CTV News at Six
June 30, 2004

Bill Good: CTV has uncovered new evidence that calls into question the animal adoption policy at the Delta SPCA. The shelter's management has been under fire from its own employees since deciding to kill a beloved dog named Cheech. Cheech is now in hiding and tonight CTV's Renu Bakshi travels to the BC Interior where the owner of another dog claims to have living proof of an SPCA double standard.

CLINTON BC --

Terra Vallely: (to the dog) Come on. Come on. Do you want this?

Renu Bakshi: It's obvious Odie makes a great family pet but that wasn't always the case.

Terra Vallely: He hadn't had a lot of exposure with people. He was secluded, kept on a chain in a garage.

Child (to Odie): Odie sit.

Renu Bakshi: When Terra Vallely brought Odie home she knew he could come out of his shell. She got him from the Delta SPCA in December. That's the same shelter that refused to adopt out another dog, Cheech, ordering him destroyed two weeks ago, before staff and volunteers kidnapped him. So why didn't Cheech get the same chance as Odie?

Michelle Rodgers, Delta Shelter Manager (June 17 clip): We just can't adopt out dogs that we know could be potentially dangerous to the public.

Renu Bakshi: But people have come and asked to adopt him.

Michelle Rodgers: Correct. And unfortunately we can't adopt him out knowing that he has the potential to bite.

Terra Vallely: There are inconsistencies that I don't understand.

Renu Bakshi: According to the SPCA kennel cards Terra's dog, Odie, is aggressive. Cheech is not described as aggressive. Odie needed to be handled with care. Not Cheech. The SPCA said he just needed a little TLC. Odie actually bit someone. Cheech has never bitten anyone. Yet the SPCA had no problem putting Odie up for adoption. Cheech on the other hand was ordered killed.

Nadine Gourkow BC SPCA (Last Thursday): The high propensity for this dog to unfortunately be aggressive and probably be aggressive towards the most vulnerable. There were some attacks. There were some threats from the dog.

Renu Bakshi: And if the SPCA's policy isn't confusing enough already, consider this. Cheech wasn't even found to be aggressive in two SPCA evaluations. It's a third assessment that sealed his death warrant. Here's the SPCA's explanation for wanting to kill Cheech and letting Odie go. Some staff at the Delta Shelter aren't following the rules, that a dog like Odie should never have been adopted out.

Terra Vallely (to children): Yeah, he's a good boy isn't he.

Renu Bakshi: Terra says it would have been mistake to euthanize Odie.

Terra Vallely: He's definitely a different dog.

Renu Bakshi: Which proves what?

Terra Vallely: Given the opportunity, a dog can improve. They have to be in the right environment to improve.

Renu Bakshi: She and numerous other supporters say Cheech deserves a chance too. Renu Bakshi, CTV News, Clinton BC.