To whom it may concern:

This letter is in reference to the SPCA seizure that was done in Westwold, B.C. on Thursday March 27th, 2003.

I have personally known Linda Douglas and James Hill for the past three years and we have become very close friends over the past year and a half. In the past 10 months I have been out to Linda and Jim's house at least 3 times a week and on many occasions 4-5 times a week.

I can say that I have witnessed each time that I have gone to their home that all the dogs and horses on their property have always had fresh food and water and proper shelter. I have seen Linda making up hot stews which contain a variety of meats and vegetables, for her dogs each morning that I was there during the winter months, just so the dogs could have a warm meal when the weather was cold. Just recently the slaughter house delivered 2200 lbs of meat and bones to her house to make food for her dogs. I have also witnessed Linda vaccinating and deworming puppies and on numerous occasions have been there to help her as she grooms the dogs to prevent their fur from matting.

I have never witnessed the kennels to be in an unsanitary state as was suggested by the SPCA. Linda and Jim have always maintained the kennels with fresh straw and shavings to keep the animals warm and clean and the kennels are very large with lots of space for the dogs to exercise, run and play. There is also access to a room inside of the house through a dog door which the animals use all the time.

Linda's dogs are given love and affection on a daily basis. These dogs are not just "Money Makers" they are her beloved pets. As for the animals being in "Various Degrees Of Distress" as stated on CHBC news Thursday, this is completely untrue. Any of the dogs could be approached at any time and they would be wagging their tails and happily barking for attention, not cowering and hiding the way a distressed animal would do.

As for the dogs carrying a "Serious, Contagious, Disease", which the Veterinarians assume is a "Gastrointestinal Infection", this is still to be proven. Take note that when the interview was done on Thursday words like "could have" and "Possibility of" were used.

Also if these dogs were so "Contagious" why was it that the SPCA and Veterinarians allowed Linda's son to take his dog home and also left some dogs behind on the property. One would think if there was that much concern over an "Infectious Disease" shouldn't ALL the animals be taken and the property quarantined?

If these animals were so diseased why is it that in the past 5 years Linda has never had a dog that she sold returned to her?

Now, for the horses. The big thing mentioned here was the fact that these horses were supposedly underweight and in "Poor Condition". This is also untrue. All the horses were fed regularly everyday. They were also given sweet grain, alfalfa cubes in their diet along with treats like apples and carrots. I went out myself everytime I was there and groomed the horses. Linda and I would ride several times a week and there was never any problems with any of the horses.

The only horse that was underweight was the gelding named "Saully" who was purchased a few months back from a farm in Lumby. Linda and Jim rescued this animal whom had been neglected badly. When he was first brought to their house in Westwold, he would not hold his head up, was severly underweight and very timid of people. Over the past few months he was fed beet pulp, senior horse pellets, alfalfa, sweet grain, corn oil and hay every day and he has improved considerably to the point where he gained weight, would come when called, hold his head up high and is no longer afraid of people.

As for the 10 day-old foal, yes, she did have a small open sore on her front leg from running into a fence which JIm had been treating, and minor abrasions on her back legs, which happened when she was born. I know this to be a fact also as I was there within 1 hour of her birth and took pictures of her first steps.

These animals were well taken care of and never should have been removed from their home. The SPCA said they were very concerned about the "West Nile Virus" because of stagnant water on the property. Well, there was snow recently and when it melts it does create puddles of water, which do eventually get absorbed back into the ground. How is this to be prevented????

The term "West Nile Virus" was used as a scare tactic to get everyone up in arms over nothing. There has not even been a case of "West Nile Virus" reported in Alberta or British Columbia to date and there is no reason to believe that these horses were any more susceptible than anyone else's horse in the area. Linda had also purchased a sulphur block for her horses because she was told that sulphur would help to prevent mosquitos and flies from biting her horses. Also, if the SPCA and vets were so concerned about this disease being contracted and if these horses were so "neglected" why is it that they left the stud and his 9 month-old colt behind? Are they immune to the disease?

In writing this letter I do not mean to insinuate that the SPCA or the Veterinarians are not doing their jobs properly, I just want the public to be aware of the whole picture and then make their own judgement in this matter. I wholeheartedly support the SPCA and the work thatthey do and even though Linda and Jim are my friends I would never overlook neglect or cruelty to any animal. If I thought this was the case here I would have been the first one to call the SPCA but in this instance I know what I have witnessed first hand and I want the public to be aware that this case has been blown way out of proportion.

Sincerely,
Linda Van Wieringen