Penticton is long overdue for a new SPCA facility, an I am encouraged to read that President Rick Sargent and CEO Craig Daniell plan to build the new Penticton branch as a more animal friendly and less stressful faciltiy.

If this is true, and rooms with glass doors replace cages, and more animals are able to be rehabilitated rather than killed, I would actually consider referring to the new branch as a "shelter".

I sure hope this new facility really is the flagship for future SPCA's around BC as Daniell claims it will be. It is certainly a step in the right direction.

Unfortunately, spending money on brand new facilities might be misconstrued by an uncomprehending public as a waste of donor's money. I sure hope not- this is the first big step towards improving conditions for animals that the SPCA has made in a long time.

Just imagine- an SPCA with happy socialized animals in communal rooms, not stack upon stack of terrified cats hiding in stainless steel cages, or row upon row of dogs slowly going mad in concrete cells.

I hope the SPCA can make it happen, and I hope it will consider consulting with rescue organizations experienced in the psychological and physical rehabilitation of animals while it works out its new design program.

Jennifer Dickson
President, Okanagan Animal Welfare Foundation
Vernon, BC