Sled Dog Watchdog: Yukon News Jeremy Warren 'Blind puppy' article

'Blinded puppy searches for home'
Jeremy Warren, Yukon News - August 22nd, 2008

In a glass enclosure at the front of the Mae Bachur Animal Shelter, a puppy knocks around a rubber toy.

Back and forth several times, Koa, only 12 weeks old, stops before thumping the toy. It's a brief pause,
but one other rambunctious puppies wouldn't need.

Koa is blind. But she wasn't born that way. Koa was rescued last month from a group of people behind the
Salvation Army offices who were force-feeding her alcohol.

Shelter workers believe shadows are the best Koa can see, maybe - blindness is tough to measure.

"She has serious vision problems but (the severity) is uncertain right now," said shelter treasurer Sarah
Steinberg. Otherwise, Koa, a mixed breed, is a healthy, playful dog. "She's doing well," said Steinberg.

The shelter is looking for a permanent home for Koa, a home that understands she will need a little extra
attention.

"Koa has a few special needs, but it's more about extra attention," said Steinberg. "There's bound to be
some extra care, but dogs are smart and they compensate."

Koa was brought to the humane society on July 15, when she was about six weeks old. She was rescued
from behind the Salvation Army the day before. There were signs Koa was intoxicated, and while the
cause of her blindness hasn't been confirmed, it's believed to be the booze that did it.

This is a clear case of animal abuse, said Steinberg. She isn't aware of similar instances of alcohol
poisoning in dogs. The people responsible for feeding Koa alcohol haven't been identified. It's not
confirmed if those involved have been cited with animal cruelty charges.

Animal rights supporters have long criticized the level of official animal protection in the territory. The
territory's Animal Protection Act lacks real power to prevent cruelty to animals or to deter owners from
harming their pets.

Steinberg wouldn't say how stronger legislation might have affected those who abused Koa. Changes to
the act are being drafted now and could be introduced in the legislature this fall, said a Community
Services spokesperson. In May, the territory released a 22-page document listing proposed amendments
to the act. It includes increased penalties for animal abuse and stronger powers for enforcement officers.
Fines for violating the act would increase to $10,000 from $500 and maximum jail time would rise to two
years from six months.

To adopt Koa, call the Mae Bachur Animal Shelter at 633-6019.

The Humane Society wants to remind those who witness incidents of animal abuse to immediately report
the situation to the city of Whitehorse bylaw services or the RCMP, if they're in a rural area.

[Contact jeremyw@yukon-news.com]

'Blinded pup finds a home, investigation continues'
Jeremy Warren, Yukon News - August 29, 2008

Koa is going home.

The 13-week-old puppy - possibly blinded after being force-fed alcohol - was adopted from the Mae
Bachur Animal Shelter last week.

A Whitehorse man has adopted Koa. She could be in her new home by Sunday.

The puppy was rescued in July from a group of people behind Salvation Army who were forcing her to
drink booze.

"Koa is going home," said Mae Bachur manager Tracy Smythe.

After a story in this paper, the shelter was flooded with phone calls and visitors wanting to adopt Koa, a
black-and-brown mixed breed dog.

"We're always sad when (the animals) leave, but it's to a good home."

As Kao leaves, her story isn't over. An investigation continues into her abuse has been started by
Whitehorse officials. Bylaw Services was unaware of Koa's treatment until the media reports. Since then,
bylaw has opened a file into this incident, said manager John Taylor. "We're trying to follow up as much
as possible right now," he said. "We'll just be talking to people, hang out behind the Salvation Army and
figure out what people know."

"The last high-profile case involved a dog named Trooper who was severely injured after being dragged
behind a truck. After the case went public, phones at bylaw services wouldn't stop ringing, said Taylor.
"We ran the story (about Trooper) and were flooded with calls that led to securing a conviction of the
person who dragged him down the road," he said. "We were shocked about the number of people who
knew what happened."

So far, the Koa investigation has not yielded much information. The shelter will assist the investigation as
much as possible, said Smythe. "Once you get ahold of these people, you can do something about it," she
said.

Koa was brought to the humane society shelter on July 15, when she was about six weeks old. She was
rescued from behind the Salvation Army the day before. There were signs Koa was intoxicated, and while
the cause of her blindness hasn't been confirmed, it's believed the booze did it.

A young, small dog could develop vision problem - even blindness - because of alcohol poisoning, said
Copper Road Veterinary Clinic veterinarian Dr. Greg Pottie. A dog with impaired vision can adapt to its
new predicament, he said.

In vet school, Pottie's class was introduced to a dog born without eyes. A classmate adopted the visionless
animal, which Pottie had to watch for an evening at his house. "Within 20 minutes, he got the entire lay of
the house down," said Pottie. "They can live a normal life, just with a little extra care."

Anybody with information about this incident is asked to call (in confidence) City of Whitehorse Bylaw
Services at 668-8317.

Story comment: It is not unusual on the streets of Whitehorse to see First Nations youth and
street people with puppies who are too young to be away from their mother. There have
been reports of puppy litters being given away on Main Street, in front of the Real Canadian
Superstore, and puppies being left in a box at Wal-Mart.

Many of these puppies come from the urban First Nation villages in Whitehorse. This is
further evident upon looking at the City bylaw services web site, where it appears that most
dogs are picked up in and around the McIntyre village.

The City of Whitehorse and Humane Society Yukon have largely been 'asleep at the wheel'
with regard to taking steps to stem this source of animal neglect and abuse (no calls for
spaying and neutering, vaccination of animals who live in these areas). Not to totally blame
the First Nations, there are backyard breeders/puppy mills in and around Whitehorse who
contribute to animal suffering. And, of course we have the Yukon dog mushing industry and
Yukon Quest who also mistreat and abuse animals with the blessing and support of the
Government of Yukon, the City of Whitehorse, and some First Nations governments along
the Quest trail.

Both Yukon humane societies are silent about sled dog mistreatment, the Humane Society
Dawson even helps out with the Yukon Quest Dawson dog camp on an annual basis and
bestows an award upon the Quest musher who is judged as treating his or her dog team the
best (a very low threshold of care required to win this award).