Poor little Billy, with just one eye, a respiratory infection, and possible joint trouble at only three weeks of age ... what could be worse?

How about a life spent isolated on the end of a chain?

How about bouncing in and out of "shelters" slowly driven mad until condemned to death by an arbitrary temperament test result?

How about being eagerly bought and played with until growing to full size, then going "free to a good home" that turns out to be a guard dog business?

Sadly, these are the fates that await too many rottweilers like Billy, perhaps even Billy's littermates. Rottweilers aren't alone, of course, other similar large-breed dogs in our communities are just as vulnerable to mistreatment.

In a Vancouver Courier article dated 12 March 2003, Lorie Chortyk, the BC SPCA's general manager of community relations, is quoted as calling the demand for guard dogs a "disturbing trend". What has the SPCA done in the intervening eight months to address this trend? Where are the demands for additional licensing, breeding controls, or even public education? The SPCA should be driving our municipal councils and provincial government to adopt humane legislation. As dog bite incidents are reported in increasing numbers in our news media, why isn't the SPCA leading the fight to protect dogs from the public, as well as the public from dogs?

There are 346 litters of rottweilers and crosses in the AAS database of backyard and protection dog breeders. How many of those puppies do you really believe have a chance of landing in a loving home?