Despite being denied intervenor status in the Tilbury dog-fighting euthanasia case, animal rights group Dog Tales is still searching for ways to get involved.
"There is still an opportunity to provide expert assessors to evaluate these dogs through the defense council. So that's something we're looking at," says Dog Tales' Clare Forndran.
Dog Tales and Animal Justice pleaded their cases before Justice of the Peace Thomas Stinson earlier this month, hoping to be intervenors for 21 of the pit bull-type dogs seized in 2015's Tilbury dog-fighting ring bust. On Monday, Stinson announced neither group will be given the status ahead of the December 22 euthanasia hearing.
In his decision, Stinson also made mention that no Dogs and Liability Act cases have had intervenors, and didn't desire this case to be the first one.
"We felt this was the perfect opportunity to make this case the first one and set a precedent," says Forndran. "I definitely think the intervenor participation in the case would have created a more fair and well-rounded hearing."
Regardless, Forndran says they'll still have a presence in the case, even if they have to watch from the sidelines. She adds there's still the possibility the OSPCA can withdraw the euthanasia application.
"We're calling on them to do that, and we're hoping to get them to sit down with us, to really discuss what the other options for these dogs are," says Forndran.