He's a hero in the eyes of many. So when the
Ontario Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals
suspended the license of
Toronto Humane Society Inspector Tre Smith on Thursday, many people were outraged.
Smith is the anti-cruelty agent who helped
rescue a trapped Rotweiller from a roasting car at the end of July. The dog barely survived, and it forced Smith to make an agonizing choice - guard the owner and wait for police or tend to the furry victim. In the end, he chose to go with the dog and handcuffed the accused to his own car until authorities arrived. That's when some angry bystanders took matters into their own hands, allegedly assaulting the suspect when no one was around.
Those actions have left Smith still employed but restricted from doing what he does best - helping animals in distress. The decision created an avalanche of fury towards the OSPCA, which was flooded with emails from upset viewers who saw the story on
CityNews Tonight and
CityNews.ca.
Now the organization has responded to the criticism. Their answer - we had no choice. In an email of his own, Chief Inspector Hugh Coghill reminds angry dog lovers that Smith is in a similar position to a police officer charged with an offence. He hasn't been found guilty of anything but it's the responsibility of the agency to ensure he's off duty until the allegations are dealt with.
"Is Officer Smith a hero for saving the life of "Cyrus" the dog? - ABSOLUTELY," he writes. "But so are our 170+ cruelty officers across Ontario that do exactly that, day after day. This review is not about the rescue of a suffering animal. This is a review of the officer's conduct after the rescue was made and whether that conduct was appropriate ...
"Mr. Smith has not been punished, he is simply not going to participate in law enforcement activities until we establish what happened and why at the incident in question. Then, we'll determine if any follow-up action is required on our part. This is similar to what police services do."
Smith remains perturbed by the turn his no-win decision has taken. "I'm shocked and stunned and deeply saddened," he told
CityNews late Thursday. "I'm like a quarterback that's benched. Like football, a quarterback is essential and investigators are essential to fighting ... abuse against animals."
There's no word on how long the process may take to determine when - or if - he'll be able to go back to work.
Text of Coghill's email
I started working in animal welfare in 1977 and in those over 30 years of doing the job, I have personally rescued many animals in similar and much worse situations.
As Chief Inspector, I am responsible for the conduct of our investigators and I take that responsibility very seriously. It's key to our accountability as an organization and it's crucial to the Ontario SPCA operating in a manner that earns and maintains the public's trust and confidence.
Is Officer Smith a hero for saving the life of "Cyrus" the dog - ABSOLUTELY - but so are our 170+ cruelty officers across Ontario that do exactly that, day after day.
This review is not about the rescue of a suffering animal. This is a review of the officer's conduct after the rescue was made and whether that conduct was appropriate.
I do not want to prejudge the findings of our review. Mr. Smith has not been punished, he is simply not going to participate in law enforcement activities until we establish what happened and why at the incident in question. Then, we'll determine if any follow-up action is required on our part.
This is similar to what police services do. When there are allegations against an officer, the officer is usually removed from active duty while the matter is being reviewed. That's best for all concerned.
The priority for everyone in our organization is animal protection, but the way we provide that protection is just as important. We train our investigators to do what they do as effectively and safely as possible and we expect them to carry out their activities according to that training and our standard operating procedures.
Sincerely,
Hugh Coghill, Chief Inspector
Ontario Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals