The article in the Saanich News was based on selected comments from a 1 hour + interview I had with the reporter the day following. Some of my comments require some embellishment. As you know I am never been afraid to express and defend my opinion.

My reasons for commenting at the Saanich Municipal Council meeting were three fold. First, I believe that its always a good time to speak out on behalf of animal welfare - I just couldn't resist the opportunity. Secondly, the main point I was trying to make in my off the cuff remarks was that municipalities should give greater emphasis to animal welfare rather than just lowest price when considering pound keeping contracts. Thirdly, I tried to express my concern that there needed to be a united effort by municipalities - there are 13 in the Victoria Area - to support proper animal welfare in this community.

Over the last few years I have visited many animal shelters some were excellent, some were good and some were bloody awful. Shelters need to be judged not just on the physical conditions but also on the level of care provided by staff and volunteers. Highly motivated care givers can overcome some very serious deficiencies in facilities. My comments to Saanich Council related to the physical nature of the facilities only and did not reflect on the how those facilities are run. I know that in both the CRD facility and Victoria Animal Control facility the staff demonstrate a very high level of compassion for animals and work hard to improve things. I am also aware that their mandate is animal control not animal welfare. There is a difference between an acceptable standard and an ideal standard. In my opinion acceptable standards are pitifully low and we should all seek ways to improve the situation.

I visited the CRD Pound Facility at the invitation of an employee of the CRD. At the time I was shown cats that were clearly in distress. I also saw that the CRD was housing live cats in the same room as their gas box. I have never understood why any organization would want to associate itself with killing using poison gas, talk about being politically incorrect! The inspection took place some weeks later.

It is my understanding that it is almost impossible to enforce the Cruelty of Animals Act against facilities if you don't find animals in distress. Setting standards for animal pounds was an issue discussed by the Board in June 03 - minutes of that meeting have been posted - to my knowledge the Board is still waiting for staff to act on their resolution. I believe that if the BC SPCA were to produce such a standard most municipalities would comply voluntarily. The standard would also level the playing field between bidders. I believe that Mr. Fraser of the Victoria Animal Control made those same comments in the Saanich News. Until there is a descriptive standard for the operation of kennels I doubt we will see much enforcement in this area. As long as the SPCA actively competes for municipal work, their competitors will claim conflict of interest as a defense. Just another example of how animal control and pound keeping compromises the prime mandate.

I am also of the opinion that kennels designed to hold dogs or cats for 4 days are not adequate for longer stays (weeks or months) that some animals are kept while waiting to be adopted. This problem is critical when you think of dogs held for months on death row while the court system runs its course. The pit bull Bach stayed in the CRD kennel for a year, then transferred to the Victoria SPCA for 3 months, then to the rescue in Atlanta where he recieved the training he needed and was successfully adopted into a great home. I believe that pound kennels are inadequate for adoptions or long term holds.

I do not believe that raising money to construct new shelters in the communities in the Lower Mainland or in Victoria would be that hard. It's my opinion that there is a pent up demand for true animal welfare facilities. The Lower Mainland has some of the least impressive facilities I have seen - in fact - 2.2 million people should be ashamed of themselves. What's in short supply is leadership. A major new facility like the one we planned for Victoria would cost $5,000,000, it would need to be built in stages on the existing site over a three year period. The $1.5 million figure was the projected cost of the dog housing facility that was to be the 1st phase of the redevelopment. I might add that the City agreed to contribute $36,000 per year to the "new shelter" solution as part of the agreement. In today's market that money borrows $700,000.

During my term on the Board of Directors of the BC SPCA I served on the Revenue Development Committee, the committee was chaired by the current President Mary Lou Troman,and the Manager of Revenue Development was Ray Marshall. That committee spent a lot of time discussing and planning a capital campaign. Based on the information discussed at these committee meetings it was clear to me that a capital campaign does not adversly effect operating revenues. I presume that the CEO is receiving different advice from the new Manager of Revenue Development.

When the Society took control of the Victoria SPCA reserves, the 2000 audited financial statements showed that there was $ 4,577,400 in the investment account. In addition, the Society defines legacy gifts as Provincial Revenues and Victoria was the single greatest community for the receipt of this type of revenue. A lot of the good programs which existed in Victoria were financed by these gifts. The Society takes the position that the donors in Victoria want their gifts spent where the need is greatest which apparently is not in Victoria. I personally have never met such a donor but I am assured that they are the majority. The Society does not publish these kinds of donations by community, I presume that is because they don't want this information known. When the Victoria Branch published an audited financial statement it was clear that legacy gifts have in recent history been between $1.0 and 2.0 million each year. I have no reason to believe that trends in giving have declined. Only the Manager of Finance knows for sure. I would guess that the total transfer of wealth from the community of Victoria to the BC SPCA has exceeded $7 million in the last three years. The message here is that the Society has done well by Victoria over the last few years, but Victoria has declined badly, the branch is at risk, I had hoped that the new shelter initiative would help to reverse this unfortunate situation.

It is no secret that I am a critic of "Alcatrasian" style dog and cat kennels and a strong advocate of improving animal shelters all across the province. I would like to point out that the Alcatraz Federal Prison closed in 1963 some 40+ years ago - times are changing - even in animal welfare.

I strongly support the efforts in Nanaimo and Penticton, I also advanced the idea of building new facilities in Vancouver and surrounding communities. I am also of the opinion that new shelters require local leadership. I was prepared to help lead and build leadership for shelter improvements in Victoria. My offer has been rejected. New shelters in other communities will only happen when local leadership takes control. Under the current centralized governance model adopted by the SPCA on November 3/01 it is very difficult for local leadership to advance change in their communities.

The notion of housing dogs in rooms is not new. The SPCA Research Department provided me copies of scientific studies which clearly state that "enriched pair housing" produces the least stress in kennel dogs. Perhaps Lori and her colleagues should talk to Nadine Gourkow, I found Nadine to be most knowledgeable on these matters. In addition I have seen a number of facilities where this type of housing was used successfully. The most impressive example is the San Francisco SPCA, but closer to home you should check out the NOAH Centre in Stanmor Washington - just 2 hours down I5. Another example of this type of housing is the outdoor kennel at the Vernon Branch of the SPCA! In Victoria we were facing and probably still are facing a legal action to silence the SPCA shelter. Some of our volunteers tried putting particularly noisy dogs in rooms with considerable success. I am not aware that they have continued this practice now that the key volunteers have quit.

The fact that we could show the City that this kind of housing can reduce barking by reducing stress and that we can contain the rooms inside a proper sound attenuated building was the material clause in the settlement between the BC SPCA and the City of Victoria. I am aware that the Society is in breach of this agreement, and every indication is that they are attempting to seek an alternate solution. I am not aware of what proposal the new Board is planning to make to the City of Victoria. Based on comments like the one quoted in the Saanich News from the Manager of Community Relations, Lori Chortyk, the Society does not understand the material issue at all. Last January when the agreement between the BC SPCA and the City of Victoria was signed, Lori helped us with the joint SPCA/City press release. No problem supporting the new shelter solution back then. I presume Lori is under instructions to send out a different message today.

Ms Chortyk has suggested that communal housing was my dream but not necessarily that of the SPCA. My dream was for true community animal welfare centers, of which enriched pair housing in the adoption area was just a part. The shelter plan we developed for Victoria also included extensive community housing for cats, better small animal facilities, indoor socialization areas for dogs, kennels for intake, assessment, rehabilitation and isolation. It also included community oriented facilities like an information centre, a class room , a training facility and support facilities for volunteers and fundraisers. The solution in Victoria for me was more about doing the right thing for animals, making our shelter more inviting to the public, potential adopters, volunteers and staff and establishing effective programs in our community as it was about noise, although being a good neighbour is also important. Where Lori's information came from I don't know - maybe she'll tell us, maybe she can tell us just what the dream of the SPCA is? or if it even has one?

Over the last few years decisions made with respect to the CAMP Program and the use of assessment tools like TDA4 are defended by senior staff persons with the SPCA on the basis of making decisions based on "the best available science". But when we start to talk about improving the kennel facilities in our shelters I think its fair to ask why the best available science is to be sweep under the carpet.

Rick Sargent
Victoria

Rick Sargent was president of the BC SPCA until May, 2004, when he declined to run for the position again. Shortly after, he resigned his membership too.