Local families outraged at dog rescue's social media post
There’s outrage online Wednesday after a local animal rescue organization posted it will not permit families of children with autism to adopt dogs.
The declaration has some calling for a boycott of the group, or at least a change in policy.
Cassidy Sabo says her family loves to spend time with their dog.
“This is Marlowe. We adopted him and he’s been a great addition to our family. We have a six-year-old son who has autism and he’s up for everything that we do.”
The Sabo family acquired Marlowe from a local humane society.
“We told them, when we went in. We said, ‘We have an autistic child.’ They didn’t ask any questions that we were offended by,” said Cassidy.
Marlowe came home soon after and with a small period of adjustment, mixed well with her son Wyatt.Wyatt Sabo with the family dog Marlowe. (Source: Cassidy Sabo)
Today, even though Wyatt is often loud, Cassidy said the pair are inseparable.
She goes further, saying Marlowe has helped her son engage better with other children at his school.
That’s why, as his mom, and as a community support worker, she’s upset by a recent social media post.
An operator of Kismutt Rescue, located south of St. Marys, posted to Facebook that her organization has a policy that “NO dog will be adopted into homes with autistic children.”
“My immediate thoughts was that, it was discrimination, loud and clear, and that I was offended by it,” Cassidy explained.
The rescue operator explains her position in the post by reflecting on two cases over a decade ago where she says dogs were injured after being placed in homes with children on the autism spectrum.
The posting generated positive comments on her page, but Sabo says contends she and others had their negative comments deleted. Later, the post was shared to the Ontario Autism Coalition, sparking negative comments.
CTV News London has reached out Kismutt Rescue for an interview, but has not received a response.
Sabo is saddened that’s the case and hopes the organization’s operator and others, will be educated by her family’s example that dogs can coexist with children with autism.
“She [Kismutt Rehab’s operator] has every opportunity to learn now, and I think how she handles this and how she goes from here, will determine the future of her organization."
— With files from CTV News London's Sean Irvine, Gerry Dewan and Kristylee Varley
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Video shows suspect setting Toronto-area barbershop on fire
Video of a suspect lighting a Richmond Hill barbershop on fire earlier this week has been released by police.
'I have the will to live': N.B. woman needs double lung transplant
A New Brunswick woman suffering from sarcoidosis, a disease that limits your lung capacity, is in need of a double lung transplant.
The kids from 'Mrs. Doubtfire are all SUPER grown up now, and we're not OK
The adorable trio of child actors from the 1993 classic comedy 'Mrs. Doubtfire,' which starred the late and great Robin Williams, are all grown up and looking back on their seminal time together.
Police officer hit by driver of fleeing vehicle in Toronto
York Regional Police say they are continuing to search for a suspect in an auto theft investigation who was captured on video running over a police officer in Toronto last month.
Boeing is on the verge of launching astronauts aboard new capsule, the newest entry to space travel
It’s the first flight of Boeing’s Starliner capsule with a crew on board, a pair of NASA pilots who will check out the spacecraft during the test drive and a weeklong stay at the space station.
Britney Spears 'home and safe' after paramedics responded to an incident at the Chateau Marmont, source tells CNN
A source close to singer Britney Spears tells CNN that the pop star is 'home and safe' after she had a 'major fight' with her boyfriend on Wednesday night at the Chateau Marmont in West Hollywood.
Suter scores late goal, clinches series for Canucks
Pius Suter scored with 1:39 left and the Vancouver Canucks advanced to the second round of the NHL playoffs with a 1-0 victory over the Nashville Predators on Friday night in Game 6.
A Chinese driver is praised for helping reduce casualties in a highway collapse that killed 48
A Chinese truck driver was praised in local media Saturday for parking his vehicle across a highway and preventing more cars from tumbling down a slope after a section of the road in the country's mountainous south collapsed and killed at least 48 people.
TD worst-case scenario more likely after drug money laundering allegations: analyst
TD Bank Group could be hit with more severe penalties than previously expected, says a banking analyst after a report that the investigation it faces in the U.S. is tied to laundering illicit fentanyl profits.