Vancouver Courier Thursday, August 05, 2004

LETTERS
Animals not possessions of people

To the editor:

Letter writer M. Markham hits the nail on the head about the SPCA's general spinelessness as an organization ("SPCA-stop talking, start doing job," Nov. 11).

The exception is its Youth Program out in Surrey, which makes a huge difference for animals every day with its humane education programs. It steams me that the Youth Program must scrimp and raise money to implement programs to make animals' lives better, while the bigwigs sit back and rake it in! Further, Doug Hooper should be ashamed of himself for expecting to sue the SPCA after he has taken so much.

There is a very successful SPCA in San Francisco, which has altered attitudes towards animals there and changed their lives significantly. Sure, that city's organization has a lot of money, but it's because it has made a great effort to do the right thing for animals, to which the community responds.

But the deeper problem is that animals are considered "property" of humans. People think of animals as "things" to be exploited for human purposes on many different levels, and to different degrees. Until this changes, we will meet with more instances of cruel behavior toward animals. Albert Schweitzer said it best: "Think occasionally of the suffering of which you spare yourself the sight."

N.M. Lott,
Vancouver