|
The British Columbia SPCA has successfully cited psychological abuse as a factor in the seizure of an 11-month-old Rottweiler. The Victoria Branch SPCA successfully obtained a warrant to seize the dog on Feb. 22 based on new Animal Care Guidelines passed by the BC SPCA Board of Governors on Jan. 26, 2002. “This is a significant step forward for animals in all BC communities,” said Lorie Chortyk, Director of Community Relations for the BC SPCA. “Until recently the focus of investigations around the province has been on physical cruelty and neglect. The new guidelines reflect our understanding that animals are sentient beings with emotions and strong social needs.” She said that since the enforcement guidelines were approved in January SPCA officials have applied the new standards in several investigations. “In this particular case we have successfully used emotional abuse as a key factor in our ability to obtain a warrant.” On Feb. 20 the SPCA responded to a complaint about a young Rottweiler chained in a backyard in the Victoria region. “We found a dog tethered to a crate that was too small to provide adequate shelter, living in her own excrement, with virtually no human companionship or exercise,” said Maureen Accleton, acting manager of the Victoria Shelter. “It was a miserable existence.” Accleton said the SPCA’s first step, as required by law, was to issue instructions to the dog’s owner to improve the animal’s circumstances. “When we returned on Feb. 22 no effort had been made to help the animal and we made a decision to pursue the case based in part on the emotional cruelty inflicted by her confinement and isolation.” The SPCA will present its evidence within the next few weeks to Crown Counsel, the body that decides whether or not to lay formal charges under the BC Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act. The seized Rottweiler remains in the custody of the SPCA, where she is receiving assessment from a local veterinarian to determine her physical and psychological health. Chortyk said the case marks a major change in animal cruelty enforcement. “Whatever happens in this case we want people who neglect their pets, both physically and emotionally, to know that we are significantly raising the bar on how animals are treated in this province,” she said. “The feedback we have received from the public supports this change, and we are determined to purse more cases of emotional and psychological abuse under our new guidelines.” She said the sections of the SPCA’s Animal Care Guidelines relating to emotional distress are based on academic research in the field of animal behaviour. “We know, for example, that dogs are pack animals -- they need regular social interaction or they will become extremely anxious and depressed. To deprive a dog of companionship is as cruel as withholding food or water.” In addition to the new enforcement guidelines for dogs and cats, the SPCA is currently developing species-specific guidelines for a number of other animals. Chortyk said training is currently under way with BC SPCA Special Provincial Constables around the province to assist them in applying the new standards when investigating complaints of animal cruelty and neglect. The SPCA’s Animal Care Guidelines follow the Five Freedoms – an approach used by other animal welfare organizations around the world. The guidelines state that all animals must receive care that enables them to experience:
Freedom from thirst, hunger, and malnutrition;
Freedom from discomfort;
Freedom from pain, injury, and disease;
Freedom from distress; and
Freedom to express behaviours that promote well being.
|
