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Another darn letter about Trevor the dog

Another darn letter about Trevor the dog: I have been following the story of Trevor the dog since he was removed from a concerning situation by a bylaw officer with a heart, obviously, just about a year and a half ago. It has been over 15 months now an

I have been following the story of Trevor the dog since he was removed from a concerning situation by a bylaw officer with a heart, obviously, just about a year and a half ago.

It has been over 15 months now and Trevor has progressed in many areas.

He has developed into a healthy, happy-go-lucky, just-want-to-please, loveable critter.

Amazing what TLC, commitment from volunteers (Mike Grieco shines in this regard for running Trevor just about every single day since he came into the care of the Mae Baucher Animal Shelter) training and behaviour modification can do.

Trevor, though, will always be impacted by the abuse and neglect he suffered at the hands of an individual who was suppose to be caring for him. He is scarred by that experience and it is not unreasonable to expect that he will continue to be defensive in some situations that alarm him or if he feels threatened.

People respond the same way to triggers years and years after an incident, why wouldn’t an animal?

It simply means Trevor cannot be placed with someone who does not understand his history, and it seems that perhaps this was the case when he was adopted out to an individual that so kindly passed Trevor on to a relative who obviously didn’t understand Trevor at all.

The point is the court was very specific about what needed to happen to ensure Trevor was “rehabilitated” and would not pose a threat to others in the future. Well, the court’s directive has been followed precisely and the people responsible for Trevor now, (Mae Baucher animal shelter) the original caregivers of Trevor and still the caregivers of Trevor have met all the expectations outlined by the court to ensure his behavior is appropriate in social situations.

I have read all the comments posted by readers on CBC and in the newspapers in response to this whole issue.

It truly amazes me the number of people who actually view Trevor as the “problem” and believe that getting rid of Trevor will get rid of the problem.

The way I see it, the problem has nothing to do with Trevor the dog. The problem is the lack of transparency, lack of integrity, poor decision making and the ongoing political ego stroking demonstrated by some city officials that has prevailed since the day this entire convoluted story became a news item.

Trevor did not spend $45,000 of the taxpayers’ money. The city did. It didn’t have to, certain individuals could have simply stepped up to the plate, apologized to the citizens for the wasting of taxpayers money, and agreed to resolve this issue in a mature, commonsense kind of way which would have prevented this case from being dragged through the courts for as long as it has.

Now, the city is demanding Trevor be returned to them so he can be euthanized because, after all, it is this damn dog that has cost the taxpayers $45,000 dollars and he has to go.

The fact is, Trevor does not belong to the city Ð it has been established in the courts that the Mae Baucher Animal Shelter is the legal caregiver for Trevor Ð the legal caregiver Ð I am sure that the city’s lawyer can explain to her clients just what the term means because it appears someone just isn’t getting it.

One day, Trevor will find a forever home, but for the interim there is no reason why he can’t stay at the shelter until a home is made available.

It won’t cost the city a dime and it hasn’t cost them anything for him to be housed there for over a year now.

He doesn’t take up a lot of space and he has become a national icon that brings attention to the shelter and brings people into the shelter, so he is earning his keep.

More than that, though, what Trevor’s case has accomplished is exposing the arrogant wasteful manner in which some government bureaucracies operate and, for that, Trevor deserves to live.

Lea Bayliss

Whitehorse