-----Original Message-----
From: Animal Advocates Society of B.C. [mailto:animaladvocates@telus.net]
Sent: Monday, November 18, 2002 3:52 PM
To: BC SPCA
Subject: 1. Which SPCA branches no longer sell intact dogs and cats?

November 18, 2002

BC SPCA
Vancouver, BC

Dear Sirs/Madams,

Recently the BC SPCA has been quoted saying that it no longer sells intact adult dogs. Please tell us at your earliest convenience which SPCA branches have stopped selling intact adult dogs.

This issue was brought to our attention by the receipt of a letter of October 31st from Nikki O'Connor of Prince George BC who was sold, by the Prince George SPCA, two intact purebred Old English Sheepdogs, which were a breeding pair when owned by their previous owner.

The attached correspondence tells of Ms O'Connor's many concerns, chief among them that she was not asked to sign any adoption papers, that the dogs are intact, that the dogs behaviour was not assessed prior to sale, and that she wrote your head office and phoned a number of times with her concerns and has received no communication from you, but that she did get a phone call from the Prince George SPCA threatening to take the dogs away from her, for causing trouble.

On November 8th we were informed by Jackie Watkins of Surrey that two intact female dogs were sold by either the Langley or the Surrey SPCA fairly recently. One of the dogs was spayed by her new owner but the other was allowed to breed and had a litter of eight pups.

We cannot confirm the strict correctness of anything that Ms O'Connor or Ms Watkins has written us, but I would like to point out that we have not published these stories, as an earnest of good faith, and for the reason that we have given before, which is that we have never expected the SPCA to make no mistakes, that it must have time to change entrenched staff attitudes and habits that were approved practice because of the ruthlessness of your pound contracting business, but that the SPCA must be honest and say what it has achieved honestly and not use the media to mislead the public.

We look forward to your earliest reply.

Your very truly,

Judy Stone
President, Animal Advocates Society of BC