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
'One of the single most terrifying things ever': Ontario couple among passengers on sinking tour boat in Dominican Republic
A Toronto couple are speaking out about their 'extremely dangerous' experience on board a sinking tour boat in the Dominican Republic last week.
Half of Canadians have negative opinion of latest Liberal budget: poll
A new poll suggests the Liberals have not won over voters with their latest budget, though there is broad support for their plan to build millions of homes.
opinion Why you should protect your investments by naming a trusted contact person
Appointing a trusted person to help with financial obligations can give you peace of mind. In his personal finance column for CTVNews.ca, Christopher Liew outlines the key benefits of naming a confidant to take over your financial responsibilities, if the need ever arises.
Teacher shortages see some Ontario high school students awarded perfect grades on midterm exams
Students at a high school in York Region have been awarded perfect marks on their midterm exams in three subjects – not because of their academic performances however, but because they had no teacher.
'My stomach dropped': Winnipeg man speaks out after being criminally harassed following single online date
A Winnipeg man said a single date gone wrong led to years of criminal harassment, false arrests, stress and depression.
Doctors combine a pig kidney transplant and a heart device in a bid to extend woman's life
Doctors have transplanted a pig kidney into a New Jersey woman who was near death, part of a dramatic pair of surgeries that also stabilized her failing heart.
Photographer alleges he was forced to watch Megan Thee Stallion have sex and was unfairly fired
A photographer who worked for Megan Thee Stallion said in a lawsuit filed Tuesday that he was forced to watch her have sex, was unfairly fired soon after and was abused as her employee.
Ottawa injects another $36M into vaccine injury compensation fund
The federal government has added $36.4 million to a program designed to support people who have been seriously injured or killed by vaccines since the end of 2020.
An Ontario senior thought he called Geek Squad for help with his printer. Instead, he got scammed out of $25,000
An Ontario senior’s attempt to get technical help online led him into a spoofing scam where he lost $25,000. Now, he’s sharing his story to warn others.