Rosana's Story

Rosana's Story

I am just a simple dog walker devoted to helping the neediest animals. My journey started in 2007 when I first stepped foot in the Toronto Human Society (THS) to help the animals. I instantly fell in love with their beautiful little faces and I will never forget the look in their eyes crying out for love and help. I instantly developed a strong connection with the animals and quickly began volunteering during most of my free time. During my volunteer experience I focused my attention and time towards dog walking; the breed that quickly captured my heart was the Pit-bull.
The Pit-bull breed stood out in my eyes because of their unusual level of loyalty, affection and devotion. In my five years at the Toronto Humane Society I walked many dogs which were absolutely lovely that I would love to adopt but knew because of legislation I could not. This is when I met my precious Captain.
I met Captain in early 2009; he was abandoned by his owner with a broken leg. To his advantage he ended up at the Toronto Humane Society (under old leadership) and was quickly cared for by a veterinary team. At this point the THS would take in abandoned and/or abused Pit-bulls; the ones with status were adopted out in Ontario and the ones without status were sent to a training centre in Chicago, U.S.A.
Every three months the staff at THS would send five Pit-bulls away to Chicago; Captain and a few other Pit-bulls were waiting for their turn. This is about the point, in November 2009, that the THS was raided by the Ontario Society for the Protection of Animals (OSPCA). At this point I began to feel the pressure of the Pit-bull ban and I instantly sensed that under the care of the OSPCA, Captain’s life was in danger. It was devastating to think that my best friend could be killed at any moment without intervention from the people that loved him most.
At the shelter you see the best and the worst of people; the people working under the surveillance of the OSPCA completely ignored and disregarded the importance of Captain in my life and in the lives of other volunteers that loved him unconditionally. For the OSPCA staff Captain and the other Pit-bulls were just a banned breed of dog that didn’t have the right to life; for me and the other volunteers these banned Pit-bulls were our best friends.
The day I greatly feared arrived and on March 26, 2010 Captain along with five other Pit-bulls lost their lives. What was so shocking about the whole situation was the manner in which the staff carried out the euthanization. Captain along with the others were dragged by pole to their death and after being euthanized their bodies were put into garbage bags, symbolizing their worthlessness to staff that carried out this inhumane act.
On this day my heart and my soul broke forever. I witnessed loving, beautiful, loyal and healthy animals be euthanized for no reason other than being labelled a Pit-bull.
This event has negatively characterized my life and not a day goes by where Captain’s beautiful smile doesn’t cross my mind. I remember all the times we spent together; particularly I remember that each time I would walk up to his cage his intense excitement would leave him gasping for air. He was so happy to see me that I could see and hear his little heart beating through his fur. As excited as he was to see me, I was of him; he was the best thing to ever happen to me in all my life. The day those four little paws walked into the shelter I knew my life would never be the same but I never expected it to end this tragically.
A great dog lost his life because of his breed and not his behaviour. I lost my best friend because of breed-specific legislation that robbed me of right to help him.
He just lived a year but the love he gave us and the love we gave him will last an eternity. All I wanted was him by my side my side.


“If tears could build a stairway
And heartache make a lane
I’d walk the path to heaven
And bring him back again”


Thank you for taking the time to read my letter. I sincerely appreciate it and I know all those other Pit-bulls whose lives depend on this movement do as well.

Rosana

Anonymous Story

Person Chooses to Remain Anonymous.....

Hi there. My name is ..... I am a hard working tradesman living in Calgary, Alberta, originally from Peterborough, Ontario. BSL is affecting my life right now. I was forced to come west 6 years to chase employment that was not available in my home province. My fiance and I long to move home to start a family close to our family in Ontario. We have a beautiful male Pit bull who we consider family and who has brought so much love and enjoyment into our lives and who is also illegal in Ontario due to this ridiculous ban. BSL is literally keeping our family apart. I am amazed that this ban even exists. It is "dark aged mentality". Ontario you could truly learn something from Alberta responsible dog owners laws. Wake up and stop ruining families. No one breed of dog is dangerous or evil. And certainly not Pit bulls. Statistics prove this fact. WAKE UP.

Leah & Ace

Leah & Ace

I would like to share with you my story that you can hopefully pass on. I was born and raised in Ontario and never grew up with a dog, so always had a fear of dogs, simply because I didn't know them and had been bit by a poodle as a child. When the pitbull ban passed in Ontario in 2005, I, like many others felt "relieved", as I had never met a pitbull and had been convinced by the media that these dogs were vicious monsters that we should do away with. I felt the government was finally doing something to protect the public. My feelings on this have radically changed.
When I moved out west in 2007, I met my first pitbull. I clearly remember the day that we went over to our new friend's house. I knew he had a pitbull and I was terrified as we approached the house with the dog barking inside. As we entered the house I was shocked that the dog showered me with KISSES rather than tear me apart! Within five minutes the dog was curled up in my lap, and spent the afternoon with me on the couch. An instant new friend, I'd never had any dog of any breed cuddle up so close with me. A pitbull lap dog??! No way! From that day forward my idea of the breed instantly started to change.
Then I met another pitbull and another and another (very popular dogs out west) and I noticed one common trend: not one of these dogs ever remotely exhibited signs of aggression and terror like I had once believed. In fact it was the exact opposite and just couldn't understand how they got such a bad rep! I fell so in love with the breed that I once had so ignorantly feared and misunderstood, that we got a puppy of our own in 2008. Our dog Ace has been an absolute blessing in my husband and I's life, and now can't imagine our lives without him- how sad and empty that would be. Ace is the sweetest, most cuddly guy, with the funniest little personality, people can't help but love him.
I am now so passionate about educating people about pitbulls and welcome the opportunity to introduce anyone to Ace who may have misconceptions about the breed, because I know once they meet him their opinions will change. They no longer sum up an entire breed based on a name or a look or what they have read in the paper.
If people in Ontario had the opportunity to meet a pitbull without a cage on its face, their opinions might change, just like mine did. This law perpetuates the irrational fears. As soon as people see the muzzle, they automatically assume your dog is dangerous and cross the street. How are these dogs supposed to socialize properly? We know that proper socialization with people of all ages and a variety of other animals, along with exercise and love will help a dog grow into a happy, well- balanced dog. Unfortunately, many honest and great dog owners feel so afraid of the powers of this law that they live in fear their dog will be taken, so they hide their dogs away from society, and the dog does not have the opportunity to socialize properly. Then a situation may arise that the dog has not experienced before, and may behave inappropriately, perpetuating the negative stereotype of a pitbull. Another reason why the ban doesn't work.
In 2009, when my nursing contract out west ended and there were no other positions in the entire area, (due to the recession, finding work everywhere was difficult) we made the decision to move back home with our families and brought Ace with us. How could we leave him behind? I could never abandon an animal, let alone a family member. At the time, we didn't think much of the ban, as we have a large property with 26 acres up in cottage country where we could let Ace roam, and slip out of the public eye. It was only when we started looking for a friend for Ace at the local shelter, that we realized the significance of this ban, and what it meant to our lives. One shelter volunteer that we met also owned an "illegal" rescue pitbull herself. She warned us that the authorities could come onto our property unannounced, take Ace and have him killed, no questions asked. All it would take was one call from a neighbour to the bylaw officers and he'd be gone.
We lived in fear every day for 9 months, wondering what would happen to us and to Ace. Luckily no one complained, and luckily I was able to find a nursing position back out west and we moved. I now hear the horrible stories of people fighting to get their dogs back, with lengthy court cases and usually unhappy endings. I shudder at the thought of what may have happened to us and Ace.
My husband now owns a successful business out west that caters to children and often brings Ace to work with him- he is our mascot, and everyone loves him. It is so heartwarming to watch the kids hug and kiss Ace, love him and play with him, as children have no preconceived judgments and fears, and love him based on his behavior alone. If only our world were governed by children :)
We hope that one day we can move back to Ontario to be with our families, but until the ban is lifted, Ontario is the last province in Canada we have the option of living, as we refuse to give up our Ace. How unfortunate, as we each have a lot to offer the wonderful community where we would like to live.

Love and hugs from Western Canada,

Leah and Ace

Indy & Lauren

Indy & Lauren

My husband and I got Indy(a lab cross) in 2008, from a desperate ad on craiglist about a family with two dogs who suddenly didnt get along anymore(they were mother and son!). We fell in love with him instantly! He was a lover, a kisser, and loved to cuddle! Indy transitioned into our home so well, we had 5 acres of land in Mission, British Columbia and Indy loved to just roam free. His favorite toy is a black Kong (filled with peanut butter, of course!). As the years went on, our life changed, we welcome the birth of our first child(in 2010), and shortly after, we decided that one of us had to go back to school. My husband wanted to become a Heavy Duty Equipment Mechanic. The catch? The best school for that, was located in Ontario, plus with a new and growing family, how would we pay rent and baby expenses all while our primary income maker is at school?(making no income, and actually costing us money in the short term) So the heartbreaking decision to move back to Ontario from British Columbia began to take shape. My heart crumbled as I quickly found out that Ontario had Breed Specific Legislation, and that my darling pit/lab cross was NOT welcome(or allowed!) to come "home" with us, his family. This is where I got stubborn. I was determined not to lose my best friend just because life was changing for all of us. I scrambled to find someone to help me with him, a friend or relative who lived outside of Ontario...who could dog sit for us. We found NO one...Indy is 90 pounds of love, but also 90 pounds it alot for the average person to handle. Would he even be safe with someone else? We knew him so well, all his quirks, what he loves and doesn't like. He had even done the Walk for Multiple Sclerosis with us in Abbotsford the year before we moved (we wore a t shirt and everything!) Luckily, we did however find a place to keep him for the short term, meaning a few weeks, a month at most, but the problem was it was back with his previous owners, and their dog(his momma) still didnt get along with other dogs. So the set up was sad, one dog would go out, while the other stayed inside, and they took turns being crated for most of the day. This was not the life I wanted for my baby, but for now he was safe, and still mine. It was then decided that I needed to fly Indy to Michigan (where we have a cottage) that way I can personally find him a good foster home, or in the event of no other choice, a good new forever home (which would be the VERY LAST RESORT). I used social media like facebook to send out pleas for help, I posted on craigslist numerous times (my post were often flagged and removed before anyone could even see it) things werent looking very promising. And once Indy had flown into Michigan, I had less than 10 days to find somewhere for him to go, as I had to return to Ontario to my 2 legged family who needs me too. Indys first foster mama was a girl named Heather, she was sweet and kind, and really liked Indy. She had just rented a house(that her dad was the landlord for) and lived in the country, had a cat(Indy LOVES cats! ) and bunny rabbit. Her place was about 45 min from my families cottage in Alpena, Michigan. It seemed perfect! Her boyfriend was a volunteer firefighter, I was sure Indy would be so happy there! about 2 months into his foster with Heather, I get a message saying she is being evicted and I need to come get Indy ASAP. My heart broke. Finding a first foster family was hard, and now I have to do it again. I drove up to Michigan from Toronto about 3 days later. Collected him and his things, and went to the cottage to begin my second search for hope for my dog. I made contacts all over North America in this process, one of which was with the Huron Humane Society in Alpena, MI. Judy and her friends, helped me spread the word about Indy, and his need to be fostered while we lived here in "Onscario!"(I call them that because Ontario is SCARED of my sweet darling love and breed they know NOTHING about) Through all this I was introduced to Sara and Dave, a sweet couple living on the outskirts of Alpena. They had 2 other dogs (adopted from the Huron Humane Society) and live on 80 acres in the country (family farm) THEY WERE PREFECT! To this day they are my saviors! Indy is still living with them, happy as can be. I pay for all his care, food, toys, treats, medication etc. And they give him all the love and attention he needs. We are currently on the "home stretch" of our very TEMPORARY stay in Ontario (we agree that a province who discriminates - is not where we will be establishing our life for our family, how could we support that??) I miss my darling Indy every day, and have spend many night in tears, worried or missing him. My daughter who is now 2, talks about Indy all the time - and our goal was always to have them raised together as best friends should be, and we have been so torn up my this law. My family isn't together, and that isn't right. The worst part is, he just looks like a pit bull...he isn't even purebred! The BSL in Ontario has torn us apart. I just want my WHOLE family to be together again!

Lauren

Amanda & Calleigh

Amanda & Calleigh

To Whom this may concern,

I am writing in regards to BSL my name is Amanda. On Oct 16th 2009 I was at a dog park with my dog Calleigh she was 21 months old at the time and also my 2 year old nephew, Calleigh was playing with another dog that we met at this dog park before when 4 bylaw officers showed up taking picture’s and questioning me about Calleigh. They told me that I had to surrender my dog to be destroyed or to show proof of breed/age verification within 30 days, I then said I was not going to give them my dog and I then left, 16 day later I received a letter saying I was charged with owning a prohibited pit bull dog and I had to go to court, so I contacted Queen’s Legal aid for help to fight for my dogs life, my boyfriend Jamie made a facebook group called Save Calleigh from being put down, we had a lot of support with over 8000 people in the group. I was then contacted by a very nice lady Mary, she was holding a pit bull protest in the name of my dog Calleigh on Feb 27th 2010. I had 60 people I have never met come help me in the fight for my dog, CKWS news came and we also made the paper. I had a high risk assessment that proved Calleigh was not a high risk dog, I had dog trainers in and out of my house with them wondering why they were there as Calleigh was already trained and very well behaved and when I said why, I had them come and they were shocked and said Calleigh was the most well behaved puppy that had ever met. Then I had a DNA test that proved Calleigh was not a pit bull she was Bull Terrier, Rottweiler, Bichon Frise, Miniature Pinscher and St Bernard. I had to muzzle my dog when she had not done anything wrong. The muzzle changed Calleigh, she was sad and not herself, every time I took her for a walk she wouldn’t come to me, she would act out, she’d miss behave, this was very upsetting to watch a once happy playful dog become a depressed dog who walked with her tail between her legs and ears pinned back all because a law said that she was a dangerous animal. We competed in 1000 island Dock Dog with Calleigh she loves to swim but when we had to have the muzzle on her she wouldn’t do very well at all its sad to make a good dog wear a muzzle when you know what it does to them. I have 13 nieces and nephews I would trust Calleigh with any of them before I would any other dog. Every night I cried myself to sleep as I held Calleigh in my arms as she cuddled into my chest, I could not imagine my life without her, she doesn’t understand why I cried all the time all she knew was her mommy was sad, she would kiss me and I would cry harder, she looked me in the eyes and it would break my heart, there wasn’t a moment of the day I didn’t think about Calleigh, she is my whole world, my life, my best friend, I worried about what my life would be like without her, I was scared of how I would make it through if I lost her, I made a promise to myself when I brought Calleigh home when she was a baby that I would never let anyone or anything hurt her, I didn’t want to live my life, if she couldn’t live hers. Still to this day I will do anything to keep her safe. Calleigh is not just a pet she is my baby, my child. I had everyone who knew Calleigh to write a letter for me so I could take them to court, After 9 months of court all the stress, the depression, the worrying and crying everything I went through was over I won my case Calleigh could live. That was the happiest time of my life, all the money and love I put into my baby didn’t have to end, I would never wish such a nightmare on anyone in this world. All the fighting and the pain worked out and when you finally see that you can make any type dog dangerous not only pit bulls, it’s not the dogs it’s the owner. I hope this is the end of BSL as it’s not a good law, Stop Killing good animals.

Sincerely,

Amanda and Calleigh

Joanne & Brutus

Joanne and Brutus – An Insurance Scam Gone Wrong

Brutus was almost 16 years old when Animal Control took him away and killed him. He was going blind and deaf and was a wonderful old little fella. He loved his Mommy Joanne and could even detect when she was about to have a seizure or when her vertigo was kicking in. Brutus also saved Joanne from a raccoon and a bear. Brutus came to Joanne when he was two and a half weeks old.

This is Brutus’ story as told to me by Joanne herself.

Joanne had her prescriptions delivered to her home by the local pharmacy. Joanne knew the lady who delivered her prescriptions and her family for 40 years.

Two days before Brutus was taken away and killed, this particular woman and her husband came to Joanne’s house and were looking over a couple of cars her husband was busy restoring. The husband said to Joanne’s husband “I want one of your cars” and Joanne’s husband laughed, and then was told he was going to get one somehow. Then the couple started asking Joanne and her husband questions about her dog, as BSL had just come into law. The questions were very strange and Joanne was worried they were up to something. She asked they never come onto her property again.

Two days later, Joanne was home with some people and Brutus was playing with Joanne’s 1 year old granddaughter. This woman walked right into Joanne’s house and started shaking a prescription bag. Joanne used to play a game with Brutus with a bag and Brutus would jump for it. The woman knew this and Brutus jumped like he always did because it was a favourite game of his and the woman then ran screaming out the door saying Brutus bit her. The paramedics arrived and said the woman hadn’t been bitten by a dog, as there wasn’t a puncture. It was obvious this woman was scamming. Sure enough, when her husband showed up, he said “I told you I would get that car”. He then said “The dog or the car”. Joanne kicked him off her property.

Joanne was contacted by Animal Control and told Brutus must come to Toronto Animal Services with her. When Joanne got there with Brutus, she was told to sign a paper. Joanne was still in shock over the incident and didn’t read the paper; just signed it and they took Brutus from her. That was the last time she was ever to see Brutus again.

The Board of Health and the police showed up at her house the next day and told her the dog should not have been taken away, so Joanne called a judge she knew for help. Every day Joanne and her family would visit TAS to see Brutus, but they were told they weren’t allowed to. She was told Brutus started having seizures, and still she wasn’t allowed to see him or comfort him. On the seventh day, Joanne finally got an order saying she could take him home and she went to TAS to pick him up. TAS told her Brutus had died two days ago. The woman at TAS actually laughed while she told Joanne that. Joanne asked why and was told that since BSL came into law, it was standard practice to kill pit bulls.

When Joanne picked up Brutus’ ashes, she was told ten pit bulls had been cremated that day and the remains of all ten of those dogs were in with Brutus’ ashes.

This woman who claimed she was bitten by Brutus had apparently been “bitten” by seven dogs and her husband by four or five. She got nothing out of Joanne’s insurance company and in fact she admitted in court last year that she lied about Brutus biting her.

Jewel & Lucy

Jewel & Lucy

My last relationship was a cliche bad relationship with a wanna-be biker type guy, I was young and naive - thought I could rescue and save anyone... the man moved into the home that I owned and began controlling every aspect of my life, who I spoke to, where I went, what I wore, even how I spoke.... he re-trained me and changed my disposition. He insisted we get a dog, I argued and took beatings and in the end submitted. I was given the choice: a Doberman or a Pitbull... I've always been a little afraid of Dobermans, so I chose a Pitbull puppy.Much to my delight when we arrived at the man’s house in Toronto that had her, she ran out and hopped up and down at my foot to get up into my arms.... she chose me. We didn’t even look at the other pups.I fell in love with Lucy - it wasn’t until I had something else to care for that I began to value myself and our personal safety (although he never hit the dog, he would beat me in front of the dog which made her go crazy) - because of it, he'd stop sooner than before we got her. She was my BEST FRIEND and the ONLY being other than my ex that was allowed to love me... and I loved her with my whole heart.With time, as I aged and began to wise-up, the beatings increased in severity and I knew if I didn’t leave, he would kill me - whether intentionally or unintentionally.I only had one place to go, my best friend’s house - her sister was a vet tech with many pets in the home would not even consider a Pitbull - having bought into the terrible media sensationalism. I picked up the phone and called EVERY shelter and asked if I could come to them with my "Pitbull" - they were all just as ignorant.I couldn’t take her anywhere and I had no money and one option, so I moved in with my friend leaving Lucy (temporarily until I got my own place) with my ex.He immediately and out of spite dropped Lucy off at his ex-wife’s and kids’ home in Hamilton... Lucy was left alone in the backyard and got out through a hole in their fence. According to the ex, Lucy was picked up by the Hamilton humane society. They would not re-release the dog back into their care and insisted that because she was so beautifully trained (she was one-of-a-kind, small with such a BEAUTIFUL disposition.) she would be re-located to a "Pitbull rescue sanctuary in the States"Because his ex claimed ownership, they wouldn’t give me any information as to what happened to her... and I feel guilty and sad that I let down my BEST FRIEND and only real companion. If Ontario hadn't adopted BSL, Lucy would have been given back to his ex and eventually I believe in my heart that she would've been given back to me once I got my own apartment.Since, I have worked hard in Lucy's memory to re-train myself, my heart, my head - I believe whole-heartedly that after being a product of abuse and ill-training that every being deserves a chance to be rehabilitated. Pitbulls have been mistreated by humans for years through abuse, through media sensationalism... I believe if it wasn’t for media sensationalism and BSL that I WOULD have been able to bring Lucy into my best friend’s home (where she belonged - with the ones who loved her.)And that's Lucy's story and I'll never forgive myself for not making the RIGHT choice, if I couldn’t find anywhere to live with her, I should have moved onto the street with her... I OWED her that much. Lucy was the sweetest dog I have ever known.
You'll notice how deathly skinny I am, we worked together and lived together and his thing was he'd starve me if I dared argue about anything. She made me feel like I had a reason to fight to live though.... ugh, so hard talking about her. She deserved so much better... but I loved her and she was treated immensely well (with the exception of what she had to witness.)

Jewel

The Reality of Breed Specific Legislation

I've created this blog as a voice for the families who have been affected by Breed Specific Legislation in Ontario. Wonderful people have shared their stories and pictures with me regarding BSL and I thought they should have a permanent home somewhere.

Some stories will break your heart and some will make you angry. This blog will never be open to comments or discussions of any kind. If you would like to share this blog, please do. If this blog makes you want to act out against BSL, please write your MPP and voice your concerns.

If you have a story specific for Ontario, please share with me by writing to me at : lyndac@gmail.com and I will put your story on this blog.

Lynda Crawford