During the week of May 17th, someone found a Great Dane dog in the woods, dying of gun shot wounds to the head, and brought the dog to the Prince George SPCA. The owner came forward and explained that the dog was deaf and had vision problems and he didn't want to look after it anymore so he gave the dog to a friend to take into the woods to shoot. The friend did a bad job, leaving the dog to slowly and painfully die. The SPCA accepted $1200 from the owner to pay vet bills and the SPCA did not ask for charges to be laid.
There was a public uproar and the Prince George media questioned this so BC SPCA CEO Craig Daniell gave the media the old snake oil, something is a master at.
He implied that the SPCA's hands were tied because the RCMP were doing the investigation and that they did not feel there was sufficient evidence to lay charges.
Truth: The SPCA is the primary enforcer of the PCA act in BC. It has Special Provincial Constables trained to investigate and present reports to Crown. The RCMP normally only investigate animal cruelty if the event is very far from the nearest SPC and closer to an RCMP detachment. Or...and this is not uncommon...the RCMP get fed up with the SPCA doing nothing and take matters into their own hands.
He said that there was not enough evidence to lay criminal charges which require proof of intent to be cruel.
Truth: The intent was to kill a dog with a gun and several shots were fired and the dog left alive. Walking away from a shot dog that is still alive is "intent" to cause suffering. The shooter could be charged.
He said that the PCA Act could not be used against the shooter, only the owner.
Truth: The shooter had 'custody or control' of the dog and therefore can be charged.
For the purposes of this Act, a person responsible for an animal includes a person who
(b) has custody or control of an animal.
(a) owns an animal, or
Read the PCA Act at http://www.qp.gov.bc.ca/statreg/stat/P/96372_01.htm
And the owner can be charged too for allowing someone to shoot his dog without knowing that the dog has died and is not suffering. He permitted "distress".
Why did the SPCA let these dog-shooters off the hook...?
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