Animal Advocates Watchdog

Re: Negative feedback upsets Nanaimo's SPCA workers

http://www2.canada.com/nanaimodailynews/news/story.html?id=593d6ef6-1523-4489-8a79-00dbee2c8247&k=37399

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JimWed, Dec 22, 10 at 10:09 AM
My son was treated like dirt by SPCA staff recently.AllI can say is you get what you give.

omgWed, Dec 22, 10 at 10:17 AM
I still don't see that that is an excuse( what just happened) for treating the next customer rudely. If the staff turn around is high so be it. Maybe your staff needs to be better trained in dealing with the public and look at each case separately!

JimWed, Dec 22, 10 at 10:29 AM
In all businesses and organizations bad staff behavior always falls under the fault of Manager, now after reading what manager Leon Davis has to say, I rest my case. P.S. Nothing is going to change until the SPCA does, filling that position with someone else.

Mandy CooperWed, Dec 22, 10 at 10:30 AM
Leon, are you not listening? You have rude staff, which is impeding others wanting to help the animals. Get your staff some training on how to deal kindly with people. Your staffs emotions should never get in the way with dealing with members of the public. That is how you increase adoptions and bring in some more money. If the old timer you have clining on there don't want to change, then think of the animals and get some new staff. After all it is about the animals right?

DavidWed, Dec 22, 10 at 10:39 AM
We are lucky to have the SPCA in our community. Let's all get behind them and make their job easier.

MikeWed, Dec 22, 10 at 11:14 AM
it's true - I found the staff rude and impatient - also did not like the new system of having to supply all my personal information if I'm interested in adopting or even looking at the animals - I will not visit that SPCA again.

No Excuse 2Wed, Dec 22, 10 at 11:21 AM
The problem with you not being nice to someone (for whatever reason) is the difference between one of your needy animals being adopted by a loving, caring family or not! When you go into the SPCA with an open heart and a great home but are treated so rudely (and meanly) it makes you leave there without an animal and the intentions of NEVER returning. How sad is that? You are there to find loving homes for these beautiful animals so your inital attitude DOES matter no matter 'what just happened'. Think about this please!
Nanaimo GirlWed, Dec 22, 10 at 11:28 AM
I tried adopting a dog a few years ago , I was turned down and treated quite ruedly . It really upset my kids. We have heard many such stories since.

KinikinikWed, Dec 22, 10 at 11:43 AM
So how is it that the pound manages a difficult job and still balances duty with courtesy?? Bullies never like it when they are confronted with their behaviours.

kathleenWed, Dec 22, 10 at 11:46 AM
The front line staff at the Nanaimo SPCA, are amazing some of the situations that they have to deal with on a day to day basis would send the normal person over the edge. These are s special breed of people who truly love and care for animals, there are tears of joy when an animal finds its new forever home as well as tears of sadness when one of the animals is lost after all avenues of care have been explored. This is not just a one time event these people put up with this on an on going basis. The staff are worth their weight in gold and so are the volunteers who help the staff. Let me tell you they do not do it for the pay.... their dedication to providing the very best of care to the animals is nothing short of awesome! I myself was a volunteer and have seen first hand what they go thru and handle in a day .........I have worked in the public sector and unfortunately we do not always get to deal with lovely people everyday. I have great admiration for this dedicated group of loving,caring souls who look after and speak for those animals who are unable to speak for themselves. Kathleen Webber

Animal ownerWed, Dec 22, 10 at 11:57 AM
I just think the SPCA needs to work on their skills when dealing with people, I still have a cat that was abondoned by my neighbours that they were to pick up. 3 weeks later not even a call...oh did i mention whomever drives the van for the SPCA lives down the road from me and appears to drive this van for personal use. Looks VERY bad when we are told the SPCA has NO resources to pick up these abondoned cats and this happened over the cold snap we had....what would of happened to this cat if we wouldn't of just taken him in.....sad....hard to support an organization when the one time you call for an animal in need you are given the third degree on dropping him off, I didn't abandon him and nor should I feel like crap because my neighbours decided too. Am I as a citizen of nanaimo just to take in these animals because our city has no resources for this?!?! Or am I to watch them suffer???

Rick HyneWed, Dec 22, 10 at 01:02 PM
As with all NGO's I would like to see financial information posted on their website. Everyone knows it cost money to operate businesses and non for profit organisations, but how much is wasted? Are staff and management paid above or below the norm. The one thing the SPCA has going for it over other animal protection organisations is that it has the law behind it The BC SPCA derives its powers to investigate and take action in instances of animal cruelty from the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, R.S.B.C. 1996, c. 372 (the "PCA Act"). I have also heard of complaints from other organisations about how none of them can play in the same sand box. But, at the end of the day, if we didn't have organizations like the SPCA who would protect the animals? The police? The City?

MandyWed, Dec 22, 10 at 01:23 PM
I do Have to say, That the times I have been in the SPCA it has been a very unwelcoming environment. Some of the Volunteers are friendly, But the main staff are not very helpful. I was trying to gain Information on a cat and they payed no attention, after about Half an hour I gave up. I have also brought My daughter in to donate food. To only have a finger pointed at a spot to put it and no Thank you. These girls who run the front really need to focus on their people skills, They may find more homes for these poor animals. Its sad to us an excuse to reason why they are so rude, They should be saving this rudeness for the people who actually give these poor animals up, or abuse them till they need to be confiscated. Not the people coming in to donate and possibly adopt.

n.Wed, Dec 22, 10 at 01:35 PM
I think there are entirely too many people out there who do not deserve to have a pet, especially a dog. Dogs need love, the proper attention, kindness, proper food and shelter. They make wonderful loving companions. Anyone who doesn't recognize or believe in the above should not have a dog. Furthermore, these are probably the same kind of people who give the GOOD folks at the SPCA a hard time. Keep up the good work SPCA.

EricWed, Dec 22, 10 at 01:52 PM
I realize the SPCA and the public must look after our animal friends who cannot look after themselves but I think the SPCA makes adoption very very difficult. My neighbour wanted to adopt a dog but when he was told the SPCA was going to make a home visit, that was the end of that. They bought a dog privately. Home Visits??????

wowWed, Dec 22, 10 at 01:53 PM
that last line at the bottom doesn't make any sense.........."that's not an excuse" ........yes it is........nothing makes it okay to be rude to people, so they return from a cruelty case were animals were treated like garbage and turn around and treat the would be adopters like garbage. the line "people aren't in the middle anywhere" is not true I would still adopt from the spca even if they are rude.....cuz the animals don't deserve to be ignored because of a few miserable trolls. I bet the cats and dogs dislike the grumpy staffers too....so they need to get out!!

LinzeeinBCWed, Dec 22, 10 at 03:00 PM
I've also been in to donate food, with no manners in return. Even the Sally Ann volunteers say thank you for your donation and the money means nothing to them!! Also I think the hours are odd for SPCA, I volunteered when I was younger, but only lasted a month because it didn't open until noon - dogs need to be walked in the morning too!!! I hope the animals do not suffer because of the staff's incompetence to have decent customer service. All it takes is an acknowledging smile!!

BettyWed, Dec 22, 10 at 03:03 PM
Its to bad Mr Davis wont be reading these comments my guess is he just doesn't care how the public feels about the Nanaimo SPCA .I have visited the shelter one time many years ago to inquire about a licence for a puppy my son had received and was hit with a barrage of rude,condescending 3rd degree questions that as far as I was concerned was none of their business, After a couple of minuets of two of them trying to make me feel guilty of something I told them to poke it and left. To the SPCA staff,if you give respect you will get it back,treat people like crap and that's what your going to get in return,,pretty simple really.Its like the old saying go's give someone a little authority and it go's straight to their head! I highly recommend until their attitudes change to stay away from the SPCA and do like I did and deal with the city pound on Nanaimo Lakes Rd where I was treated great and WITH respect!

GustavWed, Dec 22, 10 at 04:11 PM
I think if you have a problem with a certain staff member at the spca then you should put a complaint in about them , don't be writing about the spca in a whole, there are very caring and loving people that work there and they put up with a lot of abuse from the public. The thing is when it comes down to it when you dump your unwanted pets on them of course they are not going to be all happy about it, or if you abuse a animal they are not going to be all smiles with you or if you are turned down on adopting a pet your going to be upset and pissed at them, but they are not there to make you happy they are there for the animals. So next time you have to move or your cat is getting fur all over and you dump your unwanted pets on them don't expect a party to be thrown for you!!

My two bits...Wed, Dec 22, 10 at 04:13 PM
It seems to me from my reading the previous posts and of my own rather dubious experience with the SPCA in Nanaimo that there needs to be some shifts in the way the operation is run. Why should the employee working with abused animals also be in charge of adoptions? Ideally the front counter should be set up for adoptions only. A separate area and entrance for all other business. That way there could be 'adoption specialists' that are trained to ASSIST the public in finding the perfect pet. Not a harrassed employee that is looking after multiple other issues and trying to serve the public at the same time.

RaeWed, Dec 22, 10 at 04:14 PM
People don't deserve to have guns pointed at them or knives in their face, bottom line if you have a pet look after it!!!

rubysmomWed, Dec 22, 10 at 04:49 PM
I just want to say that over the past several years I have adopted a dog and a cat from the Nanaimo SPCA and a cat from Victoria, and the staff were great. Back in Victoria a few years ago, I unfortunately had to drop off a stray cat that I couldn't take in, and the reception was markedly colder. But these people are human, and subject to all the emotions thereof, and it must be hard to see yet another addition to an already overcrowded facility. And combine that with the horrendous cases of animal abuse they are forced to witness and clean up after time and time again. It would be extremely difficult not to become cynical with the general public. Sure they could be more polite and pleasant, but I think we should all cut them some slack. I'm an animal lover, but it's a job with emotional stress that I don't think I could handle, and I admire people who can. THANK YOU TO THE STAFF OF ANIMAL SHELTERS EVERYWHERE, WE NEED YOU--SHINE ON....

kittahWed, Dec 22, 10 at 05:30 PM
SPCA is an awesome service.. i got my cat from the SPCA in Duncan... and the staff were very nice. and made sure to do anything possible to make the transition for my kitty easy. But... here in nanaimo.. the SPCA staff are very rude. My mother, that lives in Powell River, was looking for a small dog and asked me to help her find one in Nanaimo as there is more selection here.. the staff were very rude with me and assumed that the dog was a gift.. when i was just doing my mother a favour. I understand that its hard work, and that the staff love the animals.. but in that sort of job you need to love people as well as the animals. My mom ended up purchasing a puppy from a puppy mill in Campbell River.

old phoot Wed, Dec 22, 10 at 06:54 PM
adopt from the city pound , problem solved !! Like the poster above said , dogs need love and I fail to see how they get it by being locked up forever until the perfect adopter comes along. The spca over the years has insured that expensive puppy mills thrive. Some of these dog breeders also cut dogs tails off and crop the dogs ears as well . I thought the SPCAs mandate was the prevention of cruelity to animals ??? apparently that doesn't apply to high society mutts (mutts being the people who subscribe to this cruelity not the animal) You want respect spca ??? change your ways and stop giving excuses please?

Nanaimo MomWed, Dec 22, 10 at 07:28 PM
My young son raised money and donated it to the SPCA only to be ignored and basically given the "whatever" when we brought the money in. No thank you, or wow! how did you raise the money? Show people respect, I spoke to the manager and he said bring him back and I'll give him a hat -- seriously?! How about teaching your staff some manners?

DebWed, Dec 22, 10 at 08:25 PM
I was extremely unhappy with the Nanaimo SPCA. We wanted to give one of their cats a home and eventually ended up adopting one at the Animal Shelter for more money and with a free check up at the vet. People would not spend the money you are asking for pets only to misstreat them. You can get a free pet online. All of your red tape does not guarantee an animal will be treated kindly.

Sally RobinsonWed, Dec 22, 10 at 08:39 PM
some of you are soo nasty and ungrateful, I am embarrassed to live in the same community. don't you know the old saying about not pointing fingers because 3 more will be pointing back at you. how about you try and do that job instead of wasting time complaining while others clean up the mess. so judgmental and thoughtless. what i see is overworked and underpaid employees who have to deal with abusers or people thinking they are doing them a favor. stop thinking about yourselves. it seems the only ones thinking about the animals are the poor staff who have to deal with this abuse everyday. I'm sure they don't do it for the money or nice friendly people they get to deal with on a daily basis. how about going in there and telling them you appreciate the thankless job they are doing for OUR community everyday. Might make that next tough situation that much easier. if you really think that all the staff (and even some volunteers from what some of you have written) are rude don't think there might be a reason for it. stop judging and do your part. I am so sick of seeing all this bashing, what do you think it is getting you or better yet what is it doing for the animals who need them

Melissa FreemanWed, Dec 22, 10 at 09:10 PM
I have been volunteering at the Nanaimo SPCA for years and have to say that the way the counter staff is treated by the public is sickening. I find it interesting that most of the negative comments are coming from people who have been turned down for pets. It's a hard thing to have to make judgments about people based on a first time meeting and the information provided on an application (I'm glad that I don't have to make those kinds of decisions) and I'm sure that there are some great homes that get passed by based on the limited amount of time and info provided but I know that fewer bad homes make it through the process and isn't that what it's all about? Everyone who goes looking for an animal believes wholeheartedly that they will be great pet owners but not everyone who comes in and tries to adopt an animal is capable of providing a good home. It is impossible to tell people that you don't think they would make a good pet owner without offending at least a few of them. From what I've seen (and I've seen a lot) the women that run the front desk do a pretty good job of handling these touchy situations.

Pitty LoverWed, Dec 22, 10 at 09:26 PM
unilt you have worked in thier shoes please dont judge them, when you are an animal lover and you have people surrendering pets because they are old, sick, unwanted day after day after day you too would have a tough skin, the staff there love the animals in their care as much as they love their own, and please dont even get me started on the Pound ! They adopt out intact dogs ? and euthanize any Pit Bull that walks through thier door.... havent you ever had a bad day ?

BruceWed, Dec 22, 10 at 09:32 PM
Most pet owers are goffy!

PandamoniumWed, Dec 22, 10 at 09:40 PM
It is unfortunate to read some of these negative comments posted above. I have adopted 3 wonderful dogs from the Nanaimo shelter and appreciated the strict adoption policy that is now in place. I think that there are too many people out there that go around thinking they are entitled to an animal and view it as a right rather than the privilege it is. I don't think there is anything wrong with people having to fill out applications or give information before seeing the animals. The staff at the shelter is often the first kind face an abused, sick, neglected or scared animal has ever seen and I don't think there is anything wrong with the staff making sure the person is fit to take on the great responsibility that comes along with adopting a pet. Maybe some of the people complaining would like to walk a mile in the shoes of these workers. How many of you wake up every day and go to a place where you make decisions that could potentially place an innocent animal in a situation that could cause them harm or even death? All for minimum wage! If it were me, I would want to be certain I was making a good decision! You people should be thanking these workers for doing a job you probably couldn't. Think about what the people manning the front lines deal with every day before you judge them. With the lack of government funding the shelter receives and the staffing cutbacks that are mandated year after year I think it's damn near a miracle there is anyone behind a desk that can even pretend to have the time to listen to your ill placed bitching and complaining.

Sean BeckelWed, Dec 22, 10 at 09:54 PM
Wow Kathleen your story was touching. We need more people like you. @Kinikinik you seem to just have a beef with the SPCA. Why don't you take it somewhere else. I personally am tired of reading your bitter posts. I thought your comment about the pound was a joke. Are you actually serious???? A hard job???? Oh ok ya killing almost everything is hard. They don't do half or even a quarter the job the SPCA does and don't deal with cruelty. Give your head a shake. You've got to work for them. I have never in all my years living in Nanaimo heard any animal lover speak highly of the pound and the family that runs it. How about you negative people go into the SPCA and simply say thank you. Thank you for seeing these atrocities and putting up with the cruelty and rudeness of the public on a daily basis. Why don't you do what you say they don't but should.

Everyone's a critic baby...Wed, Dec 22, 10 at 10:20 PM
The staff at the Nanaimo SPCA are awesome. Perhaps their perceived rudeness is more a statement of how you greet them and how they are responding to you. The shelter attendants have to answer all phone calls, return all phone calls, read all emails, return all emails, clean all kennels, feed and medicate all the animals, assess all the animals who come in, taxi animals to vets, attend to hot dog calls, cold dog calls, wander around looking for injured animals, at all hours. they have to meet the individual needs of every animal in the shelter, which is usually ALOT(most peiop0le have a hard enough time attending to their two pets at home). All that is all before they even open the doors to the public( and all this in a span of 3.5 hours) What they encounter; daily, constantly, people who fail to read an animals assessment, insist on owning a dog based on esthetics, rather than it's breed and personality traits, or insist that the cat and child aggressive dog is going to come to live with them their 4 cats and 5 kids under 10. They see a lot of horror, the abuse that happens, the animals that couldn't be saved. it's no wonder they don't kiss your asses and hold your hands. Owning an animal is a lifetime commitment, and The Nananimo SPCA is awesome at making people acknowledge that, understand that and commit to that. Could the staff be nicer? possibly...but couldn't the world be nicer too? And then we wouldn't need SPCA's to step in when humans are screwing defenceless creatures over.

Service with a smile Wed, Dec 22, 10 at 10:27 PM
Service with a smile and an explanation goes a long way.... just ask police, child protection workers, process servers, security guards and the list goes on and on and on.

Once SPCA EmployeeThu, Dec 23, 10 at 12:02 AM
The SPCA's purpose is to Prevent Cruelty towards Animals. Every employee at the SPCA is there because they love animals and have dedicated their lives to helping them. They could all be making a lot more money, taking similar jobs in a for profit market. These staff you consider rude, are the most loving, accepting and awesome group of people I've ever worked or known. They are loyal to their jobs, their families, they care about each and every animal, and the people who treat them like crap, and the people who treat them like gold. They invest a part of themselves in every animal who passes through the doors of that shelter. And are as protective of them, as you are of your own children.

PS Animal OwnerThu, Dec 23, 10 at 12:16 AM
The person who drives one of the SPCA vans who lives down the road from you, is on call 24/7, and has to interrupt their personal life daily to rescue injured animals, without pay. The SPCA does not have the resources or the legal rights to pick up claimed "stray's". That is the City of Nanaimos' jurisdiction. If you have issue with that, call you local counsellor, the Mayor and the city pound, and voice your complaints.

dog ladyThu, Dec 23, 10 at 12:55 AM
@Eric, ya home visits, get over it. rescue and even shelters do home visits. What they should just give an animal to anyone???? not too smart and not helping the problem at all. Hey all you pound lovers, please go there and adopt, they kill everything so ya get them out of there. I have been a volunteer for a couple different rescue organizations here and on the mainland. all you big talkers with your nasty words just sit back and do nothing while others do the REAL work. This is such a waste of time and energy while animals are being abused, neglected or worse. But you don't have to see it so you can sit back and judge others. Oh and since when are police and social workers not rude. go check out your local welfare office, lots of respect there...NOT. in a perfect world the SPCA could afford more staff and different staff to work cruelty and other for customer service but that is obviously not the case. If you want "Mr Davis" to read this then just give him a call. I just brought in a donation with my daughter today from her 7th birthday party. They were swamped in there and they were very nice friendly and polite. We also don't do this for a pat on the back, we do it to help the animals.

CaroleThu, Dec 23, 10 at 03:19 AM
I was at the SPCA about a cat that was not mine was sick.I was told they had no room for it and they would call me in about 3 days to bring it in and they would have room for it that was over a month ago and i hanen't heard a word from them yet,and they claim to love animals,you eell me what kind of a person would not make room for a sick cat,also the day I took the cat in I was treated like dirt from the girls out front I guess I'm from the old school where you were taught to treat custermers with respect and also not to bring personal problems to work and take it out on the custermers.With that said I would like the name and phone number of the Higher up because this needs to be reported and new rules put in place by new staff members including the manager.What qulifies you to say if a pet is going to a good home(I don't think you are qulified because i don't think you love the pets there as much as your paycheque and this is sad)Please print the phone number of the head office so I can phone them if you have nothing to be scared of.

Jona KristinssonThu, Dec 23, 10 at 05:49 AM
I MUST put in my 2,3,4,5,6,7 cents about this subject. I have worked closely with the Nanaimo S.P.C.A for a long time. I have fostered animals, Put on events for fundraising and volunteer there regularly. I don't understand how you can all sit there and talk about the staff like they're some low life of the earth?? Obviously you don't have a clue what you are talking about. I have witnessed thease people go out of they're way to help the animals....and I have also seen the DIRECT abuse they suffer from the public, SEVERAL times a day. All you animal lovers out there should be THANKING them for asking 1001 questions about you before you adopt and if you didin;t have anything to hide should have NO PROBLEM with that..They are just making sure that suffering ( yes animals also suffer emotionally when surrendered and left by owners, lets not talk about the physically abused ones and ofcourse....the staff and us foster parents get left to deal with that) don;t fall into the hands of the WRONG people. If you can't get a cat or a dog from the shelter..... I question YOU!!!! and I thank the staff from keeping them safe and sound until the RIGHT adoption. I have seen the staff Laugh....I have seen the staff cry....I have seen them go out on a limb to rescue abused, gravely ill and injured animals ( that YOU threw out like last weeks left overs) I think you need to walk in the staffs shoes before you judge...I sure as hell have ALL the RESPECT in the world for them. Maybe you should go down one day....sign up as a volunteer....and SEE with you own eyes how wonderful these people are and how much they do instead of sitting here complaining ....Maybe then they're work load would be a little easier and they a little happier, I know I AM THERE FOR THE ANIMALS DOING MY SHARE....WHAT ARE YOU DOING!?!?!?!?!?!?! To the staff: I am so sorry for all these negative comments. Keep doing what you are doing....Us TRUE animals lovers and supporters Love you all!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Peace!

Chase RiverThu, Dec 23, 10 at 07:25 AM
I want to know what happened to the SPCA's " No Kill Policy" ?? It appears they are back to killing animals.

HeyyyyyThu, Dec 23, 10 at 10:12 AM
Until you have seen what they have seen you really shouldn't talk. The bottom line is they are not there to make friends with YOU, they are there for the animals. The staff make diddly squat, deal with crazy people all day long and still find time to take care of as many animals as they possibly can. You all should be ashamed of yourselves...walk a mile in their shoes for a day and see if you come out smiling. I give huge kudos to the staff who work their butts off every day - Bonnie, Toni, Laura and everyone else at the shelter - you have our support 100%.

KellyThu, Dec 23, 10 at 10:17 AM
Weed out your bad apples and get better reputation. Make sure the workers and volunteers are animal & people friendly. On their defense it must be hard witnessing animal cruelty and would probably make most angry dealing with stupid people (oh, I thought it was a good idea to get a puppy for Xmas for my 1year old?!) Bring back the "no kill" policy and put more funds into training and rehoming and educating dumb people...

@caroleThu, Dec 23, 10 at 10:23 AM
why don't you take your stray injured cat to the pound. they are the ones who are contracted by our city to take in stray animals. oh they don't have room either, wow how shocking. if there's no room there's no room and i hardly believe you were turned around with a sick cat that needed immediate vet treatment. drop it off at the vet if it's that bad. stop complaining and do something yourself. how many extra cats do you think the SPCA can hold, how many other stories just like yours is there. give your head a shake. why not get in there help out yourself or call again if you say they never called you back. or wait just sit back and complain some more and do nothing, that's better. @Jona thank you for your compassion and honesty. our community needs more people like you. I wish i could be more involved.

GerryThu, Dec 23, 10 at 10:29 AM
We gave up on the local SPCA and adopted a great cat from the Parksville SPCA.

KelliThu, Dec 23, 10 at 10:44 AM
Its the volunteers that make the SPCA run, the staff are a bunch of lazy, rude people. There are a couple of women who have been there for 20 some years, they are the ones who need to go, they are brutal to deal with. Nothing will change with this bunch Nanaimo, just give your donations elsewhere, that is the only way they will smarten up.

RaeThu, Dec 23, 10 at 11:06 AM
Nanaimo spca is not a no kill shelter! it is a maximum adopted shelter which means that they don't kill if there is no room and that is why sometimes they have to turn away animals, as for Carol if you found a cat and it was sick get off your (qulified) bum and take the cat to the spca for them or a veterinarian as obviously they are to busy counting their riches!

black panThu, Dec 23, 10 at 11:30 AM
Are you for real Eric?? the story is on the spca kinninnick gave her opinion and you tell her to take her opinion of the spca somewhere else ? where else ?? Then you go on to berate her about other matters , give your head a shake Eric I suggest if you have a prob with Kinnickinik Iyou take it somewhere else .shesh such arrogance in this hickville

SharonThu, Dec 23, 10 at 11:31 AM
These guys are here for the protection of the ANIMALS. You are not buying a pet from them, they are trying to rehome them for LIFE. So yes they ask questions and make you think about it for a day. You're going to have the animal 10-20 years, I think you can handle a day without it. I think there are some things the SPCA could handle better, but they are an organization cleaning up after our mess that don't rely soley on tax payers. There are definitely things they could do better like screening for health, (my mom adopted a cat with SERIOUS medical issues a couple years ago) or helping urgent situations faster...but again they are doing what they can. We would be worse off without them.

Sick of all the hatersThu, Dec 23, 10 at 12:53 PM
I do agree that when donating food, your 7 year old deserves a thank you. However, where are the people that just go into the shelter to say thank you to the workers? Thanks for taking my cat because i didnt find a home that it could move to with us. Thanks for going out at 3 am to pick up that injured cat that was called in. Thanks for getting up EVERY day and cleaning up the embarresing and pathetic messes so many "good" pet owners create. There should be no such thing as an "outside" dog or cat. Would you allow yourself to miss meals and wait hours upon hours to have someone tell you that NOW you can go to the bathroom? To not leave your house days at a time resulting in zero exercise? I doubt it! These are the kinds of questions RESPONSIBLE pet owners ask themselves before they even consider adopting a pet. If you cant say you will give the pet all these things and more, why would you even consider adopting? So what? You jump through a few hoops to get a companion that will change your life forever.. Seems like a much shorter and easier journey than the animal that is now a part of your family had to make to get to you. Maybe if the workers had the communitys support and help they would be able to work on smiling a little more. Instead of attacking these hard working people, take a minute to go in and say thanks. To all you haters out there, the only solution is best said by one of the greats. " Be the change you wish to see in the world" positive change starts with you!

Lisa Thu, Dec 23, 10 at 01:48 PM
It sis easy to point fingers at a person or persons when you haven't even walked an inch in their shoes. The SPCA does a wonderful job. Home check are necessary to reduce the amount of animal returns, escapes, neglect and abuse. If they just gave a dog or cat to everyone who walk in the door can you imagine HOW MANY of those would come back? ANd probably come back in worse shape then they left. Or worse get picked up my the pound and euthanized. Of course the SPCA occasionally has to euthanize dogs. Could anyone in GOOD conscience adopt out a dog with high dog aggression or human aggression? Could you even imagine how you wold feel if you adopted a dog out and it attacked someones dog or a person? And I can't even imagine the backlash the SPCA would get if something like that happened. it's a loose loose situation. PS. The SPCA isnt open until later because of all the work that needs to be done. And in that time the dogs get to play out side in open runs in groups that play well together. They are well looked after and because they can't advocate for themselves they have people working their butts off for them.

re. chase river Thu, Dec 23, 10 at 01:51 PM
The Nanaimo SPCA is a no kill shelter, A no-kill shelter is an animal shelter where animals are only euthanized if they are too sick to be treated or too aggressive to be suitable for adoption,. No-kill shelters reject euthanasia as a means of population control. The Nanaimo SPCA has been known to keep animals for months, until the right most suitable home is found for them. The staff on their off time(when they are not being paid) take animals home in hopes to socialize and retrain them. working with aggression issues as well. Where on earth would you get any information to the contrary? Ignorance is one thing, making a public spectacle of your ignorance is another. This is called SLANDER. if only i knew your real name I could spread similar lies about you!

CaroleThu, Dec 23, 10 at 02:04 PM
In response to Jona.You are one of the ones I was talking about.HOW dare you comment about loving the animals and what are we doing.We love our pets and take good care of them.As a matter of fact I had to put my cat down a year ago because he had a stroke,and I cried like a baby and still do BUT idon't take it out on everyone else like you do If in fact this is so hard for you people to help the animals I think you are working at the wrong place. I had my cat cremated and he sits on a shelf so i could have him with me always.And don't forget who pays your wages we do so I think we have the right to be respected.Make sure your brains are loaded befor you shoot your mouth off.and don't tell us who loves animals or not

BarbaraThu, Dec 23, 10 at 02:21 PM
Everyone's a critic in Nanaimo. Yet when the heavy lifting comes, they all seem to be on coffee break...! Thankfully, it isn't contagious....!

Carole & the Negative NelliesThu, Dec 23, 10 at 02:27 PM
You can contact the head office of the BC SPCA by going to their website. if you have managed to respond to this news story, you are more than capable of finding that number on your own. You were never treated like dirt. You were treated as well as you should have been given the circumstances of you surrendering a sickly cat, that you claimed belonged to someone else, into the shelter expecting to be regaled at what a wonderful human you are. More often than not the "good Samaritan" is the pet owner, the staff are faced with yet another story of abuse and neglect, and you walk away with a clean conscience. Leaving the SPCA to fund-raise $100s of dollars to help said cat, or worse be faced with yet another animal that is too sick to be helped. And the staff to deal with the heartache, headaches and care of said animal. In an ideal world, there would be staff to deal with cats, cats to deal with dogs, staff to deal with vet runs, and staff to offer customer service, staff to deal with surrenders, and staff to offer love and support to all of the people who need compassion, oh wait that is what your family is for. The SPCA works because everyone who works there does every job, including the managers, so that everyone who works there has he same vested interest in HELPING the animals. You are not a customer, you are someone dumping a problem onto someone else. Customers pay for a service. The SPCA is a not for profit charity. The 5 full-time staff and the three part-time staff all make less money a year than a barista at starbucks. Sometimes phone calls get missed, sometimes numbers get written down wrong, sometimes messages people leave on an answering machine are unintelligible and impossible to discipher. Sometimes the shelter is too full to accept another pet. That is the reality of the world you life in. Get over yourself and your entitlement issues. Want things to be better? Hold your "friend" who owned the sickly beast accountable for the care and maintenance of their pets, Want to change how you are treated? Spend an one eight of the time you spent complaining, doing something proactive..

Messages In This Thread

Negative feedback upsets Nanaimo's SPCA workers *LINK*
Number of adoptions at Nanaimo SPCA is way down
Re: Negative feedback upsets Nanaimo's SPCA workers
Re: Negative feedback upsets Nanaimo's SPCA workers
Experience with SPCA was not a positive one

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