Just reading the new Saltspring phone book and directory. Once again I get to the listing for the Saltspring Island Branch of the BCSPCA....

"We speak for those who cannot speak for themselves." "Help is provided for stray, abandoned or injured animals. (No mention that its facility houses solely cats, rabbits, and perhaps an occasional other, very small animal - not dogs). Funded by public donation, and run by volunteers, the SPCA places adoptable animals in new homes, and offers information on animal care and welfare."

Now it's that last sentence that gets to me. Yes, their branch has most of its work done by volunteers, but the implication is that this branch of the SPCA is volunteer-only, and that is not the case, and has not been the case for a dozen years - perhaps longer.

People assume from reading this that there are no paid staff, and that every cent they donate is spent on the animals.

Over the years, I have pointed this out to the SPCA - one year, when the misinformation in the directory was worse than it is currently, I was told by a member of the Saltspring SPCA's community council (the irony!) that she didn't care whether the SPCA's statements were true or not, because she knew they were doing good work, and if I didn't like it, why didn't I just leave the f...ing island?

Why can't the SPCA say, "We have one paid staff and a number of volunteers?" Why is this so hard for them?