In Brad Tanner’s first interview he told us about the Sea of Green campaign. Now he is able to share more information about his passion and communicate his message with others.
Brad Tanner (BT): It is my natural tendency to try to find solutions to a problem. I didn’t know any other way. Coming home every night and looking at my kids sad eyes and all of us wondering where he was, and knowing that other families are going through it for no reason. That’s unacceptable. We have the opportunity and the ability to prevent other families having to experience this.
I felt it was my responsibility to fix this issue. I've identified it and now its up to me. Like an action item on an Incident Investigation, It is an area to be lacking or non-existent and improvements are required to keep the worker safe. Similarly, when a worker identifies a hazard, that worker now owns that hazard and has the responsibility to fix it, even if is simply finding the person who can fix the problem. That’s what we are doing here. Identifying the problem, providing a solution, and ensuring that solution is then implemented.
Put that together with kids asking, “what are you doing about it dad?”
The answer ‘I took some time off work and went looking for him’ was not a good enough answer. I was able to say to them, “Today I talked to the mayor, today I was on the news, today I spoke with an agency in the United States, I talked to this guy, that guy, I was actively working to find the answers, because if I don’t I'm no better than the guys not filling in the gaps right now. That is the decent thing to do. That is the right thing to do. You can be part of the solution or part of the problem and I choose to be part of the solution. I’m not going to turn a blind eye and walk away. I will never ever quit, under any circumstances, ever.
Every day you see on the news, radio, social media, all this negativity and it seems like the world going downhill. That's the world I can’t change, but if I can change things in my own world, to help others, that is my responsibility as a person. To bring back a sense of community and doing something for the good….for most people it requires low cost and low time commitment. It doesn’t take much to pay it forward.
IS: Why is it so important for pet owners to share this information with other pet owners?
BT: Because it works far better than anything else. It is effective and we’ve proven it to be effective here. It works quickly, and the results speak for themselves.
The Sea of Green Program aims to help pet owners feel supported and empowered. It allows them to do something, rather than remain stuck and feel helpless. Now pet owners are actively working the issue with a completely committed team. They are not alone. They are supported whether their pet has been lost or stolen. It provides the ability to be actively involved, and gives some sense of control over the problem you are facing. I had no control and was forced to rely upon the people and organizations who couldn’t do anything for me. It was all up to me, but now it’s up to us and that is huge!!
IS: If there is one thing you could share with fellow pet owners, what would it be?
BT: We have found something that works. We don't have to live with the uncertainty. We have the power, and it is us. We are the answer, its not in industry, we aren’t going to find it there. We need to bring it to them. It’s only us that care about our pets the way they need to be cared for. The many sectors such as the Humane Societies, the Animal Control Officers, the veterinarians, the RCMP, are often battling compassion fatigue. They may want to care, but they don’t have it left in them, they are exhausted.
As pet owners we have the power to protect and keep our pets safe and the ability and responsibility to support the aforementioned agencies. Too many people rely on the hope that it will never happen to them or that the system, that doesn’t exist, will work.
Is there anything else you would like us to know?
BT: If your community is interested in being proactive before you have a problem, then step up and be that leader, be the champion. The Sea of Green Program will effectively work its way across Canada. How quickly is up to them. We are going to find those communities who are reacting to an incident and we will find those communities who want to take a proactive and preventative approach.
Within 4 weeks of implementing these concepts and tools in Fort St. John, the thefts and attempted thefts have practically ceased based on the postings gathered on the Facebook page Stolen Dogs 911, originally created to find my dog Chocco.
The RCMP have been supportive of the initiative and have unofficially stated that there is a noticeable decrease in the number of calls they are receiving about theft attempts and missing dogs in the Fort St. John area.
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