Wag the Dog

Unfortunately the trade off is rather disappointing.. Chris Bentley is the new AG for Ontario. To give you a taste of his knowledge on breed bans in Ontario read his reply to our survey we sent to all candidates prior to the October election. Certainly the spouting from Bryant's mouth won't be missed, but the [...]

Originally run in the New Yorker in February, 2006, Malcolm Gladwell's article about profiling is well worth a second look.

One afternoon last February, Guy Clairoux picked up his two-and-a half-year-old son, Jayden, from day care and walked him back to their house in the west end of Ottawa, Ontario. They were almost home. Jayden was straggling behind, and, [...]

Chico Bandido has a brief summary of a survey conducted by Ipsos Canada. The press release was issued by Ipsos-Reid, so the “interesting tidbits” listed for each city have been selected by the editors of the news release and, as such, may not actually be the most revealing statistics.

When the residents of Ontario were first attempting to talk reason with the provincial government about managing dangerous dogs, virtually every expert in the fields of dog behaviour and bite prevention told the government to look at Calgary, an example of extraordinary successes.
Unfortunately, this government was so caught up in its “pit bull” mania that it [...]

Was it the outcome we were looking for? (With a resounding NO from the crowd of citizens who have been legislated into second class citizens.)
The voters of Ontario have spoken, or rather not spoken looking at the percentage of voter participation! I hear over and over, there isn't anyone to choose from so I just [...]

VOTE TODAY!
 
Today, YOU can make a difference.
YOU can change the lives of thousands of dog owners and save the lives of thousands of dogs in Ontario.
To do this, you MUST:
 
1. VOTE
If you don't vote, don't complain later about what you get. Every dog owner in this province, not matter how tired, sick, busy, [...]

Today is Election Day in Ontario. 
All responsible, informed and caring dog owners must vote today to reject the McGuinty Liberals. 
The McGuinty Liberals made responsible dog owners of all breeds into second-class citizens and discriminated against dogs solely because of their shape.  The McGuinty Liberals promulgated unfounded, unjust, vague, shoddy and ineffective legislation that kills [...]

I had planned to enter my AmStaff in the Therapy Dog program but couldn't because of the muzzle requirement–Diane Duffy, Payroll Clerk, Township of Ramora

Bill 132 has magically turned my Doberman into a 'pit bull', if the authorities say so (Section 19).  This law is so bad, it has also transformed me from a recluse [...]

Once upon a time, in a province called Ontario, a man named Dalton McGuinty wanted to become premier so badly that he made many promises. He said he would not raise taxes. He promised to close the dirty coal-burning plants. He would help autistic children, relieve gridlock problems and help immigrants have their qualifications recognized [...]

I was not on the Voter's List this time when I went to the Advance Poll last week, probably because our riding has been redrawn to match the Federal riding.  This is true of many ridings in Ontario for this election.
I was surprised, since I've voted in every election at all levels of government since [...]

CKC Special Announcement re: Ontario Election
For immediate release and communication to Canadian Kennel Club members:
THINK TWICE…VOTE ONCE!
As the Ontario provincial election creeps closer (Election Day, October 10) we would like to draw your attention to the position statements provided to the CKC regarding the issue of Bill 132 (Pit Bull Ban) in [...]

ONTARIO COUNT DOWN – “My Dog Votes!”
PLEASE FORWARD TO ALL ONTARIO DOG OWNERS AND YOUR LOCAL CANDIDATES
We can count in hours the time left before the Ontario polls open. The Canadian Kennel Club respectfully asks for your time over the next 10 minutes to review our message and emails received from candidates with their [...]

 
New Liskeard–Progressive Conservative candidate Doug Shearer, a retired OPP Superintendent, was attacked yesterday by a Labrador retriever in his riding of Timiskaming-Cochrane.
We are told he was out canvassing at the time.  Apparently, charges will be laid against the owner of the Lab.
We await further details and will post information as it becomes available.

The October issue of Dogs In Canada featured an article “Silence Speaks Volumes”, which focused on the upcoming election in Ontario. The article took some statements from veteran Progressive Conservative MPP Jim Wilson out of context.
 
Jim kindly sent us a clarification which includes his firm stance toward one law for all responsible dog owners.  You [...]

I admire people who stick to their guns and defend an unpopular position with logic and enthusiam. 
I don't admire people who stick to their guns and defend an unpopular position with bombast, distractions, specious reasoning and utter nonsense.
Dalton McGuinty and his gang are in the latter category.  Let's review the form letter response to inquiries which McGuinty has inflicted [...]

An important statement issued from the CKC is a must read if you own a dog in Ontario!
To see the statement in English
To see the statement in French

Check this out, it's Wallace's website.
I took this picture in Kansas City when I was down there for the Canine Legislation Conference in September.  This was snapped after Wallace and Roo had put on an amazing frisbee show in the park across from the conference centre.

And in this one, Wallace shows you that he can [...]

I haven't seen or heard much lately to put a smile on my face, but this story over at chicobandido sure did.
Thanks to KC Dog Blog and Bad Rap for this info.

Find your electoral district (riding) by postal code here:
     http://www2.elections.on.ca/fyed/en/form_page_en.jsp
 
Lists of candidates are available at the parties' individual websites:
     Green Party: http://www.gpo.ca/find_your_riding
     Liberal Party: http://www.ontarioliberal.ca/en/CandidateList.aspx
     New Democratic Party: http://ontariondp.com/nominated-candidates-2007/
     Progressive Conservative Party: http://www.ontariopc.com/find_your_riding.asp
 
Wag the Dog has sent surveys to all candidates and has received some responses.  Those responses are listed separately on this blog.
If you would like to make a [...]

The daughter of the victim in our story about Lucky, (the Labrador retriever slated for destruction by ignorant animal control officers in Thornhill) has posted a comment on that article.
 
She is not happy about remarks implying that the story may be fictitious.
 
I've taken the liberty of posting her comment here so everybody is aware of it.
 
Any [...]

Some dog owners, including myself, are going to find themselves in a difficult situation on voting day. We may end up voting for a party we don't particularly like.
 
I and many of my dog-owning or dog-loving friends often have political views that are polar opposites and yet we are dedicated to doing our part to [...]

I got no means to show identificationI got no papers show you what I amYou’ll have to take me just the way that you find meWhat’s gone is gone and I do not give a damnEmpty stomach, empty headI got empty heart and empty bed
I don’t rememberI don’t remember
–Peter Gabriel
 
That crazy, Barking Mad Mac has posted [...]

Just a little something to think about, for those who think they can not be targeted by BSL… For the sake of those who have been targeted, please think before posting disbelief.