DAISY Chain of Vigils, Coast to Coast, for International Animal Rights Day

From Halifax to British Columbia, Dec. 10-13, 2009.

Halifax: Vigil at Metro Shelter on Dec. 10, International Animal Rights Day.

With Jessie and Admiral DeWolfe assisting.

Moka, a friend of Carol Waterman in Montreal, joined in on Dec. 12, 2009.

Calgary, Alberta

Members of DAISY Foundation

Heather Anderson, founder and director.

To the other end of the continent, British Columbia:

Vigil indoors on a stormy night.

Warm thanks to Lana Horan (lower right).

An apology to a kind person and my frustration at being shut into a room

Today at the SPCA was a very low and frustrating moment. 

The weather was beautiful. But midday passed and the 4 pm visit was again restricted to indoors. In a ten by (guessing) fifteen room, with windows overlooking the street and french doors overlooking the busy lobby, it is psychological torture for woman and dog. 

The SPCA placed a number of conditions on these visits which they invented just for us last April. They originally prohibited me from being inside the shelter building for any length of time. (An impossibility of course since I had to walk through it to get to the pen in the rear.) They also forbade me from talking to anybody, and from taking photos of my own dog. Etc.

Now the SPCA is ordering me to stay inside the building and forbidding me from being with Brindi outside, from now on, period. How repugnant is it to be accused of bringing "contraband" to my dog (I am forbidden from giving my dog a bone), and then to be accused of causing her pancreatitis, which is a lifelong condition and doubtless due to the conditions of her confinement there, and on that questionable premise, to be denied outdoor time with my dog. Yes, the winter is coming and it will be cold. But for a half hour, who cares? Last January the SPCA forced me to stay outside with Brindi in sub-zero temperatures on the first visit I had with her in six months. Lori Scolero ended up cutting the outdoor time short after about 20 minutes because she was too cold. After I got about five minutes in an unheated 4x4 building entrance with Brindi, that visit was over.

Now, it so happens that the last few visit days were gorgeous. And I always walked Brindi outdoors, rain or shine, snow or ice, several times a day. She does not get walked at all now. They let her out in the pen during the day, no idea how long or often. 

Half an hour outside with me is possible now - but no, they have to "monitor" me. Outdoors, these women would sit and gab in lawn chairs in the next pen. They did not exactly monitor anything. But apparently they now prefer to shut us up in a room and be done with it. 

Any effort to discuss these new rules is pointless, because within seconds, I am threatened with the prospect of having visits ended altogether. Yes, I do ask, why is this necessary? That already going too far. When I protested, I was told, "Francesca, there are members of the public here!" and "You're wasting your time with Brindi," which was soon followed by the threat to cut off visits. I do not appreciate being treated like a suspect and I cannot believe the gall to blame me for her illness - and now, denied outdoor space, on the unmistakable claim that I would deliberately give my dog something that might make her sick. Incredible. As if the torture of getting only a half hour a week with my beloved dog isn't bad enough. 

When I spoke with them afterwards about the indoor visits, the medical reports, and the legal authority, it was not much different. 

Who knows, I could find out next week that visits have been ended permanently because of my interaction with them today - the shelter manager, Sandra, who claims she was the "decider" about going indoors - and Lori Scolero, of Animal Services, who watches by standing out in the lobby. She claims she has no idea what legal authority HRM has to hold Brindi and doesn't care to know. It's the legal department's problem, she says. 

I asked again for Brindi's latest medical records, from about three weeks ago now, which include important blood tests. They were not on hand, but a fax was promised. 

Brindi was fine most of the time, but she was naturally distracted by the comings and goings in front of the glass doors and outside the windows to the street. She quickly emptied a kong that was given to her at the beginning. I was not allowed to give her milkbones or any treats, but was supplied with "kibble" for her. So, we cuddle, I put her through the few tricks I managed to teach her, and I watch her nose at the doors and windows, hoping to be let out. Thirty minutes in a room.

Am I alienating the SPCA by posting this? Not posting it would not alter the situation, because cooperation and subservience is expected, not rewarded. Sorry to be so harsh - but Christmas is on its way and I am facing a SECOND Christmas without Brindi. It's just incredible. We cannot get HRM to cooperate by moving up the trial date- even after they complained to the judge about the delays (caused by needing to find counsel). A judge also said she didn't believe she had the authority (power) to order that Brindi go to a better facility with long-term care status. If she doesn't have it, the question is, who does? And HRM seems to think she does, as they insist they would not permit a transfer without a court order. More frustration, while my dog is kept at a 30 day facility.

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

My apology for today however goes to a well-meaning volunteer who dared break the standing order not to talk to me. In the parking lot, as I was leaving, she came over to say how much she loves Brindi. I apologize for bursting out at the seams at her with "I love my dog, and she's mine!" 

I have never had such a moment of breakdown there, let alone in front of a volunteer who was kind enough to speak to me. I also regret it because wanted to speak with her; I believe she was truly a kind woman. But after my frustrating attempt to reason with two recalcitrant women, it was honestly too much to bear to hear what a great dog I have. It is a nice thing to say on the face of it, and it is not that I don't appreciate it - I do. But frankly, it rips my insides out. I KNOW she is lovable and wonderful and smart; that is why she should not be on death row as a "dangerous dog". And that is also why I want her home for Christmas. Who is going to help me?

This woman will know who she is, and since the SPCA folks read this blog (sometimes within minutes of posting) I am confident she'll see my apology. She was probably scolded for approaching me, since the manager, who must have been watching from the door, shooed her into the building within seconds. I'm sorry about that too. I hope she'll understand and forgive me. 

To defend what I love

 

Happy is he who dares courageously to defend what he loves.

- Ovid

The SPCA and Animal Services have decided to change the time and location of my brief weekly visits with Brindi. Last Wednesday when I arrived at 1 pm, I was asked, "Didn't you hear?" It turned out that the two parties decided that we could no longer spend time outdoors at 1 pm; instead we would be inside and the visit would start at 4 pm. This was not something I had agreed on, for two reasons. First, Brindi needs all the outdoor exercise she can get. Or at least fresh air. She doesn't really get much exercise in the pen.

Second, in the room they allow us to use, which is a newly refurbished waiting room to the left of the lobby, Brindi can see out the windows to the street. And boy does she know it's the outside world and boy does she WANT TO BE FREE. It was torture for us both, frankly, as I posted last week. 

She was the best girl throughout but she could not resist jumping on the couch and sitting prettily while gazing out those windows with longing. I tried once to get her down and she obeyed, but I didn't have the heart to do it again, and I ended up just sitting next to her on the couch. By the end of the time, I was hugging her close and praying and weeping all at once, with my head resting on her back. It was awful.

Yesterday my lawyer reminded me - inadvertently, really - about this change. He had tried to no avail to talk the SPCA out of the the change. They claim they have to watch me during the visit, more closely than they do outside, so that I don't give Brindi "contraband" treats. As if I would deliberately make my dog sick. In the event, nobody watched me anyhow, and it was moot. The person from Animal Services assigned to watch me spent the time out in the lobby deep in conversation with an SPCA investigator.

By today my lawyer was supposed to have worked out with HRM to get the agreement back to where it was before. But that hasn't happened. So I dread another tortuous time with Brindi in that room with those windows, a single pane of glass the only thing separating her from the freedom we both long for.  

Sympathetic pain

I have this thing that happens to my body when somebody close to me is seriously ill. I seem to suddenly develop a symptom that mimics their condition. 

For instance, when my beloved uncle lost the ability to swallow food safely without aspirating, for instance, I found myself suddenly having trouble swallowing, feeling my esophagus and epiglottis choking up. I had a similar experience when a friend had kidney problems. 

Now, since Monday, when I learned about Brindi being hospitalized, I've been having some gripping, sharp pains in my abdomen, kind of central, not high or low, and it's not going away just yet. Don't have any chronic heartburn or even infrequent heartburn (thankfully); it suddenly came on and it's been just maddening. 

Facebook 

Teresa wrote on November 18, 2009 at 3:28 pm

What is pancreatitis?
Pancreatitis is inflammation of the pancreas. The pancreas is a large gland behind the stomach and close to the duodenum—the first part of the small intestine. The pancreas secretes digestive juices, or enzymes, into the duodenum through a tube called the pancreatic duct. Pancreatic enzymes join with bile—a liquid produced in the liver and stored in the gallbladder—to digest food. The pancreas also releases the hormones insulin and glucagon into the bloodstream. These hormones help the body regulate the glucose it takes from food for energy.

Normally, digestive enzymes secreted by the pancreas do not become active until they reach the small intestine. But when the pancreas is inflamed, the enzymes inside it attack and damage the tissues that produce them.

Pancreatitis can be acute or chronic. Either form is serious and can lead to complications. In severe cases, bleeding, infection, and permanent tissue damage may occur.

Post #2 Teresa wrote on November 18, 2009 at 3:31 pm

I just wanted to share some information on what Brindi is dealing with health wise, how the pancreas works. Prayers for your quick recovery Brindi and your freedom ♥ 

Post #3 Francesca wrote on November 19, 2009 at 1:11am

Thank you so, so much Teresa!!

I learned in a chat with the shelter manager that they confirmed the diagnosis last Friday with a blood test. Apparently they wanted to insure she was looked after so they kept her in the hospital over the weekend rather than the shelter, where staff is either low and/or non-existent on Sundays. 

That was great. I am not so pleased about HRM's Animal Services and legal beagles' attempt to make me the culprit for a condition that takes a lot of time to come about - not something anybody could accomplish in one half-hour a week, for the few months I've been permitted these visits. Being deprived throughout of sufficient exercise, and the added weight (reflecting a rich diet; before January there were lots of fatty treats around), are likely factors; also, the vet told me that certain bacteria can trigger it. Having poor dental hygiene and gum disease is a great recipe for that. 

Brindi was peppy and very affectionate and ready for action, as usual. Her forearms had been shaved for IV's but she was not shedding much and her coat was in good condition. they are also clearly working on her teeth, which are still bad but slowly improving. That made me feel better. 

There is a dispute about the visit location and time: they want to change it to indoors at 4 pm. I do not. I arrived at 1 pm today to discover the new terms and was told they were sent to my lawyer. He did not receive anything and in his call to HRM he learned the other lawyer was in court - but five minutes later, he received an email from him announcing the chage. 

I really hope they will change their minds - today was very difficult for Brindi, and hard as hell for me. In that room, she sees the outside world through the window, just a single pane of glass away, a world she hasn't visited for a year and a half and which she doesn't see in the back pen because it is far from the road. So she was really suffering today, jumped on the couch and sat prettily staring outside. She kept glancing back at me with the same pleading eyes in this photo, asking me to take her out of there. She really really wants SO MUCH to be free. It pains me, as it would anyone, to be so utterly helpless to fulfill her wishes, to just open that door for her, when I know she once trusted me totally and I love her so much.

I just held her very close next to me, putting my head down on hers, and prayed very hard.

I sobbed a few times, with the waves of pain pushing through. 

 I'm sure it pains the staff as well that she is not allowed to even go for a walk - HRM's call and they obey it. But for me, it's the most unbearable feeling in the world, and my stomach cramping up every 30 seconds is a mirror of that pain.

She's out of the hospital??

So my lawyer calls the SPCA shelter seeking information. They now say Brindi is back in the shelter but will not tell him anything more, because he has to go through their lawyer. 

Do they have a lawyer?? Apparently not. What they are talking about is the HRM lawyer. They seem to be laboring under the mistaken belief that the HRM lawyer represents the SPCA. Not true at all; and in fact, HRM is freed of all liability through their contract for the pound services. The SPCA is totally exposed. But they don't seem to get that. 

And the issue of Brindi's health remains shrouded in mystery thanks to that. 

No two cases of canine pancreatitis are alike and the exact cause is uncertain, but overweight dogs with a high fat diet are believed to be more at risk, therefore it is best to avoid table scraps and keep your dog on foods with a lower fat content. Stress is also thought to be a contributing factor, so keep your canine as stress-free as possible. Viral or bacterial infections and trauma or injury to the abdomen are other possible contributors to pancreatitis.

Brindi has pancreatitis and is/was in the hospital?

After ringing my lawyer at 3:25 pm, I learn that he heard from HRM's Kishan Persaud, that Brindi has been in the hospital since Friday with pancreatitis. 

And rather than give more information about Brindi and what they are doing, Persaud says to tell me I cannot give her treats and that the SPCA wants to search me before each visit. My lawyer of course said they cannot do that, it is illegal. Persaud replied that he knew that. So why even pass it along??  He also passed along the threat that if I continued to give her treats that my visits would be cut off. 

In addition, Persaud said that they won't be asking me to pay for this treatment "at this time". !!! As if!! The cost of this treatment must be covered by the authorities responsible for her care, and that would be Animal Services.  Me giving her a few healthy treats once a week for the short time I've been allowed visits is NOT why she has this condition; according to my vet it has more to do with a serious lack of proper exercise and too many rich foods - like the chewy treats, "Beggin' Strips", that she is given at the shelter. In order words, this condition is directly attributable to poor care: keeping her in a temporary facility that is known to be inadequate for long-term care, let alone short term care; and Animal Services' total refusal to allow Brindi to be walked regularly. 

Not to mention that my requests to move her to a better facility have been met with a response telling me to go get a court order first, and that the court itself tells me that it doesn't know if it has the "authority" to order a transfer. 

For the SPCA and HRM to be going on the offensive as a defensive action at a time when my dog is ill is not a very honorable position to take (not to say shameless). From what my vet tells me, pancreatitis is a condition that will bring recurring episodes for the rest of her life and will require IV fluids and antibiotic treatment and withdrawal of foods for several days, each time. This adds to the permanent damage to her teeth and chronic gum disease as a result of the SPCA's refusal to allow her bones - or to give her something else as a substitute - or to give her a teethcleaning at the proper times. 

So it's bad enough hearing this news, but to cloak it in blame and a threat is just too damn much.  Never mind that my dog is in ill the hospital or telling us how they are treating her - whether she is getting fluids and anti-biotics. Never mind passing on the blood test results!

And never mind the main question: HOW DID SHE GET PANCREATITIS?? 

Now I am waiting for my lawyer to contact the SPCA directly and get some questions answered.