(Photo-illustration: Lindsay Page)
Trow grew up on a farm in North York, surrounded by dogs, cats, rabbits and horses. He worked for 28 years as a solicitor for the province, dealing with First Nations land claims and the implementation of French language services. He’s now 65 and lives in a quaint red-brick house at Mount Pleasant and Davisville with his partner, Richard Stainton, a therapeutic counsellor.
In the 1970s, as a young lawyer, Trow spent many evenings perched on benches outside stands offering horse and carriage rides to tourists. He documented the outside temperature and the hours the horses worked, and he tracked police reports of traffic accidents involving horses. He took his findings to city council, and soon the city began to regulate the industry so aggressively that it essentially collapsed.
Trow became a member of the THS in the mid-’70s and was eventually elected to the board, along with several of his friends and fellow animal activists. He took over as president in 1982. Not everyone on the board was a fan. A group of old guard members disliked Trow’s autocratic managerial style and accused him of demoralizing staff and taking in more animals than the shelter could handle. The chief veterinarian told the media that the board should be charged with cruelty to animals, citing a new, Trow-sponsored foster care program that “forced these poor animals to live sick, against nature’s way.”
In 1984, with the THS mired in controversy and his term as president ending, Trow quietly slipped away and focused on his legal work. Ten years ago, he saw an opportunity to seize control again when the board, in an attempt to sideline its critics, annulled the voting privileges of the society’s 1,000-plus members. Trow launched a suit against the board, and a judge agreed to nullify the new voting rules. As the man who fought for them, Trow asked members to give him their proxy votes at the next board election. He and his allies won by a landslide, and he once again became president of the THS.
Although the presidency of the THS is a volunteer position, Trow often worked seven days a week—he retired from his job with the province in 2000 and received a pension. He dedicated many of his hours to writing articles for the society’s AnimalTalk magazine and letters protesting such perceived animal rights abuses as the seal hunt and Fido ads depicting a dog tethered by a ball and chain. Trow’s disciples believed he was an animal-care revolutionary. He converted part of a customer parking lot into a dog park and built a $1-million cat ward with views of the rooftop patio. He championed the kitten nursery, where volunteers and staff bottle-fed newborns, and he spent $8,000 installing nebulizer units (oxygen tents for treating upper respiratory infections) as well as hospital-quality sanitizers for cages and food bowls. His insistence on prolonging the lives of animals appealed to the society’s members and opened their wallets. The majority of the shelter’s operating funds came from preauthorized monthly donations. Around 30 per cent of the $10 million yearly budget came from bequests. (The pianist Glenn Gould loved animals and left half his estate to the society.)
Trow often bragged about the society’s low euthanasia rates. He printed tables in AnimalTalk comparing the THS’s rates with the city pound and several OSPCA shelters. Where the average rate for shelters in Ontario is around 50 per cent, the THS’s in the Trow years hovered around seven.
Some of Trow’s schemes for the shelter were less effective. He introduced a system of colour coding that the shelter used to identify aggressive dogs: white and red for the most dangerous, orange and yellow for the moderately difficult ones, and green for the gentlest. Though staff considered it a useful tool, it was quickly scrapped. Trow’s detractors say he cared more about the welfare of the animals than the staff and was primarily concerned that the system made it too easy to avoid caring for dogs with violent streaks or histories of biting.
As much as Trow obsessed over saving every animal at the THS, he didn’t have enough staff to care for them. Turnover was high—some people quit in frustration, and others were fired. Some registered veterinary technicians were replaced by cheaper animal care workers with little specialized training. THS employees and volunteers worked in fear of Trow’s tantrums. One volunteer says of Trow, “If he didn’t get his way, he’d flip over tables, pull his own hair and bite his fingers.” Trow insists the complaints about him are untrue. “I dealt only with senior management,” he says. “If I saw things weren’t clean or such, we’d have meetings and I’d raise my voice because it needed to get done.” His supporters viewed his behaviour as proof of passionate dedication to the job.
Oh and I thought the fight between the THS and the OSPCA had to do with having to fight for the same animal lovers dollar. This article is very one sided. A 50% KILL RATE is NOT acceptable and speaks to how TERRIBLE a shelter is run. I wonder what the OSPCA’s KILL rate is and WHY does THAT charity have POLICE POWERS with NO oversight? What nut jobs made THAT decision?
January 26, 2011 at 1:42 pm | by WatchdogThere were many sane people who worked at the THS during Tim Trow’s tenure as volunteers, animal care workers, vets and business professionals in marketing, fundraising, communications, etc.
January 26, 2011 at 6:17 pm | by MadeleineTrow’s mismanagement came from far more than just ruling with an iron fist to help the animals and lower the euthanasia rate. People quit (and stopped donating, volunteering, supporting, etc) because he was an unstable, unprofessional, inappropriate individual who should never have been given the responsibility of running a shelter and a business.
He ended up hurting animals by not empowering the vets to make the appropriate decision on how to care for a particular animals, and not addressing the root of the problem of overcrowding which was spaying/neutering. During his tenure, there was no policy in place and as such, most animals left the shelter unfixed. Instead, his focus was on boasting about the low euthanasia rate.
As a result, the animals did not receive proper care and the conditions were appalling under his direction.
It’s unfortunate that an organization with such a solid support base was neglected and left to sink for so long. It will be that much harder to restore their reputation now.
This article is a random collection of facts that does not address the real issue: this is NOT about Tim Trow or the OSPCA. It IS about the animals that were caught in the crossfire between politics, power, personal feelings and revenue for the THS. Tim Trow recognized that donated monies rose as the euthanasia rate went down. So animals suffered. The OSPCA is equally culpable here, but I’m tired of hearing about Mr. Trow’s hardships… I am not one who is quick to kill animals with behaviour issues, but I am quick to criticize Mr. Trow for not finding a professional who could properly rehabilitate Bandit, for allowing Bandit to continue to live in a state of mental chaos, for confining Bandit to a luxury cell and for putting other people and animals (that he was accountable to, whether he recognizes it or not) at risk. Mr. Trow’s arrogance and political agenda are responsible for the painful lives and deaths of so many animals. And if these things don’t haunt him before he goes to sleep at night, then I don’t know what could.
January 26, 2011 at 10:02 pm | by CherylWell said Cheryl! All points I’d have made, but you did it for me. Bandit was AFRAID. Not only were staff afraid of him, he was afraid of them. He should have been protected and preventing rehearsal of any of the aggressive behaviours, cause as you know, practice makes perfect. Was he hoarding these animals? It sure sounds that way n
January 27, 2011 at 12:33 am | by JodiMr. Trow was indirectly responsible for the death of my cousin who was an employee of THS. He was bitten by a diseased cat which led to blood poisoning when he was pressured to return to work with this terrible infection. They did not report this to the WSIB in order to keep their employee injury rating at what they thought was an acceptable leve. Shame on him and all the others who ran THS for putting animals before the safety of their staff!!!
January 27, 2011 at 9:09 am | by lenaMost of you people are insane.
A life, even if imperfect is better than death.
Yes, the OSPCA has nice, squeaky clean cages with happy animals. That’s because they kill all the ones in the back rooms that don’t meet that standard.
Trow did everything he could to keep these animals alive. Granted, he took some extreme measures, but the suggestion that he cared more about money than the animals is ludicrous. He worked 7 days a week, 16 hours a day, for free and you idiots think he cared about the money?
He cared about sustainability, creating more spaces for the animals and saving as many lives as possible.
There are some medical facilities in the 3rd world that aren’t great, but keep people alive. Do you suppose, some heroes should go in there and just kill all of those people, so they don’t suffer?
January 27, 2011 at 10:42 am | by jariaxArticles like this helps me decide where I donate my money. I would never donate to this organization again. I don’t believe that they used the money to better the lives of animals given up for adoption. I have lost all trust in The Toronto Humane Society.
January 27, 2011 at 1:57 pm | by brooklin99When this was happening in the fall of 2009,I was in the market for a pet and visited Toronto Humane many times. My dog who was from THS had been put down in August at the age of 12; she had been a wonderful pet and so I returned to find another. However, I was appalled that there were dogs waiting for adoption who were 14 years of age; cats who looked very ill and were over 15 years of age. The place was dirty, smelly and crowded; cats were in cages with their feces; young workers seemed to be struggling to keep up. Tim Trow was sitting in the lobby with a friend and he had a temper tantrum while I was there, shouting and screaming at an employee; his outburst was frightening. There were a few animals I felt a connection with, but many of the animals seemed distressed; they all sense when things are not right! I could not make a choice and returned later with my husband who was totally put off by the conditions. I was drawn to a black spaniel but before I could get back, the “raid” occurred.
January 27, 2011 at 4:05 pm | by SusanThen the OSPCA drama made the news. I was and continue to be totally disgusted by both agencies. I withdrew my financial support of the OSPCA and THS and am looking for other ways to help the animals. We have adopted a dog from the Hamilton SPCA. I love most dogs and cats; it is too bad that too many fanatical and stupid humans have so much power over them. Maybe I will pop by THS to see if the atmosphere has improved.
May Tim Trow live a very long life… in a hospital bed, neatly tucked into a hospital ceiling where his cries can be ignored until they eventually stop… and somebody doing a newspaper article that launches an investigation may one day discover a mummified Trow. That would be a fitting end to this tail…
January 27, 2011 at 4:40 pm | by SandyI had one occasion to meet Mr. Trow and that was enough. It was an experience I will never forget. I was seeking the assistance of THS to secure the return of my dog, adopted from the THS, which had been stolen by someone. Mr. Trow was belligerent, unsympathetic and basically just plain obnoxious. When I attempted to explain to him that the contract I signed with THS, upon adoption of my dog, gave them the right to revoke my adoption and repossess the dog, he completely ignored me and walked away as though I wasn’t even engaged in a conversation with him. The man possesses no people skills, no tact, and it is a complete mystery to me how on earth he ever became head of the THS. Good Riddance!
January 27, 2011 at 11:03 pm | by TrudiAlthough I am fond of animals and when the children were young had a few, mainly because we felt that ownership would help them understand what responsability meant …It has paid off in spades.
But all those people out there should look to the world of poverty and what that means to others and take their hands off their hearts and do something!!!
January 28, 2011 at 12:38 pm | by Reva Dolgoyits not about the animals its about money and power bc is in a mess some think has to give having health animals stollen in front of there must be lawyers working on this mess with spca i heard there legal students investicating spca
January 28, 2011 at 6:23 pm | by fayeOne of my cats was originally a foster cat from Mr. Trow’s foster care program. He had been a stray hit by a car and his back end was crushed. A friend nursed him back to health, and I eventually met him and fell absolutely in love with him. My friend let me adopt him and I had his companionship for many years before I eventually had to euthanize him for advanced cancer of the mouth. My kitty was beloved by all that met him and when I knew I had to say goodbye to him, I took him around to the neighbours so they could say goodbye too. If the THS hadn’t given my kitty that chance at life, I never would have met him and my life would have been much poorer. Many people would have given up on him and said he wasn’t worth saving. He was, and I am so grateful to have had that time with him.
The THS wasn’t perfect, and neither is Mr. Trows – passionate people are rarely wonderful diplomats. I guess I believe the same as he does – that animals are as deserving of life as humans, and that if we wouldn’t kill a human being under the same circumstance, we shouldn’t kill an animal either. I do believe in euthanasia for humans, and for animals, under very specific circumstances. I don’t believe in the death penalty.
We love our animals so often, but we so often abuse them too. The story is heartbreaking because now more animals will be euthanized that don’t have to be. Why can’t we build more shelters, put more money into them, more vet care, spay and neuter them? Give them a chance, rather than just say they aren’t worth saving? Surely our loving companions deserve more than this.
January 29, 2011 at 6:08 pm | by ArwenCheryl’s comment is excellent. The article is unfocussed. It’s ridiculous to say that “For all Trow’s faults, his passionate activism had a following,” in an attempt to explain the donation revenue losses. Surely many donors had no idea of the horrible suffering of animals that was going on in there.They cancelled or reduced their support in response to the scandal, and it will take a long time for the new THS to win back that lost credibility. The economy also has to be behind some of the revenue drop. I was always skeptical and felt uneasy about that low euthanasia figure.
February 5, 2011 at 9:29 pm | by JemoTrow’s euthanasia numbers were so low because he made them up. Morris would have done well to get the real numbers which show a terrible mortality rate, low adoption rates and thousands of dead in their cages from neglect. This is just one of the many misrepresentations in the article which a little responsible journalism would have uncovered. I wonder why Morris didn’t bother to put in that the THS was found to have breached Section 10(1) of the charities accounting act, and that the board was dissolved as a result? The criminal charges weren’t persued for who-know’s-why, but they were sure proven in Civil court.
February 7, 2011 at 9:10 pm | by Steve