There’s a woman I know who lives near me. She was let go at the tail end of COVID and found her calling in the multitude of pets – especially dogs – who needed rehoming around the same time. Seems that many people bought pets during the height of the pandemic, but once they went back to their previous lifestyle, that is, kids at school all day, parents at work all day, there was no one and no time to care for their (not so) beloved pets. She threw herself into rehoming dogs, finding people to foster dogs until they could be rehomed, and ended up holding on to too many when there wasn’t anyone to foster, or in between, or those who never found their new homes.
She’s an intelligent woman with several degrees who could be making large sums of money in the corporate world. She was married but they split up during COVID – too much time together, according to her. She doesn’t have any children.
Whenever I see her, she’s out walking a few, maybe three, max four, dogs around the neighbourhood. If I see her twice in one day, I’ve noticed the dogs aren’t all the same.
Last week, a friend of mine lost her dog. It was hit by a car and didn’t survive. My friend is distraught and wanted everything out of the house. I offered to take it all: a few small beds, water and food bowls, a few toys, several leashes and some food. I knocked on this woman’s door figuring she could probably use it all. I was shocked when she opened the door!
The smell was overpowering! There were at least a dozen dogs, ranging in size and age, at her feet, in the room I could see, and on the visible staircase. She, herself, looked dishevelled and exhausted. I must have worn my sentiment on my face because she said something like, “Oh, you’ve caught us on a bad day. This little one was up all night with Giardia.”
She was grateful for the drop-off, and I believe you can have good and bad days with that many living beings in one home, but…. it doesn’t seem healthy for her to have that many dogs. Is it legal?
Dog Days
It depends. In Ontario, there is a bylaw that you can only have a maximum of four dogs (over the age of five months), as pets, in one home. In the cities of Vaughn, Brampton and Ottawa, the maximum is three. However, there is no legal limit on the number of dogs that can be fostered in one home.
So, if she’s fostering all these dogs, then it’s legal. But it still sounds like a lot of dogs to care for by one person. The real issue is her mental health. Is she OK? Has she really found her passion? From your description, it sounds as though she threw herself into something as a rebound from her life in that moment. Hopefully, she’s happy. If you care enough, you could offer to help her walk the dogs one day and have a good chat. Otherwise, it’s her business.
I screamed with excitement when my baby first said, “mama.” I covered my ears at times to the incessant “mommy” calls. I ached when my name changed to “mom” – so serious!
But what am I supposed to do when they call me “Bruh?”
NOT your Bruh!
This made me laugh out loud! Thank you so much! You nailed it! Honestly, what are they thinking? That was never a thing when I was a teenager. I never even called my parents by their first names!
It’s a phase. I promise it’ll change again.
FEEDBACK Regarding the Covid-conscious sister of the bride (Nov. 26):
Reader – “Maybe that sister is immunocompromised or disabled and can't risk an infection. Maybe she even has Long COVID. There are many of us still taking COVID seriously by wearing a mask in public and avoiding crowded spaces because we care about our health.
“There are thousands of studies showing that COVID causes immune system, brain, and cardiovascular damage. It is causing a huge increase in autoimmune conditions and other illnesses. This is not a conspiracy theory or speculation. It is the science. There's plenty of information out there, but here's a good starting point.
Lisi – Clearly, I failed to get my message across. I don’t have any judgement over the sister taking COVID precautions. The letter writer never mentioned she was sick or immunocompromised. However, it’s possible to take those same precautions and attend your sister’s small wedding. I understand long COVID enough to know you can still live a life.