MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT

Message From the President...

This is the first report of 2005 and the first since the Annual General Meeting of last October. All members of the Board are honoured to have been elected to serve LAWS and the animals for the coming year.

LAWS has significant problems as we continue to move ahead. Part of our problem is our very success in helping animals as we have had to expand and add services. The shelter is larger now and we have many outdoor runs, all to better care for the many animals that come through our doors. Many people have worked hard to increase the capability of LAWS to help animals. LAWS has certainly grown and we are grateful for all the help received over the years.

One of the biggest problems to face LAWS recently was the seizure of 86 mainly golden retrievers from a breeder who had found the care of these animals beyond her capabilities. Although we were able to save most of these animals, some had to be euthanized under veterinary supervision to prevent ongoing suffering. Many volunteers and our staff worked very long hours to cope with the sudden influx of these animals which required extensive care at our shelter, at veterinary clinics and in our foster homes. They all had to be washed, groomed, defleaed, administered anti-parasite medication and carefully watched to help them recover from extreme neglect. The original owner of these animals has now been charged under the Criminal Code and under the Ontario SPCA Act.

We hope to recover some of our costs from the court action but this will probably take some years. We did have many generous donations to assist LAWS in dealing with this unexpected number of animals. However, LAWS has been left in a budget shortfall position. As LAWS does not keep much of a reserve fund, our budget shortfall cannot continue and we appeal to all who read this article to help us balance our budget. The staff is helping where they can. Unfortunately, we have had to cut some staff hours, slightly reduce our opening hours to the public, cut back on our heating bills by reducing the heat in the shelter, and slightly increase adoption fees for cats (these are still less than most other shelters and much less than the pet stores). The Board is studying other ways to raise funds to meet our needs but these will not bear results until later in the year. Thus, we need more help and appeal to you, our supporters, to help us, if you can, to meet our ever increasing costs. We do not turn away any animals, and it is our mission to protect them from neglect and abuse and to speak out loudly on behalf of their interests and welfare. Therefore, we must find additional funds!

On another subject, I would like to write about the increasing numbers of municipalities and even provinces who are deciding to ban certain breeds because of a mistaken notion that such action will provide more safety to members of the public. The banning of "pit bulls" is widely reported in the media. LAWS does not agree that banning specific breeds is the remedy to prevent dog biting. There is not a recognized breed called a pit bull. This type of dog, usually bred by irresponsible breeders, is the result of breeding Rottweilers with Staffordshire Bull Terriers. However, other breeds are often used. The result is that it is difficult to determine how much of the dog is one breed or another. To ban pit bulls is to beg the question, what is a pit bull? How much of a Rottweiler or a Staffordshire Bull Terrier is present and how do you tell?

Many breeds of dogs have been involved in the biting reported in the media. Sadly, so often these dogs have been abused themselves and have been trained to be vicious.

The City of Windsor banned pit bulls last October. The media reports that an underground rescue network has sprung up to save these dogs as some callous people have just discarded them. The Province of New Brunswick is also considering a ban on pit bulls as is the Province of Ontario. Preventing dog bites will not be accomplished by banning specific breeds or types of animals. The solution is better humane education, and the careful screening of prospective owners to ensure that all animals are matched to the persons acquiring them.

Humane societies do screen those who adopt animals. However, many pet stores and breeders are less than caring in this regard. Therefore, the aforementioned should be accompanied by changes to the Criminal Code and Provincial legislation so that cruelty to animals, which includes neglect and abuse, incurs greater punishment and repercussions. It is shameful that municipalities and provinces are rushing to enact legislation banning certain animals when they will not improve the current laws which have remained basically unchanged for the last hundred years. If legislation is pursued concerning biting dogs, such legislation should include stiff penalties for the suppliers, including breeders and pet stores.

We deeply appreciate all the help given LAWS in the past and wish all of you, our members, volunteers and supporters, a most prosperous and happy 2005. ~ Chris Snider, President

Message From the Vice-President...

For as long as I can remember I have been owned by a cat or cats. Among my earliest recollections is the memory of a tiny black kitten cowering under my father's workbench, its eyes wide with fright, back arched, emitting low, hissing sounds. As I recall, it was several days before the kitten ventured into my world to become part of my life.

Our family motto was "a house is not a home without a cat." Or two. Or three. Or four. There were dogs, too, of course and a large assortment of wildlife, but for me the cat was king. All my childhood cats were male, and the majority were black (all with politically incorrect names). The notable - and perhaps most endearing - exception, was Tinker, a blue short-haired male.

Tinker ate with me, slept with me and perched on the rim of the bathtub every evening while I splashed about. He happily submitted to being dressed in doll's clothes and wheeled in a doll carriage. We played endless games together and old family albums are filled with pictures of me clutching Tinker.

One outgrows childhood fantasies and friends, children's books and childish games, but never an innate love of cats. If anything, my own feelings for these delightful creatures have intensified over the years - years filled with a succession of cats and kittens, some more memorable than others, but all beloved.

Cat lovers share with each other a peculiar devotion to the cat. They are part of a society with no rules, no subscriptions, nor any signs or badges enabling members to recognize one another. But true cat lovers always do recognize other cat lovers, especially in the presence of a cat. Perhaps it's something in the voice, a caressing, muted quality, a gentle, affectionate voice. Or perhaps it is the way the hand is slowly extended, open and welcoming, never threatening. Or perhaps it's just the way we look at cats.

There's no doubt that cat lovers are responsible for nurturing the mystique that surrounds the object of their devotion.

The belief that cats possess psychic powers can be traced to the ancient Egyptians, whose word for cat was "mau", meaning "to see", and throughout history cats have been consulted as oracles. English legend reveals that children were encouraged to play with cats to help develop clairvoyant powers.

Some researchers believe that cats use their psychic powers to determine who likes or dislikes them, and few cat lovers will deny that cats do sense immediately who likes them or who should be avoided, although some cats have the uncanny habit of making directly for the one person in a room that cannot abide the animals. There is also a prevalent theory that a cat's ability to travel long distances through unfamiliar territory in order to reach a specific destination is dependent upon its innate psychic ability.

For many cat lovers the most endearing trait of "felis domestica" is its independent ways. This fact did not escape the ancient Romans, who introduced the cat into many countries of Europe. A cat was represented at the feet of the great statue of the Goddess of Liberty in Rome, and images of cats were emblazoned upon the flags and shields of Roman soldiers as symbols of independence.

The cats' fortunes were at their lowest ebb in Europe during the Middle Ages, when religious and legal establishments fostered the belief that witches, demons and even Satan himself could appear in the shape of a cat. Throughout the continent cats and their owners were tried, convicted and burned to death. Many thousands of cats perished, although some devoted owners risked their lives to hide and protect their pets.

In time the persecutors paid for their folly, and the cat had its revenge. Ships carrying knights home from the Crusades in the Holy Land also harbored in their holds hordes of Asiatic black rats, which, unhampered by their natural enemy, quickly overran Europe, destroying crops and property, and carrying with them the Black Plague, which was transmitted to millions of humans by the fleas on the rats. Only the dedicated cat lovers who had risked their lives protecting their pets were safe, for the cats kept their areas free of rats.

In these enlightened times in North America, with the exception of random acts by stray psychopaths, cats are not burned to death. Their unwanted numbers are simply shipped to animal shelters through the continent, where in excess of three million are euthanized each year.

~ Dawn Trent, Vice-President

Shelter Report

The outstanding Shelter event of 2004 was the arrival of 50 of the 80 Golden Retrievers that were seized from the premises of a local breeder. (The remaining 30 were housed at a local area Pound). With the exception of the nine dogs still in foster care, all the Shelter retrievers have been adopted and have gone to homes as far afield as Newfoundland, Napanee, Cornwall and Renfrew.

The Shelter Supervisor, staff and volunteers are to be commended for their competent handling of the emergency. The Shelter was already filled to its capacity with more than 100 cats and 22 dogs. The sudden arrival of the 50 retrievers might well have precipitated complete chaos, but by day's end the situation was well under control. The ensuing weeks, however, continued to present a challenge to LAWS Shelter Supervisor and Staff.

The major fallout from the Retriever Rescue has been the astronomical veterinary charges incurred. These have been out of all proportion to our regular medical expenses and have resulted in LAWS being forced to increase the cost of adopting a cat from $50 to $65 and to put its current Spay/Neuter Program on hold. In addition, work hours at the Shelter will be cut by 10%, which may result in changes of hours of operation.

During September through December, 177 dogs were admitted to the Shelter; 109 were adopted and 32 were claimed. During the same period, 362 cats were admitted; 110 were adopted and 6 were

claimed.

For those who missed LAWS OPEN HOUSE in December (and there were many!) our Silent Auction netted $210, a minor miracle, considering the turnout, which convinced those in charge of the event that all future Open Houses would NOT be held during the winter months.

"Money will buy you a pretty good dog, but it won’t the wag of its tail."