On May 13/03 The BC SPCA seized ten Chihuahua dogs from a Chilliwack puppy miller, describing the dog's severe nelgect and disease in horrifying terms.
Approximately June 1st the dogs were shipped to the Sechelt SPCA and from there were put into local foster homes.
On July 25/03, AAS was contacted by enraged foster persons telling us that the puppy mill owner had paid the SPCA "seizure costs" of $11,000 and the SPCA was ordering them to bring in the dogs because they were going back to the breeder. What's more, the dogs were not sterilized and were going back intact.
AAS phoned Craig Daniell, acting CEO and Manager of Cruelty Investigations - the "boss" and the person responsible for all decisions, and asked him to explain why the owner was getting her dogs back for $11,000. Mr Daniell said that the amount was not $11,000 but did not say what the amount was before quickly ending the conversation.
We now believe that the price paid to allow this puppy miller to get back in business was $12,000.
Mr Daniell is a lawyer. It is not what he says that misleads - it is what he does not say.
AAS did what we are now fairly good at. We did a bit of investigation, found the puppy miller, talked to her and then to her lawyer who confirmed the bill was $12,000.
He also told us that the SPCA claimed that $10,000 was for board.
What board? These dogs were in free foster homes for most of the nine weeks that the SPCA had possession of them.
We have no sympathy for the breeder, all our sympathy is reserved for the dogs themselves: for the years of suffering they endured and even worse, for being returned to that life after a few short weeks of happiness.
We know that the SPCA did not have to return the dogs without a fight. We obtained legal opinion to prove this. We have documented Mr Daniell contradicting himself, applying one standard to some animal neglectors and another standard to others. We have documented him saying that a court would be unlikely to award the SPCA legal custody unless the animals would be in imminent danger if returned, yet we know of a case where the dogs were in no danger even to begin with and yet Daniell has applied for an order of custody to prevent the owners from getting their dogs back.
If you object to the way the SPCA is handling Cruelty Prevention, please write the BC SPCA Board of Directors and tell them. These men and women are the true bosses and ultimately responsible for every last thing the BC SPCA does and doesn't do.
CRAIG DANIELL - Acting CEO - Email: cdaniell@spca.bc.ca
BCSPCA Board of Directors
PRESIDENT, and CAPITAL REGIONAL DIRECTOR: Rick Sargent - Email: roxiegirl@shaw.ca
FIRST VICE PRESIDENT, and KOOTENAYS REGIONAL DIRECTOR: Mary Lou Troman - Email: mltroman@ntouchcorp.com
SECOND VICE PRESIDENT, and DIRECTOR AT LARGE: Peter Havlik - Email: phavlik@awink.com
TREASURER, and DIRECTOR AT LARGE: Howard Gray - Email: charger@citytel.net
DIRECTOR AT LARGE: Michael Steven - Email: mjs@kercam.com
DIRECTOR AT-LARGE: Red Lawrence - Email: zred@telus.net
UPPER ISLAND REGIONAL DIRECTOR: Tina Kanahele - Email: tinakcr@hotmail.com
CENTRAL ISLAND REGIONAL DIRECTOR: Norma LePage - Email: enlepage@nanaimo.ark.com
UPPER FRASER REGIONAL DIRECTOR: VACANT
SOUTH FRASER REGIONAL DIRECTOR: Peter MacKillop - Email: fox&mackillop@telus.net
CENTRAL FRASER VALLEY REGIONAL DIRECTOR: Randy Reynolds - Email: rbreynolds@thefabgroup.com
COAST GARIBALDI REGIONAL DIRECTOR: Karen Holland - Email: kared@telus.net
THOMPSON REGIONAL DIRECTOR: Pat Cutler - Email: pcutler@cariboo.bc.ca
OKANAGAN REGIONAL DIRECTOR: Kim Evans - Email: n/a
NORTHWEST REGIONAL DIRECTOR: Phyllis Gregg - Email: phyllisgregg@telus.net
PEACE REGIONAL DIRECTOR: Meredith Thornton - Email: mthorntn@pris.bc.ca