Woman regrets losing her dogs

Mac Olsen
South Peace News

Christina Staner wishes that she had more time to get two dogs back after Prairie Animal Rescue Society adopted them out to another family. Straner lives on a farm over 40 kilometres from High Prairie. Her dogs disappeared on Aug. 13 or 14. She searched for them on horseback for several days and asked her neighbours to look out for them. Since there was no sign of the dogs, Straner assumed that a bear or coyotes had killed them. She has seen a bear come onto her property many times. However, the dogs were picked up near Snipe Lake just after they went missing, Staner says, adding that it had not occurred to her to check with the Prairie Animal Rescue Society. On Sept. 8, a friend told Straner they thought they had seen photos of her dogs posted on the PARS website. As a result, Straner checked the website and determined they were her dogs. She contacted PARS and was told the dogs were already adopted. Straner is disheartened that there wasn’t a longer grace period to reclaim the dogs. She also wanted to talk to the people who adopted the dogs and explain that a mistake had been made, and to get the dogs back. She was even willing to pay the expenses that the new owners had incurred. Terra MacLean, the president of Prairie Animal Rescue Society, sent a letter to the M.D. of Big Lakes council on Sept. 11. She offered an explanation as to why PARS handled the dogs the way they did. MacLean noted that PARS rescued two M.D. of Big Lakes dogs from the pound (vet clinic), where they were held for five days. PARS had these dogs, a small Cocker Spaniel and a small Shepherd Cross, for three weeks. Neither dog was wearing a collar nor had tags that the M.D. provides for free. In addition, neither dog was fitted with a microchip and neither dog was neutered. “We assessed both dogs’ temperament over a week’s time period, had both dogs neutered, and had the Cocker Spaniel treated for a severe ear infection he was suffering from. We then placed them up for adoption together, requesting they be placed in a home together, as they were obviously bonded to one another,” MacLean says. “As luck would have it, two potential homes came forward to adopt them. Upon the interview and screening PARS does, we found the best home with a family (and) small children, and they went as indoor dogs.” MacLean also says she explained that the dogs were adopted, and the steps the owner could have taken to get them back. The dogs would have been put to death if PARS had not retrieved them from the pound. In addition, the dogs had no identity tags, collars, or vet history – any of which would have made it possible to return them, MacLean says. She also emphasizes she could not provide the personal information of the new home, as the previous owner requested. In addition, she and PARS will not make any more phone calls to the new home to encourage the return of the dogs. Her office already made one call to them that was not required of them. MacLean goes on to say PARS put the dogs up for adoption, posted photos of them on their website for another three weeks, and then placed them in a suitable, loving home, all before they were recognized. “PARS recognizes that this is an unfortunate event, as the previous family lives far from town and assumed the dogs had suffered at the paws/teeth of wildlife. However, we also recognize that all of the dogs PARS receives at one point in time belonged to someone, the same someone that do not look for them, the same someone that do not spay or neuter them, the same someone that assume wildlife ate them or someone stole them, the same someone who in many cases do not give the required vet care that many of the pets need and, ultimately, PARS pays for,” MacLean says. “To differentiate the dogs that were accidentally not looked for, and the dogs that no one cared to look for, is indeed an impossible task, and out of PARS control.” Stranen harbours no ill will towards the Prairie Animal Rescue Society for what happened, but wishes that she could have had more time to reclaim her dogs. “I’m not really very mad, or anything like that. I just want something to happen that, if they (the dogs) look like they had owners and don’t look like strays or starved, something more has to be done, like a longer grace period,” Stranen says. She emphasizes that PARS is doing a great job, and encourages the public to volunteer for this organization, and to provide donations. She also encourages all dog owners to get their dogs registered with the Municipal District of Big Lakes.

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