Dear Editor,

re: "New SPCA ads tickle pet-lovers’ funnybones"

I am not amused.

While I appreciate Ms. Palmer’s and Mr. Shane’s charitable donation of their skills and expertise, I feel that the SPCA has missed a golden opportunity to really address the issue of the overpopulation of companion animals.

Solving the crisis is less about convincing people to adopt animals, than to stem the never ending flow of unwanted animals. Consider the common profile of many of the dogs that enter SPCA facilities (surrendered or stray); young, large, male, untrained and unsocialized. Many people acquire a cute, sweet puppy and become disillusioned as the dog grows larger and requires attention, money and time. The belly scratching, off-leash- playing illusion that they bought into is far from the reality, and the dog is dumped.

The SPCA should establish a huge spay /neuter program to begin, and an aggressive education campaign to educate the public about the realities of companion animal ownership, and most importantly, what constitutes a good owner. As long as there is a market that will impulsively purchase dogs and cats, there will be breeders pumping out the puppies and kittens, with no regard to where they end up and with whom. The BCSPCA must also search out those owners who do not comply with the Provincial Cruelty to Animals Act and stop enabling owners to dump their animals at the SPCA so easily.

The BCSPCA’s Adoption Challenge is ludicrous and shocking. The SPCA already has the reputation of erratic screening of prospective owners; some staff do a good job, many do little or no screening at all.. Will screening go out the window completely as the facilities compete to speed animals out the doors? Where will all those big, untrained dogs go? Many, I fear, will end up on a chain in someone’s back yard.

Kimberley Brower