Bylaw and Bunnies in Peterborough Ontario, Canada…

[Cedarcreed]

TW: Discussion of dead critters

So bylaw has been VERY clear there is NO limit to the number of rabbits you can keep in Peterborough, Ontario, Canada.

Yesterday the fire captain Rutland in Peterborough lied bold face to us and ignored our pleas for help.
He was called to shut off an ozone generator the landlord had placed in the unit above ours for days without telling us. The gas from that machine sank into one of our mother and baby enclosures and killed sixteen of our bunny kittens overnight... four distraught mothers are dealing with mastitis and depression right now. On his way out, Rutland refused to even listen to which bylaw stated we had no limitations, but was happy to tell us that we were clearly breaking one he could not cite. He also said the landlord had “every right“ to use an ozone generator and that it ISNT dangerous.

Google: “ozone generator hazards”

Is there a community group I can go to to talk about this and about raising awareness for rabbit ownership in my region?

Im so tired of being shamed for having this many animals.

I have 25 rabbits. I had 16 babies, now I still have 25 rabbits… animal welfare and bylaw LOVE our setup and reassure us constantly that we are in the right and shouldn’t feel bullied. Some of their workers are LITERALLY on camera taking physical NOTES alongside me while I show them how to setup their own rabbit fed food forests and home gardens… we love and appreciate their support but this is beyond frustrating.

That machine poisoned my animals and we were told it was our fault (that it was used for a smell that we just had animal welfare workers here to confirm DIDN'T exist…)

 

[ArtistChibi]

If you were caring for them, the rabbits were healthy and great before that generator was placed, then there was no issue with your rabbit care. What baffles me is that those generators aren't banned in Canada yet. I'm really sorry for what happened to you and your bunnies. This is so wrong that it did.

 

[Cedarcreed]

If you were caring for them, the rabbits were healthy and great before that generator was placed, then there was no issue with your rabbit care. What baffles me is that those generators aren't banned in Canada yet. I'm really sorry for what happened to you and your bunnies. This is so wrong that it did.

Thank you I really appreciate the emotional support.
We just had animal welfare here again to check in and as expected they responded the same way they always do; that they are impressed and happy with what they found and that yet again there are still ZERO bylaws in place to prevent me from owning any number of rabbits. They have no issue with the number that I have now or with how they are being housed.

Their enclosures are clean, they have fresh running kitchen tap water and waterer bottles, tons of fresh and pelleted timothy hay, plenty of enclosure space and hides and they get put away in a predator proof enclosure at night… not to mention iI am building two new huge enclosures too…

This is so messed up and I don’t understand why it’s happening.

I have attached a picture of our second smallest enclosure.

 

[ArtistChibi]

Don't breeders have a large number of rabbits as well? So why not a large number as pets? It's not that the amount you have is the issue. It's the fact that the ozone generator isn't banned. It is in my state.

 

[Cedarcreed]

Don't breeders have a large number of rabbits as well? So why not a large number as pets? It's not that the amount you have is the issue. It's the fact that the ozone generator isn't banned. It is in my state.

Peterborough Fire chief Rutland told me:

"You shouldn't have had that many rabbits, end of story."

But didn't care to explain WHY... Or what I should do. The poison control told me the rabbits were the canary in the COAL MINE... I have a six year old who sleeps directly above these rabbits.

We could all be DEAD right now... Not just my bunnies.
I still need advice where to take this. My landlord can't be allowed to just murder droves of bunnies.

When asked to turn off the machine and stop killing my animals the landlord said:

"GET OUT OF MY HOUSE"

As if I'm not a paying tenant. My animals are gone... I need advice... This is beyond messed up and I need support. Officer Padzir of the Peterborough Animal Welfare said there were ZERO issues found with the baby bunnies who died besides the presence of coccidia -- but the levels were NOT that which would have killed them directly. Period.

The babies were tested.

They just suddenly died.

As if suffocated and they sure looked suffocated when I found them... It was the ozone that killed them. I've used it to professionally clean before and you can google what animals caught in it look like. I've seen enough and I'm angry because these babies were so sweet and innocent...

Sixteen babies...

Bunny lovers, help advise us .. please?

 

[odyssey~]

Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry!

Unfortunately I don't really have advice but I do live near this area I'm going to do some more research and see what I can find about this...I never even knew about ozone generators

 

[CrazyChickenGirl]

That’s horrible.
I don’t have any advice to give except maybe move, but I completely understand that might not be a option. I’m sorry for the loss of all your bunnies.

 

[Cedarcreed]

I completely understand the advice to just move and we have been trying to find somewhere to go since I moved in, April 2020. I'm employed and I have savings, I just don't have the money to buy a place of our own and I don't have credit so I can't get into anywhere safe with yard space for my family and animals.

My daughter and I can't leave this place and our bunnies can't be rehomed. They are a part of us...
We are doing everything we can to keep them safe.

This broke me in a way I didn't realize I could be broken. I felt so much guilt for something I couldn't have prevented. It hurt. I just want my family to be safe and secure and I'm concerned this town will keep allowing these abuses to occur unseen and unreported...

Where is the article about this?
Where is the police report?
They don't exist but my posts AS things happened do.

The fire chief himself dismissed this as if it were MY fault for OWNING them, citing fake laws and abusing his power to enter my unit rather than the one with the active gas generator causing death and property damage.

We need to make sure our community doesn't allow this kind of atrocity to occur without commentary at the very LEAST...