Transporting Animals from A to B does not solve Over-Population.

As the co-ordinator of a small spay and neuter society in Victoria I am overwhelmed by the need for spay and neuter. I am also hopeful as more and more people want to be part of the solution and are phoning for assistance to spay and neuter their pets. We provide financial assistance for stray animals and to low-income people who want to spay/neuter their animals. The veterinary community in Victoria also play a large role by providing continued assistance to our society by subsidizing our rates, and we are very grateful to them.

The BC SPCA does not have a community spay and neuter program in Victoria.

In the March 29, 2004 Press Release from Petcetera:

"As part of its recently announced 2004 expansion program, Petcetera has signed on until 2009 as a platinum sponsor for the British Columbia SPCA's fundraising walkathons. The company has also committed $185,000 to purchase vehicles for transporting dogs and cats from the BC interior to the Lower Mainland for adoption.

CEO of the BCSPCA Craig Daniell says Petcetera's sponsorship funding has provided tremendous benefits for adoptable animals in the province. "We have a unique and longstanding partnership with Petcetera that through the P.A.W.S. adoption program is helping to alleviate the immense pressure on the shelters here in the Lower Mainland. As well, our outlying branches in the North and in the Interior are able to send animals here, giving them a better chance of being adopted."

I must question how the BC SPCA can even mention this as a solution to over-population. This is not even a band-aid solution. This is NO SOLUTION at all. The only benefit is to MAXIMISE ADOPTIONS.

For some abstract reason the BC SPCA has confused adopting animals with solving the problem of over-population. Adoption and sterilization are not interchangeable. While the they are both problems to be solved the two are not the same problem and never will be. The BC SPCA has taken a very self-serving approach and unfortunately the animals will undoubtedly suffer due to the BC SPCA refusing to be pro-active with SPAY and NEUTER.

It is proven the main solution to OVER-POPULATION is SPAY and NEUTER. Maximizing adoptions is a secondary part of the solution at best.

SPAY and NEUTER costs money. MAXIMIZING ADOPTIONS is far less expensive, in fact it is revenue-generating.

The BC SPCA has obviously forgotten it was formed to help animals, as by pretending maximizing adoptions is a solution to over-population it is in fact betraying them.