Thank you Jeni Mason for having the courage to speak the truth at the BC SPCA AGM yesterday, May 29,2004.

In Victoria the SPCA itself is not killing for space but the Victoria SPCA is just as guilty as it is turning its back on the most vulnerable animals in the Victoria region.

The SPCA is systematically removing the safety net for lost and abandoned pets in Victoria. It has further jeopardised their safety by demanding local pounds pay it a surrender fee to take any animals from them when they are crowded and must kill for space. Pounds do not have it within their municipal budgets to pay a surrender fee of $35.00 per cat and $85.00 per dog to the Victoria SPCA to save animals' lives. These animals will die when the pounds become full even if the SPCA is not full.

I am the co-ordinator of a small spay and neuter society and presently, between ourselves and an even smaller orphan rescue group, we have over 40 kittens in foster care and the need grows every day. We, the small rescue groups in Victoria, are attempting to bridge the gaping ravine that the BC SPCA has made in our carefully constructed safety net. Realistically it is just not possible.

For the SPCA, the largest member of the animal welfare community (and which has a shelter), to decide without consultation with anyone that it is only going to take selected owner-surrendered pets (preferably with an accompanying donation) and refuse pets close to being euthanized for lack of space unless it is paid is a complete betrayal of the animals.

The Victoria branch of the BC SPCA will undoubtedly come back with the statement " We take all the owner surrendered animals that come through our door". That is the official SPCA policy, but that is not the case in Victoria.

"Friday" the cat is a prime example. Friday is 14 years old and very sweet. Friday's parents were moving into a care facility as they could no longer care for themselves and no one in the family wanted Friday. They phoned the Victoria SPCA and when questioned. they admitted Friday was 14 years old and were then told it would be unfair to bring him to them as he would probably not be adopted and it would be better to take him to their vet for euthanasia. They did this and the vet phoned a Society I co-ordinate and asked if we would try to place Friday. This 14 year old cat had been incredibly well cared for and had no health concerns and within six weeks had a new, forever home.

Another concern I have is what constitutes a "stray" animal in Victoria. On Saturday May 22, 2004 a landlord, "Dave", called the SPCA as he had found 5 cats abandoned in an apartment with the hydro turned off. These cats had miniscule amounts of food and water and how long they had been alone wasn't known.

When Dave called the Victoria SPCA he was told it was not their mandate to help abandoned animals. Dave was told to call Saanich Pound. Saanich Pound was closed for the long weekend and he was directed to the Saanich Police who did not feel it was their place to respond.

He then called the our Society I and the Capital Regional District pound. The CRD houses animals for the Saanich Pound but has no mandate to pick up animals for them. Our society is a spay/neuter society and we do not collect owned animals as it is not part of our mission statement and we do not have a shelter. After talking to the man and ascertaining the cats could not stay in the apartment I also phoned the Victoria SPCA and asked for help for the cats.

Again, I too was told these owned animals who had been apparently abandoned were not part of the Victoria SPCA mandate and they would have to go to the CRD. I then asked to speak to the shelter manager who stated the same.

I insisted it would be unsafe for the landlord to transport 5 cats without carriers to the CRD pound in his car. The result of my giving the address of the cats and the landlord's phone number were that the shelter manager phoned the kind man who then went to the Victoria SPCA to pick up carriers, back to the apartment to the cats, then loaded the cats into the carriers into his car and transported them to the CRD which is presently housing them.

Very few people would go to the lengths this thoughtful landlord did and I personally am appalled at the lack of interest and compassion shown by the Victoria SPCA.

No one at the SPCA has shown any interest in charging these cats' owner with abandonment. They were abandoned without adequate food and water.

When the landlord discovered the cats and could not find the owner, the cats became "under his care and control" and he should have been able to surrender the cats to the SPCA, even if the SPCA was not interested in going to get them. The cats are now at the CRD pound with an uncertain fate. Unless one of the community rescue groups can pull off another miracle these cats will likely be killed on June 1.

The following programs were available in 2003 at the Victoria SPCA and no longer are:

1) in 2003 Victoria SPCA did animal control in Sidney, North Saanich, Central Saanich, Oak Bay, Esquimalt, View Royal, Tsawwout and Colwood....it no longer has any animal control contracts (this is a positive change as impounding leads to overcrowding and euthanasia. The BC SPCA's many pound contracts were part of the cause of its corruption).

2)) it transported injured animals to veterinarians for pain control and perhaps treatment if injury was not too severe...The SPCA is presently in discussions with the CRD (Capital Regional District) and VACS (Victoria Animal Control) in an attempt to no longer do this and have the pound contractors do it. This is an SPCA obligation under its mandate and the PCA Act.

3) it transported disabled and elderly people's pets to the vet for needed emergency treatment...no longer, it is now up to rescue groups to figure out how to do this.

4) it provided SNAP (spay/neuter) vouchers to low-income people...no longer available.

5) it provided medical financial assistance in emergency cases and transport if required...no longer available. Owners must now surrender their pets to the SPCA if they want assistance for the animal, which allows the SPCA to euthanize the animal, immediately if it wishes.

6) it operated a low-cost spay/neuter clinic...presently Victoria SPCA has no community program for spay and neuter at all.

7) it accepted owner surrendered pets without charge... When people now wish to surrender their pet they are asked to donate at least $25 to cover the cost of processing the animal. The last time I was in the Victoria SPCA a sign had been placed right on the counter suggesting the amount of the donation.

8) it provided assistance to rescue groups when saving an animal where a huge vet bill is involved....no longer

9) it transported injured wild animals at least daily to Wild Arc... presently also under discussion with both the CRD and VACS.

10) it no longer operates the SPCA van on weekends and it has been suggested that the Victoria SPCA intends to stop the evening emergency person as well, making animal welfare a community responsibility 24 hours a day.

The BC SPCA has made it very clear in Victoria that animal welfare is now 100% a community problem. Too bad they are not interested in being part of the solution.

Next: Where did the Victoria SPCA's millions disappear to?