The first time:

BC SPCA Seizes 52 Animals in Cruelty Investigation on Texada Island

October 1, 2003, FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE. BC SPCA Special Provincial Constables seized 52 animals in distress earlier today from a property in Vananda on Texada Island. The investigation was a joint effort by SPCA cruelty officers in the Lower Mainland, the Sunshine Coast and Powell River.

Eileen Drever, senior animal protection officer for the BC SPCA, says the animals were removed because of distress caused by a variety of health and welfare issues. The animals seized included 25 chickens, four adult Yorkie Terriers and three Yorkie puppies, seven ducks, five pheasants, three parrots, two love birds, one rabbit, one goat and one canary. All of the animals have been transported to the Sunshine Coast for on-going care and treatment with the exception of the dogs, which are in the care of a veterinarian in the Fraser Valley.

The investigation continues and charges are pending. If convicted, the owner of the animals could face a fine, a jail sentence, or be prohibited from owning animals for a period of time determined by a judge.

The second time:

Animals Seized from Texada Island

May 19, 2004. FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE. BC SPCA animal protection officers seized five adult dogs and four puppies yesterday from a breeder on Texada Island known to supply puppies to pet stores in Greater Vancouver. The Yorkie/Pekingese-cross dogs were filthy, badly matted, suffering from serious dental problems and had no access to fresh water. The SPCA also removed 11 birds in distress from the property, including ring neck doves, finches, parakeets and canaries. The animals are currently in the custody of the SPCA and are receiving on-going treatment and care.

"It is important for people to realize when they purchase puppies from a BC pet store that there is a strong chance that those animals were supplied by a puppy mill operator," says Eileen Drever, Senior Animal Protection Officer for the BC SPCA. The term 'puppy mill' is used to describe operations where animals are bred purely for profit and where breeding animals are subjected to inhumane living conditions with little or no regard for their physical or psychological welfare. "We urge people to think carefully before buying a puppy from a pet store," says Drever. "When you buy a puppy supplied to a pet store from one of these operations, you may be inadvertently promoting and financially supporting on-going cruelty to animals." During the past two years, the BC SPCA has launched a province-wide crackdown on BC puppy mills, seizing nearly one thousand animals in distress from unscrupulous breeders.

The investigation in the Texada case is on-going and charges of animal cruelty are pending.