requested to impound. In fact, it must, according to contract, as a special clause requires the shelter to pass on information about an animal's "disposition" to Animal Services. This confirms that the SPCA is an integral part of HRM's animal control system and that it contributes to HRM decision-making on a regular basis, contrary to the disclaimer still posted on the SPCA web page. Contributing to a decision or policy (like not allowing visits) is not neutral. The SPCA has a clear conflict of interest, which it seems to me it can only resolve by making sure it carries out its other obligation, namely, to the citizens and animals of the province to protect animal welfare and intervene when needed - i.e., its primary reason for existing.

Second, the positive assessment, done by an expert, plus their five months of caring for Brindi, means SPCA staff must have a pretty good idea, if not at least a few nagging doubts, that "euthanization" ("euphemization", in fact) is not justified in her case. Should they have any suspicions of this kind, they must act on them in order to uphold their publicly declared mission to protect all animals in the province. That means ALL. 

Third, I remain Brindi's lawful owner, and while it may not be a provincial or federal crime for an owner to put down a dog deemed healthy and trainable dog, it certainly is a crime if somebody else - singular or plural - kills it. That is exactly what would happen if the city goes through with its plans. The SPCA is a higher authority than HRM animal control when it comes to enforcing anti-cruelty laws in the province. So the SPCA's duty to lay charges against all animal abusers would compel it to charge the city and its officials if they succeed in putting down an animal without proper justification. The fact that the SPCA would be guilty of the very same crime if it carried out an HRM order whose validity is in doubt ought to really be of some concern, as otherwise, a successful case could be made to the province's lawmakers that the SPCA gravely failed its mission and should be replaced.

There's not much time left until January 5. How about it, SPCA board members?? Do any of you have the courage to show up in court to save Brindi's life -- and your mission??

Upstanding words from "down under"

Here is one of the letters that went out to the authorities here, as written:

TO ANIMAL SERVICES AND THE MUNICIPAL GOVERNMENT OF HALIFAX, NOVA SCOTIA:

I am a Qualified Dog Trainer, through the National Dog Trainers Federation in Australia, and can see "NO REASON" as to why "BRINDI" should be euthanized, or kept from her owner. It is a natural innate behaviour for a Dog to protect its environment, it goes on ALL OVER THE WORLD !! BRINDI"S owner has taken All correct steps, in ensuring safety of others.. Can I suggest that you take the time to look into the laws around the world, and you would see, that Brindi acted out of an innate behaviour. This behaviour is NOT BRINDI"S FAULT..it is INNATE, and should you believe that she should be put down, then ALL OTHER CANINES should be put down also, and with that said, you would then see that, that is absolutely rediculous.. If someone came onto your property or family members property, that was causeing some form of threat, wouldnt your innate behaviour be that of defending.. All dogs will defend in the manner that BRINDI has done, after it is natural..and if things were closely looked at, is it BRINDI"S fault that animal animal was on her property and rightfully her territory, NO IT IS NOT !! So with this all said I request that you give BRINDI and her owner the a peaceful ending, and that is to place BRINDI back into her owners care, after all what right does anyone have to cause this unnessecary trauma, that BRINDI has already gone through by being seperated from her pack .. PLEASE TAKE THE TIME TO UNDERSTAND CANINE PSYCHOLOGY and INNATE BEHAVIOURS.. And you would see that BRINDI has done not a thing wrong.. Her owner is also prepared to do what ever it is to make sure that BRINDI is well taken care, and I can tell you the love of this owner for BRINDI, is rarely seen around the world... There are people out there that rape, murder etc, and they are not down, there is NO REASON that BRINDI should be parted from her home or her owner... I REQUEST AND BEG of YOU to have a HEART, and do what is right by BRINDI and her owner, and put in place laws that support animal welfare rather than causeing nor abuse in this world...

I SAY DO THE RIGHT THING AND REUNITE BRINDI TO HER LOVING HOME, PLEASE END THIS ABUSE, HAVE COMPASSION INSTEAD.

Signed
PROFESSIONAL DOG TRAINER
Caz Weatherill

Caz also gave her personal email address, inviting officials to contact her if they wish to discuss the matter.

Many, many heartfelt thanks to you, Caz!! 

Power

A night at a hotel, with the cats, after power went out yesterday morning. Basked in the heat and the plumbing - took a nice long hot bath last night. Winds up to 120 km and temps -11 C. Whether to leave the house was a guessing game: roads were bad, but the power company said power would not go back on till 11:30 pm last night. Not much time to decide, do I risk it and stick around, or take off ? So I took off. This morning, my neighbor says the power came on at 7 pm. Of course. But I don't mind; it was a good excuse to enjoy the luxury of heating and plumbing. I took a nice long bath and padded around barefoot. Rudy and Amelia stretched out on the king-sized bed, and enjoyed the view of the bridge to Halifax.

A lot of people around the continent are furiously circulating letters to one another to gather more support for me and Brindi. It's truly amazing. And about twenty facebook members, perhaps more, sent Christmas cards to the mayor with Brind's picture on it, in her silver antlers. I also received a few more photos from folks out west - in Erickson, B.C. Here's two.

 

Thanks to Lana Horan, in blue, guardian to a veritable menagerie and a formidable campaigner!

Merry Christmas from the SPCA: banned for six months

I can tell you that in our system here in Calgary I do have the authority to seize a dog involved in a serious aggressive incident for 30 days pending a dangerous dog hearing before the court. After the court rules and if they direct that the dog be destroyed, there is an additional 30 day period for the dog owner to file an appeal. We do not grant ourselves the authority to destroy an owned animal as we believe that that decision must be made by a court after full review of all of the facts. Even though an animal has been involved in a serious incident we allow the owner supervised visitation rights to the dog during the process.

It would seem that there should be many simple solutions to this dilemma, none of which seem to be under consideration. A simple fencing of the yard would seem to provide all of the necessary safeguards while Brindi continues with her training and socialization. Good luck.

- from an email in reply to my questions about Calgary procedures, from Bill Bruce, Animal Control Officer, Calgary, Alberta, posted with his permission

I never saw Brindi. They tell me she's alive, and that I am supposed to believe. 

Wednesday afternoon, it was a slow drive to the shelter in the snowstorm. So it was about 4 pm, and the shelter was just closing, when I arrived. I brought along a bag with two packages of soup bones with nice meat on them and a Brindi T-shirt.

A strong sickening whiff of ammonia hit me as I entered the little vestibule. Beyond that the small lobby was more cramped than usual. A fake Xmas tree stood in the far corner; cards taped tonthe walls flopped open. Almost as soon as I said I would like to see my dog, Cathy, a supervisor, said no and asked me to leave because they were closing. I sat down. I said I wasn't leaving until I saw Brindi: the newspaper had told me she was put down the day before. She´replied that she was following her boss's instructions and soon ducked out. I gave the bones and the t-shirt to a few young volunteers. Diana, the manager, came out, and I asked her to see my dog. She said no, and then in passing, that I had to call animal services. I asked her if she would call them. She ignored the question and all others. I never had a chance to call anybody: she said I had a choice: either leave or she would hit the panic button.  

Panic button?! Sure enough, there it was, on a steel switch plate right there on the wall opposite the chair I sat down in. I told her about the Herald. She repeated again, leave or I hit the button. "Am I attacking you?" I asked. Then she just hit the button. Less than sixty seconds had passed since I had walked into the building. 

The button triggered some sort of alarm that went "Woo-woo-woo-woo." Then she walked over to the entry, with her back toward me. I don't know how long it took, but it wasn't right away. She had to stand in front of the window for some time. Then in walked two patrol officers - a short dark-haired woman and a talk, slender man. I can't recall the conversation exactly; I told them I was there to see my dog, how long she was there, and what the Herald had told me. They ignored this and just kept telling me I had to leave. 

A minute later a third officer came in, saying something about having been "briefed". Then he basically repeated what they said. I told him, look, I've spent $15,000, these people expect me to pay $25 a day, and they won't even let me see my dog. I'll leave, no problem, but couldn't one of you first go and make sure my dog is still alive? He said I would have to leave first and then they would "see" about that. I said, it's been nearly five months, and they have no reason not to let me see my dog. Why can't he promise me he will go back and check on her now, and then I will leave? Again, no. I had to leave, I have to get off private property. They have my private property here, I said, and I want to see it. Finally, having made my point, I figured, I began to stand up - slowly. The woman pushed my arm, just as I was standing up. 

Outside, the first male cop asked me questions; I started dialing my lawyer's number, just in case. The woman asked if I had a lawyer. I asked if they were arresting me. No answer. I stood near my car, both of us clearly over the SPCA property line. They took my info, my birthday, the works. One stayed behind while the other went back into the building. Eventually the older taller one stepped over and told me, "I saw your dog." Great, I said, what does she look like? "Her name is right on the cage," he said. "She jumped up and sniffed my hand and she looked healthy and well-fed and fine."

Well then, that meant Brindi was alive after all. A huge relief and it isn't even possible to say how huge. The two men stood across the property line. They believed the police department could override an AC officer's decision. I used to believe somebody higher up in the force could override them; so did my HRM councilor. We were both wrong. One individual gets to decide it all. Telling them about Brindi, I started choking up. The woman came back, holding a clipboard stuffed with papers; the top one said I was officially banned from the SPCA property for six months, or I would be fined $250.

But you are not arresting me? No. But if you come back, then, etc. etc. Sure, fine. I signed it. She disappeared. The other officer asked if I had ever tried to see my dog before. I said no. Actually, at the very start, I did ask to see her, but that was two days after they took her, and my lawyer at the time had told me it was possible. The SPCA people told me to come back on a weekday. Which I did. I waited 40 minutes, only to be told that Lori Scolero said my lawyer would have to call her first. Which he would not do; he could only talk to a lawyer. About a week after that, David Hendsbee, my councilor, insisted we make sure Brindi was still alive. It hadn't even occurred to me she wasn't. But then they would not comply with his request. 

I only asked now because of the scare from the Herald. Otherwise I was not planning to ever do it. Oddly enough, just last week Heather Anderson of DAISY had passed on a suggestion from Steve Carroll, the president of the Canadian Federation of Humane Societies (CFHS), that I go to the shelter and demand to see Brindi. I said then that they would probably call the police. But at the same time, began to wonder if I was trying hard enough.

Last week, I sent yet another request to Animal Services. No answer. In the fall, I sent an email every day for about ten days. After about eight, they flatly turned me down with no explanation. I could get a court order to see Brindi, but since there is no rule prohibiting it - what would the judge be ruling on?

IS BRIND STILL ALIVE?!

I want to see Brindi for myself, and I want her back NOW.

All night I've been worried. I called the Herald yesterday to ask if they are ever going to print the article on Brindi one of their writers wrote weeks ago. An hour or so later they called back. It seemed they weren't printing it because their files showed Brindi was being put down today - yesterday, December 16. I said, as calmly as I could, uh, as far as I know that's not the case. But I thought, how do I know? Then I called my lawyer, interrupting an important meeting. His first response was, "If they did that, they would be sued till kingdom come." He made calls, got the city's lawyer at home. He assured him Brindi was fine. But how does he really know? 

How can I sleep? I can't. I didn't. Finally I remembered in horror: an experienced advocate told me months ago exactly how they could put Brindi down without fear of lawsuits. (And by "they", I mean the SPCA together with Animal Services, because it's no secret they work together. Go listen to Andrea Macdonald's WOOF interview)when she says how much AS relies on the SPCA to tell them all about how a seized animal behaves in custody, etc. etc.)

Here's the thing: Animal Services already declared Brindi dangerous; all the SPCA has to do is claim she attacked, or even tried to attack, one of the workers. Your honor, she went berserk and couldn’t be controlled. 

Nobody could ever prove otherwise, till kingdom come. Tell me I'm wrong, go ahead, just try to do it without mentally clutching your dog to your chest.

All the other dog owners ever wanted, three dispatch reports say, was for somebody to speak to Brindi's owner. That's all. Now, all the city has is a much-revised affidavit by the very same officer that muzzled and seized her. The city has no case. Why won't it just let me take my dog home? 

Not one more day in that awful cage. I want my dog, and I want her now!

ENOUGH WASTE OF MY PRECIOUS TIME AND MONEY - and OUR LIVES!!

BRINDI MUST COME HOME NOW. END OF STORY.

Time to visit the SPCA. Show me my dog, and get the hell out of the way.

More FREE  BRINDI photos! Above, from Laura Johnson in BC, and below, another gang from Colorado, 
Free Brindi supporters Sherry and Michael Moore of Golden, Colorado; Betsy and Bill Moore of Bel Air, Maryland; Nick Moore of Denver, Colorado; and Steve Moore of Scottsdale, Arizona, sent with the words, "We oppose to having Brindi incarcerated." (or destroyed, presumably!)

Message from Calgary

A second photo already! This one is from Laura Johnson, an animal activist 

who lives in Calgary. (That's her body - she sort of lost her head here!) 

Tora is a female from a reservation that was found pregnant. 

She had seven puppies, and all eight were successfully adopted out. 

Thank you, Laura and Tora!

Message from Colorado

These are some wonderful friends of Rolo, a German Shepherd

who was in a situation very much like Brindi's not long ago.

They took a break from his birthday party to send a message to Halifax 

from the icy cold of Evergreen, Colorado. 

My sincerest thanks to Monika Courtney! 

Letter to Peter Kelly from !"Stop Animal Cruelty in Canada with effective legislation"

Dear Mayor Kelly,

My name is Paula James and I have over 25,000 people on my facebook group and cause alone that have been fighting for effective animal cruelty legislation in Canada, along with the SPCA's.
We've been trying to get our politicians to do something about serious acts of animal cruelty and neglect and help by doing things that make sense for animals.

This issue surrounding Brindi has become quite a topic around facebook and many other sites and I'm sure you've probably received many emails and nasty phone calls.
To me, this does not make sense for Brindi, being locked up for so long, or her owner, having to go to such extremes to save her when she's harmed no one, inc a dog? Other than a few small scuffles with another dog at her fenceline and no serious harm was done?
I agree if she is threatening she should be more protected w fencing, secure environment, etc, but it's my understanding a fence was being, or had been built, so this wouldn't occur again?

From the information I've gathered, Brindi has suffered through some very traumatic times.
However, she doesn't appear to have done anything serious enough to warrant this action and in the end will only hurt her more the longer this continues and she is locked up without her owner she probably lives for, esp. if she's been through rough times previously like she has!
I think most animals have a great chance of rehabilitation if the owner invests enough time, energy and love into it. I believe Brindi's owner was doing a good thing for her and was trying to remedy the situation and do just that and they were on a good track.

I ask you to please HELP FREE BRINDI and show people that you are a compassionate and understanding being, and much like Brindi, also possess feelings and intelligence.

Unless this is somehow proven to be completely untrue info posted on so many sites and places around Canada, I really don't feel her behaviour warrants this terrible punishment for not only her, an innocent animal in all this that only wants love and understanding, but her owner as well.
Francesca has proven to many people across Canada that she does care and love Brindi deeply and is willing to do anything to save her, along with many people across Canada, including myself.

If I don't have the right information, and she has seriously injured a dog or person and you feel she really deserves this then please let me know!? If I am wrong I'll do my best to help clarify the situation on all these websites.

Protests are being held all across Canada, many people are watching and waiting to see what happens!
I really hope we have a good ending to this story and you do the right thing and bring Brindi home on time for Christmas, let her and Francesca have another chance! I'm sure they won't let you down!

Thank you for your time and attention on this matter,

Sincerely,

Paula James
Stop Animal Cruelty in Canada with effective legislation

On the air waves

My chat with radio host Tom Young yesterday went pretty well, I think. It was a bit of a strange experience though. For one thing, I did it over the phone from home, and I didn't set eyes on a real human being all day. A big disjuncture between the media connections and the physical world! Such a fast half hour, too. I just got started, looked at the time, and saw it was already half over. The nine or ten calls in the second half hour were mixed. They started out generally positive, a few became critical or skeptical, and the last two ended up strongly positive. All in all, very glad of the chance to speak, and hopeful that they do continue to follow the story at News 95.7, as they indicated they would. 

Can I just say, all things aside, it still takes me aback to hear how freely some folks would like dispense with a dog and/or its owner, never troubled by their limited knowledge of a situation. Perhaps I didn't get across all I did and do to "take responsibility" for things. What do you call paying a vet bill for another dog, putting up a fence, taking time for training, volunteering to pay fines, etc. -- my dog, who is vaccinated, microchipped, licensed, has health care coverage, and passed a rigorous obedience class? 

Then there are the people getting very righteous about a dog getting loose, as if there is something immoral about it. Okay, it's not what anybody wants, I am very upset at messing up. But it's not the number one cause of teenage death... Dogs that are tied up wriggle out of collars all the time, it's an everyday occurrence, usually harmless. Lord knows I've had plenty of people knock on my door looking for their runaway canine. 

And that is exactly why I did good training with Brindi, and lining up more training all the time. Every dog owner knows there are days when you just can't control anything, let alone the dog, as precisely as you'd wish. Stuff happens, we do what we can, and ultimately, animals are, well, unpredictable. Ask Jay Leno. Don't we teach children to be careful around animals because we recognize this fact? Where does this expectation come from, that it's possible to be in control of an animal 100% of the time? How can such a notion reasonably become the basis of a law or a euthanization order all by itself? Why should death be promoted as a catch-all solution?? It's not as though everything else in society is so perfect, that people such do a flawless job of controlling objects or themselves. A lot of people do a pretty lousy job with cars, for instance, but the city doesn't seize the cars, even though a whole lot of other people die. Not remotely near the number of people who die from dog-bite injuries every year (in Canada, 2007: two, vs. 30-something from lightning strikes). 

Maybe these waves of anti-dog laws - from breed legislation to subjective by-laws - are remnants of primitive human fears, just like a dog's undesirable behaviour may be rooted in its own primitive fears. They evolved with us, though. Why not put it into perspective then, and see to it that the law is applied consistently and fairly before calling for radical measures like death or removal of private property. This is an issue I would expect a humane society would be very concerned with.

 

But perhaps because I talk about the unfairness of the law and its uneven application, some people assume I don't care about public safety. I certainly do care. That's why I built the enclosures and that's why I'll be putting in a permanent boundary fence. I care a lot about public safety in my community, including the threatening dog on the beach who seems to be loose all the time, charges up to you barking its head off like it owns the place, and

 even bit a friend of mine's dog last summer (she never called animal control). I am not happy about that dog, or about another dog that chases the kids next door when they walk down the street. Again, no calls on that. When we had our meeting last week, a man who lives down the road came along who said when he has issues with a neighbor's dog, he goes to the owner and deals with it - "I go to the source, there's no need to involve the cops," he said. I sort of felt that way too - especially when the other party is responsive and caring.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>><<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<

When people so freely call for the death of any being - especially an animal they will never see in their lifetimes - it really gives me pause. Somehow they seem to think in one dimension, leaving aside their knowledge (and experience) of the deep bond between humans and dogs. Such as mine!! Brindi and I have/had a very strong bond. She always connected with me, let me know she was ready to learn, and by July our routines were set well, everybody here was flexible and peaceful - meaning the cats, Brindi, and me. They were my comfort through a lot of pretty tough days with the excavation work. 

Look at my face in the photo with her - a rare happy moment! It's not looking like that anymore, I can assure you. Nearly half a year of my life and hers - a big chunk of her life - has been stolen. Half a year in a cage is not good for any animal, and a waste when it has a home to go to. And I'm out of shape now from no more daily walks with her. I can't bear to walk solo along the same routes we used, and we used all the routes in the area. 

Once I forgot to close the car windows and it filled with mosquitos, huge black bombers swarming in the car. I drove off without realizing and had to pull over and started smashing the inside of the car, all over. I was moving erratically and glanced back to see Brindi, calm and quiet. She was not anxious, and just moved aside cooperatively when I was aiming at one near her. She tolerated it for a long while (there was an unspeakable number). I thought it was pretty remarkable; I know other dogs who would have become quite excited and upset by that sort of thing. It's just being in tune with each other, and I think that's a great start for advancement.

The more some stranger says I can't have Brindi back, the more I am sure I can and will. A minute later, I get nuts just thinking about it. I just don't see how one can justify implementing totalitarian regulations for a species that does so much to sustain and enrich human life - urban life too, all poop problems aside. Everybody loves dogs, right? Apparently not everybody, not as much as they seem to.

So many people don't have the time to go to classes, and it's real work. It's totally worth it though. It paid off around my house so much, and I am so frustrated each time she slipped out; each time was a sudden fluke, believe it or not. Most of the time, she wouldn't bolt anywhere; she was my shadow. SO much that I got used to it. Except for a few moments spread out over a ten month period.  

________________________________________________

I don't want to have any problems with my dog, I want her to fit in with me and anywhere, rather than having her eat off my plate when my back is turned, or having to shutting her in a bedroom when guests come over, and so on. I want a well-behaved dog. That is why I spent so much time socializing her and being as consistent as I could in training her. I am ready to put in the time it takes to drill the recall commands so that she can be 100% socialized. She's about 90% - or WAS!!! She formed a strong bond with me and anywhere else would be another stress on her. I am her rightful owner - and legally, I have not been charged with anything that would disqualify me as owner, so the idea seems so erroneous. 

The issue for the public should be, in terms of safety, to ascertain whether she is verifiably dangerous before carrying out a death order that would destroy my "property". The flip side of that is the law. Once we finally get a chance to present our case to a judge, it will be very clear just how much it differs in enforcement from so many other cases with more serious infractions and injuries, in which a fines, or even less, was meted out. 

*************************************************************************

There are other issues, but the fact is, on the spectrum of danger/threat/damage, Brindi is at one end, and they are on the other, yet she receives the ultimate punishment, and others are untouched. I am in no way dismissing the need to prevent any incidents. BUT, and I wonder if the callers actually heard it when I said it, there has to be some consistency across the board. Animal Services' Andrea Macdonald speaks about each case being addressed on its merits. Really? When you have each officer practicing their own version of law enforcement, total discretion without review by a higher-up (the law awards the officer, not his bosses, the power to issue fines, declare dangerous, and order euthanization, or should I say euphemization), what mechanism exists to insure consistency, let alone fairness, throughout? Instead it is a very subjective system of enforcement, without accountability.

I would think it would be very alarming to hear that dogs that bite people and/or dogs or even kill other animals are typically handled with fines, while one dog that did neither is condemned to death. Anyone talking about community safety or owner responsibility should put that in their pipe and smoke it, then come and tell me where I stand. I took the trouble to do obedience class and take Brindi all over creation precisely because I wanted to socialize her well and be able to count on her good behavior. It worked very well for the most part, and within less than a year I would brag she was doing just as well or better than most dogs we ran into or knew - but just my luck, the part that didn't work so well became a police matter before I could correct it fully!

_________________________________________________________________

Yesterday, as I was preparing for the Tom Young interview (that's him above), I received copies of very vehement letters from folks in Colorado to Mayor Kelly and others here. Out in Alberta, Heather Anderson tells me she's called his office at least 17 times, and two of her friends have called a handful of times. They have yet to get through to him or get a call back. Others have 

had mixed receptions when they call Animal Services. I don't know how many are calling and writing every week, but it's got to be at least a small trickle if not a steady stream at times. 

______________________________________________________________

The good news for today is that it appears the trainer can do her assessment at the SPCA tomorrow. The results will take a bit more time, and I don't want to pressure her at all. Otherwise, things are not moving fast in the legal department, as is sadly so typical. I am hoping for the Herald to publish an article soon. I didn't get a chance on air to talk about some key th

ings, unfortunately, including fundraising, the link to Montreal  - the benefit last night, the jewelry - or to express my gratitude to all the people out their who have been so committed to helping me. It is not every day that a person sees something on the TV news for a few seconds and decides to ring up the person in the story whose name was flashed for a few seconds; it is not every day that several people in New Zealand decides to start calling elected officials in Nova Scotia. And around here, the donations and the donated auction items have been so great. Which reminds me - I do hope the auction moves a little faster - it's not too late to bid and win on things, and have them sent to you before Xmas!! We just got a few more lower-priced things, like a man's watch, an alarm clock, and a book on "Birds of Prey of the World". 

_______________________________________________________

Yesterday, I was working in the office (for once). I noticed that Rudy, who has been ever-present at my side while I work in the bedroom, was under the drawing table curled 

up on a makeshift bed I had put there for Brindi - it's her spot. Normally he would never dream of using her bedding (she once hilariously tried to squeeze into a cat bed, however - missed the photo op). Normally Rudy (aka Prinz Rüdiger Weichenpels ab und zu Mausenjäger der I.) implemented a strict policy of detente towards the dog. But there he was, with well-gnarled bones ringing the bed.

 Who knows, he might even be 

missing her. 

Which reminds me, there's a cat up the road I need to feed...