Christie Lagally

Angus the Chihuahua

See original Richmond News article here.

By Christie Lagally,Special to the Richmond News, December 8, 2010

Like so many volunteers who dedicate their evenings and weekends to animal rescue, Linda Lanyon works full time as an elementary school teacher, but also operates BC Chihuahua Rescue (BCCR).

This rescue group of volunteers and foster homes takes in surrendered and former puppy-mill Chihuahuas and finds them new homes.

The all-volunteer rescue group doesn’t operate a shelter, but depends on a network of foster homes to house and care for each precious little dog.

But last summer, Lanyon’s rescue work was kicked up a notch when she was vacationing in Las Vegas, Nev. She and her sister were enjoying the Donny and Marie show at the Flamingo Las Vegas.

Donny Osmond, the actor, singer and former teen idol, was looking for audience members to participate in his Make a Difference (MAD) campaign. Lanyon’s sister volunteered her, and Lanyon came away with an extra $300 from Osmond’s show and instructions to turn that $300 into positive change.

And Lanyon has done just that through her work with the Chihuahuas. She used the money to purchase ‘OPT to Adopt’ bracelets to educate the public to adopt an animal instead of purchasing them at pet stores.

After so many puppy-mill chihuahua rescues, Lanyon knew that educating the public on animal adoption was an excellent way to make that $300 make a difference.

But BCCR’s work doesn’t just stop at education. Lanyon says the most necessary tasks for volunteers of BCCR are to provide foster homes and help to raise funds. So many of the animals that come to BCCR are in dire need of veterinary care and they spend nearly all their funds to pay vet costs. But it’s worth it! Lanyon’s rescue has provided permanent loving homes for 26 rescued Chihuahuas this year alone.

Wendy and her dog Angus

Richmond Urban Dance Company owner and dance teacher Wendy Riley recently starting volunteering with BCCR, and providing those necessary tasks of animal rescue was exactly what Riley wanted to do.

She now works to help homeless Chihuahuas by inspecting new foster homes in our area and selling the Make a Difference bracelets and other BCCR merchandise at her Urban Dance Company retail shop.

But right now Lanyon and Riley have been getting the word out that BCCR is looking for more foster homes. Surrendered and rescued Chihuahuas need temporary housing while an adoptive home can be found. Perhaps you can provide such a sanctuary?

Riley says good foster families are in homes where people are typically around much of the time and the yard is safe and secure for the little dogs.

If you think you might be able to provide a loving foster home, contact BCCR through their website.

But in the meantime, don’t miss this opportunity to contribute to the chihuahua rescue effort by purchasing beautiful ‘Make a Difference’ bracelets and other merchandise at chirescue.org or at the Urban Dance Company in Richmond.

And even if you can’t donate, you might find other ways to help by looking that the BC Chihuahua Rescue wish list at chirescue.org/wishlist.htm.

Christie Lagally is a volunteer pet columnist. View her blog at christielagally.wordpress.com.
© Copyright (c) Richmond News

Images by Gemini Visuals.

See letter in the Province.

Dear Editor, Residents of Vancouver and Vancouver City Council:

If you haven’t already heard, a new pet store that sells puppies, kittens, birds and other small animals will be opening in Vancouver’s Tinseltown this month.  The store, part of a large chain of pet stores in our area, has made it clear from their website that they are stocking live animals for retail sale.  While these plans have, no-doubt, been underway for a while, this comes right as the Richmond City Council has made the highly-applauded decision to ban the sale of puppies and dogs from retail outlets.  And earlier this year, the Richmond councillors banned the sale of rabbits due to overpopulation of pet rabbits abandoned to Richmond’s parks.

Vancouver-ites should be really upset that their city is continuing to allow retail and impulse purchasing of animals in pet stores.  Not only have documentaries by the CBC’s Marketplace clearly shown that local pets stores such as Pet Habitat and PJ’s pet source their puppies from puppy-mills and puppy-brokers such as the Hunte Corporation, but the sale of dogs, cats, birds and other small animals in Vancouver will only fuel our on-going homeless pet crisis in this region.  This costs the city of Vancouver to pay for ever more dogs to be housed at the Vancouver Animal Shelter and ever more cats and other animals housed at the BC SPCA.

Meanwhile your local, independent animal rescue groups are packed full of animals that need homes, and a large percentage of those animals came from people who bought their pet at a pet store, and then gave it up because it was too much work.

Richmond-ites understood the consequences of retail animal sales, and when Richmond Council asked for public consultation on this matter, the City received over two hundred pages of public support for the ban, and only two pages of dissenting opinion.

I encourage residents of Vancouver and the Vancouver City Council to look at what your pet stores are costing you both financially and ethically.

Respectfully,

Christie Lagally
Animal Welfare Advocacy Coalition

Milo the dog at the Richmond Animal Shelter has quite the story to tell of his recovery.  Now, he needs a little help getting some hydrotherapy.

See the article in the Richmond Review. Milo needs physio

See the Vancouver Sun article at:

The mystery dog Milo needs help mending (this link may be disconnected)

Now that animal welfare is a part of  mainstream politics (or at least it’s getting there), this cat takes a stand on the issues.  See this wonderful column by Corry Anderson-Fennell.

Vancouver and Burnaby are ready to take on their pet stores to stop puppy-mills and prevent impulse purchasing of animals which end up in the city’s local rescues. Now you can sign a petition on-line at http://www.thepetitionsite.com/6/ban-the-sale-of-puppies-in-pet-stores/

Here is the text of the petition:

* Target: gregor.robertson@vancouver.ca; mayor.corrigan@burnaby.ca
* Sponsored by: Kathy Powelson

A call to our city councils to follow Richmond’s lead and ban the sale of puppies in pet stores.
End the mass production and inhumane treatment of dogs.

Richmond became the first city in Canada to pass a bylaw that bans the sale of puppies in pet stores.  The goal of Bylaw No.8663 is to limit impulse purchases and to reduce the number of dogs bred in puppy mills.  Shelters across the province will testify that one of the consequences of impulse purchases of the cute puppy in the store window is the overpopulation of homeless dogs filling their facilities.  The number of purebred dogs in shelters range between 25 – 50 % across the province.  Puppy mills are notorious for their substandard and inhumane living conditions and health care.  So much so, that  a large movement in the United State protesting the mass production of puppies has hit the streets and outside stores that sell puppies. This includes Utah based Best Friends Animal Society’s national”Pets are not Products” campaign.  With an estimated 10,000 puppy mills in the United States, we have our work set out for us.

The majority of puppies in Canadian pet stores come from the United States, many of which are brokered through the Hunte Corporation, based in Missouri.  It is estimated that up to 60 percent of the puppy mills in the United States are based in Missouri, due to, until recently, little regulation.  Enter Proposition B, the Puppy Mill Cruelty Prevention Act.  Passed in November, this Missouri law limits the number of breeding dogs to 50 and requires a higher standard of care relating to all aspects of a dog’s health; accommodation, food, water and veterinary care. Time will tell whether this new law will have a significant impact on the goal of eliminating the mass production of puppies and whether it will improve the quality of life for breeding dogs.  It is, however, a step in the right direction.  Given the Hunte Corporation does not actually ‘breed’ dogs, but rather ‘brokers’ them, it is doubtful that this laudable law will have any impact on their business.  In fact, it seems that they are untouchable.  Despite numerous complaints filed with the USDA and failed USDA inspections, it is business as usual at the Hunte Corporation.

While regulations may help improve the welfare of dogs whose sole purpose is to breed, the only way to eliminate puppy mills is to stop the demand.  For as long as people are willing to purchase puppies at stores, companies will supply them.  Unwanted dogs are abandoned daily.  The ‘lucky’ ones end up at shelters where there is a chance they will find another home.  Others are dumped in garbage bins, left tied to a tree, a truck or simply just left in a desolate area.  Shelters across the US and Canada are full of homeless dogs.  Rescue agencies are stretch beyond their means and hundreds of thousands of dogs are killed each year because there are not enough resources to care for them.

There was overwhelming support for Bylaw No.8663 from the community of Richmond.  The strongest opposition, not surprisingly, came from owners of pet stores that sell puppies.  We call upon city councils across the Lower Mainland to follow Richmond’s lead and make it illegal to purchase puppies in pet stores.  You have an amazing opportunity to improve the welfare of so many animals and to relieve the burden of your municipal shelters and community rescue groups.  The precedent has been set, the momentum has begun, we urge you to do the right thing.

Sign the petition.

A special thanks for Helen at RAPS for sending me this petition.

Check out BC Chihuahua Rescue on Shaw TV!