WESTCOAST NEWS
Group rallies in support of suspended workers
Two women are accused of stealing dog that SPCA wants put down

Amy O'Brian
Vancouver Sun

June 21, 2004

SPCA worker Amanda Muir gathers with supporters outside the Delta SPCA shelter on Saturday. Muir and another worker have been suspended by the SPCA after a puppy (not shown) was smuggled away before it could be put down.

DELTA - Nearly 50 people, and about 15 dogs, rallied Saturday on a hot gravel road in Delta to support two women who have been suspended by their employer, the SPCA, after they allegedly stole a young dog in an effort to save it from being destroyed.

Cheech, a young Rottweiler-Labrador cross, is at the centre of the feud between SPCA management and the animal lovers who stood at the gates of the agency's Delta shelter, waving signs that read "Save Cheech," and chanting, "Give Cheech a chance."

The SPCA is adamant that Cheech is an aggressive dog beyond rehabilitation, but his many supporters say he is simply a rambunctious puppy who, with proper training, could be a wonderful companion.

Cheech was stolen from the shelter last Wednesday, a few hours before he was scheduled to be destroyed.

Delta police and the SPCA are looking for him, while the two employees who allegedly participated in his rescue aren't giving any hints to his whereabouts.

Despite their silence on certain matters, Amanda Muir and Kirsten McConnell appeared Saturday, to the surprise of their supporters.

Both women have been suspended from their duties at the shelter, but believe what they did was right.

"I would do anything for [Cheech]," McConnell said. "I'm shocked that it's come to this. I'm sad that it's come to this.

"I'm getting in trouble for helping an animal."

SPCA managers watched the protest through the locked glass door of the shelter, but did not emerge to speak to the protesters.

SPCA spokeswoman Lorie Chortyk said the agency empathizes with Cheech's supporters, but will not back down on its view that the dog should be destroyed.

"It's difficult because it's very emotional," Chortyk said. "But this dog has displayed incredibly unpredictable behaviour.

"For us to say, 'Gosh, you've got a protest here, you've called the media, so what the heck, we'll put a dangerous dog out there' -- that would be so derelict."

McConnell and others have offered to adopt Cheech and keep him isolated while he is trained and rehabilitated, but Chortyk said there is no possibility the SPCA will agree to such an arrangement.

"When that dog's out there, we can't guarantee it won't come in contact with a child, won't wander into the yard," Chortyk said.

"It's kind of like saying 'We have a sexual predator, but if you sign over, you can take him into your kindergarten class.'"

Kathy Gibson, a dog trainer and behavioural specialist, said the assessment used by the SPCA to determine a dog's danger level is "bare-bones basic" and she would like a chance to assess Cheech herself.

Muir, who was attacked one year ago by a Rottweiler, said neither she nor McConnell deny that Cheech needs some extra attention, but they feel the SPCA should have given him more time to be trained. Muir and McConnell are meeting Tuesday with SPCA managers to discuss the alleged theft and their futures with the agency.