Pound Contracting Kills Animals.

In the Surrey Now Newspaper article, Ms. Archibald, Surrey SPCA manager, states, “that six dogs (now seven that we are aware of) died due to kennel cough”, Craig Daniell, CEO, BC SPCA, stated during a recent meeting with the Board of Directors of Big Heart Rescue that six dogs died due to “behavioural and medical issues”, and Dr. Jamie Lawson, Chief Animal Veterinarian, BC SPCA, could not reveal the pathology report results completed on two of the six dogs as he “did not have the report in front of him”. There are no concrete facts as to why these dogs died and Big Heart Rescue awaits promised, and now overdue, information from Mr. Daniell on the data.

Also, it has been suggested that this was a particularly difficult strain of kennel cough and that is why euthanasia was the only answer. Again, this is contradictory as many dogs from the Surrey SPCA were transferred to other facilities before, during and after these deaths. Did these transfers not place other animals at risk if this kennel cough strain was so medically devastating?

There were solutions other than death but they were not reviewed or implemented by SPCA management. Foster homes were available but not requested by the SPCA or were turned down. The Surrey SPCA could have quarantined itself. Had it done this, new “incoming” animals could have been diverted to other facilities. Yes, this would have caused temporary over-crowding in other SPCA facilities but would have saved lives and ensured additional animals were not infected.

But with pound contracting being one of the major sources of revenue for the SPCA, it must meet its contractual obligations and continue to accept stray animals, so a temporary closure of the Surrey SPCA to ensure the health and well being of the companions that find themselves alone and abandoned was not done.

Pound contracting killed these dogs, along with the human hand that held the needle.

Gail Moerkerken,
Maple Ridge, BC