In Port Coquitlam the BC SPCA still has the dogcatcher's paid contract, so it was the SPCA that went to Irene's door with the noose last week to get Jaxx. Jaxx had jumped up and scratched someone holding her little dog aloft in the park and he was reported to the dog police in Port Coquitlam, the BC SPCA. It was the second mark against Jaxx and so it was the Society to Prevent Cruelty to Animals that was at the door to seize him.

Jaxx is an old German Shepherd who Irene rescued years ago. Irene told AAS that Jaxx is a neighbourhood pet, kids love him, he is known where she shops, and her vet's staff can say what a nice old boy he is. In fact, she has a letter saying that.

We don't know that everything Irene says about Jaxx is true, but we do know that the Society that takes donations to protect animals should not be taking money to protect humans. It is such a profound conflict of interest that it must inevitably lead to corruption of the SPCA's mandate, and in fact, it has, everywhere in BC.

All over BC, the knock at the door is the SPCA. Dogs that have been reported by disgruntled neighbours, dogs that are mistaken for other dogs, dogs that have done no more than what all dogs do and did no harm, are being seized by SPCAs, kept in the SPCA's inhumane cells until the SPCA get a court order to kill the dog.

It is not reasonable to think that this job is being done by animal lovers. Animal control agencies are staffed by Animal Control Officers, wannabe cops, some of them recent rejects from low-paying jobs elsewhere, and with very little training or experience. The animal control industry is not high-tech, just a high school diploma will get you in.

The BC SPCA is the industry leader in the animal control business in BC. Think about that. No wonder that the SPCA is so hated by so many.