Toronto Humane Society Closing!!

This whole situation bugs me, but I know a lot of shelters have said they will help if the animals are not adopted.

I notice that Bandit still hasn't been euthanised the dog had a euthanisation order, was so vicious that the OSPCA used pepper spray on it when they first raided THS and yet is still there and not up for adoption either. I don't know which one is worse, the OSPCA or THS's behaviour lately (I actually had more sympathy for them when it happened, but their response to the situation...)

I am glad they will get their shelter back from the SPCA though, the two groups are so different they will never be able to run the shelter together

The little tidbit on Bandit I find interesting. Here, for mauling a child that bad - the dog would've been impounded at the humane society & gone through a hearing within a month of impound (they push severe dog maulings through) - and been euthanized.

He was ordered to be euthanised back when he mauled the child, but it was appealed, he was also ordered again when breed specific legislation came into effect.

Toronto Humane have typically taken aggressive dogs when no other shelters will, they retrain them, and often send them to a specialist in the US for training. Bandit is far from the only dog in there who is aggressive or has bitten and some are successfully retrained. Because of Bandit's past, he is not up for adoption (the second he sets his paws of THS property the police could remove him for euthanising) but they dont seem to concentrate on the other dogs there

But when the SPCA went in to raid THS the first time, they went into the Presidents office, where Bandit was, and had to pepper spray him because he lunged at them and yet they did not euthanise him but did euthanise animals for 'health, aggression and unadoptability (being there too long) issues'. So I am not sure why they didnt use the outstanding order to euthanise him if he is so vicious and went for SPCA/police officers.

But now he is under behavioural assessment again?

OK - can you Toronto area people fill me in? Was the Humane Society doing some icky stuff that the OSPCA came after them???

Toronto Humane is the biggest shelter in this area and pride themselves on being low kill. They were an SPCA affiliate but the two groups have very different philosphies and are forever suing each other or arguing about something. Last year, the SPCA asked the government for more power and used those new powers to go into Toronto Humane. There are people who think they should euthanise some animals there that they keep (like Bandit). Upon raiding the shelter, they charged the President and several others with animal cruelty charges. They found a mummified cat in the ceiling, and some sick cats (the source of the mummified cat is questionable so I am reserving judgement on it, a worker told them where to find it, they dispose of euthanised and DOA animals so if everyone knew it was there, wouldnt they slip it in with the DOAs?) but some cats were IMO better off eing euthanised.

The SPCA happened to do this just before the Christmas fundraising season (their big fight is that THS is a fundraising monster, but many people support them because of their low kill philosphy) and not too long before the two groups were supposed to be in court over a fundraising lawsuit (a local SPCA is suing THS because they fundraised in their area, but they did take a lot of cats from the animal control there and so the statement of the number of animals they saved was not untrue, they have picked up van loads of cats there when I have been in the building and seen them)

Bandit is a whole other story, the President has basically decided to keep him as his own in his office to stop him being euthanised. And then there is Tre Smith, THS's abuse investigator (SPCA officer) who has used undue force (on people/abusers) when ensuring the safety of an animal

Both groups have a very shady past, especially when the two groups get involved with each other. The OSPCA has a list of horror stories of their own. But the OSPCA took over the shelter and to get it back, Toronto has to close down and fix a list of things the OSCPA is demanding, but they can not keep any animals in the shelter during the time they are shut down (they will be shut until at least June as the OSPCA wants to wait until after their AGM and voting in of the new Board) so they have to adopt out all the animals or find placements for them before they close

Ugh. Blech. People. No wonder I like my cats better. At least if they are p!ssing on their territory, you know why.

There are some beautiful cats show on that site. I hope they all get wonderful homes.

They were down to just 35 as of this morning

I just want to add for the record: The last time I was at the THS was 2004 I think, I brought in a squirrel our dog had caught to be euthed (he was paralized) then took a quick tour of the facility. All the cages were clean & well maintained. All the animals looked healthy but sad (of course). Whatever issues THS is having, they have not always been there.

That being said, I am APPAULED at THS's response as well; and to hear that they ever let things get this bad in the first place. It's not like they don't get enough donations...

Whenever I have been there (several times over the last 6 years) it has been clean and well maintained, not as nice as our local shelter, but since our local shelter is brand new and houses less animals I don't expect other shelters to be the same.

There is also something to be said for their philosophy of 'if I wouldn't euthanise my mother for it, I wouldn't euthanise an animal either', very few shelters would go the distance they do to rehabilitate animals (through injury or agrression issues) - although they have the money to do so.

I honestly think a lot of it is a turf war, I have seen cats with horrible injuries at all shelters, I know there is always out of date food at ours because people donate it, it doesnt mean it is actually fed to animals etc. Very few people know how shelters are run and I think that left the media running with little true info causing a bigger issue than it was.

Last year when the OSPCA asked for more powers and there were public hearings at Queen's park, I attended one day and the stories of people's lives ruined by unfounded animal cruelty charges was insane. I want them to be there to do their job - and I don't want any animal in danger. But the way they go about their business is as bad as some of the cruelty charges that they investigate IMO

I read that they are down to 3 cats and a few rabbits

May they all be adopted in time.... This is so sad and sickening

They have offers to take them anyway, they adopted 30+ cats today, I am sure they can manage 3 tomorrow

Update on their website:

The Toronto Humane Society Adoption Drive has been a tremendous success. We have achieved our objective of finding a home for every animal that was available for adoption.

I'm happy for the cats. Usually, cats get looked over here. Everyone, it seems, wants a dog. But at least, this time, the cats win.

They finally euthanised Bandit, the pitbull mix that was mentioned above

What if anything did they do to the owners?

The owners of Bandit? Nothing as far as I know, they have been fighting to have him euthanised for some time, the owner said he bit her grandson without being provoked and they never found any evidence to the contrary