Just a quick note to thank you for the samples. I have to explain a few things about the BC SPCA. The BC SPCA has a program where a pet owner leaves an undetermined amount to the organization and their pet goes into SPCA care. This means the animal can be euthanized if the BC SPCA feels it isn't adoptable. This happened a couple years ago, when a elderly lady died, left part or all of her estate to the SPCA and the cat was put down because it was "too old." Everyone I've spoken to about pet retirement says they can't trust the SPCA and when I looked into their pet retirement program, I came to the same conclusion.

I hate to criticize an animal welfare organization. I was quite supportive of the SPCA when we lived in Nova Scotia. However, the BC SPCA has so many problems and controversy, that I hardly know where to begin. I was on the board of the Surrey SPCA (they call it Community Advisory Committee rather than a board of directors) and was so disheartened by the problems. The conditions in the shelter are not good for animals. Although foster homes are used, it appears to be a battle between volunteer foster coordinators and staff. The BC SPCA talks about the importance of the five freedoms for animals, one of which is freedom to act out its natural behavior etc. I've seen cats in cages (they're isolated for first seven days as quarantine and then moved to the cages in the adoption room) so frustrated and depressed that I've broken down and cried - and I'm not a crybaby! Other organizations have shelters with open cat rooms. An open cat room was built with money that was donated from a volunteer in Chilliwack and not long after the cat room opened, the SPCA tried to close the shelter. (AAS: outrage that got into the media stopped it.) Unfortunately there are dozens more examples of such problems.

The BC SPCA has had several ongoing financial scandals at management level and they have a high paid union wage staff that are constantly at odds with the volunteers. Their rules for stating that a dog or cat is adoptable are supposed to be the same across the province but are applied differently across different parts of BC and even in Vancouver and its suburbs.

Three municipalities (North Vancouver, Langley and Delta) near Vancouver have declined to renew contracts with the BC SPCA (to enforce pound bylaws) and have let volunteer humane societies take over the shelter.(AAS: in North Vancouver District, the pound is operated by municipal staff with a large volunteer component) Bylaw officers apply the dog control bylaws. The councilors' reasons vary. The example with which I'm most familiar is Delta. A young dog was decreed unadoptable by the BC SPCA, but some staff and volunteers disagreed, got together and removed the dog. The head office at the BC SPCA were furious and devoted a lot of resources and media time and money, donated to help animals, in trying to bring the dog back and charge those who took it. There's even more to the story, but in the end the municipal councilors of Delta decided they no longer wanted the SPCA in their community. There are several small animal organizations that have formed to oppose the SPCA and take over animal care. It's a provincial wide problem and a very sad one.