M'Chigeeng woman feels 'punished' in Pet Save adoption case

A member of M'Chigeeng First Nation says she's been barred from adopting a puppy because her reserve is considered too risky for pets.

Ramona Ense said she was trying to adopt a lab-husky mix from Pet Save Sudbury over the weekend, but a member of the animal shelter stopped the application interview after she heard where Ense was from.

Ense said Pet Save Sudbury based its decision on a recent rescue mission of 25 puppies from the M'Chigeeng First Nation on Manitoulin Island.

To me, it was like she was punishing me for doing this and I wasn't one of the people who she rescued the dogs from, Ense said.

So it felt like she was punishing me for what somebody else has been doing.

Ense said she was trying to replace her 16 year-old dog who diedof old age in July. She said she did look around the Island for a lab-husky mix but couldn't find one.

Pet Save said it's not discriminating.

The shelter's executive director said it has special criteria for pet adoptions, in locations where they've had difficulty in the past.

Ense said its an unfair policy and she is now at a loss as how to explain what happened to her crying son.

How do you explain to a five-year-old that somebody's discriminating against us?"

Pet Save Sudbury director Jill Pessot interviewed Ense.

"We're not discriminating against this lady, she said.

"I can't be in good conscious putting a puppy into a neighbourhood where I feel that animal will be at risk."

Pessot later mentioned in an interview on CBC Sudbury'sradio program Morning Norththat, in the past six months, she has adopted a few pets to that area to people she felt would be good owners.

She said the criteria they use to decide if someone is a good pet owner applies to everyone.

"We'd like to have pet that we know will it is going to be there for 15 years, well cared for, visit the vet regularly, that sort of thing."

Ense noted she was contacted by a pet owner after she posted the incident to Facebook. In the coming weeks, she will be getting a lab-husky mix from another reserve.