http://www.torontohumanesociety.com/

Cyrus the Rottweiler was rescued from a hot car on July 31 by Toronto Humane Society agent Tre Smith.  Smith had to break a window to rescue the comatose dog.  To thwart interference from the dog's owner Smith handcuffed him to his own car.  Bystanders assisted in reviving the dog and Smith rushed him to the VEt, leaving the owner handcuffed to his car.  The owner was attached by bystanders and is cut and bruised and has apparently lost three teeth.

Cyrus was said to have brain and kidney damage but is alive.  More recent reports say he is doing better but do not specifically state the extent of damage.  If you follow the links you will see that the temperature inside the vehicle reached 70 degrees Celsius.  That's 158 F.  I find it hard to believe the dog could survive temperatures like that so suspect a typo or conversion problem with that.

Support for Cyrus and Smith has been tremendous and earlier reports that Smith was in danger of severe reprimand and job loss for endangering the dog owner by leaving him handcuffed have been refuted.  He will keep his job, however, an investigation will examine the extent of authority accorded to the Humane Society.

The owner says he wants his dog back.

No I hadn't seen this - how terrible :(

Thank goodness Cyrus is ok and that this wonderful guy Smith can keep his job!
Surely they won't allow the owner to have Cyrus back

Unfortunately yes I read this on an American forum that I go on, just how could anyone do this!

If this story had happened over here the guy would be a millionaire by now, he would have sued the human society for hadcuffing him to the car, sued the bystanders for hitting him, and claimed compensation for the stress of being parted from his dog! He'd have made a bundle from all the newspaper and magazines wanting his story and probably had a tv programme made about it.

Animal cruelties taking him to court perhaps for this cruel act would be a drop in the ocean compared to the topsy, turvey law. ME cynical. :-D

The sad thing is, not only the suffering of the dog in the car, but the revival if it is now brain damaged with kidney problems the suffering continues on and on, poor, poor dog. :-(

Well done to him. No way should he lose his job, more like he was doing his job correctly. It is a shame that we don't break into the cars at some of our Champ shows.

i like the idea of handcuffing the owner to his care....but thank goodness our over officious bumptious interfering lot (aka rspca) arent equipped with handcuffs!!!

I agree to the latter, although I wouldn't have put it quite like that ;)   although I think the idea of leaving anyone, no matter how badly they acted, helpless and at the mercy of a potential lynch mob is irresponsible and inhumane and, thankfully, I don't think it would ever be tolerated in our society.

"Animal protection laws in Ontario are less stringent than anywhere else in Canada."

Above is from this morning's Toronto Star, taken from the link in the first post.  On top of that the Toronto Humane Society and the OSPCA are sort of rivals, sort of colleagues and on this matter have issues.  Smith is suspended from active duty right now and the reason seems to have little to do with his treatment of the dog's owner, but rather because he, or the THS on his behalf, has not filed certain required paperwork.

It really seems there is little doubt that the owner should not have been left handcuffed to his car.  However, if THS staff are issued handcuffs why are they not trained in proper and judicious use of them?

The dog has taken a back seat at this point but one article says he continues to do well and recognizes people, which is reported as a good sign.  Many of us hope this episode will help to amend Ontario's archaic animal protection system.

Well Smith could have left him handcuffed inside the locked up car.....

Now would have been justice!