“Can anyone help my dogs ?!”
That’s how an October 13 post to the Ontario Federation of Sleddog Sports (OFSS) Facebook page by Hidden Meadow Farm owner Shani Ride (posting on the page as Shani Ryde) began. Doppler reported in July on charges laid against Ride and her sled dog operation at Deerhurst Resort by the OSPCA, and the kennel’s former owner’s concerns about treatment of the dogs in her care. (Read the story and view photos here.)
When the OSPCA investigated they found dogs with “large, open wounds that had been left untreated for days; numerous older, healed, partially healed and infected wounds; limping with an obviously swollen, painful leg; fever; and broken, infected teeth.” There were 42 dogs when they visited the property.
After the charges were laid, a former owner of the kennel came forward with photos taken in 2004 of Ride’s dogs, some who were emaciated, some who were chained to stakes, and one of a deceased dog in a wheelbarrow, saying he had reported the operation to the police.
In Ride’s post, she went on to blame the media and the OSPCA for destroying her business, writing to followers of the OFSS page, “Like all of you my kennels and dog yard are tended to daily but it only takes one picture to be taken before chore time and you are made to be a monster making your dogs live in their own excrement. I have lost my dog sledding contract due to the media circus that revolved around the injury of one of my dogs and I now have to find homes for 31 dogs asap.”
Ride claims that a former partner was to take the dogs but pulled out at the last minute and she now has nowhere to house them. She added that she has made arrangements to surrender the dogs to the OSPCA “next week” as a last resort, and that although the dogs are “friendly and easy to work with…the majority of these dogs will not be deemed as good pets and will be put to sleep. This is not fair! They are not pets! They are working dogs and the only place they are going to be happy is on the trail.”
Ride stressed that the dogs are healthy and happy and put out a plea to the page’s followers to take on one or more of the dogs which she is offering up for free. She also asked that no one make negative comments on the post because “my family and I have been through so much already this summer. We are good people and good animal care givers. People just don’t understand the life of a working dog and when you are made a target it is pure hell.”
Comments on the post to date (which you can see here) have been supportive – like “This is so sad. I hope and that you will come out with brighter spirit knowing that some if not all your kids will find a great home. I will be praying” and “It’s too bad that media can spin a story that doesn’t portray the truth. Hopefully your family can survive. My heart goes out to you & your family (dogs) Good luck” – while comments on a copy of the post shared locally have expressed relief that the dogs will be in better care, including this one: “Every one of those dogs deserves a chance a a good life. A chance they would never get under her care……fingers crossed for every one.”
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So sorry that a bit of bad press can destroy a business so quickly. These dogs however should not be destroyed! Please help this woman to save her dogs!