Queen Waldorf Fights Back!

But really, it was just the beginning for the German shepherd, whose story sparked an outcry for tougher animal cruelty laws.
Five months after a petition was started in Queen Waldorf’s honour, 8,600 signatures have been collected from Canadians calling on Ottawa to give penalties for animal abuse some teeth.

Queen Waldorf has since made a strong recovery and was adopted by Claudia Belson of St. Catharines. Her former owner was charged with causing unnecessary suffering to an animal by failing to provide veterinary treatment, failing to provide suitable and adequate care for an animal and abandoning an animal in distress.
“She puts a face to the suffering,” petition organizer Sherry Nath said about the dog. Suffering that Nath, a psychiatric nurse from Stoney Creek, said often doesn’t stop with animals. Animal abuse, she explained, can be a warning sign of more severe criminal behaviour to come in abusers. “Everyone knows by now there’s a human link,” Nath said. “It’s been well-documented for many years. It’s quite surprising Canada is so progressive a country and yet we have these laws (that are lax).”

Nath said Canada’s animal cruelty laws were first drafted in 1892 and have remained virtually unchanged since.
Click here to read more

Dog found abandoned with weights tied to collar
Welland, ON (CA)
Incident Date: Saturday, Apr 7, 2007
Disposition: Alleged

A dog found along the Chippawa Creek with two dumbbells tied around its neck has a new lease on life.

The Niagara Falls Humane Society has been flooded with calls from residents wanting to help care for the animal, since learning of its plight. Many people are offering financial help, while others want to give the elderly dog a new home.
Shelter staff have nicknamed the dog Queen Waldorf, as she was found last weekend near the King Waldorf Tent and Trailer Park.
Officials at the animal shelter continue to investigate the incident to determine if someone had weighted down the dog in an attempt to drown it.
After the dog was spotted by a passerby and brought to the shelter by Humane Society staff, it cowered in its cage, ears drooping.
“We are hoping that someone will recognize this dog and contact the shelter,” said Don Horvath, an inspector with the Ontario Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.

“Somebody out there knows this dog. If you recognize her, please contact us as soon as possible.”

The shelter will post updates on its website about Queen Waldorf’s progress and when she will be available for adoption.
“We will then begin taking applications to determine the best home for her,” Horvath said.

The dog was spotted last Saturday afternoon by two people riding ATVs along the Chippawa Parkway. Two dumbbells, weighing a total of 2.25 kilograms, were tied to a rope that was tied to the dog’s collar.
The collar was so tight, all the hair from around her neck was gone. Horvath said the dog has numerous health issues and is now under the care of a veterinarian.

(Source http://www.pet-abuse.com/cases/11262/ON/CA/)