This is not a love song

There is a dog in the back of Toronto Animal Services South named Hades. He is a big brindled dog, maybe some Cane Corso, maybe some Mastiff, maybe something else. I've only met him once and only in passing when I was on my way to see another dog in the same room. As I walked by his kennel, Hades looked at me through his door. His body posture was stiff, head direct but low, and he stared at me with unblinking, hard eyes. I thought I heard a low rumble coming from his throat. I looked away. What's the point of provoking an outburst from a dog in a cage?

Hades is at TAS-S because he got loose in an apartment building in Parkdale and bit a man's arm while the man was waiting for an elevator - although from what I hear "bit" might be an understatement. Later, after Hades was impounded and the matter brought before the courts, the bite victim was kind enough to say he didn't want Hades put down.

That was about a year ago. Since then, under court orders, Hades has been living in a cage with minimal human contact, no exercise, not much of anything except food, water and treats (he's gotten a bit chunky actually). Hades is considered a potentially dangerous dog as well as a piece of evidence in an ongoing case and, by law, these are the only comforts he is allowed. As well, the city lawyer has not been able to locate Hades' owner after the initial proceedings and that has no doubt prolonged the legal proceedings.

Hades is in limbo.

I remember the last time I met a dog in limbo at TAS South, abandoned by its owner and treated by the courts like a dusty folder in a forgotten filing cabinet. But Hades is not that dog. That dog wagged its butt as it waited for me to throw its squeaky ball. That dog smiled and panted when I scratched its back. That dog kept me up nights thinking about it living in isolation in a concrete cage - who could call that living? - and then, near the end, there was the hope it could be saved, sent to a rescue perhaps and, finally, how it wrecked me for days and drove staffers to drink when the courts ordered it to be put down in accordance with the anti-Pit Bull laws of Ontario.

But Hades is not that dog. Hades is not a dog I'd want to play ball with.

I'm not going to pretend I know him well or know what motivates him or what kinds of anxieties and stresses he's experiencing at the shelter which are affecting his behaviour but I do know he has trust issues with people and he has proven he is capable of harming those he doesn't trust.

Recently, Justice Lynette Stethern has said, "This dog is broken. It is in a cage with no human contact and we can't take this lightly. The court is troubled," and she has ordered a behavioural assessment of the dog to help determine its future. In this, Justice Stethern shows great compassion and I hope her decision leads to a quick resolution.

There are three outcomes for Hades. The miracle outcome is that he is released and a home is found for him where he can be kept safe and healthy and the public can be kept safe from his behaviour. The second outcome is that he will fail his assessments and he will be euthanized. The worst outcome is that the case will drag on indefinitely in court and Hades will be left to lie alone in his cage for months if not years, grinding between anger and stress, an impenetrable waiting, not living, being punished for something he is incapable of understanding.

The Toronto Sun article is here.