Maple Ridge SPCA volunteers posted their concerns on the AAS message board and Gail Moerkerken made it her job to find Odie and determine his fate, no matter what it took. Gail and AAS have not been able to get the image of Odie's sick body and crushed spirit out of our minds. We go to bed and wake up with Odie's eyes haunting us.

Gail persisted. After constant question-asking in person and in emails, she was assured by the manager of the Maple Ridge SPCA, the Vancouver SPCA, and the BC SPCA, that Odie was alive and well in a new home.

Here is what Gail wrote to the Maple Ridge SPCA shelter manager after being told by him that Odie was alive and well and in a new home:

Thank you so much for taking the time to track down Odie!

After days and days of attempting to obtain information on his location I was more than relieved to hear that he is now living with an adoptive family, and is receiving the love he so deserves.

Your thorough explanation of his journey through the system is indeed a sad one and hopefully this is a story that will never be repeated again. Odie's ill health demonstrates very clearly that when animals are shuffled from shelter to shelter they loose any continuity of care, become excessively stressed and can develop devastating emotional/physical health issues.

I strongly believe that it is in every animals best interest to home these lost souls in one shelter and not produce increased health risks by shuffling them from location to location. Remaining in one shelter would support a clearer understanding of each animals health, personality and requirements.

Also, could you please advise me if the District of Maple Ridge gave approval for the noise baffling at the shelter? It is extremely stressful and physically destructive to have the dogs remain in the outside pens during inclement weather and as I witnessed today, a few of the older or needy dogs should have been placed in warmer and dryer enclosures.

Once again, thank you for the information on Odie and I am looking forward to hearing from you soon.
Gail Moerkerken

That was May 2nd at noon.

At 3pm AAS received this email from Gail:

I received an e-mail "forwarded message" from Brian Houlihan (Director of Volunteer Services, Vancouver SPCA: Odie was last in the Vancouver SPCA hospital on April 9th for an ear infection, and was on medication for 10 days and as of today he still NEEDS A HOME!!!!!!

I placed a call to the manager of the Maple Ridge SPCA regarding this e-mail and told him, if there was anything in the world I hated it was being played for a FOOL! He replied that he would call Brian Houlihan and make him apologize to me for his mistake.

A few moments later the Maple Ridge manager phoned me back to say that he is now having this situation investigated......this morning Odie's file indicated he was adopted and this afternoon it shows that Odie is in foster care!

I am now awaiting the next call to tell me exactly (will we ever know the truth?) what is going on. And if Odie is still in foster care I will adopt him...I cannot leave him in this situation.

Gail

This is only the beginning of all the misinformation. It multiplied when Gail asked for a photograph of Odie to prove he was still alive.

She asked for a photo of Odie. She didn't ask for the name of Odie's new owner, and she has no intention of causing any trouble for the new owner. She just wanted proof that the SPCA wasn't lying - given its reputation for dishonesty, why would anyone believe the SPCA?

What happens next is a perfect example of SPCA stonewalling, lying, buck-passing, and secrecy.

At the BC SPCA head office Gail discussed "the very real lack of communication, the secrecy around the location of animals, the needless cause for worry and anxiety that is produced directly by the SPCA when they choose to 'put people' off who are showing care and concern."

Concerns like Gails have been told to the BC SPCA by countless people for many decades. What difference has it ever made? None. It made no difference this time either. Gail was given the classic run-around.

WHERE IS ODIE? PART 3 TO FOLLOW