Kathy Stanley Letter About the Gwen Wilson Seizure

Monday, February 20, 2006

Editor, Hope Standard:

Re: SPCA doing its duty!

I saw the SPCA van going past my farm again this morning to my neighbour Gwen Wilson's home, knowing full well that Gwen Wilson had major surgery last week. I have to admit at this moment I am not proud of my association with the organization.

The SPCA is a referred to as a non-profit organization, but may I point out that the staff hired to run the shelters, as well the executives that direct the society, are in fact paid very well. I don't argue this point as it is a necessity, volunteers are hard to come by. My point is that the people who are taking it upon themselves to harass Gwen can not hide behind the fact that the organization is non-profit.

They took her dog, made her pay astronomical fees, knowing full well her low income level. They kept the dog until Gwen signed paper work giving the SPCA over-reaching powers.

I myself would be headed to a lawyer, citing duress, to have the paper work before a court, as well as the amount of money they are forcing Gwen to pay. No matter how non-profit an organization is, it should not look to survive on the back of the poor.

In the letter last week, the statement was made that the SPCA accepts cats from Hope. I took one down a couple of years ago, it cost me 50 dollars, the cat needed to be there and I was responsible for the animal. The stray cats in Hope all had owners at one time that could not or would not pay the surrender fee, could not or would not pay to have their animal altered. As long as there is a fee to drop off stray animals a large part of the population will be dumped.

Most responsible people who have a stray show up at their door will not take it in either, they just close the door and the animal is left to fend for itself. Gwen did not close her door. I for one commend her for her misguided efforts.

I am not saying that Gwen was right or wrong. What I'm saying is that the way the SPCA's agents are treating Gwen is in itself cruel. She is a kind lady with a good soul and deserves to be treated as such...with dignity and respect.

There have been many time through my years as a volunteer agent for the SPCA that I disagreed with the way they did things, but never to the degree I do in this instance. Gwen was told SHE cost the organization a lot of money. I beg to differ. If these animals had been taken directly from the streets to the SPCA the cost would have been the same. Gwen did not cost the SPCA, Gwen tried to help the cats, other peoples' cats.

I have never stood by and watched an animal be treated unfairly and I am not going to stand by and watch another human being be treated unfairly either. I stand with Gwen

Kathy Stanley
Hope, B.C.

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