Rescue

[Sharon]

I sent this letter to the London Free Press. I encourage Londoners who care to contact their local elected official and encourage them not to renew this contract.

This is of course just my opinion ; I am not speaking for anyone but myself.
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LFP - letters to the editor :

It is my understanding that Animal Control London's contract was not renewed for 5 years as desired , but for a limited time, renewal to be dependent on their performance.

I was at Pawpalooza last weekend. This is the biggest event in Canada that centres on rehoming unwanted dogs.There were terrific booths/displays on dogs available for re homing. Many available dogs were on site too.( Subject to pre screening of buyers of course.)
London Humane Society which operates entirely on donations , had a terrific booth.

Animal control London had a van and a man.
What a missed opportunity again!

Don't renew this contract.

http://themcleodreport.ca/columns/11...l-control.html

[MikePal]

I hadn't realized that a city like London would have such a poorly run service. The whole scenario seems awkward.

We have a "Control officer' (dog catcher for the older folks) that handles all complaints and is paid by the money the township raises thru the licensing program. His job is to hold them for the initial 48 hrs to see if the owner can be found, or the complaint resolved..then he ships them to an independent Animal Welfare organization.....his job is not to re-home or euthanize them. Keeps his side, the taxpayers side, of the business at arms length...as it should.

I'd be interested in reading how the city of Calgary does theirs, if their system is being touted as a model.

[Sharon]

Here's one thing they do:

The Animal Database
A city-wide pet database is available to all animal control officers – including those in fleet trucks equipped with laptops. Information is updated every 15 minutes and an Animal Control Officer can check license status, review an animal’s history with the City, and even issue a license on the spot. The animal control database is cross-indexed with microchip information, so a dog doesn’t need to wear its tags 24/7. If found as a stray by an animal control officer, the chip can be scanned by a portable reader and the dog taken directly home – often at no charge or minimal charge for a first offense.

[Sharon]

Here's one thing they do:

The Animal Database
A city-wide pet database is available to all animal control officers – including those in fleet trucks equipped with laptops. Information is updated every 15 minutes and an Animal Control Officer can check license status, review an animal’s history with the City, and even issue a license on the spot. The animal control database is cross-indexed with microchip information, so a dog doesn’t need to wear its tags 24/7. If found as a stray by an animal control officer, the chip can be scanned by a portable reader and the dog taken directly home – often at no charge or minimal charge for a first offense.

http://hugabull.com/resources/calgary/