The sugar glider was no bigger than a bat and was hiding under a plastic "den" in its cage. When the clerk lifted the den to show me the sugar glider, the poor wee thing cringed in fear, raising its tiny arms over its head to defend itself.

I was so sick at heart for this poor helpless creature that I had to leave the store. But it strengthened my resolve to force the BC SPCA to get out of bed with mass-marketers of animals, like Petcetera.

I have to admit to failure - just one of many failures to make the SPCA do real animal welfare.

In fact, since the SPCA got into bed with Petcetera in 1997 and the Sun's Nicholas Read exposed the deal the SPCA with Petcetera if it didn't make a fuss about the sale of "exotics", the SPCA has deepened its partnership with Petcetera by accepting money to transfer dogs and cats to the Lower Mainland, some of which will end up being customer come-ons in Petceteras.

Read wrote (Vancouver Sun: November 4, 1997: "SPCA wrong to assoiate eith new pet store") " Petcetera says that once its other Lower Mainland stores have opened - in about 30 months - it hopes to contribute $1 million to the SPCA. That's quite a carrot. The SPCA needs money to operate and Petcetera needs the SPCA to legitimize its cat-and-dog adoption schemes".