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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.
July 12th
2006
To Whom It May
Concern,
This letter is in support of a person I am proud to
call my friend. I have had the privilege of knowing Gwen for
over eight years now and have found her to be one of
the most giving and loving people I have met. So it was with
great shock and bewilderment to hear that a person who
has dedicated most of their life, far and above what many
people would have
done, is accused of such absolute falsehoods, goes beyond my
understanding.
As a
professional in the medical field my work takes me out of town for a
period of time. I have two cats that I
dearly love and one of the few people I would trust their care into is
Gwen. She was always diligent in her treatment of my animals
while I was away, often taking them to the veterinarian for a
scheduled appointments and always
faithful in feeding and watering them. My animals do not attach
themselves easily to other humans but when she would come over
and visit me, they were only too anxious to have her attention upon
them.
I have been aware almost from the first time I met Gwen
that she was willing to take animals that had been abandoned or their
owners could no longer look after them. Everything in her day was
scheduled around the care
of her pets. She was prepared and indeed did fall into
debt to ensure these animals were always fed and looked after. She
spent countless hours rounding up strays where no one else would
go, even the SPCA. I have visited her at her place of employment to
find behind the counter a box with a cat in it; so she could offer it
constant attention as it was not
feeling well. More than once I have had her cry on my shoulder with
worry over one over her animals. I
have yet to meet a
person as caring and considerate to animals as Gwen has been.
I have often been bewildered at the thought processes
of humans and I must admit I am left scratching my head
at the outrageous behaviour
of the SPCA. Instead of removing her animals, they should have offered
to help support them in this caring environment. Instead of proceeding
with these ridiculous and unsubstantiated charges,
they should have offered her their
deepest respect and thanks. I am reminded of the old saying that even
bad publicity is still good publicity and this certainly seems
to hold true with the SPCA.
My life has
been dedicated to the wellness of others and I certainly would not
tolerate anything less of my friends, I am proud to consider Gwen one
of my dearest and closest of friends. I am prepared to support her in
any way I can through these difficult and incredibly unjust times. It
is my hope that the reader of this letter will see just
how convinced I feel that this
whole matter is an overreaction of the SPCA and that I feel Gwen is a
extremely caring and loving person toward animals and totally
incapable of any kind of cruelty towards them. If there is any blame
or neglect to be laid at anyone's feet then I would look at the SPCA
and ask where they were when all these animals needed someone to love
and feed them as Gwen took on. Cruelty and neglect to animals; no, not
this lady. If she could be accused of anything then it would be loving
and caring of these animals too much.
If you require
further information, I am very willing to do what I can do to help
prove the dedication of this woman to her animals.
Len Potter,
Hope, BC
July 13, 2006
To Whom It May Concern:
I am writing this letter to show my support for my sister, Gwen
Wilson, in regard to her pets. Gwen has been an avid animal lover
since we were children. We always had either a cat or a dog in our
household and she always took charge of them. She also would walk
neighbours dogs for them and as she grew older would look after their
pets when they were away on vacation.
Since living in Hope Gwen has always had household pets and now has
farm animals as well. These pets have become her "children". Gwen has
never said no to adopting strays and because of her soft heart people
keep on bringing them to her. She has nursed many of them for various
ailments and has beaten a constant path to the veterinary clinic. A
check of their records would prove that she showed active
responsibility for her animals' welfare. Gwen herself has had
twenty-two years experience as a surgeon assistant in a veterinary
hospital in Vancouver.
Due to her husband's death she is now living with a single income. As
a result, with the growing number of cats, Gwen would sometimes do
without food to make sure the animals were fed and had medical
attention if needed. These animals were not neglected or mistreated.
She named each cat and always knew who was who. I don't know anyone
else who is more of an animal lover than my sister.
I find it unbelievable that Gwen of all people would be charged with
two counts of cruelty to animals. Her animals are her whole life. In
closing I hope these charges will be dismissed as they should be.
Yours truly,
Barbara Reid
Surrey, BC
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