Dogs 'dumped' in Huron-Perth
More than a dozen dogs were abandoned across Huron and Perth Counties on March 23 and 24, and local dog lovers are furious about it.
“This is one of the dogs that was dumped in Vanastra. She’s a pretty good puppy, so far. Very sweet, very timid, nervous of everything,” said Kelsey Leonard, who is now fostering one of the “dumped” dogs.
“It’s really sad seeing dogs dumped. They’re lovely dogs. Clearly poorly kept, though. They were in terrible condition. It’s so sad to see,” said Gina McDonnell, who saw some of the dogs being dumped.
McDonnell snapped a picture of the suspected “dog dumper” on her secluded dead end road near Benmiller, Ont. last Friday.
“My husband went out onto the road, and the car almost ran him off the road. I just happened to have my phone ready to take a picture,” said McDonnell.
In all, more than 12 different dogs were released in Mitchell, Ont., Vanastra, Ont., and Benmiller, according to local dog lovers. The same black vehicle was seen at all three drop off sites.
“I would tend to believe it’s a backyard breeder that was trying to capitalize on puppies that were popular during COVID, and now there’s no market for them. So, they got overwhelmed,” said Kathi Newell-Nicholson, who runs Adopt a Pet-Pet Rescue in Lucknow, Ont.
“I would rather someone contact us looking for help, even if it’s for food, than for anything terrible like this to happen,” she said.
One of the dogs recovered near Vanastra, Ont. on March 24, 2023. (Source: Lori Gautcher)
Locals have caught seven of the 13 or 14 dogs that were dumped last week, said Newell-Nicholson. She’s imploring those licensing puppy mills and breeders to stop licensing, because there’s already so many unwanted dogs, and for families to stop buying dogs from puppy mills to stop the demand.
“It’s honestly an epidemic. The amount of animals we’re being asked to take from puppy mills and breeders that are overwhelmed, and don’t want to keep them, is in the double digits over the past couple months. An absolutely crazy amount of puppies are coming in,” she said.
While the OPP and local animal control officers have been contacted, dog lovers are frustrated that this could happen again without finding the owner of the mysterious black vehicle, and that it’s no one’s responsibility to help find these dogs that are still on the loose.
“I find it very frustrating that we’re getting the run around, it feels like, from different areas. It speaks to the problem, that we have to start at the source, to get this problem stopped,” said Newell-Nicholson.
Newell-Nicholson said if you do encounter one of dogs still on the loose, it’s best not to chase them, because they’ll be scared and will want to run.
You can reach out to her at petrescue@hurontel.on.ca for who best to contact.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Bodies found by U.S. authorities searching for missing B.C. kayakers
United States authorities who have been searching for a pair of missing kayakers from British Columbia since the weekend have recovered two bodies in the nearby San Juan Islands of Washington state.
Amid concerns over 'collateral damage' Trudeau, Freeland defend capital gains tax change
Facing pushback from physicians and businesspeople over the coming increase to the capital gains inclusion rate, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his deputy Chrystia Freeland are standing by their plan to target Canada's highest earners.
'It's discriminatory': Individuals refused entry to Ontario legislature for wearing keffiyeh
Individuals being barred from entering Ontario’s legislature while wearing a keffiyeh say the garment is part of their cultural identity— and the only ones making it political are the politicians banning it.
BREAKING Police will not be charged in death of Indigenous man in B.C., mother says
Three Mounties in British Columbia will not face charges in the killing of a 38-year-old Indigenous man on Vancouver Island in 2021, according to the man's mother.
Douglas DC-4 plane with 2 people on board crashes into river outside Fairbanks, Alaska
A Douglas C-54 Skymaster airplane crashed into the Tanana River near Fairbanks on Tuesday, Alaska State Troopers said.
Tom Mulcair: Park littered with trash after 'pilot project' is perfect symbol of Trudeau governance
Former NDP leader Tom Mulcair says that what's happening now in a trash-littered federal park in Quebec is a perfect metaphor for how the Trudeau government runs things.
'It's just so hard to let it go': Umar Zameer still haunted by death of Toronto police officer
“It's just so hard to let it go. I mean, everyone is telling me, ‘you have to move on,’ but I know someone is not here [anymore]. So I don't know how I will move on." That’s what Umar Zameer, the man recently acquitted in the death of a Toronto police officer, told CTV News Toronto in a sit-down interview on Tuesday.
NASA hears from Voyager 1, the most distant spacecraft from Earth, after months of quiet
NASA has finally heard back from Voyager 1 again in a way that makes sense. The most distant spacecraft from Earth hadn't sent home any understandable data since last November.
Saskatchewan households will continue to receive carbon tax rebate: Trudeau
Households in Saskatchewan will continue to receive Canada Carbon Rebate payments, despite the province refusing to remit the federal carbon price on natural gas, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Tuesday.