The recent reports of deceased cats were certainly unsettling to me and everyone here at the OHS. There are persistent theories that the killer is human, but the OHS has come to believe that the evidence points to the perpetrator as a coyote or coyotes. Here is the case:
I’m looking forward to a summer where many of us can safely return to our workplaces and reconnect with friends, family and the community at large. At the same time, I’m worried about our pets who may be unprepared for this transition.
I have always believed that organizations, especially not-for-profits and charities, need to stand for something. They need to provide informed thinking on issues within their domain. After all, if they don’t, who will? This is especially true for humane societies, most of whom for many years have used the tagline, “We speak for those who cannot speak for themselves.”
In 2020, the Calgary Stampede was cancelled because of the pandemic. In 2021, the Calgary Stampede is set to run again, but without chuckwagon racing on the bill. The organizers promise chuckwagons will return in 2022, but the event should never come back.
Here is what I wrote about the stampede and chuckwagon races just two years ago:
On a Sunday in mid-June, I received a call at home from OHS staff. The question: Would we pay to necropsy the cats found dead in Nepean? You see, earlier in the day, Ottawa Police Service had asked us if we had a veterinarian on staff who could perform the grim task (we don’t).
I am an avid fan of CBC Radio. I often joke that I wouldn’t know much of anything without the CBC. A few weeks ago there was an amazing segment on the research of Suzanne Simard. Professor Ms. Simard wrote the book Finding the Mother Tree: Discovering the Wisdom of the Forest. In the book, she discusses her research on how trees actually communicate with one another.
On Tuesday, we learned through the media that Ottawa Police Service was opening an investigation of the death and possible torture of a number of cats in the Woodroffe/Hunt Club area in Ottawa. Everyone here at the OHS was deeply disturbed by the story. Our horror at the suffering of the poor felines was exacerbated by our knowledge of what is known as, “the link.”
When I started working for the Ottawa Humane Society 21 years ago, I was shocked to learn that the cost of enforcement of animal cruelty legislation fell to our donors. I thought it was absurd that the cost of investigations, laying charges, and removing and caring for abused and neglected animals would not be borne by the public purse. I likened it to anti-smoking legislation...
Many years ago, when I was a schoolboy, I was taught that there were two fundamental differences between humans and animals: the use of tools and sentience.
Now, of course, we recognize at least three errors in this teaching. Humans are animals, and since the time I was in school, many other species have been observed to use tools.
I often am asked why there are so few dogs available for adoption on our website. There are a few reasons. For one thing, the number of dogs admitted to the OHS — both stray and surrendered by their owners — has dropped regularly over the years. Shelters across North America have been observing this pattern and are thankful for the downward trend.
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