Below is another misleading news story on CAMP and the March 2002 "Moratorium" on killing for space. This is the kind of lazy journalism, writing from one source only and asking no questions, that has preserved the SPCA for fifty years from public scrutiny.

There never was a moratorium on euthanasia. There was the phoney "moratorium" in March 2002 and then CAMP, both of which permitted - in writing - the killing of any dog for all the same reasons the SPCA always killed them except that the word 'space' was no longer allowed to be used. But soon after, CAMP - in writing - makes perfectly clear that dogs must be killed for space. It instructs branches to kill orange zone dogs (not perfect, may need some costly time and remediation to be sellable) to make room for green zone dogs (quick and easy to sell).

AAS understands that the Victoria SPCA has tried harder than most to avoid any killing for space, and for that we credit Millie Sargent who was the force that helped to make the SPCA reform animal welfare (or say it would) in 2001. We understand that Millie will not allow CAMP to make death decisions at the Victoria SPCA.

But SPCAs cannot stop killing as long as they do not stop taking every surrendered animal. The BC SPCA policy of unlimited surrender makes it a logical impossibility.

But look how unlimited surrender and all the deaths it causes works to raise money. This article, with its appeal for desperately needed donations, is a classic example of how this system works. Unlimited surrender means plenty of new, free product to sell, and lots of cute media stories, and desperately full shelters that need your donations - now - or animals will die!!

Animals are going to die anyway - there is no other choice when you have a policy of unlimited surrender.

They are going to die of neglect because staff are so overworked, or die of disease caused by overcrowding, or die at the hands of "shelter" staff because they are so unlikely to be wanted by anyone that keeping them in an execrable SPCA "shelter" is more cruel than killing them.

The great evil in unlimited surrender is that it entrenches a societal attitude of easy disposal. And it requires assembly line ethics.

Make no mistake - any animal welfare organization that practices unlimited surrender must "move" as many animals as fast as it can and that is why there are almost no home checks and the Victoria SPCA doesn't even know how many cats and kittens it has in foster homes. Unlimited surrender means chaos and eventual failure if the shelter attempts to refuse to kill while it still has a policy of unlimited surrender.

Will the Victoria SPCA start to say, "Sorry, we're full and we won't kill an animal in our care to make room for yours and we won't kill your animal for you, here are some other options you can try "? Will the Victoria SPCA boot the BC SPCA from the 19th century to the 21st century? SPCA career-killers will be out of jobs if they don't change, but that's up to them. Out of chaos sometimes a new order arises, and the SPCA is certainly in a state of chaos.

There is only one way to make the SPCA adopt true animal welfare policies, and that is to understand the issues and to publicly object.

We have not given up on the SPCA because there is no other option, but what a draining and unnecessary fight this is. The SPCA only needs to adopt a policy of honesty and everything will fall into place, including the finances that are in a state of chaos too.

Letters to the Victoria Times Colonist are needed: letters@times-colonist.com . If you write, please send a copy to us.

Judy Stone

Times Colonist
Sara Newham

Thursday, July 10, 2003
SPCA 'desperately' seeks solution to overcrowding

With 270 cats and 34 dogs occupying every nook and cranny at the Victoria branch of the SPCA, the shelter is operating over its capacity, again.

Since a decision last year to stop euthanizing animals in its care, the SPCA has repeatedly looked to the public to foster or adopt pets to relieve the overcrowding.

While these requests are usually successful, Victoria SPCA office manager Penny Stone says a more permanent solution is needed.

"A long-term solution is to spay and neuter your animals. We get so many kittens in and puppies in. If everybody would spay and neuter, there wouldn't be this problem. It's more difficult now because we don't euthanize," said Stone.

The recent closure of the SPCA's own Napier Animal Clinic as part of a provincewide cash-saving strategy doesn't mean that affordable spay and neutering procedures are unavailable, Stone says. The SPCA and other animal welfare societies will work with pet owners to find affordable procedures.

But, as Stone suggests, one reason people drop off their animals is because they can't find pet-friendly accommodation. Ontario tenants have been permitted to have pets in rental units since 1990, but B.C. animal-lovers have been patiently waiting for a bill to pass in the House of Commons preventing landlords from discriminating against tenants who own pets.

According to Pets of B.C. Residents (POWER), five per cent of rental accommodation in B.C. permits dogs while nine per cent allows cats. Approximately 20 per cent of the animals at SPCA shelters have been turned over by pet owners frustrated with the no-pets rules prevalent in many rental housing markets, including Victoria.

Last fall, the B.C. government discussed the issue when evaluating the Residential Tenancy Act, but landlords are still permitted to disallow pets and can determine what is considered a pet, which means tenants could be refused on the basis of their attachment to a goldfish.

"It's a huge problem," Stone said, adding there are ways landlords could accommodate tenants with pets, such as asking for a bigger damage deposit. "Sometimes it's easier with dogs and cats than it is with kids."

But until a long-term solution is found, the Victoria shelter is looking for foster and permanent homes for cats and dogs. Every variety of cat can be found at the shelter and while many of the dogs are large breeds, there are several smaller dogs available, too.

"We're raining cats and dogs. It's a time of year when everybody's moving. Everybody's decided they're going on holidays, they don't need their dog anymore. We desperately, desperately, desperately need people to come and adopt. But we only want people to come down who are interested in forever homes," said Stone, adding that animals should become part of your family.

The SPCA also needs more dog and cat food. In June, extra animals resulted in the shelter running out of food halfway through the month. The SPCA is asking for donations of good quality canned and dry dog and cat food. They're also in need of towels, blankets and even laundry and bottled soap.

"If it wasn't for donations, the SPCA wouldn't be here. We need everything, but most of all we need people to love these animals," Stone said.