AR-News: (CA) SPCA staff 'rescue' dog slated to die

[Animalara2003 at aol.com]

http://www.southdeltaleader.com/portals-code/list.cgi?paper=48&cat=23&id=25386
4&more 

By Daniel Pi
South Delta Leader

Two local SPCA staff have been suspended from work after they kidnapped a dog 
scheduled to be euthanised Wednesday morning.
Amanda Muir and Kirsten McConnell took the young Rottweiler/Labrador cross 
named Cheech after failed attempts by several people, including representatives 
of the Animal Advocacy Society, to halt plans to put the dog down.
According to a biography posted on the Internet, Cheech's owner raised him to 
be a guard dog. Not yet a year old, he came into the hands of the SPCA in 
February 2004 and has undergone rehabilitation, said Lorie Chortyk, spokesperson 
for the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.
"All our attempts to help it recover have been unsuccessful," Chortyk said. 
"Unfortunately, all the assessments have shown it was becoming increasingly 
aggressive around men and children."
The decision to euthanize Cheech wasn't made lightly, Chortyk added, and four 
people signed off on the decision. Asked about Muir's role in the process, 
Chortyk answered, "She's very emotionally attached to the dog."
Muir survived a Rottweiler attack in 2003 while transporting a dog to the 
Tsawwassen Animal Hospital. She worked at the SPCA shelter at the time, and 
suffered broken bones in both her arms before passersby intervened. 
Chortyk said the SPCA has to balance saving animals and the safety of the 
community, and the organization believed the dog could not be re-released to the 
community because of its aggression towards men and children.
In an email to the B.C. SPCA, Judith Stone, president of the Animal Advocates 
Society of B.C., recently offered to foster Cheech and bear the costs.
However, Chortyk said it's not a matter of money or expertise, but rather the 
safety of people who might come in contact with Cheech, adding that the SPCA 
would continue to be responsible for the dog's actions. Chortyk also said 
Stone's organization has not assessed the dog, and therefore doesn't understand 
the dog's disposition.
Delta Police were called Wednesday to recover the dog but were unsuccessful. 
Chortyk said the SPCA continues to work with police to get Cheech back. 
Chortyk said the dog would not be reassessed or given more time for rehabilitation.
As of noon Thursday, the location of the Cheech was still unknown and calls 
to Muir and McConnell were not returned by the South Delta Leader's deadline. 
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"Not having known anything better does not alleviate the suffering of the 
animal. Its fundamental desires remain and it is the frustration of those desires 
that is a great part of its suffering. There are so many examples: the dairy 
cow who is never allowed to raise her young, the battery hen who can never 
walk or stretch her wings, the sow who can never build a nest or root for food in 
the forest litter, etc. Eventually we frustrate the animal's most fundamental 
desire of all - to live." --David Cowles-Hamar. 
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>' .' 
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