Phil

 

One of Animal Advocates' long-time colleagues in Prince George BC found out that at the Prince George BC SPCA was an old dog who was going to be put down in two days. Her neighbour had "tried" him out and had returned him to the SPCA at which time she was told that he only had two more days to be rehomed or he was going to be put down.

Below is the information taken from the SPCA's adoption page, where they called Phil a "gentle old soul". But they said that they were going to kill him.

Type Dog
Breed Border Collie Cross
Sex Male
Colour Black/White
Spayed / Neutered No
Age Senior
A Little Bit About Me
Meet Phillip: A gentle, old soul who is looking for a family who will love him for the remainder of his years. Phillip would like a calm home, without too much going on. He requests a comfy bed, a yummy chew toy, and a meander in the yard a few times a day. Phillip has also requested a gentle, loving guardian who is patient, and who understands the dynamics of caring for, and living with a geriatric dog. At 16 years old, Phillip still has plenty of pep in his step, but would do best in a home without young children (12+ only), or young/rambunctious pets!

Our colleague asked us if there was anything Animal Advocates could do to save Phil.

There was. We asked another colleague to go to the SPCA and adopt him. That person told us that everyone at the Prince George SPCA was very happy that Phil, who they all seemed sincerely to love, wasn't going to have to be put down.

Since Phil was such a nice old boy, why did they schedule him for destruction? Could it be because the Prince George SPCA makes a substantial amount of money as the City of Prince George's dog disposal agency? The City pays the SPCA to impound dogs and to put down the dogs that are not claimed by their owners, or not sold by the SPCA to a new owner. If more dogs have to be impounded for the City than there is room for, then some dogs will be killed to make space. This is what the SPCA still does in some BC municipalities.

Within 24 hours Phil was ill, throwing up, diarrhea, and very lethargic. That is not a condemnation of the SPCA. The SPCA would not have known that Phil was ill because the symptoms only appeared after Phil was adopted. But Phil had giardia (an intestinal parasite) that is commonly found in shelters and pounds.

Phil was quickly taken to the vet clinic in Prince George which Animal Advocates uses. It took days of tests, x-rays, ultra-sounds, and various medications before Phil was out of the woods, eating and drinking again. It was a scary time for all of us as days passed and Phil got worse. The thought of saving a dear old dog, only to have him die in a few days, was hard to bear. It didn't matter to Animal Advocates what it would cost to save Phil's life. Animal Advocates is no-kill, true no-kill, serious no-kill. Finally Phil was treated for Giardia, even though the test for Giardia was inconclusive. He picked up in twelve hours and was ready to go home the next day.

Phil lived to have what all dogs should have: long rambles in the woods, and long snoozes on a comfy bed, all under the watchful eyes of someone who loves him.

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