Regina’s conflict with a rescue dog has brought to light problems in the rescue community.
Mitchell van Setters began raising a Lucky Paws Dog Rescue dog on April 24.
He said Tanner’s dog was in serious condition when he arrived and that van Setters was worried that the dog had been abused by its previous owner.
“[He had a] really bad neck and underside, they thought it was a severe case of scabies, “said van Setters.[He was] dull in color, lifeless in his eyes, hunched over, afraid to stay out. ”
Tanner, a golden retriever, was brought to Mitchell van Setters with a neck infection thought to be “severe scabies.” (Submitted by Mitchell van Setters)
A few weeks later, van Setters was instructed by the dog’s rescue service to return Tanner, as the dog had been taken from its previous owners without proper delivery documents.
Lucky Paws said in an interview with CBC that cases of illegally taken pets are rare, but they do happen because rescue operations are not regulated and there is no legislation to support them. He said he would like to see appropriate federal, provincial and municipal laws that support and regulate the rescue of dogs.
Roseanne Cole, CFO of Lucky Paws, said the rescue was helping dogs in and around Regina, Moose Jaw and Fort Qu’appelle.
“We try to work with human society as much as possible, but in the end they are local and can’t help us out of town,” Cole said.
“Something needs to change, rules and regulations and some of the funding needs to come to the rescue to help as well.
Saskatchewan’s animal welfare services said in a statement that they had sent a provincial government rescue framework called animal rescue standards in Saskatchewan, hoping to be included in the 2018 Animal Welfare Act.
The guidelines cover population management, medical health, record keeping and other areas of concern for rescue. Guidelines are currently voluntary for rescue in Saskatchewan.
The document states that rescue policies should address the resources and legal / contractual obligations of organizations.
“The protocols must be developed and recorded in sufficient detail to meet and maintain the standards set by the Saskatchewan Animal Rescue Standards and to be updated as necessary to ensure that they reflect current industry standards and relevant legislation.” it says.
It also states that provincial and municipal legislation must be maintained by rescue services when it comes to periods of pet detention.
The Animal Protection Act 2018 does not refer to rescue services and states that animal protection officers have the right to remove a pet from his home by order if the environment is considered unfit.
While pet rescue services often work with protection services, Lucky Paws Dog Rescue and other non-profit organizations such as it are not allowed to hire protection staff.
Tanner behaved very well during his foster home, says Van Setters. (Mitchell van Setters / Facebook)
Tia Lawrence, receptionist for Lucky Paws, said not always being able to save dogs from bad situations is a terrible feeling.
“It sucks when you turn to the people who are there to help and they can’t do anything or they don’t,” she said.
“There are times when we don’t know what to do unless we literally want to risk the name of the whole rescue and reject it and not help dogs anymore or go to jail.
Lawrence added that in order for possible laws to change things, pets must first be considered their own unit, not just the property of the owner.
Rescue says the dog was taken and bred due to a misunderstanding
Van Setters said that before he started breeding Tanner – his first foster animal – he was called by Lucky Paws that the dog was in “extreme distress”. Tanner looked “quite malnourished” when he arrived, van Setters said.
Tanner, the Golden Retriever, was brought to Lucky Paws by Pelican Narrows. The Van Setters was told the dog was “free” in the community, which is 388 kilometers northeast of Prince Albert of Sask.
Lucky Paws Rescue Team staff Linda Leslie, left, Tia Lawrence, center, and Roseanne Cole say that when Tanner was brought in, he “obviously” belonged to someone before. (CBC News)
Van Setters said his rescue said negative things about Tanner’s previous owner, including allegations of negligence.
“They didn’t want this dog back to him [said they] “They’re doing everything they can to make sure the dog doesn’t come back,” van Sutters said. “I said, ‘Okay, I’m not familiar with breeding,’ so we just took care of Tanner.”
Van Setters said he heard from the rescue service around the middle of Tanner’s three-week stay that the previous owner had threatened to sue if Tanner was not returned.
Lucky Paws said it was in contact with the Van Setters during Tanner’s stay and that the dog had regular visits to a veterinarian and was scheduled to be neutered.
Cole, CFO of Lucky Paws, said Tanner showed no symptoms of malnutrition when he was brought to the rescue and that veterinary records showed he was healthy, except for his skin condition. She said neither she nor anyone else in the rescue service knew much about his original family.
“He was a very friendly, very obedient dog, and the first thing that came to mind was that he obviously belonged to someone at some point,” Cole said.
Cole confirmed that Tanner had been abducted from the community without proper documentation from a rescue third party.
The rescuer of a third country, north of 54, said in an email to the CBC that he had permission from Peter Ballantyne Cree Nation to come and pick up dogs that were not tethered to the community yard.
“Community members have been given extensive information that this rescue is taking place and that their own dogs must be tethered,” a statement from the rescue service said. “One of the gang council had to sign all the removed dogs, but without knowing it [us], none of them were in the community on the day of the rescue. No one had informed us.
“Many people found us and returned their dogs, but this owner did not come to look for us, and if he wanted, the dog would be returned then and there.”
Lawrence said Lucky Paws will change its process to prevent pet trafficking in the future.
“There were no documents to hand over and that’s what we’re changing now, I don’t care where the dog comes from, there will be documents and someone will sign it,” Lawrence said.
As for Tanner, the Van Setters didn’t want to bring him back to Lucky Paws. He said friends, family and other foster parents had told him not to let Tanner return after seeing the dog’s condition on arrival.
“We offered to adopt him directly if it was an option. It was not an option,” he said.
Van Setters says Tanner did not have scabies, but he did have a skin infection that forced Van Setters to treat him. (Mitchell van Setters / Facebook)
Van Setters said he had tried in every way possible to prevent Tanner’s return, including talking to Regina’s police service, animal welfare services and a lawyer.
“Essentially, everyone said that if they didn’t have documents and still took this dog, it’s considered theft,” van Sutters said.
Cole said she spoke to Tanner’s original family and found that it belonged to a 12-year-old girl. Cole said the girl used the dog, whose original name was Laser, as a support animal to cope with the loss of her mother.
“It has become clear that we need to see what we can do,” she said. “I tried to persuade him to give up the dog at all costs, I didn’t want to give him back because he had such a bad neck problem.”
She said that if someone wants their dog back, the normal practice in rescuing is to try to persuade the original owner to let the dog stay with the foster family.
“We are trying to tell them that [he] There’s probably a better life here, it’s a long way to get him back, we already have his vet here, “Cole said.” I’ve been doing this for three weeks, he still wanted his dog back. “
Van Setters said Regina’s Humanitarian Society told him to bring the dog for delivery. He said an officer there said he would launch an investigation into Lucky Paws Dog Rescue with information gathered by Seters.
“I showed her the pictures [of the dog] and she gasped, “he said.
Van Setters said he called the Humane Society to ask why he had gone through all the trouble to save the dog if they would just return it.
“On the first day we had him, I leaned against him and said, ‘You’re safe now, we’ll take care of you,’ and I couldn’t keep that promise,” van Sutters said.
Laser is currently with its original owner, a 12-year-old girl from Pelican Narrows. (Submitted by Mitchell van Setters)
Soon after being brought into humane society, the dog was handed over to Lucky Paws and eventually returned to his family.
Linda Leslie, director of reception at Lucky Paws, said the dog was thrilled when he reunited with his family. She said he jumped them excitedly.
“If he was a dog who didn’t want to be with this family, we would have noticed him.” she said. “You can say that Laser is very popular.
“If he had been abused, you would definitely have seen the signs in his manners and there was no sign.”
Lucky Paws is not currently registered for non-profit purposes
One of the first things Saskatchewan’s animal rescue standards state is that rescue services must be registered as non-profit organizations through Revenue Canada charities.
According to the Canadian government’s website, the non-profit status of Lucky Paws Dog Rescue was revoked in November 2021 due to failure to file a tax return. Cole said he was in the middle of re-applying for non-profit status.
“It was a comedy of mistakes,” she said. “Our accountant is actually doing this right now.”
According to the Canadian government’s website, the fact that Lucky Paws is not registered means that it cannot issue official charity receipts and is not exempt from income tax as a charity. Indicates if …
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