From the Panel's Summary on SPCA Shelters:

The public expects the BC SPCA to provide the highest level of care and comfort for animals in shelters, and states that the BC SPCA should be "at the forefront of how to humanely house and treat animals".

This is the second time the Panel has recommended the BC SPCA lead by example with regards to humane treatment of animals. As near as I can tell, all the BC SPCA has done is taken the noble-sounding "Five Freedoms" from another humane organization, and wheeled them out in hopes of fooling the public that it has somehow become more humane. Animals are still being made sick by SPCA facilities, then killed by SPCA facilities - we saw this just a few months ago in Prince George, when vast numbers of cats were killed because they contracted a disease at the Prince George SPCA. I myself have bought numerous sick animals out of SPCAs all over - in the past year alone, a dog with kennel cough (contracted while in the SPCA facility) , bad skin, bladder stones, and an untreated severe eye condition, a cat with such terrible calicivirus (contracted while in the SPCA facility) that she almost died, and another cat with an infected pus-filled ear that had gone untreated in an SPCA for two months, to name just a few.

There has been no lobbying of government to pass specific laws about the humane keeping of animals. There haven't even been any SPECIFIC guidelines drafted. Could this be because many SPCA facilities themselves still do not provide the animals in their care even the basic Five Freedoms?

There is concern, particularly on the part of volunteers, for the health of the animals brought into the shelter and whether adequate medical intervention and treatment is provided. Some cite animals lying sick and unattended for days or even weeks. Several volunteers point out that they are more than willing to participate in the care and comfort of the animals but they are given very limited opportunity and encouragement to get involved

The examples I just gave speak to this. I also know many, many, EX-SPCA volunteers. They are all intelligent, experienced, highly ethical people, who either left in disgust, or were asked not to return to the facility, simply for trying to honestly help animals. The Cheech affair, the Beaverdell seizure, and the killing of the Kamloops puppy mill dogs are three examples that immediately come to mind when I think about the SPCA's stubborn and ignorant disregard for volunteers and other animal welfare organizations who are more than qualified to truly help animals in the SPCA's clutches. Instead of being welcomed, they are lied to, vilified, and banished. Or, in my case, sued. Why? Because we don't fit into the BC SPCA's animal disposal agenda is my guess.

Other submissions suggest that primary care givers be designated to work on a consistent basis with shelter animals to more accurately assess behaviour, behavioural changes and improvements. To ensure successful adoptions and fewer returns, many strongly recommend better adoption screening procedures and adoption follow-up and support services

Well, there may be some cases where animals spend the majority of time getting to know a certain caregiver. A lot of caregivers got to know Cheech really well, well enough to know that he was a good dog, but their opinion didn't amount to a hill of beans when the SPCA decided to kill him.

As for proper screening and follow-up - I know of no SPCA that does homechecks or checks references. I have NEVER been called about ANY animal that I have purchased at an SPCA. And I can still browse the SPCA's online display case and find animals there that have been returned, some more than once.
The SPCA is still selling product, not adopting lives. The public has asked it to change, and it actually did change at a handful of facilities - one of which was Delta, under Amanda Muir. But this smattering of change is by no means policy, and as long as the SPCA keeps driving away good folk like Amanda, I can't see it becoming policy any time soon. So I will continue to criticize this, and many other SPCA untruths and unkept promises, and I guess the SPCA will continue spending donor's money on lawyers to send me more letters telling me to stop it or go to court.

The majority of submissions suggest that measures be taken to rehabilitate problem shelter animals. Recommendations include using behavioural specialists to help in the assessment and retraining of these animals. Submissions continue to say that problem animals are the result of bad owners and every effort should be made to give these animals another chance, citing that is a rare animal that must be euthanized due to behaviour issues.

Well, I have only one thing to say to this: DTA4 Sorting Tool + no money spent training staff how to rehabilitate animals + lots of money spent teaching staff how to kill with "no fuss, no muss" = ......well, you figure it out, I think I hear the mailman coming up the front steps, and he'll likely need a signature on another registered letter from the SPCA's expensive lawyers.