Bad breeders
Dear Editor:
RE: ‘It’s heartbreaking’: family calls attention to suspected puppy mills, March 30.
My heart goes out to the England family for the ordeal they had to go through. The proliferation of puppy mills in Wellington County has been common knowledge for years and yet no level of government has chosen to do anything about it. Apparently neither has the College of Veterinarians of Ontario (CVO), which is abhorrent.
A year ago, our current rescue Westie was not in good health and we wanted to get another one. The registered Westie breeders priced themselves out of our range and the rescue group would not be able to help us as we no longer had a fenced backyard. So we turned to Kijiji to see what we could find.
There were several Westie puppies being advertised, many as young as six weeks old (far too young). One advert stated that now that the puppies were nine weeks old, they were ready to be adopted and that the mother was on site. My husband and I made an appointment to see them that afternoon.
Yes, the puppies were housed in a barn, but it was warm and brightly lit and the cubicles were spacious. The office where we did our transactions overlooked the cubicles and you could observe the puppies playing and interacting.
The minute Laddie (as we named him) was placed in my arms his little tail never stopped wagging – safe to say he chose us! We paid cash for the transaction but there was also a lot of paperwork to deal with, including a vaccination book signed by a local, reputable veterinarian and a puppy guarantee/agreement.
We were required to take the puppy to our own vet within three days to have him checked and he was guaranteed for one year against inherited congenital defects.
Laddie is now a healthy, happy typical Westie and the joy of our lives.
Anyone going this route needs to be aware of potential problems but having a health guarantee for a year is a good sign. You should also investigate the veterinary practice that has signed the vaccination certificate. Now if the CVO would just do their part and, instead of protecting veterinarians, weed out the bad ones, some of the risk buyers face would be reduced.
I hope the Englands find a furry child for their family and thank them for bringing this problem out in the open. Maybe local government will be shamed into doing something.
Some breeders have got a bad name over the years and, in some cases, it is justified, but there are caring, responsible breeders out there – we were just lucky enough to find one right away.
Sandra Solomon,
Belwood
‘Ask lots of questions’
Dear Editor:
RE: ‘It’s heartbreaking’: family calls attention to suspected puppy mills, March 30.
While I sympathize greatly with the Englands, who had to euthanize two 10-week old mixed-breed puppies, their experience highlights the importance of educating the public on the financial and emotional value of purchasing pets from a reputable breeder.
“Goldendoodle” is not a breed of dog; it is a mixed breed dog of questionable parentage. Even if it could be established that the never-seen parents were purebred golden retriever and poodle, it is almost certain that they would not be stellar representations of their breed, nor would they have the necessary health clearances that reputable breeders require for their breeding stock.
In addition to the clearly unethical provision of invalid vaccination records for the puppies, there is every likelihood that these puppies would develop problems later in life due to the failure of the sellers to ensure that the parents were clear of hereditary conditions. These would include hereditary cataracts, heart problems, hip and elbow dysplasia, and a host of other conditions detectable through DNA testing of the parents.
I hope that this regrettable incident and the heartbreak experienced by this family will ultimately help to eliminate the practice of unethical, cruel and inhumane breeding of dogs, and the resultant, preventable suffering of the humans and animals involved.
People who allow dogs of different breeds to interbreed are not “breeders” and do not care about the long-term welfare of the puppies they sell for sometimes exorbitant prices. Financial gain is their only goal. They are fond of telling you that “hybrids” (i.e. – “mutts”) are less prone to the health problems of purebreds. The truth is that mutts produced in this way are more prone to the potential health problems of both breeds, because the parents have not been tested and cleared.
Please do your research, ask lots of questions and purchase your pet from a reputable breeder. The Canadian Kennel Club provides a great starting place in determining how to select a breeder.
Ann Hollings,
Guelph/Eramosa
Don’t buy pets online
Dear Editor:
RE: ‘It’s heartbreaking’: family calls attention to suspected puppy mills, March 30.
The lack of laws related to puppy mills in our region, in Ontario, and in Canada is devastating!
My heart goes out to the family in last week’s article and to the puppies who were euthanized.
Until enforceable laws are in place it is up to each of us as individuals to put an end to the cruel puppy mill industry. If you are considering adding a puppy to your family, be absolutely certain you are not buying from and thereby supporting puppy mills!
Do not buy pets online; reputable breeders do not sell via Kijiji or Craigslist.
Do not buy from a breeder that sells multiple “designer breed” combinations.
Do not buy from a breeder who has multiple litters of puppies available.
If your heart is set on a purebred dog – do your research. Reputable breeders will likely ask you more questions than you ask them. Reputable breeders will require you to sign a contract outlining responsibilities and expectations. Reputable breeders will welcome you to visit and speak with you at length about the characteristics of “their breed”.
Reputable breeders will provide medical records and detailed vaccination records for each puppy.
Adopt from a reputable rescue, humane society or SPCA. Do your research here, too.
In the face of poor laws and little enforcement, it’s up to each of us to speak out if we learn of a puppy mill in our community. Write letters to township councilors, the premier of Ontario and the solicitor general (oversees animal welfare).
To report animal cruelty, call the Provincial Animal Welfare Services at 1-833-926 4625 or the OPP, as the police are the only agency empowered to enforce criminal animal cruelty laws in Ontario.
Sabine Maarse,
Elora
‘Just round up’
Dear Editor:
RE: Sharon Kelly, aka ‘McMom,’ recognized by Ronald McDonal House Charities, March 30.
Congratulations on your front-page story. The value of Ronald McDonald House Charities cannot be overstated, especially in rural areas where really sick children are often transferred to tertiary care centres far from home.
Fortunately, very few of us have occasion to care for a critically ill child, but through personal experience I can tell you the experience is life altering. Parents and children are frequently left with PTSD.
Having parents with their children during difficult health challenges is critical to the wellbeing of the entire family. Ronald McDonald House is much more than a funded hotel. The facilities and the staff look after everything for the family. I was truly amazed the first time I witnessed this organization in action.
I am ashamed to say I did not support Ronald McDonald House until my personal experience. Now, rounding up is a no-brainer.
Please, do not wait to experience this amazing charity yourself. As you read this letter, there are families with children at McMaster Children’s Hospital living through the life or death struggles of their precious children. Support them. Your money will be well spent.
So simple; just round up.
Walter O’Rourke,
Fergus
‘Creates a gauntlet’
Dear Editor:
RE: Proposal for trucking hub in Puslinch meets opposition, March 30.
The Aberfoyle Industrial Park is already a trucking and distribution hub.
And it will get worse with the purchase of the Schneider Development at 7475 McLean Rd. E. With the purchase of this 40-acre development site by Summit Industrial Income REIT (across from their existing 280,000 sq. ft. property), they identify that it can accommodate about 790,000 square feet of additional density.
The Aberfoyle Industrial lands are home to more than 20 trucking, distribution and warehousing companies. A quick visual of properties identified parking and storage well in excess of 700 trucks and trailers (not including the new Summit purchase). Add that to the sprawling Dufferin Aggregate facility and the Aberfoyle GO Bus terminal, the scope and concentration of trucking and transportation facilities is significant.
And now the application for rezoning of 128 Brock Rd. S. by Wellington Motor Freight has proposed the addition of a three-storey 30,031 sq.ft. headquarters, a 207,549 sq.ft. warehouse, parking for 150 to 170 employees, 21 loading bays and parking for 123 tractors and trailers.
This proposal is expanding the industrial park into residential areas and squeezing the hamlet of Aberfoyle.
This proposal adds significantly to the concentration of trucking and distribution companies and further creates a gauntlet for anyone coming to our community and northbound through Morriston.
This proposal changes traffic flow and directs it into our residential community and along Gilmour Road. The buffer we currently have between industrial and residential areas will disappear.
This proposal puts our shared water resources at risk. We all get our water from the same place, including Blue-Trident (formerly Nestle) and the resulting septic and stormwater runoff ends up in the aquifer.
Aberfoyle is losing its identity – and we are losing it to trucking and distribution companies whose only concern is access to the 401.
But we still have a choice. We can limit industrial expansion and direct efforts towards building our community into the haven we all believe it to be. Or we can rezone lands that will forever leave its mark on how we will be seen – a trucking and distribution hub.
Please say “no” to rezoning 128 Brock Rd. S.
Alastair McCluskey,
Puslinch
‘A drop in the bucket’
Dear Editor:
The Trudeau government has released their 2023 budget. In spite of years of pressure from several movements for a clean environment, as it stands, the plan provides for significant new investments in renewable energy and electrification. Good start.
But those investments are a drop in the bucket compared with the billions in federal subsidies being given the fossil fuel sector. The government ignored the promise to phase out paying billions of dollars to further contribute to climate destruction. This new budget pours even more public money, our tax money, down the insatiable gullet of big oil through tax breaks for unproven solutions like blue hydrogen and carbon capture.
On March 29, a large RCMP force raided a Gidimt’en village site on unceded Wet’suwet’en territory. So much for reconciliation. They arrested five Indigenous land and water defenders, a persistent pattern of harassment and intimidation that police and private security have unleashed on Wet’suwet’en members. All of this disrespect and violation of rights for the sake of a fracked gas pipeline, makes a farce of Canada’s climate pledges.
No matter how much Canada invests in clean energy, we will never achieve a just transition if we let big oil keep sucking up public money and trampling Indigenous rights. This is not the legacy I want to leave my grandchildren and future generations of Canadians.
Gerry Walsh,
Erin
Protests too much
Dear Editor:
RE: ‘Twisted view,’ March 23.
In response to Mr. Trautman, firstly, I will say that I will try to “read up” when time permits and a big thank you for the enlightenment.
I do have to admit, I have not ever watched Fox News and can barely sit through an hour of the CBC. I peruse through numerous publications and try to land somewhere in the middle to make sense of what is being thrown at us daily.
I don’t take sides, neither right, nor left; life is never in black and white. I tend to look more for facts than opinion, which everyone has and is entitled to.
On that note I just have to add a quote from that 17th century playwright, also known as the Bard of Avon, none other than William Shakespeare: “the [man] doth protest too much, methinks”…
By this I am implying that Mr. Trautman has pushed and protested his opinion on the matter way too much.
Happy spring and Happy Easter to all.
Delsie Drover,
Belwood
Curling for charities
Dear Editor:
On March 25, Curl for a Cause was held at the Fergus Curling Club and what an incredible day it was!
Those who were there might tell you about the friendly curling games, being piped onto the ice by 12 pipers and drummers, the laughter throughout the day, and of course, the fantastic food (donated by Fraberts, Thatcher Farms and Zehrs).
We were gathered for fun and curling, but the real winners of the day were the charities we supported. Our incredibly generous community raised over $34,000! This money will be distributed to four local charities: CW Foodbank, Elora Co-op Preschool, FEDS Special Needs Soccer Program and KidsAbility.
So, I write this letter with immense gratitude to every individual and business who curled, donated, purchased advertising, supported the auction or the snack table and to all of those who worked tirelessly planning the day and making in run smoothly.
Thank you. And thank you again! What an amazing community we live in.
Laura Hofer,
Chair, Curl for a Cause, Fergus
‘More must be done’
Dear Editor:
On March 22 I spoke as co-founder of Truckers for Safer Highways at a Queen’s Park press conference with NDP member Lise Vaugeois and John Vanthof regarding the issue of highway safety involving commercial vehicles.
We spoke to the issues of insufficient training standards and the lack of industry enforcement as seen by drivers in the trucking industry. This issue only continues to grow and cause more issues as time goes on without serious actions being taken.
In response to the press conference I spoke at, the Minister of Transportation of Ontario’s office stated that “Ontario has some of the safest Highways in North America”. This to myself and the members of our group and for that matter anyone who drives professionally is a very frustrating response.
When we see how common fatal collisions involving commercial vehicles have become, more must be done to ensure all who use our highways are safe.
Travis McDougall,
Co-founder, Truckers for Safer Highways, Kitchener