Sudbury group says tougher laws needed for owners who leave dogs out in cold

A group called Animal Justice Sudbury wants to see tougher laws governing animal welfare, particularlywhen it comes to dogsbeing left out in frigid winter temperatures.

NatashaLachancewith the group said since the start of winter,members have called in numerous complaints and concerns to the Ontario Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (OSPCA)about dogs out in the cold and wonders why the OSPCA hasn't removed them.

Lachancesaid recently, she became aware of two dogs tied up outside inun-insulated dog houses.

"They're out there shivering constantly ... right there out in the wind, and subject to attack by predatoryanimals. They're out there 24-7."

Lachancesaidher group has offered the owner a freeinsulated shelter for the dogs, but the offer was refused.

'There are no standards'

There is no law against having an animal tied up outside, saidJennifer Bluhm,deputy chief of the Ontario SPCA.

But, she said outdoor dogs must have insulatedshelters. And if the dog is tethered, thechain or rope must allow the dog to move safely and access food and water.

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Bluhmsaidso far this winter, the agency's branches across the province are receiving a high volume of calls from concerned people worriedabout animals outside without appropriate shelter.

"We see a lot of different shelters that are put in place," she said. "Often, we see shelters that are very well insulated that might not appear so from a distance."

Bluhmsaid the OSPCAresponds to all calls, and if an investigator doesn't think ashelter meets legal standards, action can be taken against owners.

But, being outside in the cold is not in itself enough to prove that an animalin distress as defined under the Ontario SPCAAct.

"Dogs simply being outside in extreme cold weather, on its face, would not be enough,"Bluhmsaid."There would have to be other indicators of distress: medical distress, frost bite, other existing injuries, hypothermia."

But Lachancesaid her group thinks that animal inspectors are quibbling over theActat the expense of suffering animals, and she wants the laws changed.

"There are no standards, as of right now, to how long an animal can be tiedoutside."

"We need to strengthen our laws and have [theOSPCA] pushharder ... to protect our chained and tethered dogs outside."

Members of Animal Justice Sudbury will be protesting outside theOSPCAfaciliesat the entrance of College Boral in Sudbury this afternoon at2 p.m.