Statistics show that 80% of Canadian mothers take paid maternity leave after giving birth. Well, recently a case has surfaced in Ontario which will likely forever change the way Canadians perceive the concept of maternity leave. Thirty-one-year-old, Barrie, Ontario, resident Trish Lemierre is suing her employer after they refused to give her paid maternity leave after she adopted a six-week-old Bichon Frise puppy.



"I want my 40 weeks just like any other mother."

Trish Lamierre, puppy owner



"Taking care of a puppy is a full-time job and if I am not there for every moment in the first year of its life I have failed as a parent," says Lemierre.

When asked if she thought puppies and babies were different, Ms Lemierre responded: "Absolutely not! A puppy is a baby, a dog baby. I deserve the time to bond with my newborn too!"