On June 18th, 2003 Amanda Muir, SPCA staff member, was extensively injured during a seizure of a guard dog. A review of this incident has resulted in a Jan. 15th, 2004 WCB decision that the SPCA violated healthy and safety regulations to prevent worker injuries.

It is now seven months since the attack on Ms. Muir occurred and as noted in the South Leader Article, “Two months before the attack, the SPCA had developed an internal occupational health and safety program that identified the needs for a "vicious dog handling course" but nothing has been done”…

I find it difficult to understand why an organization that works with thousands and thousands of animals per year did not have training and written procedures for staff in place when it came to handling vicious dogs in the field.

During these past 9 months of inactivity and lack of training on this issue, it is miraculous that no other staff have been injured. Or perhaps they have, but not as extensively as Ms. Muir, and the public is not aware of this.

An example of this is while I was volunteering for Noah’s Wish in Kelowna during the fire storms of August 2003, an SPCA employee was attacked by a dog and he required numerous stitches to his mouth and lip area.

I would suggest it is long past due that extensive skills training be put into place for SPCA employee's and that it appears that the SPCA likes to talk the talk but not walk the walk when it comes to training, safety and education.

By Dan Ferguson
South Delta Leader
A Workers' Compensation Board review of the June 18, 2003 dog attack that seriously injured Delta SPCA animal control officer Amanda Muir has found the animal agency's employees lack training in handling "potentially vicious" dogs.
Muir was hurt when the Rotweiler guard dog she was transporting to the Tsawwassen Animal Hospital on the 1800 block of 56 St. for treatment unexpectedly turned on her and latched on to her arms, crushing the bones just above the wrist.
The WCB review of the incident, released yesterday, Jan. 15 in response to a request by the Leader, says Muir was not properly trained to assess the threat posed by a potentially vicious dog away from SPCA premises "in the field."
It found the SPCA has violated occupational health and safety regulations that require "appropriate written instructions" to prevent worker injuries and the "information, instruction, training and supervision necessary to ensure the health and safety" of workers.
While the SPCA does instruct staff how to assess potentially threatening animals, the report says that training only applies to "animals in the SPCA kennel environment, not interactions with animals in the 'field."
Two months before the attack, the SPCA had developed an internal occupational health and safety program that identified the needs for a "vicious dog handling course" but nothing has been done, the report notes, stating it "does not include specific written instructions with respect to worker interaction with potentially vicious dogs."
The SPCA has been ordered to develop such a training program "without undue delay."
Muir required a series of surgeries at Royal Columbian Hospital in New Westminster to repair lacerations and fractures to her arms that were injured in the attack, which occurred as she transferring the dog from her van to the animal hospital. After the initial bite, the dog released her, and witnesses said it stood wagging its tail as if nothing had happened. But when it attacked a second time it also broke bones in Muir's other arm before Rodney Ferguson, Peter Niderost and Cory Matheson left their workout at a neighbouring Tsawwassen gym and leapt to her assistance along with Claudine Da Silva of Southpointe Academy who helped beat the animal off her.
Muir, a Delta resident, is one of three animal control officers employed in the community and has worked as an animal control officer in Delta for about six years.
Over the last five years, Muir has become well known as the volunteer host of the popular Delta Cable TV show 'Live at the SPCA.'
The animal was initially kept at the hospital under sedation and has since been euthanized.
When the WCB investigation began, WCB spokesperson Donna Freeman told the Leader, "We don't assign blame but if the investigation shows procedures were not followed, the WCB has the option of imposing penalties, including fines."

© Copyright 2004 South Delta Leader