This is a good question - why is the Homeward Bound City Pound not accountable to the public for their business? If it is a contract paid by taxpayer dollars, we should be allowed to know how many animals they take in, how many are euthanized, and how cats without critical injuries are somehow miraculously appearing at the Pound, when the HRM Animal Control contract is clear about only accepting cats with critical injuries. When I recently made an inquiry about the adoptable kittens at HBCP and asked HRM to tell me why these kittens were lucky enough to make it to the pound, they told me I would have to submit a FOIPOP request to gain access to that information. See the email chain below:
From: Andrea MacDonald [Macdonaa@halifax.ca]
To: Sonya
Cc: Jackie Barkhouse
Sent: Thu 07/10/2010 9:51 AM
Subject: Re: FW: Petfinder.com Pet Inquiry: Autumn PFId
Ms. Higgins,
Further to your request regarding this situation, you are required to submit a FOIPOP request.
The following is the URL that will assist you with your request: http://www.halifax.ca/Police/FOIPOPrequest.html
Andrea
>>> Sonya
Interesting.
I had emailed the pound when I saw a picture of a cute adoptable kitten on their website, wondering how the kitten ended up in their care.
HRM By-Law states that the ONLY cats to be picked up are either critically injured or already deceased.
So if this kitten and her littermates were not critically injured, how and why were they picked up by Animal Services? What did the citizen in question have to do to convince Animal Services to pick up these cats? Why is it a different answer for all the other residents of HRM who ask Animal Services to come pick up other stray/injured cats?
I really want to know the specifics on this case. Who do I have to ask?
Would I need to submit an ATIP or FOIPOP request to get the truth on this situation?
Sonya Higgins
Cat rescuer extraordinaire
469-MEOW
From: Adoption Homeward Bound City Pound [mailto:adoptions@citypound.ca]
Sent: October-06-10 5:55 PM
To: Sonya
Subject: Re: Petfinder.com Pet Inquiry: Autumn PFId
Hello,
Autumn and her siblings did not have any critical injuries when they came in. They were an Animal Services case through Halifax Regional Police that we took in. We do not accept any amimals apart from what Animal Services brings us.
Thank you
----- Original Message -----
From: Sonya
To: adoptions@citypound.ca
Sent: Saturday, October 02, 2010 1:24 PM
Subject: Petfinder.com Pet Inquiry: Autumn PFId
What type of critical injury did this kitten have? How and why did it end up at the Home ward Bound City Pound? Do you accept cats apart from what HRM mandates?
Sonya Higgins
Chairman/Director, "Healing Animal SCARS - Sonya's Cat & Animal Rescue Society"
