Friends and families of the 14 dogs who died from heat exhaustion at Playful Paws Pet Center last weekend gathered for a memorial service Saturday in Saskatoon.
“I still expect every morning when we get up to hear him thundering down the hallway and launching onto our bed, lick my husband and I both good morning and shoot out the door. I’m still listening and he’s not coming,” said Dawn Loessin, Linc’s mom.
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In the wake of this tragedy Loessin and the other families have leaned on each other for strength, but also to make sure their fur babies don’t die in vain.
“It is important to all of us that this tragedy is turned into something good. We need there to be changes to the way kennels are regulated and monitored,” Loessin explained.
“We will lobby all levels of government for changes to current standards and legislation at animal’s daycares and boarding facilities in Saskatchewan.”
A Change.org petition to update animal protection laws in the province has gained almost 1,500 signatures. Kennels are currently unregulated in Saskatchewan, and across Canada, the province ranks eleventh out of 13 for animal protection laws, according to the Animal Legal Defense Fund.
“We just want safety for animals. End of story. Hopefully that stems from this,” said E. Haffermehl, whose sister lost a dog.
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The families are also raising money on Go Fund Me to take legal action against Playful Paws.
“We have contacted lawyers and we are proceeding,” Loessin said.
“When you get a phone call from a place where you’ve taken your dog, trusted your dog to and they’ve died in such a senseless manner it takes your grief to a whole new level because there’s anger there.”
Loessin hopes to make this an election issue and plans to reach out to mayoral candidates.