Claudia Vecchio's Letter to the Hamilton Mayor and Council

ORA-Organization for the Rescue of Animals                  

300 Coxwell Ave., P.O. Box 22608

Toronto, Ontario M4L 3W7

Phone: 416 726-8895

CRN 85580 9448 RR0001

Email: info@ora-animalsrescue.org

www.ora-animalsrescue.org

Monday, June 20, 2011

Honourable Mayor and Hamilton City Council,

I am a real estate professional and the chairperson of ORA-Organization for the Rescue of Animals, an all volunteer run animal organization that rescues stray and abandoned animals throughout the Greater Toronto Area. Nine years ago we were urged by one of our volunteers to rescue cats from the Hamilton Animal Services. Hamilton Animal Services was then ill reputed as a “High Kill” pound for putting down thousands of tame, healthy cats every year. We were appalled then to learn how wonderful those cats were: they obviously were someone’s pets. A few months ago we were asked by another volunteer to rescue a few cats from the Hamilton Animal Services. We were shocked to find out that in nine years nothing had changed at the Hamilton Animal Services: it is still a high kill pound putting down thousands of animals every year. The Hamilton Animal Services has not adopted any of the alternative measures to killing embraced by animals control shelters throughout North America, notably here in Calgary, Canada. The Hamilton Animal Services is in fact, unbelievably, not even open to the public for adoptions.

The Hamilton Animal Services illogically and unethically picks up people's cats found roaming outside just to bring them into the pound to be killed in their twice to thrice a week routine killing spree. After having conducted diligent research, and although the Hamilton Animal Services pound manager failed to provide us with the precise figures we were requesting, we at ORA-Organization for the Rescue of Animals together with an associated group of concerned citizens are taking it upon ourselves to actively address the issues and demand reform.

To that end, we are requesting Mayor and Council to implement the following reforms:

(a) to increase or remove entirely the current limit of two pets per household;

(b) to change the by-laws prohibiting free roaming cats and to stop picking up trespassing cats. This will remarkably reduce the number of animal intake at the Hamilton Animal Services;

(c) to acknowledge that feral cats are not homeless, they just belong outdoors and stop therefore picking up feral and stray cats;

(d) to implement a low-cost spay and neuter program and to launch a high-profile and effective education program emphasizing the necessity of spaying and neutering;

(e)  to implement a Trap Neuter and Release (TNR) program for feral and stray cats so as to contain the stray cat  population;

(f) to open the City of Hamilton Animal Services up to the public for adoptions and to extend the facility’s opening hours which are currently Monday to Friday, 8:30 AM - 4:30 PM, and Saturday, 10:00 AM - 2:00 PM, to make the shelter more publicly and conveniently available for pet retrievals, especially before and after standard work and commute hours;

(g) to guarantee that animals receive prompt veterinary care which includes, but is not limited to, a full-time staff veterinarian on the premises;

(h) and to take the decision of euthanization away from the hands of one person. Euthanization should be used only as the very last resort and the decision to euthanize should be taken collectively by senior staff at the Hamilton Animal Services.

Once the ferals are TNR’d and therefore no longer killed, and people’s pets are no longer being picked up and killed, then the only animals coming in to the Hamilton Animal Services pound would be owner surrenders and strays taken in by the public. The number of the intakes will be reduced immensely as a result, and with open adoptions and help from rescues, it would be possible to actually transform the Hamilton Animal Services into a no kill pound. The money saved from reducing the number of animals taken in and the money saved from stopping the euthanasia of healthy animals can be used towards the implementations of the above mentioned Trap, Neuter and Return programs and low cost spay and neuter services (although low cost, it can still be self carrying). Other revenues can come from surrender and licensing fees.

Massive euthanasia, apart from being morally unacceptable, does not help to contain pet overpopulation, while TNR and low cost spay and neuter are very effective. TNR programs recognized and implemented by many animal control shelters worldwide have proven to be the most effective way to contain and reduce the number of stray cats. Killing stray and feral cats is not only unethical, repulsive and costly to taxpayers, but it is also ineffective.

We urge you to reconsider the directions you and Council have taken until now and we ask that you implement the above-stated mandates forthwith to transform the Hamilton Animal Control pound from one of the most dreaded and deadly places in the region, into a true animal shelter which preserves life and serves as a model for neighboring communities.

Attached to this letter are items prepared by volunteers to support our requests: an up-to-date researched timeline of events as well as a collection of signatures [59 pages] to support our petition to the Council and Mayor’s Office.

Regards,

Claudia Vecchio

Volunteer Chairperson

ORA-Organization for the Rescue of Animals

www.orarescue.org

Tel: 416 726 5762