Vancouver Sun
Wednesday, January 28, 2004

Re: SPCA urges an end to backbiting among animal activists, Commentary, Jan. 22

While I agree with Craig Daniell that animals need the SPCA, I fear that he does not understand what is at the root of most of the criticism the society has received over recent years. An honest, principled, animal-serving SPCA is all that we seek.

The critics are tired of the same old SPCA spin about how many "adoptable" animals the SPCA has not killed, how many thousands of animals the SPCA seized this year, how many school children got to poke their fingers at a caged rabbit in the name of education, and all about how the SPCA is working with rescue groups.

When the word "adoptable" is no longer part of the kill statistics; when animals are seized and not sold back to the abusers or killed by the SPCA; when working with rescue groups means respecting others who work hard to help animals (not raiding and criminalizing them); and when I can walk into an SPCA to ask for a pamphlet on the cruelty of chaining dogs and actually get one, instead of being told I should go to the Animal Advocates Society Web site because it has so much information -- maybe then I will be able to acknowledge the validity of Mr. Daniell's statements.

Until then, I remain a critic.

Jennifer Dickson
President
Okanagan Animal Welfare Foundation
Vernon