If you want the hoarder's animals seized you must inform SPCA Head Office. Hoarding is an almost intractable problem. But if the animals are in distress, then it is an offence under the PCA Act. Real animal lovers are in a catch 22. If they report the animals to the SPCA, it may seize and kill all or some of the animals. If they don't report the hoarder to the SPCA, the hoarder is never stopped.

The SPCA is a combination organization of both animal welfare and cruelty prevention. In theory, this ought to be the best arrangement for animals in BC, but in fact, it has led to corruption of both mandates. The SPCA can seize the hoarder's animals under its cruelty prevention mandate, and under its animal welfare mandate, it ought to do all in its power to save the lives of the seized animals. This is how it would work if it worked properly. But in fact, the SPCA frequently kills seized animals because of the expense of saving them.

The SPCA is in an ethical bind of its own making. There are two ways out for it: Do only animal welfare and allow law enforcement to be done by another agency that does not have to pretend to be doing animal welfare and is funded by government just as other law enforcement is. In this case, the SPCA, under its animal welfare mandate, could take and save every seized animal from the law enforcement agency.

Or the SPCA can only do law enforcement and let all the other groups do animal welfare. Under the direction of Craig Daniell, the CEO, the SPCA seems to be leaning toward the second option.

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