Buddy/Yoda’s Happy Ending

2001

Street dog, 5 years old, gentle shepherd/husky cross
Years of beatings ended at last...

Nov 5

R. R. and K. R. of North Vancouver witness Yoda being savagely beaten by his owner, Turner, a transient who hangs out in the West End of Vancouver. Turner has yanked Yoda off his feet by the heavy chain around his neck and is "wailing" on Yoda, screaming and kicking Yoda's stomach, ribs, and head. Yoda's gums are bleeding. R. tries to stop Turner, and phones 911 when he can't. Vancouver police arrive with the SPCA (which are contacted when the police get an animal-in-distress call, because the SPCA is supposed to enforce protection of animals' laws). SPCA won't help, say they can't do anything unless they witness the beating themselves (not true). R. and K. say they'll swear to what they saw. SPCA still refuses to do anything. Says Yoda doesn't have any obvious signs of a beating, even though his gums are bleeding. Attending police officer indicates this is not the first time they and the SPCA have been called out about Yoda. R. and K. physically take Yoda from Turner.

Nov 6

R. gives Yoda to Animal Advocates Society the next day. We have him examined (ribs are sore), and put him in a foster home, where he has two other dogs for friends, goes for walkies, lies on the couch, and sleeps in the bedroom. Every day he gets stronger and happier.

Nov 7

SPCA contacts attending police officer and says it wants Yoda. Why? Why do they want him now when he's being protected from cruelty by AAS, when they didn't want to help him when he needed it? The police say that SPCA will return Yoda to Turner. AAS has been told of the SPCA returning dogs (with a fine) to abusers many times, even to someone who blowtorched a dog in front of witnesses willing to testify.  The SPCA demanded payment and returned the dog. Or they would keep Yoda in a lonely, frightening, miserable cell until they sold him or killed him. Nervous, middle-aged, large crosses are so often deemed "unadoptable" (unsellable) by the SPCA and killed. Police officer phones R. R. tells him he doesn't have Yoda anymore.

Nov 10

Judy Stone and Barry Faires from Animal Advocates go downtown, find Turner, pay $200,and have Turner sign a bill of sale, and become the legal owners of Yoda, so that the SPCA and Turner cannot get him. Turner very willing.

Dec 4

Turner spends the money and changes his mind, calls police, demands Yoda back. Stone talks to Constable Gardiner, VPD, and explains that AAS has bought Yoda. Constable Gardiner says that's the end of the story as far as the police are concerned. AAS distributes flyers in Yoda's old neighbourhood and finds the witnesses that prove that Yoda was beaten many times, and that the SPCA had been called often.

These pictures tell better than we can how Yoda, now Buddy, is living now. His family has a sailboat, and he sails around the gulf islands with his doggy-friends and family.

P.S. AAS received several very threatening phone calls from Turner and cohorts. Nothing would ever make us return Buddy to his old life.

Buddy's story is only one of many stories of beaten dogs the SPCA hasn't helped that AAS has been told of.


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