Dear Editor,
On the morning of December 1, in a quiet field on a private farm in the township of Puslinch, an incident occurred that broke our family’s hearts and called into question my respect for hunters and their sport.
A hunter, either a frighteningly poor marksman or (more disturbingly) a heartless killer seemingly devoid of empathy, shot a greatly beloved canine member of our family in cold blood. The injuries she sustained may never heal; she has damaged nerves, and may never wag her tail or walk properly again.
The high price for her veterinary care is surpassed by the damage this violent incident has done to our peace of mind when walking our dogs on our own property. Despite countless ‘No Hunting’ signs clearly delineating the boundaries of our farm, hunters (who are often aggressive) have and will continue to storm onto our land and belittle us for declining to let them hunt.
While I am not one enforce my views on others, I believe that in the future whoever shot my sweet, innocent dog along with their peers in the world of hunting should heed Albert Schweitzer’s warning that, “Compassion, in which all ethics must take root, can only attain its full breadth… if it embraces all living creatures and does not limit itself to mankind.”
Catharine McKay
