Animal welfare group Beagle Paws is speaking out about a recent incident brought to light on Marine Atlantic’s Argentia run.
Three beagles, contained in two crates, were transported from Nova Scotia to Newfoundland via Argentia on the back of a trailer hitched to a pickup.
Beagle Paws President Sheila Lewis says it’s a situation she hasn’t encountered before.
They were on a low trailer hitched to the truck. The kennels were situated so that they would be exposed to exhaust coming out of the truck, and the images she saw raised serious questions about how secure the animals were.
“Would there be potential that the kennels could come off the small trailer…(and) pose a hazard to the dogs or to…oncoming traffic?” she asks.
Lewis says the dogs were in the crates on the trailer for the 16-hour crossing. She says Marine Atlantic does offer kennel services for pets on the ferry crossing for a cost, but animals are also allowed to stay on the deck. She says 16 hours is too long for animals in that situation.