Olga Orda added 6 new photos. Yesterday, on January 7th, our Leo was euthanized by the Coastal Animal Control Services of BC in Nanaimo. We asked for a chance to say goodbye to Leo before he was euthanized but our request was denied. I am writing this because Leo’s story needs to be told and he deserves to have his life honoured. To be clear, my intention is not to diminish any individuals or organizations involved in this situation. Rather, I want this story to trigger real legal protection of animals in our province, as our current legal system does not adequately protect animals. As many of you know, Leo was a warm, kind, loving, playful, compassionate and very intelligent dog. He was deeply loved by our family. People who briefly met him admired him and took a strong liking to him. On May 17, 2014, in Tofino, Leo jumped on a young girl, knocked her down and marked her cheek and earlobe. Leo was seized by police and suffered in a cage at the BC SPCA in Port Alberni and the Coastal Animal Control Services of BC in Nanaimo for seven and a half months. A four-day trial was held from October 14th to October 17th to decide Leo’s fate. There were two options: return Leo to our family on strong restrictions (e.g. muzzled and leashed at all times and engaged in behavior training) or euthanize him. The Judge’s final decision was to have Leo become the property of the BC SPCA and granted the BC SPCA the power to detain Leo, rehome him or end his life. However, the Judge explicitly mentioned that he is not persuaded that it is necessary or reasonable to put down Leo. On January 6th, the BC SPCA stated that they are not in a position to adopt Leo and instead transferred ownership of him to the Coastal Animal Control Services of BC. We had two individuals who wanted to adopt Leo immediately, but within less than a day, the Coastal Animal Control Services killed Leo on January 7th without notice to us, our lawyer’s requests or our personal requests. There was no consideration of the individuals who wanted to adopt Leo. It was Coastal Animal Control Services’ deliberate decision to euthanize Leo, even when two willing individuals stepped forward to adopt him. Animal shelters and animal protection organizations euthanize thousands of dogs who can be rehomed and rehabilitated each year. Leo was one of them. He had several loving families he could go to. Instead, he was detained for months in confinement and killed. I am writing this because Leo’s story - and the story of thousands of other dogs - needs to told. As one lawyer we spoke to months ago stated, dog lives are worth less than television sets in our current legal system. Out of respect for Leo’s life and his story, we will be working with advocates and lawmakers to ensure animals in BC are treated with dignity and value in the legal system. Currently, they are not given the adequate respect and protection they deserve. Please share this story if it touched your heart. Thank you.
Posted on: Tue, 20 Jan 2015 05:53:58 +0000
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