Give an untrained Loon a job with power & you will find the people that placed the Loon bird, will be even more loony in defending him.

Ottawa Citizen

Landowners association takes aim at animal rights group

Chris Cobb, Ottawa Citizen

Published: Sunday, November 23, 2008

http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/news/story.html?id=4379f05b-64e4-4f9f-a040-008e369e9a60



Ottawa . With frisky horses as a backdrop, area members of the Ontario Landowners Association launched a bitter attack against a provincial animal rights group Sunday, alleging it is more concerned about money than animals and that some of its inspectors are ill-trained "bullies."



At a staged event for news media at a Stittsville farm, association president Jack Mac-Laren accused the Ontario Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (OSPCA) of ruining the life of one Manitoulin Island farmer in a two-year legal saga that saw him convicted on four charges of failing to provide suitable and adequate care for his horses.



Following a neighbour's complaint in March 2006, OSPCA inspectors went to David Pryor's farm, where, according to court evidence, they found undernourished, lice-infested horses living in unsanitary conditions. They subsequently took 23 horses from his farm and kept them at an OSPCA facility.



Mr. Pryor was sentenced to three years probation and ordered to have no more than 18 horses in his care at one time. The case cost him $20,000 in legal fees and $94,000 in OSPCA boarding fees he says he cannot afford to pay. The impounded animals remained his property.



Despite his conviction, Mr. Pryor and his supporters in the 15,000-member Ontario Landowners Association claim his horses were well cared for and living in a pleasant, natural environment.



The association bought 15 of the impounded purebreds last month and at Sunday's media event, handed them over to new owners. With the exception of one stallion bought for $1,500, the horses fetched $600 each and will be used primarily for recreational purposes by their new owners. Mr. Pryor receives the proceeds.



Mr. MacLaren said there are other examples of the OSPCA being heavy-handed with animal owners and accused the society of using "enforcers" whose training is so limited they know almost nothing about the care of farm animals.



"Because they are a charity and need to raise money," he said, "they lose sight from time to time that all they are supposed to be doing is looking after the humane treatment of animals. David (Pryor) is an ordinary guy who loves his horses. What good does it do to give him a $94,000 bill they know he can't pay?"



Mr. Pryor, who was to have been at Sunday's event, but didn't show, incurred the wrath of OSPCA inspectors, Mr. MacLaren claimed, because he refused to provide a water bowl for his animals.



"There wasn't a water bowl on the farm,' he said, "but there is a creek and plenty of water for animals to drink. A horse died on his farm and there were bones that caused a neighbour to complain. The horse had died giving birth. It's what happens on a farm, but it isn't inhumane. And he didn't have a water bowl because he didn't need one."



According to OSPCA spokeswoman Alison Cross, inspectors now receive two weeks training before starting work and up to seven weeks annual training. The initial two weeks will be increased to one month next year, she said, but inspectors can seek expert help any time if they feel it's necessary.



The OSPCA spent $13 million last year, including $500,000 in training money from the Ontario government. It raised the remaining $12.5 million through individual donations.



Mr. Pryor was convicted partly on photographic evidence. The Animal Care Review Board, an appeal body that hears appeals against OSPCA charges before they go to court, rejected Mr. Pryor's appeal based on the same photographs.



Mr. MacLaren said Sunday that he had not seen the photographs, but did visit Mr. Pryor's farm this summer.



The landowners association, whose primary goal is to have landowner rights enshrined in the Constitution, supports the intent of the OSPCA's work, Mr. MacLaren said.



"We strongly support the need for animal owners to take good care of their animals," he said. "Anyone who abuses animals should be charged or have their animals taken away - whatever is necessary. But it seems some (OSPCA inspectors) will say whatever they have to say to justify the action they need to take."



Marlene Black, on whose farm the media event was held, said the OSPCA should be forced to account more for its actions.



"We're not saying the entire SPCA is bad," she said, "but there is no accountability when their enforcers do this sort of stuff. Probably 90 per cent of them are doing a good job, but we want more accountability for the actions of those who aren't."