Animal Abuse
Animal Abuse is a very important issue in Calgary. Animals all around the city are are in danger because people don't pay attention to them and they are neglected and beaten. Our goal is to help prevent animal abuse and raise awareness.
Every year, 5,000 animals get abused and 3,000 do not survive. The Calgary Humane Society has been operating in Calgary for 89 years now. Our mandate is to prevent animal cruelty, abuse and neglect in the Calgary area.
We have 3 full time peace officers employed to protect the animals of Calgary. Our peace officers enforce the Alberta Animal Protection act. With the help of a crown prosecutor and Calgary police we are also able to lay charges under the Criminal Code of Canada in the most extreme cases.
Peace officers answered 1903 phone calls from concerned Calgarians in 2008. Some of the calls turned out to be false alarm calls (a neighbor perhaps cannot see that a water dish has been left out for a dog and calls in that a dog was left without water is a good example) while many were issues of education. We only seize an animal and press charges in the most severe cases. Whenever it is possible to go the educational route that is what we try to do. A majority of people want to do the right thing for their pets, but may not be aware of what their pet needs. Dog houses are an excellent example. Many people do not realize that if you intend to leave your dog outside in the winter (when the temperature drops to -10 or lower) that you must provide your dog with a HEATED dog house… not just one with insulation. Some pet stores were selling the ‘dogloo’ houses and stating they were rated to -60 because they were designed like igloos. Dogloos are neither insulated nor heated so often we have to let owners know that they were misinformed and that they need to provide a more appropriate shelter. We never recommend leaving a dog outside for long periods in the cold and if it gets very cold (like our cold snap in November) we will remove animals from yards if they are left outside without access to a heated shelter.
The severe cases we see are heartbreaking. Medical neglect cases have gone up this year. Medical neglect cases involve owners who refuse to seek veterinary care for an animal who is sick or injured. Under the law you must seek appropriate vet care for your animal if they become sick or injured so it is an offence to leave an animal suffering. You can see an article about this here:
http://www.calgaryherald.com/life/Recession+owners+skipping+care+pets/4040311/story.html
Every year, 5,000 animals get abused and 3,000 do not survive. The Calgary Humane Society has been operating in Calgary for 89 years now. Our mandate is to prevent animal cruelty, abuse and neglect in the Calgary area.
We have 3 full time peace officers employed to protect the animals of Calgary. Our peace officers enforce the Alberta Animal Protection act. With the help of a crown prosecutor and Calgary police we are also able to lay charges under the Criminal Code of Canada in the most extreme cases.
Peace officers answered 1903 phone calls from concerned Calgarians in 2008. Some of the calls turned out to be false alarm calls (a neighbor perhaps cannot see that a water dish has been left out for a dog and calls in that a dog was left without water is a good example) while many were issues of education. We only seize an animal and press charges in the most severe cases. Whenever it is possible to go the educational route that is what we try to do. A majority of people want to do the right thing for their pets, but may not be aware of what their pet needs. Dog houses are an excellent example. Many people do not realize that if you intend to leave your dog outside in the winter (when the temperature drops to -10 or lower) that you must provide your dog with a HEATED dog house… not just one with insulation. Some pet stores were selling the ‘dogloo’ houses and stating they were rated to -60 because they were designed like igloos. Dogloos are neither insulated nor heated so often we have to let owners know that they were misinformed and that they need to provide a more appropriate shelter. We never recommend leaving a dog outside for long periods in the cold and if it gets very cold (like our cold snap in November) we will remove animals from yards if they are left outside without access to a heated shelter.
The severe cases we see are heartbreaking. Medical neglect cases have gone up this year. Medical neglect cases involve owners who refuse to seek veterinary care for an animal who is sick or injured. Under the law you must seek appropriate vet care for your animal if they become sick or injured so it is an offence to leave an animal suffering. You can see an article about this here:
http://www.calgaryherald.com/life/Recession+owners+skipping+care+pets/4040311/story.html
