Vicki
Administrator
Kitchener, ON, Canada: Dog owner pleads case to save pet’s life
Dog owner pleads case to save pet’s life
October 14, 2009
By Terry Pender, Record staff
Jack Simpson was successful defending his dog at the dog designation appeal committee Monday.
KITCHENER — Jack Simpson walked into City Hall on Monday morning to plead for his dog’s life.
Last month Simpson’s dog Charlie was designated as a banned animal by the Kitchener Waterloo Humane Society. A designated dog must be destroyed.
Simpson appeared before the city’s Dog Designation Appeal Committee, saying his Charlie never bothered anyone.
In February 1997 the cities of Kitchener and Waterloo adopted a bylaw that bans Pit Bulls or Pit Bull-like dogs.
Simpson never thought that would apply to the friendly mutt he inherited from a neighbour about 18 months ago. But when Simpson moved into a new house on Stirling Avenue his dog Charlie took off to explore the neighbourhood and was picked up as a stray by the Humane Society.
When Simpson called the society looking for Charlie he described the animal as Black Lab-Pit Bull cross. That’s when Shon Carroll, a humane society officer, was told to investigate the dog’s background.
Carroll met with Simpson and his dog on Sept. 2 to take pictures and measurements.
“My biggest thing is the width of the head, the wideness of the forehead,†Carroll said at the committee hearing.
The hind quarters were visibly lower and smaller than the front shoulders. The dog also had a big chest. But Charlie’s head was most concerning for humane society officer tasked with enforcing the Pit Bull ban.
Charlie’s muzzle has a box shape too, Carroll said.
Carroll told the committee the lab traits in Charlie are stronger than the Pit Bull traits. Carroll also said Charlie appeared to be friendly.
But mainly because of the size of the dog’s head Carroll designated Charlie a Pit Bull-like animal that was banned and would have to be destroyed.
“Because I left a message with the humane society that he is a lab-pit cross, the fact that I said ‘pit’ was enough to raise red flags,†Simpson said to the committee.
“Had I known then what I know now, I would never have mentioned the word ‘pit,’ I would have said a ‘lab cross’ and that would have been the end of it,†Simpson said.
He told the committee the dog never bothered anybody. Simpson said he brings the dog to the old age home where his mother lives and his sister’s daycare. He submitted letters from both women as evidence.
“My mother’s in an old age home. I take Charlie there, everybody loves Charlie,†Simpson said.
“I take him to my sister’s, she has a daycare centre, all the kids play with Charlie, and they all love him. There isn’t a soul in the city who doesn’t like Charlie and yet they were willing to put him to sleep because of the size of his head, which doesn’t seem fair,†Simpson said.
The committee members — Coun. Geoff Lorentz, Coun. John Smola and Anne Lawrence of the K-W Kennel Club — listened to the evidence.
Simpson said a lot of people are not aware dogs that are half Pit Bull can be designated and destroyed.
“It’s not an exact science I can tell you that,†Lorentz said.
Lawrence, the committee chair, wanted to know why Simpson described Charlie as a “lab-pit.â€
“It’s just an easy way to explain what kind of dog he is rather than rattling off a whole bunch of different breeds I see in him,†Simpson said.
“OK so this wasn’t because you were told this by a vet?†Lawrence said.
“No, this is something I came up with as a short way of telling people what I think he is,†Lawrence said.
The committee members deliberated behind closed doors for a few minutes.
“Based on the evidence the committee is rescinding the designation which means you are free to license your dog, no restrictions. Thanks you every one,†Lawrence said.
No further explanations were given.
Simpson was visibly relieved as he walked out of the council chambers where the hearing was held.
“I am pleased, very pleased,†Simpson said.
The whole process has left Simpson shaking his head.
“Because they didn’t like the size of his head they wanted to kill him,†Simpson said.
“They gave me two options. Go ge a DNA test done on him and find out what his lineage is, which is several thousand dollars, or leave the province,†Simpson.
http://news.therecord.com/News/Local/article/613149
Dog owner pleads case to save pet’s life
October 14, 2009
By Terry Pender, Record staff
Jack Simpson was successful defending his dog at the dog designation appeal committee Monday.
KITCHENER — Jack Simpson walked into City Hall on Monday morning to plead for his dog’s life.
Last month Simpson’s dog Charlie was designated as a banned animal by the Kitchener Waterloo Humane Society. A designated dog must be destroyed.
Simpson appeared before the city’s Dog Designation Appeal Committee, saying his Charlie never bothered anyone.
In February 1997 the cities of Kitchener and Waterloo adopted a bylaw that bans Pit Bulls or Pit Bull-like dogs.
Simpson never thought that would apply to the friendly mutt he inherited from a neighbour about 18 months ago. But when Simpson moved into a new house on Stirling Avenue his dog Charlie took off to explore the neighbourhood and was picked up as a stray by the Humane Society.
When Simpson called the society looking for Charlie he described the animal as Black Lab-Pit Bull cross. That’s when Shon Carroll, a humane society officer, was told to investigate the dog’s background.
Carroll met with Simpson and his dog on Sept. 2 to take pictures and measurements.
“My biggest thing is the width of the head, the wideness of the forehead,†Carroll said at the committee hearing.
The hind quarters were visibly lower and smaller than the front shoulders. The dog also had a big chest. But Charlie’s head was most concerning for humane society officer tasked with enforcing the Pit Bull ban.
Charlie’s muzzle has a box shape too, Carroll said.
Carroll told the committee the lab traits in Charlie are stronger than the Pit Bull traits. Carroll also said Charlie appeared to be friendly.
But mainly because of the size of the dog’s head Carroll designated Charlie a Pit Bull-like animal that was banned and would have to be destroyed.
“Because I left a message with the humane society that he is a lab-pit cross, the fact that I said ‘pit’ was enough to raise red flags,†Simpson said to the committee.
“Had I known then what I know now, I would never have mentioned the word ‘pit,’ I would have said a ‘lab cross’ and that would have been the end of it,†Simpson said.
He told the committee the dog never bothered anybody. Simpson said he brings the dog to the old age home where his mother lives and his sister’s daycare. He submitted letters from both women as evidence.
“My mother’s in an old age home. I take Charlie there, everybody loves Charlie,†Simpson said.
“I take him to my sister’s, she has a daycare centre, all the kids play with Charlie, and they all love him. There isn’t a soul in the city who doesn’t like Charlie and yet they were willing to put him to sleep because of the size of his head, which doesn’t seem fair,†Simpson said.
The committee members — Coun. Geoff Lorentz, Coun. John Smola and Anne Lawrence of the K-W Kennel Club — listened to the evidence.
Simpson said a lot of people are not aware dogs that are half Pit Bull can be designated and destroyed.
“It’s not an exact science I can tell you that,†Lorentz said.
Lawrence, the committee chair, wanted to know why Simpson described Charlie as a “lab-pit.â€
“It’s just an easy way to explain what kind of dog he is rather than rattling off a whole bunch of different breeds I see in him,†Simpson said.
“OK so this wasn’t because you were told this by a vet?†Lawrence said.
“No, this is something I came up with as a short way of telling people what I think he is,†Lawrence said.
The committee members deliberated behind closed doors for a few minutes.
“Based on the evidence the committee is rescinding the designation which means you are free to license your dog, no restrictions. Thanks you every one,†Lawrence said.
No further explanations were given.
Simpson was visibly relieved as he walked out of the council chambers where the hearing was held.
“I am pleased, very pleased,†Simpson said.
The whole process has left Simpson shaking his head.
“Because they didn’t like the size of his head they wanted to kill him,†Simpson said.
“They gave me two options. Go ge a DNA test done on him and find out what his lineage is, which is several thousand dollars, or leave the province,†Simpson.
http://news.therecord.com/News/Local/article/613149