SPCA loses municipal contract

by Bart Cummins

After several 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 of this year; 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 this 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.

"A lot of times groups mean well and a lot of times they don't understand the complexity and they don't know the reality it (running a shelter) presents," said Chortyk. "A lot of times they are dealing with dangerous dogs and they don't know how to handle the situation."

The Delta Humane Society has appointed local dog trainer Amber Cottle as executive director. She admits there will be challenges, especially in the first year, but said a solid group of paid staff and volunteers has been assembled. As many as six people will be on the payroll.

"We're there to help the community; that's the issue we have," said Cottle, who has worked with the SPCA and with Cheech. "We have some lofty goals, but we have a lot of help and a lot of volunteers. And where volunteers don't have the knowledge, we have trained professionals."

Among the the items hot on the group's priority list is education programs that reach all ages, a free spaying/neutering program one day a month for low income owners, a Companion Pet Program for qualifying seniors, spaying/neutering of feral cats, and waiving the cost to return a stray pet if it's the first incident and within 24 hours of being apprehended.

As with the SPCA agreement, each year will roll into the next with each renewal subject to review.

Taxpayers will again pay $225,000 a year for operational costs with the Delta Humane Society able to collect additional money through licences, adoption fees and donations. Licences are expected to annually generate about $160,000.

The SPCA maintains it had exhausted options with Cheech, however, Coun. Robert Campbell said the incident brought issues to light.

He has become an outspoken proponent for what is being called a no-kill policy.

"They (SPCA) seemed to have a lack of a (no-kill) policy and weren't very clear with that. The SPCA was lacking in a number of ways," Campbell said of the group's proposal.

Cottle said the Delta Humane Society will undertake a number of steps before putting an animal down, including the signatures of three qualified people, anecdotal observations of interaction with people and other animals, and rehabilitation and training attempts.

A grassroots approach is refreshing, said Campbell, and does not doubt the society will be embraced by all.

"Everyone wants them to be successful and staff is eager to help," Campbell said.

For more information on the Delta Humane Society, to volunteer or make a donation, call 604-943-8320.