I didn't actually say that I expect the BC SPCA to amend its governing act to ban yard dogs, knowing that that wouldn't change any law. I said that AAS has not been successful in making the SPCA ask the provincial government to amend the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, or asking any municipal governments to ban chained dogs.

But the distinction is irrelevant: what is relevant is Ms Chortyk's statement that the SPCA "strenuously lobbies governments to change and improve laws", and that is exactly what AAS has no evidence of (unless Ms Chortyk refers to SPCA support of amendments to the Criminal Code, but then all we animal advocacy groups and thousands of animal-lovers are doing that).

AAS has asked the BC SPCA to improve the provincial PCA Act many times and that is something that it does have the power to do. In fact, the BC SPCA stopped the process of improvement of the Act that AAS was working with government on. The SPCA claims to be open, accountable and transparent. So if it is lobbying governments to ban dog-chaining, where are the press releases? Why not tell the world? Why not at least tell AAS? We have been begging for that for ten years.

As Ms Chortyk is aware, the SPCA has obtained warrants and removed dogs (with the media in tow) from much less distressful conditions than the conditions the unglamorous Dalmatian (and thousands of other chained dogs), endure for many years. The SPCA itself has admitted poor or non-existent record keeping, so I for one cannot take Ms Chortyk's word for how many times the Dalmatian was reported, but in AAS's long experience, any dog that lived like that poor dog did, especially as it was chained in full view near a road, is reported many times, usually by more than one person, often for many years. And the Dalmatian was reported to the SPCA earlier the night it was found, and was phoned a second time to be told that the dog was found dead.

As for Ms Chortyk's statement that the SPCA responds to every cruelty complaint it receives: If the SPCA responds at all, and we know that it has not always, we have witnessed some of those "responses" that are no more than drive-bys. But we have noticed an improvement in the response from the SPCA since we extended our advocacy for animals to include watching and reporting on the SPCA.

On the night of January 4th, when the temperature dropped to -13 Celsius, the SPCA had one emergency person to cover from West Vancouver to Hope.

Perhaps if Ms Chortyk used her prodigious energy to get into the trenches of real animal welfare instead of using it to put out one p.r. fire after another and getting into shouting matches with AAS, she would see what is really happening.

Just saying, over and over, that "We adamantly oppose the keeping of animals alone in yards where their social and psychological needs cannot be met and this issue has been, and continues to be, an absolute priority in the ongoing lobbying, humane education and cruelty enforcement activities of the SPCA", isn't saving any dogs from misery. Only action can do that, and so far, the SPCA is a lot of hot air... and cold comfort for freezing dogs!

We have asked for the proof of the education, the lobbying, and the cruelty enforcement for chained dogs, but have not ever got any. If the SPCA is doing all that, why not share it with its critics?

As for the SPCA's repeated use of the "we educate" spin, the best educators lead by example, but the SPCA's example is part of the problem. Its own employees breed and sell intact dogs and cats; the SPCA encourages a culture of pet abandonment with its unlimited surrender policy; the SPCA's own facilities are only "shelters" according to 19th century standards; and the SPCA's own sales contract (which it calls an "adoption agreement") does not prohibit or even mention chaining or keeping a dog it has sold, outside, 24/7, just like the Dalmatian.

For "serious errors" the SPCA need look no farther than its own backyard.

Judy Stone,

President,
Animal Advocates Society of BC