Dear Tony....

(Tony Marner is running for the Board of Directors of the THS on the Trow slate - members just received the third mailing from the Trow Group, this one from Tony and yeah, I'm thinking of all the money that COULD have gone to the animals) -

Letter from member, Doug Williams (my husband):

Dear Tony,

Maybe we should vote Trow.

As I have been at the new THS for the past several months on Sunday nights attending Sam Malatesta's class with our naughty rescue shepherd Llyr, I have seen SO many changes I am shocked and appalled.

You're RIGHT, they HAVE dismantled cages!  Now the dogs have WAY too much space!! Why, they even avoid the stress of being moved from kennel to kennel because they can be gently shooed in and the gate dropped so the cages can be cleaned without distressing them! Ridiculous!! It was FAR more effective when they were packed in like sardines!! Why there was nothing wrong with 90 lb dogs being confined for 23 out of 24 hours of every day in a cage they could barely turn in!  What is WRONG with that?

And yes, damn them! They turned E into a dog wellness training area!  My god, what will they think of next?  Socializing the dogs?  Teaching them basic manners!  I mean, after all, under Trow - dogs came in and were adopted out that had never walked on a leash, didn't know basic commands and so WHAT if they were quickly returned because of their lack of socialization! After all, they could then be adopted out AGAIN for more money!

And yes, you're RIGHT, THS under Trow took in ALL animals damn it! Whether they had the space or NOT!! So what if the cats languished in cages for YEARS ... they were ALIVE, weren't they?  What do you mean they need quality of life?  A little urine and feces never killed anyone (well, it might have but you didn't hear that from me - cleanliness and comfort are FAR too over-rated in my books).

I vaguely remember Sheenagh telling me about a K9 department that was briefly there during her earlier years walking - but Trow KNEW that ALL dogs should just be allowed to be who they were!!  I remember her telling me that he yelled at her one night to go the pace of the DOG (a 120 lb lab cross) - that she needed to RUN... the dogs were NOT to feel they were in any way being confined!!  THS dogs were going to be FREE like the wolves from which they were descended!! 

And after all, he labelled it didn't he? Saying coding the dogs so volunteers and staff knew what they were dealing with was 'prejudicial' to the dogs!! Ok, so it meant a lot of bites happened when people had NO idea what issues they were dealing with when they went to get the dogs (and yeah, so Sheenagh was almost mauled by a rottie that like the other dogs, had no history or indication of temperment - she survivied, didn't she?)  Wuss walkers!

Also, when I walk in on Sunday evenings, I sorta miss that overwhelming SMELL that used to permeate the hallways - it sorta meant "home" - well, let's face it, it WAS home for a LOT of animals after all that had been there for YEARS.

I know Sheenagh said staff was often almost non-existent and she and a lot of other volunteers would spend their time there trying to clean up the worst of the mess or hell, even water the dogs (spoiled canines!) - but after all LOVING animals is more important, right?

And let's face it the euthanasia rate was WAY lower - and yeah, I know, I know, so animals were found dead or suffered in their cages from lack of care - they were after all in a REFUGE.  Sheenagh remembers fondly camping out in a vet's office trying to get an old shepherd's ears syringed ... I bet she saw it as a challenge to get the old girl's very painful ear infection treated more than one day in a week!!  No more challenges now, is there?

We KNOW how much Tim loved the animals, why he HATED letting any of them go!! He knew he alone could 'care' for them the way they deserved .... that is why there were so many!!  Of course in  Trowville the fact that the staff to animal ratio was outrageously unbalanced was irrelevant, because in Trowville, ALL the animals were happy and grateful to be in this Paradise!!

AND, knowing that, Trow wisely worked ALONE. None of this ridiculous partnerships with Toronto Animal Services.  None of that nonsense with getting animals in and out and adopted quickly.  Hell, they even have a TOP notch K9 staff now - some of whom have been with the THS a very long time and are NOW being allowed to actually utilize their skills and expertise! What NONSENSE. 

Dogs should be allowed to be DOGS.  No rules. No manners. But able to exercise their will when and how they like!  That makes them happy, eh?  I know Sam says that leaves them anxious, confused and nervous, but what does he know!! He has only worked with dogs his entire life!

And after all, cats SLEEP most of the time, don't they? Why do they need exercise or socialization? Cats are anti-social anyways, right?  So now all this time is wasted, with things called 'enrichment' rooms, they get petted and brushed and played with - what a WASTE when they could be stacked in cramped cages, tier after tier - I remember seeing those when I picked up Sheenagh - it was cool - like a WALL of cats!

So, Tony, I can see why you want this ALL back!!

We'll have to think long and hard about this, won't we!

yours truly,


doug.

Just wanted to add (this is sheenagh) - that the staff that did survive management at the THS in those days were, in general, AMAZING.  They worked their fingers to the BONE, far exceeding their job descriptions, stayed late, came in early (no compensation), and along with volunteers, agonized and bled for the animals.  It was NEVER the staff that was an issue - it was the management.