People sometimes wonder why rescues and shelters in Toronto go to the trouble of importing dogs from Quebec to adopt out here.
Two reasons:
1. The people of Toronto are pretty good about how we treat our dogs (relative to other cities, we're actually pretty great). While there are the occasional horror stories that pop up in the news and systemic injustices like the Ontario Pit Bull ban which we have to suffer with, people don't generally abandon their dogs here. We are, for the most part, responsible pet owners.
Torontonians are also pretty good about adopting. The more adopters, the better, of course, but relatively speaking, we're doing okay and we're getting better. Adoptions are going up as public awareness increases about the quality of shelter animals and the cost savings associated with adopting vs. buying.
Responsible pet ownership and willingness to adopt means that sometimes, especially within the larger shelters and rescues, there's space available to take in animals from other jurisdictions. If there's an empty kennel, it only makes sense to use it to save a life.
2. Here's the other reason. The following is a video clip from an upcoming CBC news show, Enquête, on Berger Blanc, one of the many private pounds in Montreal. It's graphic, it's sickening and many people involved in Montreal rescues know this is happening but have been powerless to do anything about it.
The full episode will air on CBC this Thursday at 8 p.m. on Enquête which is in French. It will also be available on-line on the CBC site after the broadcast.
More on Berger Blanc here.
Awful footage. How is this happening in CANADA??? HOW?????
How? Because QC has horrific laws when it comes to animal welfare, and Canada, as a whole, has very very outdated animal cruelty laws.
All of my fosters have been from Quebec, and my next foster(s) will be arriving from a Quebec puppymill in the next couple of weeks. That's just how it is.
On the plus side.. Ontario is pretty freaking fantastic when it comes to adoption. My fosters have sat in a QC for months, waiting to be adopted. As soon as they arrive in Ottawa, they're adopted within weeks. Ontario is doing something right, at least.
I am a coward, so I will not be watching the report. I have heard that Quebec's laws are terrible, and Canada's laws need a major update - something I have been raising with my local candidates for years now, to no effect.
WSPA has asked the main parties what their positions are on anti-cruelty legislation - the site is here:
http://www.wspa.ca/voteforanimals/index.html
thank you for your comments now we must act
if you have any contacts in the media to show them what is going on in Quebec that would be wonderful
with this report more dogs will need to be adopted via TAS
so once the transports are organized please tell your contacts
talk about it on blogs what is going on but Berger Blanc is just a symptom of what is considered acceptable in our province
most private for profit pound most probably works in the same way
this has to stop
This year I finally decided to learn how to drive, and it was mostly so I can eventually help out with transports. I'm so sick of this.
(I go for my road test next week, and I have a gloomy feeling I'll fail it, but I'm going to keep trying until I pass.)
You won't fail. Just practise like all get out for the 5 days prior to the test. Good luck!
I got so fed up with the cities attitude as well, that I made a more honest version of the bergerblanc homepage. Check it out and tell other people as well.
Here is the link.
http://bergerbland.medianewsonline.com/
Tremblays new homepage is next if he does not break the contract with them.
sorry the correct link is
http://bergerblanc.medianewsonline.com/