TO: MICHAEL STEVEN, PRESIDENT
and THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS
BC SPCA
________________________________________________________
Do you know why you work for and support the SPCA?
Is it just a job or another Board stipend, maybe a little bit of 'high profile' thrown in....or, are you one of those people that truly are sickened by the cruel and unthinkable acts that are carried out against animals. Helpless creatures, whose very quality of life depends upon humans, just like you and your neighbours. Can each of you defend that your connection to the SPCA is because of your personal and compassionate commitment to preventing cruelty and promoting respectful animal
welfare wherever possible?
If the later is accurate, then I find it extremely perplexing
and disheartening why each of you still find it necessary to constantly 'grind' down those who stand so proudly and tirelessly against the horrific cruelty that takes place hourly to the defenseless animals of our province.
It is impossible for any of you to defend the beatings, torture, discarding, starvation and other unspeakable cruelty that people rain upon helpless animals. Unless each of you have been living in a bubble, there is no excuse for not listening to and acting upon the expertise and wisdom of those that dedicate their lives to the
welfare of animals.
The SPCA was launched as an honourable institution, with honourable intentions regarding the protection of animals. It has been my observation and experience (with countless others I may state), that the honour of the SPCA as an institution has been eroded. No institution is immune from greed, toxicity and power-grabbing. After all, you are all human with all the frailities of being
human. And though.....IT IS NO EXCUSE FOR NOT UPHOLDING THE CORE COMMITMENT OF THE SPCA.... and each of you clearly knows what that commitment is.......... unless your reasons for contributing your time to the SPCA were less than truthful.
It is time to stop the grinding, whining and discounting of those external to the SPCA that are truly making a difference in the lives of thousands of animals in the Province of British Columbia. Be accountable and make a difference. Do not forget for a second, that you are all the 'bankers' of the hard-earned dollars of those that really care about the welfare of animals..... we have TRUSTED that you are not lying, spending our money wisely and really do care about the animals. Are you still trustworthy?
Thus said.........I urge you to officially place on the Agenda of the September 7th/02 meeting of the Board of Directors of the SPCA, the following urgent matters......
1.. The rescue of the dogs in Topaz Creek: After ignoring several years of requests to you to seize these dogs and remove them from being chained in the woods, and when the small organization Creston PAWS, did rescue them all, you allowed the media to give you credit, which would have resulted in a flood of donations to you
- the very organization that refused to help these dogs, and which would have been sent to Creston PAWS, which did all the work and paid all the bills, if the public had known the truth. Although the media finally did publish the truth, it was not for a week and not until letters pointing out that theft of credit equals theft of money. I
urge you to give the money you received under a false impression to Creston PAWS to help it pay its enormous bills incurred doing what you refused to do.
2.. Cosmetic mutilation of animals by SPCA employee: Your own guidelines say this practice is unacceptable to you, and yet you permit the manager of the Salmon Arm SPCA to crop ears and dock tails of the puppies she breeds and sells. breeds.htm). Close your eyes for a moment, and really think how it would feel for a fragile, tender baby animal to have their tail (a critical limb for balance) slashed off and their little ears (critical for hearing and safety) slashed into 'pretty' designs that please humans. Did you hear of the little baby that just died after being circumcised? Now really think about this act!
3.. The manager of the Salmon Arm SPCA breeds several breeds of dogs and horses, making her by some authorities' definition, a puppymiller (read details in the link below http://www.animaladvocates.com/cgi/messageboard.pl/read/1043.
I believe that it is a conflict of interest for employees to breed and sell animals while thousands of excess are being killed - many by you yourselves (see details: Feeding your own industry - day job pays to dispose of excess animals, side job pays to breed more http://www.animaladvocates.com/spca-breeds.htm).
I urge you to start pushing the provincial government for control of breeding laws,especially for dogs and cats, the species that the SPCA kills thousands of a year. (Read the AAS proposals "Too Many Dogs" http://www.animaladvocates.com/too-many-dogs.htm>,
and "Too Many Cats"
http://www.animaladvocates.com/too-many-cats.htm>.
4.. I urge you to draft provincial Pet Store laws. You know that the abuse and neglect in pet stores is staggering and that there is much hidden cruelty by owners and staff that is reported anonymously to animal welfare organizations, you among them. What is holding you back? Is it just too uncomfortable to think about.... is that why you choose not to draft new laws that would prohibit such treatment? There needs to be Standards in law, and spot inspections of all stores. (You can read about Pet Stores here:
http://www.animaladvocates.com/pet-store-pups.htm .
5.. I urge you to apply your own "Five Freedoms"* and your own "Animal Care Guidelines"
http://www.animaladvocates.com/spca-guidelines.htm)
to help chained dogs. In September of 2001, the BC SPCA publicly said it would "Raise the Bar" on seizures for psychological and emotional neglect of dogs kept on chains, in pens, garages, and yards etc. Except for the seizure in February in Victoria of "Scarlet" the penned Rottweiler (which seizure was only made after you received a letter from Animal Advocates Society pointing out that it knew that the Victoria SPCA was refusing to take any action at all on her behalf and it was prepared to publicize this, (Scarlet, a young, healthy dog, died a few months later while in the care of the SPCA); except for unlucky Scarlet, as far as AAS knows, you have not used your guidelines to stop this common mistreatment of dogs. Again, I urge you to start applying your guidelines in conjunction with the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Actas you said you would. *The BC SPCA's Five Freedoms Freedom from fear and distress Freedom from pain, injury and disease Freedom from hunger and thirst Freedom from discomfort Freedom to express normal behaviour
6.. I request that you clearly defend why the BC SPCA CEO would require a salary of $132,000. We are a Province in financial crisis...... people are losing their jobs, children are going hungry, social services are being cut, schools closed, etc..... and for some reason the CEO of the BC SPCA feels an increase in salary is necessary. This is folly and greed at its best. The everyday person, who salary continues to be eroded by taxation and still manages to send a few meager dollars to the SPCA for the protection and respect of animals. What are you thinking????? To give the CEO a raise in salary is discounting all that continue to work with salaries frozen. After all, you are a non-profit organization.... did someone forget that? It is the SPCA's own shelters that should have the increase in budget. The BC SPCA's reputation was damaged severely by the revelation that the CEO of the Vancouver SPCA was making $204,000 a year, but in relation to many other CEO's of much larger US animal welfare organizations, $132,000 is more than generous. (See a comparison:
http://www.animaladvocates.com/cgi/messageboard.pl/read/1252
It is time to spend money on the grim, dirty, miserable cells that you keep your animals in and call "shelters" (See how the you spend the donations you receive - on yourselves and on your animals
(http://www.animaladvocates.com/spca-haves-have-nots.htm)
7.. I urge you to start doing factual and honest research ducation about all animal welfare issues, educate yourselves, and permanently halt the taking of helpless caged creatures to shopping centres to be mauled by children, calling this education when it is really only to get donations. This is misleading and you know it. (See http://www.animaladvocates.com/cgi/messageboard.pl/read/1282 to read the details of an SPCA education farce)
8.. I urge you to stop the practice of using legal intimidation and threats to silence your critics ( Read here how the SPCA has used this fear of ruin to try to silence its (accurate) critics. http://www.animaladvocates.com/cgi/messageboard.pl/read/1284.
There is no glory in having control over the helpless or anyone for that matter..... much can be achieved through a generous spirit.....are you?
Your earliest response, please, would be most appreciated. Thank you.
Lynne Somerville
WestCoast Employability Coaching Inc.