Selling and Killing sick animals: It is the SPCA that both sickens and kills them.  Six Dogs Killed at the Surrey SPCA after it gave them kennel cough

Posted By: AAS
Date: Wednesday, 7 April 2004, at 2:03 p.m.

The BC SPCA, famously, for decades, did no dog or cat vaccinations at all. The result was disease-ridden facilities and the deaths of hundreds of thousands of helpless abandoned animals made sick by the SPCA and then killed for being sick. What survived was sold, to anyone - as long as they paid. Animals were sold intact (breedable) if not previously sterilized, and sold sick if they could be. They were sold without even a pretence of animal welfare - without the least need to hide that they were just the SPCA's "product" in its pet recycling business because the SPCA's p.r. machinery so efficiently hid everything from donators. The product was actually delivered free to the SPCA's door, hundreds or thousands a day, so there was no need to make any "damaged goods" more sellable by vet care, or vaccinating, or sterilizing, or rehabilitating and training. All of that would have cost money and why bother when more free product was being dragged or carried through its doors hourly? The only other business that gets free product and ditches the unsellable is the junk business - and that is just what the SPCA dealt in - junked animals.

Because of the damage done to its bottom line by the exposure and criticism by AAS and others, the SPCA began doing damage control, and recently began pre-sales sterilizing (in a few branches) and vaccinating.

But the way it is vaccinating is just more proof that it is still not doing real animal welfare. The SPCA went from vaccinating nothing to vaccinating everything, with the same lack of concern for the health or welfare of the animals in its clutches (and we use that word advisedly as it is still the most accurate word to describe the way animals are kept and used by the SPCA), as it always did. Vaccinating is just the new way of doing its old pet recycling business. Re-imaging, not reforming.

The Surrey SPCA is the latest case in point but this story is endemic to SPCAs. Six dogs at the Surrey SPCA contracted kennel cough recently and were killed. SPCAs are full of diseases preventable by standard cleaning and isolation practices and killing the ones with the bad luck to both be abandoned and to wind up in an SPCA "shelter" is bad enough. But the SPCA kills even more dogs, and we presume cats too, by now vaccinating all animals, sick or well, willy-nilly.  

In memory of Surrey SPCA dog #39900 *LINK* *PIC*
AAS -- Wednesday, 7 April 2004, at 2:40 p.m.

Willy's story *LINK* *PIC*

Willy's story *LINK* *PIC*

Posted By: AAS
Date: Wednesday, 7 April 2004, at 4:16 p.m.

In Response To: Selling and Killing sick animals: It is the SPCA that both sickens and kills them (AAS)

Big Heart Rescue quickly found a foster home with one of its directors and had Willy tested for all causes of hair loss and for the mucous discharge. The hair loss was finally determined to be many allergies. It was worried that distemper may have been the disease infecting so many of the Surrey SPCA dogs, a much deadlier disease than kennel cough. If treated properly kennel cough is not cause for death or an excuse for euthanasia.

But during the efforts to find out what was making Willy so sick he suddenly declined and was rushed to the vet where he was put on I.V. fluids for three days but he did not improve. With heart-breaking reluctance Big Heart Rescue made the decision to have Willy put to sleep.

As well as Willy a sick dog named Cody was adopted by an SPCA volunteer and a little dog named Dot was rescued by Okanagan Animal Welfare Foundation.

Willy gets a few days of happiness and peaceful rest in his foster home
 

The story of Dot, rescued from the Surrey SPCA

 

Selling and Killing sick animals: It is the SPCA that both sickens and kills them
AAS -- Wednesday, 7 April 2004, at 2:03 p.m.

In memory of Surrey SPCA dog #39900 *LINK* *PIC*
AAS -- Wednesday, 7 April 2004, at 2:40 p.m.

Six dogs killed - again *LINK* *PIC*
AAS -- Wednesday, 7 April 2004, at 4:56 p.m.

It was no secret that the Surrey SPCA had a problem with kennel cough *LINK*
Carol Sonnex -- Thursday, 8 April 2004, at 6:28 a.m.

Surrey volunteers shocked by the destruction of Cole *PIC*
Carol Sonnex -- Thursday, 8 April 2004, at 3:40 p.m.

Surrey SPCA Practicum Student asked to euthanize
Gail Moerkerken -- Thursday, 8 April 2004, at 5:03 p.m.

Public lying, private killing: Tyler tells the truth *PIC*
AAS -- Friday, 9 April 2004, at 12:09 p.m.

Goodbye Misty, I truly regret thinking for one moment you were safe *PIC*
Carol Sonnex -- Friday, 9 April 2004, at 3:04 p.m.

George was killed February 11, 2004. *PIC*
Carol Sonnex -- Friday, 9 April 2004, at 3:12 p.m.

Press Release from Big Heart Rescue: Six dogs killed at Surrey SPCA

Posted By: Gail Moerkerken
Date: Thursday, 8 April 2004, at 10:36 a.m.

Press Release

April 8, 2004

Six dogs killed at Surrey SPCA

On March 24th 2004, six dogs were killed at the Surrey SPCA while pathology reports were pending.

On March 15th, 2004, Big Heart Rescue had released into our care from the Surrey SPCA a very ill dog that was in desperate need of human and medical intervention, we named him Willy. On March 21st Willy was in severe medical distress and was admitted to intensive care at Alouette Animal Clinic and was euthanized on March 23rd, 2004.

On March 23rd 2004, the Surrey SPCA was informed by Big Heart Rescue that there was a possible suspicion of distemper, and that we would have a pathology report in 3-5 days. On March 24th, 2004, six dogs were euthanized at the Surrey SPCA and they sent two bodies to Central Labs for necropsy. One of the six dogs who was killed was a senior cocker spaniel who had adoption applications on file and a foster home awaiting her arrival yet she was still euthanized.

Upon receiving the pathology reports, Big Heart Rescue informed the SPCA that Willy's results were negative for distemper and has requested answers from Mr. Robert Busch, SPCA General Manager, Operations, Mr. Craig Daniell, CEO, SPCA, and Ms. Kim Archibald, Branch Manager, Surrey SPCA, as to why six dogs lost their lives while results were being processed. As of this date, no concrete information or data has been provided by any senior management within the SPCA.

The SPCA has been accused of lack of communication, transparency and accountability and though they claim to have reformed, it is clear they have not and animals are needlessly dying within their facilities. The SPCA continues to allow the innocent to die, the seniors to suffer and those with medical needs to go untreated.

Big Heart Rescue refuses to remain silent in the needless killing of six dogs at the Surrey SPCA and though we have been placed on the “approved rescue list” we were and are faced with lack of cooperation, communication and silence from the SPCA. Silence kills and the SPCA counts on a code of silence that allows for the continuous loss of life.

If community members have facts about needless pain or death inflicted on an SPCA held or adopted animal please contact Big Heart Rescue at: spiritsmission@shaw.ca or superstition@shaw.ca

This information will be compiled and presented to the SPCA.

Together we can help the voiceless, the innocent and those that have found themselves imprisoned within the largest animal welfare agency in BC.

Gail Moerkerken
President
Big Heart Rescue

Questions Remain Ignored by CEO Craig Daniell
Gail Moerkerken -- Thursday, 8 April 2004, at 1:02 p.m.

One is spared for public fundraising *PIC*
AAS -- Friday, 9 April 2004, at 6:24 p.m.

Sharp, shifty, shameful, and very much the SPCA's style
AAS -- Saturday, 10 April 2004, at 9:57 a.m.

Big Heart Rescue says it could have found foster homes for six sick dogs

Posted By: Gail Moerkerken
Date: Wednesday, 21 April 2004, at 8:01 p.m.

Surrey Now Newspaper
April 21, 2004

SPCA/Big Heart Rescue says it could have found foster homes for six sick dogs

DOGS DIDN’T HAVE TO DIE: RESCUE

Ted Colley
Staff Reporter

The Surrey SPCA and another animal welfare group are scrapping over the fate of six dogs put down at the Surrey shelter last month.

Gail Moerkerken, president of Big Heart Rescue, believes the Surrey shelter killed the dogs on March 24th because they feared an outbreak of distemper, but acted without waiting for pathology test results on another dog suspected of having the disease.

But according to Surrey SPCA manager Kim Archibald, that’s not the case. She said the six had kennel cough and conditions at the shelter made it impossible to isolate them from the healthy animals there.

The controversy revolves around the last days of Willy, a pit bull cross who was very sick when he arrived at the Surrey animal shelter in early March. BHR heard about Willy’s predicament and offered to take care of him. He was turned over to them on March 15th, but Willy’s condition deteriorated and on March 23rd he was put down.

Moerkerken said it was feared Willy had distemper so after his death, a tissue sample was sent to the lab to determine the cause of his illness. She said results were expected in three to five days and ultimately, it was found Willy did not have distemper.

Before the results came back, however, the six dogs at the SPCA shelter were euthanized.

“What I believe happened is they suspected distemper and rather than wait for the pathology to come back they killed six dogs”, Moerkerken said.

Archibald said Moerkerken is jumping to the wrong conclusion. She said the six dogs had kennel cough, a contagious disease, and space constraints at the Surrey shelter meant there was no way to isolate them to prevent the illness from spreading.

Archibald also said the sick dogs could not be moved out of the shelter because foster homes for contagious animals are hard to find.

“It was a very difficult day for us, but we felt if we didn’t stop the spread we’d have the whole kennel full of sick dogs”, she said.

Moerkerken said her organization could have found foster homes for at least some of the six.

“Kennel cough doesn’t spread from dogs to cats. We have foster homes that don’t have other dogs and they could have taken them”, she said. “We were never asked”.

Archibald couldn’t be reached for further comment to see if Big Heart’s foster homes were ever considered.
 

So which is it? Surrey SPCA killed six dogs to prevent the spread of kennel cough at the same time it moved dogs to other SPCAs
Emma Vandewetering -- Thursday, 22 April 2004, at 10:40 a.m.

Why would someone want to kill a dog over a cold?
Mia Riback -- Thursday, 22 April 2004, at 9:12 a.m.

The little cocker spaniel died needlessly. Is this the Surrey manager's idea of working with rescue groups? *LINK* *PIC*
Lynda Miller -- Thursday, 22 April 2004, at 11:32 p.m.

Pound Contracting Kills Animals
Gail Moerkerken -- Monday, 26 April 2004, at 7:53 a.m.

Letters to the editor of the Surrey Now requested...
Gail Moerkerken -- Monday, 26 April 2004, at 9:06 a.m.

The dog I offered to adopt was needlessly killed - what is worse is that Ms. Archibald has claimed publicly that there was no offer to help her
Jennifer Dickson, Okanagan Animal Welfare Foundation -- Tuesday, 27 April 2004, at 5:59 p.m.

Vet's opinion: This practice of vaccinating animals upon arrival is not "thoughtful" medicine
Emma Vandewetering -- Monday, 26 April 2004, at 5:59 p.m.

Big Heart Rescue met with Craig Daniell to ask questions on April 16th: Still no answers