WESTCOAST NEWS
Delta Humane Society awarded animal-shelter contract over SPCA

Delta Optimist

October 23, 2004

DELTA - After many years of serving Delta, the SPCA has lost the bid to handle the area's animal-shelter services to the newly-formed Delta Humane Society.

Behind closed doors this week, Delta council agreed to award three one-year contracts to the humane society, a collection of locally-based professionals and volunteers with a hand in the animal industry.

The SPCA contract ends Dec. 31; the Delta Humane Society will take over the next day. For the first year at least, it will operate out of the same civic building on 80th Street the SPCA has occupied.

Only two groups submitted proposals.

"We love that community and we want to be in that community and it's unfortunate that the decision seems to be based on one dog that was a danger to the community," said SPCA spokesperson Lorie Chortyk.

The planned euthanasia last spring of Cheech, a dog SPCA temperament testing showed to be aggressive, caused an uproar. The decision prompted some SPCA personnel to spirit the dog away to an unknown location where it remains to this day.