Founder and President of Abby Cat Daddy the Feline Advocate Society, Logan Bryan; has the following comments on the renewel of shelter lease between LAPS (Langley Animal Protection Society) and the Township of Langley:
I welcome today’s update regarding the finalized agreement between the Township of Langley and LAPS.
This outcome sees LAPS continuing its core mission of caring for and serving the animals of Langley while the Township assumes responsibility for animal protection and animal bylaw enforcement. In my view this is how it should be. Clear separation of enforcement and animal care roles is essential for transparency accountability and the wellbeing of both animals and the people who care for them.
That said I do look forward to learning more about what specific programs LAPS will be continuing under this new framework how they will be funded and what restrictions if any will be attached. Experience across the rescue and animal welfare sector shows that the more roadblocks and limitations placed on programs the less effective and meaningful they ultimately become.
While our work is based further east in the Fraser Valley serving Mission Abbotsford and Chilliwack we face many of the same ongoing challenges. Community cat populations do not recognize municipal boundaries and the impacts of policy decisions ripple across the region. We share a collective responsibility to advocate for humane evidence based solutions that support local community cats and the organizations working on the ground.
I want to congratulate our friends on the LAPS team along with their board for reaching an agreement they can stand behind with the Township. I sincerely hope this agreement prioritizes not only spay and neuter access for cats living with families but also meaningful well resourced solutions to address the Township’s growing community cat population.
Finally I hope this moment encourages the Township to adopt evidence based recommendations including a six cat pet household limit to better address animal welfare concerns public health considerations and the realities facing rescues and animal services.
This has been an ongoing issue that many of us have spoken out about publicly and directly with Township leadership. I remain cautiously optimistic and will continue to advocate for policies and programs that put animal welfare first backed by practical humane and proven solutions.
~Logan Bryan
The Abby Cat Daddy
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