I am outraged a dog that has bitten one person is being treated like a dangerous dog by the city, which has put obstacles and barriers to any potential adopter.
My God, even serial killers are treated better than this abused and neglected dog. The owner of this dog is the Mae Bachur Animal Shelter, not the city.
The city has created a media frenzy about the fate of this dog, which bit one person. But with Trevor’s history of abuse and neglect before he was rescued by a city bylaw officer, it does not surprise me. The person who left him chained in the backyard with an ingrown metal collar in his neck is the one who should be on trial, not Trevor.
When the bylaw officer took him to the pound, Trevor did not show any aggression. That tells me he is a dog who had the opportunity to be aggressive, but he still did not act mean to the officer.
He was surrendered to the shelter and the same nonaggressive behavior was seen by the shelter staff. Because of the ingrown collar, he was taken to the vet where he had the collar removed and even licked the hand of the attendant.
Does this sound like a mean and vicious dog? Sounds to me the biting incident was blown up to make a good story for the press and the CBC.
The problems started with his illegal adoption by a woman who got Trevor for her brother, which was a big no no à he had no fixed address. The adoption policies are put in place to avoid this type of adoption. People must have proper places to live; applicants are usually screened before the dog is released to the adopter. I cannot comment on this case.
The dog bit the illegal adopter’s landlord. So what had happened to Trevor in this short time to make him bite someone? An abused dog can’t tell you what has happened. The city can’t tell you either.
The landlord may have shown Trevor aggression, and Trevor felt scared and reacted in the basic way à he bit this person. A dog usually bites when he feels threatened or is scared.
The illegal adopter took Trevor to the pound to be killed. The Yukon Humane Society (with Kevin Sinclair) took the city to court to reclaim Trevor because the city had him at the pound and they were going to euthanize him.
The city has placed so many restrictions on Trevor: where he can live, who can adopt him, etc., all in the name of public safety. The restrictions are like the Great Wall of China, it takes a special person to be able to satisfy the city’s restrictions and, so, Trevor sits at the shelter awaiting his fate.
There are many awesome people who care about Trevor, and dogs like him, that want to foster him, like Mike Grieco, who takes Trevor out every day for walks. There are many animal advocates, like me, in Whitehorse and in the communities. Trevor is a loving and friendly dog when you treat him right. Dogs only want our love and they will do everything to have that love.
I just want to ask, why is Trevor treated like a hardened criminal when there are many dogs in the Yukon and Whitehorse that are biters? Has the city taken the owners to court and imposed so many restrictions on how they are kept? I read a story of a lady last week who had her 11-year-old black lab attacked and killed on the road by two dogs that were running at large à a Rottweiler and pit bull. But it could easily have been a child on the road.
I do not see their picture in the paper and their owner in court.
The city scheduled to have Trevor put down even when they knew they were not his rightful owners à the Mae Bachur Animal Shelter was and still is his rightful owner. He should have been returned to the shelter when this incident happened. They were wrong from the start. They should have the guts to stop this ball from running over their common sense. They should stop the trial of Trevor à a victim of bureaucracy.
There are many dogs around here who are aggressive, so why the double standard for Trevor? The press should get the facts straight and not twist words around; it does not help the situation and a lot of people believe what they read in the papers.
It’s time for the city to accept the blame and stop punishing Trevor and stop the court action. We need to save the lives of abandoned, abused and neglected animals like Trevor. That is why the shelter is no-kill à because we believe all animals deserve a second chance at a healthy and loving human family.
An ideal home will eventually be found for Trevor. He can give so much love to the right person.
Maryanne Baer
Whitehorse