Animal Advocates Watchdog

What has changed since November 2001? If I find out that anymore animals have been euthanized, I will go to the media

I have been a frequent visitor to your website over the last few months. I completely understand your frustration with the SPCA..I am currently going through that myself.

I am a regular volunteer with our local SPCA and the only reason that I am there is for the animals. Many of the staff are difficult to work with..they feel that we are volunteers and don't know what we are talking about. I am a foster coordinator..not having much luck with that as the staff left that program a mess. We lost many potential fosterers because staff would not do any follow-ups on the applications.
Early last summer, three cats came in from Petcetera with URI. There wasn't any room at the shelter so they were euthanized. I could not believe what I was hearing. Being a new volunteer, I didn't know what to do. Since that day, I have been raising hell whenever an animal is euthanized. It worries me whenever we have an outbreak of URI...if I can't get these cats into foster, will they be the next group to be euthanized????

I come home everyday from the shelter in tears because of the way these poor animals are being treated. Yes, I could just say forget it and not go back but someone needs to be there for those animals...they certainly can't speak for themselves. I've made a promise to myself...if I find out that anymore animals have been euthanized, I will go to the media. Yes, it will probably get me banned from the shelter but I won't sit back and let this happen anymore.
Thank you for listening.

Messages In This Thread

1998 letter from Scott and Natasha Baker: Still relevant because not enough has changed
The Vancouver SPCA has completely failed in this regard by: 1. Not providing any form of useful public education
2. Presenting a bad example when dealing with shelter animals
3. Practicing unnecessary euthanasia
A more careful reading of our notes to conversations with Natasha
4. Not providing enough kennels despite the space to do so
5. Not providing young animals with sufficient stimuli
6. Inadequate screening of potential adoptees
7. Being too rigid with respect to enforcing adoption hours
8. Not showing or adopting sick animals
9. No adoption councillor for the dogs
10. The wanton separation of an animal from its personal belongings
11. Insufficient effort to promote the adoption of shelter animals
12. Not suggesting alternatives to the surrender of animals
13. Poor and sometimes cruel displays of animals
14. The complete lack of training of volunteers
15. The complete lack of benefits to the volunteers
16. The complete lack of and adequate job description for volunteers
17. Lack of any hierarchy or chain of command
18. Lack of respect and trust by the staff
19. General lack of manners
20. No attempt to show compassion
21. Lack of a adequate communications channels
22. Lack of follow-up on adoptions
23. Not allowing for the pick-up of a lost cat after visiting hours
24. Misuse of donated funds
25. Inadequate seclusion of “stray” animals
From my time volunteering at the Burnaby SPCA, I came to these conclusions as well
We welcome comment from the SPCA
From the Prince George Free Press
Natasha is just one of hundreds: Brigitta MacMillan also tried to make the SPCA change, with no luck *PIC*
So too did Christine W.
So did Laura Dean
Another letter from Laura Dean
What has changed since November 2001? If I find out that anymore animals have been euthanized, I will go to the media
The organization of as large a scale as the SPCA needs critics and scrutinizing

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