Readers' Forum
“Speaking up for animals”
I would like to clarify regarding the information published about my activities as a lawyer fighting for the rights of animals ("Speaking up for animals,” Zoroastrians Abroad, Parsiana, November 7-20, 2021) as it may be tricky for non-lawyers to understand about leave to appeal and applications to the Supreme Court of Canada.
I have appeared as a lawyer at all levels of court in British Columbia (BC) including in what has become known as a landmark "dangerous” dog case. Despite the death penalty for humans being outlawed in Canada since 1976, dogs can still be put on "death row” and euthanized. Punky Santics, a four-year-old Australian cattle dog, following an altercation with a person, was declared a dangerous dog and ordered to be destroyed.
At the appeal level, my team and I fought for Punky who became Canada’s everydog. In the summer of 2019 we were successfully granted a stay from the BC Court of Appeal to apply for leave to appeal to Canada’s highest court, the Supreme Court of Canada. We filed our application for leave to appeal, but our case was not heard. (Only a small number of cases go to a full hearing at the Supreme Court of Canada.) Unfortunately, Punky lost his bid for clemency last year and was euthanized shortly thereafter, but this animal case has had a lasting effect and raised the dialog on animals and the law (see www.shroffforanimallaw.com).
VEEDA VICTORIA SHROFF
Vancouver, Canada
shroff@telus.net
I have appeared as a lawyer at all levels of court in British Columbia (BC) including in what has become known as a landmark "dangerous” dog case. Despite the death penalty for humans being outlawed in Canada since 1976, dogs can still be put on "death row” and euthanized. Punky Santics, a four-year-old Australian cattle dog, following an altercation with a person, was declared a dangerous dog and ordered to be destroyed. At the appeal level, my team and I fought for Punky who became Canada’s everydog. In the summer of 2019 we were successfully granted a stay from the BC Court of Appeal to apply for leave to appeal to Canada’s highest court, the Supreme Court of Canada. We filed our application for leave to appeal, but our case was not heard. (Only a small number of cases go to a full hearing at the Supreme Court of Canada.) Unfortunately, Punky lost his bid for clemency last year and was euthanized shortly thereafter, but this animal case has had a lasting effect and raised the dialog on animals and the law (see www.shroffforanimallaw.com).
VEEDA VICTORIA SHROFF
Vancouver, Canada
shroff@telus.net
◆ ◆ ◆
From the archive