How unfair is this? Update on Cyrus, the dog locked in the car in Toronto....
Humane Society Inspector Suspended Over Handcuff Incident
Thursday August 9, 2007
CityNews.ca Staff
He rushed in to save a dying dog - and it's cost him some of his power. You'll remember the horrifying story that took place two weeks ago - when Toronto Humane Society inspector Tre Smith was alerted to a Rottweiler named Cyrus trapped in a sealed and roasting car during a blistering heat wave, with internal temperatures approaching 70C.
With the creature near death, Smith broke in the window, sending the owner out to answer his car alarm. With a choice between letting the dog die and hanging on to a man accused of animal cruelty, Smith made a difficult decision. He handcuffed the man to his car and left him there to tend to Cyrus.
By the time police arrived, the captive man was bleeding, having been allegedly attacked by angry bystanders who witnessed the incident. "The police hadn't got here just yet but they were almost here, and I had to leave because the dog was non-responsive, had stopped breathing and I had to stimulate the dog just to bring him back," he recalled then. "So I had to leave for the life of the dog."
But that decision has now cost Smith dearly. The Ontario SPCA suspended the investigator's license on Thursday. Smith is the kind of man who puts his heart and soul into his work and he isn't taking the decision lightly. To see his reaction, catch CityNews Tonight at 11.
The good news in all this is that Cyrus is making a remarkable recovery. To find out more about his progress, click here.
As you can't click, here is the update on Cyrus:
http://www.torontohumanesociety.com:80/
Tre who helped save Cyrus should be given a medal for being a hero!
We should all write emails/letters to complain. How stupid are they???
This is going to sound really mean, but I'm kinda glad the a$$hole got his a$$ whipped by bystanders. Maybe next time he'll know better.
With hope and maybe a little public outcry this hero will be cleared of any wrong doing! And I can't say I'm too out raged that the "guardian" of Cyrus had a little altercation with angry bystanders....
I would have been put in jail because I would have locked the bast*rd in a car with the windows rolled up for the same length of time he left Cyrus in the car. There are very few people in Toronto that don't think the guy got what he deserved.
Hopefully when the story is on the news tonight, there will be public outcry about suspending Tre. I don't believe he had a choice. He had to get help for Cyrus. The couple of minutes waiting for the police would have resulted in one very dead dog. Tre did the right thing.
I emailed them to complain. Click on Contact Us & let them know how you feel.
Okay, so apparently my Canadian geography is not so hot. I emailed the Toronto Humane Society asking them to reconsider their suspension, and they called me back today (I'm very impressed)! They said that they in fact completely support Inspector Smith and that it's the <i>Ontario</i> Humane Society who suspended his license. There's more news on the homepage that Diver-Di linked to. But I'm not a Canadian citizen, so I can't air my grievances with elected officials since I don't have an MPP. I suppose my next step is to send an email to the OntarioSPCA website (http://www.ontariospca.ca/), but they also have updates over there.
I live in southern ontario - I'll definitely be watching the news tonight to see what happens...
Well, I don't really understand - why did he handcuff him? Was the owner trying to stop the inspector from touching the dog? Seems like he would have had plenty of time to break a window, open the car door, get the dog out and into shade, water, etc., even before the owner got out there. I just don't really understand why it was necessary to handcuff him to his car, and leave him there for angry bystanders.
Personally, I think the owner should pay big time and never be allowed to own any animals again. It's sheer stupidity and extreme lack of concern to leave a dog inside a car like that. Clearly, this man can not be responsible for another life.
I wish there was a master "animal abuser" list (like the sex offender list) that every shelter and rescue had. So, that if someone on that list tried to adopt or buy an animal, they'd be denied.
Ecstatic, he was handcuffed so that he could be apprehended by the police when they arrived. The dog's life was literally in jeopardy, so the inspector had to get that animal to medical care, but he also had the legal obligation to take care of the animal abuser. Priorities being what they were, he handcuffed the offender so that he'd be there when the police arrived, and well, you know the rest.
The Toronto Humane Society ALSO emailed me in response to my complaint (in addition to the message they left on my home phone). I am really really impressed by their organization and wrote them telling me so.
Well, I don't really understand - why did he handcuff him?
Well, he was going to be arrested for animal cruelty (that's what they call it in America, I'm not sure if it's any different in Canada, but the premise is the same I'd suppose) and the police officer didn't want him to try to get away or escape while he took care of the dog. It said Cyrus was unresponsive, so I can imagine some heavy stuff had to be done to bring him back.
Hi Twink2214,
Tre Smith is not a police officer. He works as an animal cruelty investigator for the Ontario SPCA but is employed by the Toronto Humane Society. Cyrus was going to die. No question about it. They had called the police but they hadn't arrived yet. So Tre handcuffed the man to his vehicle so that the cops could get him when they arrived a couple of minutes later. He made a choice. He wanted to save the dog. The right choice in my mind. The Toronto Humane Society is keeping Tre but the Ontario SPCA has suspended him for the time being from being able to investigative animal cruelty. There will be an investigation in all of this and we all hope the outcome allows Tre to continue his investigations. That is what he loves to do and what he is great at doing.
Although sometimes it is hard to understand that there are many pet lovers that eat meat. They have not reached the same place on the path that some of us have. So...many pet owners in Toronto and Ontario are outraged by this horrendous act of cruelty.
I only hope for a happy outcome for both Tre Smith and Cyrus.
Well, I don't really understand - why did he handcuff him? Was the owner trying to stop the inspector from touching the dog? Seems like he would have had plenty of time to break a window, open the car door, get the dog out and into shade, water, etc., even before the owner got out there. I just don't really understand why it was necessary to handcuff him to his car, and leave him there for angry bystanders.
Personally, I think the owner should pay big time and never be allowed to own any animals again. It's sheer stupidity and extreme lack of concern to leave a dog inside a car like that. Clearly, this man can not be responsible for another life.
I wish there was a master "animal abuser" list (like the sex offender list) that every shelter and rescue had. So, that if someone on that list tried to adopt or buy an animal, they'd be denied.
He was handcuffed because he broke the law. Is being charged with animal cruelty. If he let him go, the police might not have found him to arrest him. I am sure Tre Smith was only thinking of Cyrus and never thought someone would hurt the owner.
Di, I can't get the link to work. It comes up with an error page saying something about the wrong domain? I'm not good with computers, so I don't even know what a domain is, so I have no clue what's wrong. Is there another way to access their contact information? I'm definitely emailing them. >:( That poor, kind man was just trying to save the life of the one who deserved it - the innocent dog. He did nothing wrong. And while I don't exactly approve of the beating that the man got, it ultimately was his fault; if he hadn't left his dog in their in the first place, angry people wouldn't have attacked him.
I am useless with computers and the link just worked for me so don't know what to say.
Try googling: The Toronto Humane Society
Hope it works! :-)
Shocking News Update
Ontario SPCA Suspends Investigation License of Toronto Humane Society Agent Smith
Posted on: Friday, August 10 /07
One week after rescuing Cyrus from a sweltering car, Agent Tre Smith has been disciplined by the Ontario SPCA for doing his job.
The OSPCA is incorporated by the Government of Ontario and reports to the Minister of Community Safety and Correctional Services, Monte Kwinter. The OSPCA licenses animal cruelty investigators across the province.
Fundamentally and without question we at the Toronto Humane Society, staff and volunteers alike, stand behind Agent Smith, who in our eyes remains an outstanding hero.
But don't take out word for it. Ask Cyrus:
Without Agent Smith's actions, Cyrus surely would have been dead, broiled alive. Today he was out playing in the sun in our dog park, a happy boy.
For more coverage on this developing story you can refer to:
Globe & Mail: Humane society hero faces scrutiny
CityNews: Humane Society Inspector Suspended Over Handcuff Incident
CBC News: OSPCA suspends license of Toronto animal cruelty officer
Tell Agent Smith what you think.
Tell Minister of Community Safety, Monte Kwinter, what you think
Still Google and you will get the links to comment.
Oh, I didn't realize he was being arrested.
Though, to be honest, I still can't imagine this guy would have got away. Too many witnesses. It'd be easy to track him down through his license plate alone. Driving away from the scene may have even gotten him into more trouble.
But, obviously, it's hard to think all these things through in the heat of the moment. Especially when a life is at stake. Hope he doesn't lose his license over this.
And I hope this owner is punished to the maximum extent, and never owns another animal again. What an idiot.
Oh, I didn't realize he was being arrested.
Though, to be honest, I still can't imagine this guy would have got away. Too many witnesses. It'd be easy to track him down through his license plate alone. Driving away from the scene may have even gotten him into more trouble.
But, obviously, it's hard to think all these things through in the heat of the moment. Especially when a life is at stake. Hope he doesn't lose his license over this.
And I hope this owner is punished to the maximum extent, and never owns another animal again. What an idiot.
Oops, I said arrested because I thought when you are charged with something, you are arrested and then it is determined what is going to happen. Tre just wanted the police to get him to charge him. I can't guarantee he was arrested or just charged with animal cruelty.
Di, thank you for this update & link. I have just sent off a letter to the OSPCA & the minister responsible for the safety & welfare of animals.
I really think that the OSPCA will realize the error in their judgement when they see how many Ontario residents are willing to stand up for Tre. The minister? I'm not holding my breath :(
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Side bar- I saw on the news last night that the mother & daughter that were charged with leaving their elderly grandmother (97 years old) in a hot sweltering car for over an hour,while they went shopping, had the charges dropped. >:( I don't get it
I gotta say, handcuffing someone and leaving them like that, unsupervised, is f'd up. He placed the @$$hole's life in danger, and confined him without arresting him, which is illegal for very good reason. Besides, if he were so concerned about bringing the @$$hole to justice, he could have just taken down the @$$hole's license plate numbers. Seems to me that Tre overstepped the bounds of a reasonable use of his authority -- in a way that was totally unnecessary for saving the dog's life. Tre might or might not have had vigilante justice in mind when he acted, but many people reacting to this story seem to, and to me "vigilante justice" is just code to legitimize ignoring people's rights -- rights that are already tenuous enough in this day and age.
Cephi, the dog was locked in the car (for quite some time). The owner was in his apartment the whole time the dog was locked up!!! He ONLY came outside when he heard his car alarm going off because Tre had to break the window to get the dog out.
I honestly don't think that Tre had any thoughts of vigilante justice. He handcuffed him because he HAD to tend to the dog & the dog is alive today because of his quick actions.
I applaud his actions.
Please don't hear me saying the guy isn't a complete jerk, because he is. He deserves to be arrested, and Tre was totally right (and within his rights) to break his window to save the dog. But saving the dog didn't require leaving the guy handcuffed to his car.
No, I know you're not defending the creep & I totally get where you're coming from but put yourself in Tre's shoes. Who knows how the guy reacted (to hearing his car alarm)? I highly doubt that he calmly walked out of his apartment to see what was happening, so we don't really know if saving the dog didn't require handcuffing the guy.
Sure, if he did have to handcuff the guy to save the dog that's another matter. The story as reported implies that he handcuffed the jerk solely to make sure the jerk'd be there when the police arrived, not because the jerk was trying to prevent him taking the dog to get care (which would anyway be unlikely in the circumstances). Since everything I know about the issue comes from these reports, I'm basing my opinions on the accuracy of those reports. If the reports are wrong, and he really did have to handcuff the guy to dave the dog, then that's a whole other story and I would no longer agree that Tre acted wrongly. But if the story Diver-Di posted is accurate about his reasons for handcuffing the guy, then I think it's right that he lose his license. He abused his authority in a way that endangered the health and safety of the jerk.
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