From Brindleweb.com

Parksville animals in peril

Posted By: biscuit
Date: 11:52:53 6/10/2004

Tasha had people to intervene and help save her life. There is much that is illegal concerning what has happened in this situation and that the present manager should be fired. This is not the first time that SPCA policy has be broken with this person. She has condemned other dogs as well, declared a dog dangerous after a 2 minute assessment. Now tell me how somebody can do that stupid assessment in 2 minutes? The BC SPCA had her teaching CAMP around the province. At least some employees in their wisdom refused to use it, declaring it a bunch of crap. So do you expect that anything will happen to address that fact that Tasha nearly was illegally killed by those morons? I think not.

Posted By: Dana
Date: 11:58:38 6/10/2004

I volunteered at the Vancouver SPCA for over three years.

In that time I have direct and personal knowledge of dogs that were killed for being aggressive with cats. It is part of CAMP policy that and animal that is aggressive towards other companion animals (cats, dogs, bunnies etc) is to be euthanized.

This policy was strictly followed for a short time, until volunteers stopped forwarding info about dogs that were aggressive to cats.

Right or wrong, the volunteers felt that they were protecting the dogs from an unfair culling. Eventually, dogs were no longer automatically killed for being aggressive to cats. Some breeds like greyhounds, Jack Russells, most terriers were bred to hunt and kill small game. To kill these dogs for being what they were bred for is cruel IMO. If you choose to own a dog like a Min Pin, you need to know they will likely chase small animals. Breed knowledge is important!

Nadine's own dog, Bob, was witnessed to be obsessive about getting into a room where a foster rabbit was waiting during a meeting. Nadine admitted that his behaviour would cause him to fail the CAMP evaluation and that if he was a shelter dog, he would be euthanized.

One of my dogs hates cats. When we are out in public, he is *always* on leash except in off-leash dog parks. Our yard is fully fenced, with signs indicating that we have dogs. My dog is not allowed to chase cats, nor does he ever get to roam loose.

I don't think that it is my responsibility to fence my yard at an additional cost to prevent cats (or rats, birds, frogs, rabbits) from entering.

I don't think dogs that are cat or other small animal aggressive are unadoptable or should be killed. My house will always be cat and bunny free as I am allergic. Many people don't want to own a cat and would be a great home for dogs that are cat aggressive.

What about cats that need to live without other cats? Or who hate dogs? Should they also be euthanized as part of the CAMP plan?

I find it interesting that the almost instant euthanasia scheduled for Tasha occurred at the shelter run by Christa Chadwick, who is a CAMP instructor and assessor.

But what about all the others??

Posted By: Bev Davis

It was Parksville/Qualicum SPCA. There was no behaviour problems in the shelter. Tasha was very quiet. I thought they could not do anything to her until the actual owner had signed her over (which she never did)

Tasha's mishap with the cat was over 5 yrs ago and she has never liked them since but has never hurt a cat. She had been injured by a cat prior to the incident.

It is the speed of the decision that frightens me. The owner was hysterical when she called me for help. Thank heaven I was able to find a foster home because I could not have taken Tasha with my two cats.

Are there separate rules at different shelters?

Posted By: Carol

What bothers me is that a euthanasia was scheduled for a dog which had not even been properly surrendered and certainly not assessed.

How can any society justify killing upon the word of someone who is speaking about an incident of which there is no proof?
Does an animal not have to be the legal property of the SPCA before it is killed?

Posted By: guest

Christa Chadwick is the Parksville-Qualicum shelter manager. She is a CAMP instructor and prior to becoming a shelter manager she was listed as a BCSPCA head office employee as, "C.A.M.P. (Companion Animal Management Program) Instructor / Level 2 Assessor."

Posted By: Dana

I found it was interesting that the shelter dog belonging to the woman who runs CAMP wouldn't have passed her own assessment tool, yet Bob is obviously a member of her family.

As an aside, Nadine often has Bob off leash in and around the shelter.