Animal Advocates of B.C.
A COOPERATIVE OF ANIMAL-LOVERS AND ACTION-TAKERS

A registered charitable organization dedicated to rescuing and rehabilitating animals that official agencies will not help.                     

SPCA UNION PROPAGANDA
Under pressure to save their pound empire, the SPCA CUPE union, local 1622 fought back to save its dog-disposal jobs with a very misleading promotional hand-out.  Newspapers have uncritically reprinted from it.  If the SPCA employees who are fighting to keep dog disposal contracts were really concerned with animal welfare, they would welcome the advent of humanely run municipal pounds and would apply for jobs at these new pounds that are trying to stop killing so many animals.  Read the truth:

AAS:
Police can enforce also. In fact, many areas of B.C. are not covered by an SPCA warranted branch at all (although the Act makes the SPCA provide a field Special Constable for these areas), and sometimes people who report abuse are told to phone the police - by the SPCA itself.

SPCA:
MUNICIPAL POUND OFFICERS have the authority to enforce municipal animal control bylaws only;

AAS:
The implication here is that municipal employees cannot enforce the PCA act. Any laws in the act can be adopted at the municipal level and enforced by the municipal animal control officer with (when necessary) the police.

SPCA:
S.P.C.A. Constables have the authority to search private properties in response to cruelty complaints;

AAS:
So do the police.

SPCA:
MUNICIPAL POUND OFFICERS do not have the authority to acquire search warrants in any situation;

AAS:
But the municipal officers can have the police do this.

SPCA:
S.P.C.A. helps ALL species of animals;

AAS:
The SPCA in not allowed to handle healthy wildlife, but it is allowed to handle injured wildlife, and in fact, it tells people all the time to phone Burnaby Wildlife, or the provincial Conservation Branch.  (See how they shot a helpless fawn  and how they recommend drowning raccoons)  

SPCA:
MUNICIPALLY RUN POUNDS traditionally handle only dogs (however, if we end up with a municipal pound and S.P.C.A. staff and resources no longer exist in North Van, SOMEBODY’S going to have to do it!);

AAS:
Any municipal pound can chose to look after any animals.

SPCA: S.P.C.A. rescues ANY injured or sick animal and provides veterinary care or, when it’s in the best interest of the animal, provides a humane and dignified end to their pain and suffering;

AAS:
There’s nothing dignified about electrothenators and gas boxes, nor multiple animals in the killing room watching each other die. (read more)

AAS:
But the SPCA can give a vet permission to euthanize a seriously injured animal. (Note: the new District of North Vancouver Animal Shelter that replaced the SPCA in January 2002 (Union lies did not work and we were successful), treats every illness and injury.)

SPCA:
S.P.C.A. rescues any animal in distress (i.e. oiled birds, cats in trees, "escorts" for deer running on highways, etc., etc., etc.);

AAS:
This SPCA repeatedly shot a helpless sea lion in Vancouver harbour; and shot an injured fawn in Burnaby instead of taking it to Burnaby Wildlife Rescue and refused to assist an injured deer near the Capilano river.  See what the Coquitlam SPCA suggested a person do with a raccoon. See how the SPCA disposes of raccoons for pest control companies.

SPCA:
MUNICIPALLY RUN POUNDS rarely have the mandate, desire, training or ability to conduct rescues of animals in distress;

AAS:
Again, any pound can be directed to start doing this.

SPCA:
S.P.C.A. vaccinates each and every dog and cat they take in;

AAS:
We have it on good authority that the SPCA is still not doing this.  But it did improve -  after the City of Vancouver pound did it first and publicly shamed them which would have resulted in a loss of donations.

SPCA:
MUNICIPALLY RUN POUNDS rarely spend money unnecessarily;

AAS:
The SPCA’s financial information shows just how little they spend on their facilities. They run a bare-bones operation: concrete cells, no blankets, toys, bones, or fun, very little exercise. SPCA ALCATRAZES- THE HAVES AND HAVE NOTS

SPCA:
S.P.C.A. provides local as well as regional animal services such as Low Cost Spay and Neuter, off site adoptions, (Pet-Cetera stores and mall visits by Pet Squads), 24 hour Emergency Response and many other animal services;

AAS: the alternative true animal-welfare groups spends hundreds of thousands of dollars every year on free spay/neuter. Some vets are less expensive than the SPCA. As for 24 hour emergency service: why was a man told that the new-born pups dying in the cold in the yard next door weren’t an emergency and was hung-up on? (Read more, click here) As for spay/neuter: their own employees are allowed to breed and sell animals. (Read more, click here). And the BC SPCA in 1999, spent less than 1% of revenue on spay neuter.

AAS:
An AAS member attended two meeting of the North Shore emergency preparedness group and no one from the SPCA was there.

SPCA:
MUNICIPALLY RUN POUNDS rarely have more than a handful of staff and precious few of the vital resources needed to deal with the fact that animals are not welcome in evacuation centres;

SPCA:
S.P.C.A. has a Provincial wide education program to teach children "Kindness to Animals" which is a proven method of reducing violence, (against animals and people) in Society;

AAS:
The SPCA spent just 6/10 of one percent of their almost 9 million income on education. As for education:  Where is it?  Not in the branches.

SPCA:
MUNICIPALLY RUN POUNDS rarely spend money unnecessarily (even if this were affordable for a single shelter operation).

AAS:
The SPCA has run dismal, cold, dirty, cheap shelters for so  long that everyone came to not expect any better.  Municipal pounds cannot do worse.

WHAT CAN MUNICIPAL POUND DO?  A PRIMER BY KIMBERLY LORD, THE NEW MANAGER OF THE DISTRICT OF NORTH VANCOUVER SHELTER..

© 2001  
Animal Advocates Society of B.C. [Canada]

  Editor: Judith Stone