http://www.animalleague.org/rescues/2010/canadian-dogs-rescued-from-dog-shoot.html

This item was aired on the local CBS affiliate last night (Channel 2). It is difficult to believe that this method is being used to control the dog population.

I'm especially surprised to learn this was happening in Canada, with such strict gun control laws up there.

I guess I'm also surprised that there aren't rescue groups there that would take these dogs on, rather than them having to come to the US. Of course, making some assumptions there, as I don't know anything about how this whole deal came to be.

Whao.
The Human Condition never surprises me.

Something I was not sure about, but I was wondering.

These dogs were rescued, so they knew where the dogs were and how to get them.
So, does this mean the "dog shoot" was basically, lets let out these dogs from their kennels and give them a 10 minute head start. Then we can go cherry pick them off?

They all look like human raised dogs. They probably would not have even ran from people.

Makes me sad.

 Quote: leih merigian

I'm especially surprised to learn this was happening in Canada, with such strict gun control laws up there.

I guess I'm also surprised that there aren't rescue groups there that would take these dogs on, rather than them having to come to the US. Of course, making some assumptions there, as I don't know anything about how this whole deal came to be.

Our rescue groups did step up and it was the Canadian division of IFAW that initiated the rescue of these dogs:

IFAW (the International Fund for Animal Welfare) rescued 36 dogs from a "dog shoot" in Northern Canada that was scheduled to control the local dog population. IFAW worked with rescues and shelters across Eastern Canada to find homes for twenty-nine of the dogs. The remaining seven dogs will arrive at North Shore Animal League America (NSALA) in Port Washington, N.Y. today, where they will have a second chance at permanent homes in the United States.


im just sayin'

This happens almost every year where I live...well about 4 hours from where I live. They will round up all of the stray dogs and have the mounties shoot them...of course they say they are managing only the aggressive dogs, yeah right!

No one will fund a spay/neuter program. I met with the Animal Welfare officer for the territory, trying to figure out how we can get one in place (I even offered to find some sort of grant money!) - yeah not the way the territorial gov wants to go. The would prefer to put Bylaw outposts in the community and euthanize the dogs(Which I guess is better than shooting them). My point about if we spay/neuter and rehome the existing dogs, offer reduced rate or funded spay/neuters to people in the communities is, in 5 years will there even need to be dogs being euthanized? Also, I even offered up my services and convinced my dog training guru-mentor to help me do some community visits to educate people about spay/neuter procedures, proper housing, food...even taking donated houses and food there and having them be available for community members...again, not interested. If we want to do it, we have to do it on our own, without the gov's support. What's the point if they are just going to shoot all of the dogs, and by doing that, reiterate with the communities that dogs are disposable.

The communities are small, sometimes only a few hundred people, sometimes less...sometimes the strays outnumber the people. It is not acceptable in my view to allow this to continue.

Our HS is trying to work with the YT gov to figure out an alternative, but they seem to be moving deliberately slow.

Clearly some of you guys haven't been some place where feral dogs are a problem and a safety hazard. Yes, spay neuter will solve much of the issue but reality is that a loose near feral dog is an accident waiting to happen.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-1285763/Baghdad-cull-million-stray-dogs-rogue-canine-population-soars.html

 Quote: Melissa Thom

Clearly some of you guys haven't been some place where feral dogs are a problem and a safety hazard. Yes, spay neuter will solve much of the issue but reality is that a loose near feral dog is an accident waiting to happen.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-1285763/Baghdad-cull-million-stray-dogs-rogue-canine-population-soars.html

The stray dogs have always bummed out MY trips to Baghdad?

They bummed out my trips to Mexico. I couldn't imagine living in a place WO any animal control. I'm just tying to illustrate the population boom in one city. I would rather it get taken care of even if it means shot than not. You can't really go by pictures to decide which dog is what degree of feral.

Actually, in our communities stray dogs are everywhere. So why can't the gov decide to spay/neuter and rehome the ones that can be, euth the ones too far gone, and then put something in place for the future.

I live in Canada, not Mexico. A lot of people don't eat every day there, let alone pay for a spay/neuter for their dog.

Most of our strays hang out by the grocery stores or town halls in the communites...not exactly feral.

I'm sure some are, but not the majority by far. Most seek out humans and try to get food and/or attention from them. I haven't heard of an attack on a human in recent history by one of these dogs or "packs" . But it is just a matter of time with that many dogs around. If people who owned pets had an option and the money to spay/neuter their pets, then these dogs would be a lot less or non existent. If most of the pets are spayed in a town of 200 or less people, how many unwanted puppies are just going to be roaming around after being kicked off the property? How many dogs are going to be there to procreate?

There are more stray dogs in the small communites outlying where I live than there are in the capital. So to put it in perpective, there are less stray dogs in a population of 25,000 people than of 5,000 people spread throughout the communites. What is lacking in the communities? Resources. No vets will go out, not enough funding. Education is lacking, again no one to teach, so old ways of letting the dogs run loose are still followed. No access to trainers who can help with behavioural problems. Again this is funding. Income, most of these people live on very small incomes. So to drive into town, pay a huge (to them) vet bill and then go home is too much. So should they just not own dogs, in my opinion, maybe not. But until someone crowns me queen of the world, I have to work with what I can.

So if the answer to this is funding, then why won't anyone step up and produce some? Because it is easier and cheaper to shoot them. Even in a land where someone will pay $500,000 for a hockey jersey worn by an ordinary person who plays a sport well!

I'm not saying that free spay/neuter would solve everything, but it would definitely play a big part. There will always be some dumb*&% that thinks he needs to breed his husky mix to that husky mix so he can sell the puppies for $100 each. But after killing 200 or more dogs the first time around (in various communites) and then having the population hike back up again, wouldn't you say that something else needs to be done?

Some people go to the communities and pick up puppies as pets, now some of these pups end up back where they started, but some get the homes they deserve...if they can survide the winter on their own.

What an eye-opening thread.