Nadine Gourkow, the BC SPCA's Animal Management scientist and one of the creators of the various versions of CAMP, only gave a verbal overview of DTA4. She supplied no details. Her audience, composed of animal welfare groups, animal-loving individuals, Don Brown, the manager of Capital Regional District's Animal Control, and Rick Sargent, the ex-president of the BC SPCA, were treated to statements from Gourkow that contradicted the 14 pages of DTA4 (not a complete copy) that many had copies of.

Carol Sonnex of Greater Victoria Animal Crusaders asked Gourkow a question about the study described on page 44. When Gourkow realized that Carol had some pages of DTA4, her eyes bulged, her jaw dropped, and she got up and snatched the pages out of Carol's hand! She said that it was copyrighted and was incensed that anyone had any of it.

The question Sonnex asked was "A study is quoted on page 44 of your DTA4 material in which 211 shelter dogs were studied for 30 days and 106 were placed in new homes. Nothing was said in the study about what became of the 105 other dogs. What happened to the 105 dogs?"

Gourkow answered that most of them were claimed by their owners. Would any real science-based study use participants who are very likely not going to be available for the whole of the study period? It cannot be guaranteed, or even reasonably hoped, that owners of claimed stray dogs will participate in a study. Here is more proof that this is not science, as if we needed any.

So what really happened to the 105 dogs? Gourkow says in her vague, 'don't expect me to supply hard data' way, that 'some' of the dogs were claimed by their owners. Some? And the rest? Spit it out Nadine!

Gourkow made DTA4 sound all warm and fuzzy but wouldn't answer specific questions. She intimated that DTA4 uses the RSPCA test but did not say conclusively that the RSPCA test is part of DTA4. June Stephen asked her how she could intimate that the RSPCA test was in any way like DTA4, but as usual, Gourkow didn't directly answer. We were told that her method was to never say anything concrete, nothing anyone could grasp, and to talk in circles.