Editor Vancouver Courier,

I am writing to publicly support the efforts of Judy Stone and the great work done by the Animal Advocates Society of BC in doing true animal welfare. I can vouch for the fact that Ms. Stone can back up every single criticism she has made public against the SPCA. In fact, there is much more sordid information about the SPCA than the public will ever know, but Ms. Stone has chosen to take the high road and focus on key issues to improve the fate of so many neglected, abused animals in our society that the SPCA has turned its back on.

As one of AAS’ researchers, I can tell you that the SPCA has done very little in terms of true animal welfare. The SPCA has let dogs freeze to death, hasn’t advocated to make puppy mills illegal, adopts out intact animals, locks up sick animals in cages that need veterinary care instead of isolation, and has no public education about the connection between yard dogs and the risk to public safety. The SPCA has authority under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act to obtain search warrants and to seize animals, yet has never had to file audited financial statements with the Ministry of Agriculture.

Ms. Stone is not out to destroy the SPCA, just to get it to reform its practices and policies to do the work it’s supposed to do. AAS has always been willing to work with the SPCA to help rehabilitate animals and to advocate for laws that would protect animals from abuse, neglect and abandonment.

I think it’s important to keep in mind that the SPCA has recently lost favour with at least a few city councils in the Lower Mainland based on the SPCA’s own actions. The most recent example is where Delta City Council dropped the SPCA pound contract because of the SPCA’s deplorable treatment of Cheech, a young dog that the SPCA was determined to kill despite evidence that he wasn’t even dangerous in the first place. The blame rests squarely on the shoulders of the SPCA and has nothing to do with any criticism of the SPCA posted on the AAS website.

Sincerely

Jeri-Lyn Ratzlaff
Burnaby, BC

(Jeri-Lyn Ratzlaff has been named in the SPCA's Supreme Court writ.)