The themes of discussion on Social media related to Friday's dog call incident on the city's east side have featured a range of topics and emotions over the last number of days.
That as a large volume of Prince Rupert residents take to a number of forums to share their thoughts on the incident which saw the RCMP make a decision to shoot what was described as a dangerous and aggressive dog.
As we noted yesterday, the commentary so far has indicated that the incident has clearly become one of the leading conversations in the community since the weekend.
One voice on the topic was found on the Facebook Page Prince Rupert Pets, where yesterday Katherine Spong, a former canine obedience instructor offered up some thoughts on the incident by way of her training.
Two key passages from her post stand out as perhaps a bit helpful for any review of the incident and how the City of Prince Rupert may wish to approach future calls and situations.
It doesn't help Choppo but it stands to reason that the city bylaws officer(s) are not trained or equipped to handle extreme situations. There should be people who are well-trained and equipped to handle these cases. I truly believe the BC SPCA should take over the animal control contract, and be funded to enable them to train a specialist. I also believe the RCMP should be provided tranquilizer guns for wolves, bear, and aggressive dog situations rather than kill first and ask questions later.
Acting in what I trust is good faith, the City validated this fear by declaring Choppo a dangerous dog. I am not sure why the dog was loose that day or why the family or person watching him was not available to corral Choppo but I am certain that a properly trained person could have managed a more peaceful resolution.
Her conclusion to her post, also provides the observation that she believes that an investigation into the incident will be conducted by the BC SPCA, as well as the suggestion that going forward that the City turn the animal control contract over to that agency.
Going forward, I expect a cruelty investigation will be conducted by the BC SPCA and that the City seriously consider implementing their recommendations. I would personally like to see the City of Prince Rupert consider turning the animal control contract back to the BC SPCA with the condition they train a specialist to diffuse situations and prevent further shootings which only traumatize everyone concerned, including the officer forced to kill a dog.
You can explore the full post from Ms. Spong here.
So far, other than the original statement from the City of Prince Rupert from Friday, there has been no further comment from City staff, or the city's elected officials related to the incident, or the growing public reaction that has come from it.
More items of note related to the City of Prince Rupert can be found from our Discussion page archive here.
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