In 2004, Felicia Allen rescued a large, magnificent horse from slaughter whose harness racing days were over due to a leg injury. Felicia named the beautiful horse Oliver. The next year, Felicia rescued a mare from the same fate and named her Lacey.

In time Felicia would rescue two other horses from a similar fate who were named Star and Coco. Although Felicia has rescued and rehabilitated hundreds of horses in the past forty years these four horses became the permanent residents and Felicia raised, cared and loved the horses for 15 to 20 years.

Felicia is the founder of Equine Assisted Natural Healing (EANH) and the four horses eventually became non-riding therapy horses due to their friendly, calm and safe temperaments.

Felicia and Lacey featured on the cover of a local newspaper. Lacey was sold by the BC SPCA to strangers and could be living a life of abuse being a former racing harness horse likely to be bred over and over again and who cannot be ridden.

In 2021 Felicia had entered into a commercial lease contract with a property owner in Surrey, BC for a barn and approximately an acre of land so that she could re-launch her equine therapy business after a hiatus due to Covid-19 restrictions. "I was looking forward to once again working with mostly youth at risk and children with autism in my non-riding, therapeutic program with the horses."

However, the lease arrangement didn't work out because Felicia found out the following year that she was not allowed to operate an equine non-riding therapy business on the property. Then Felicia was assaulted by the landlord and was taken to Emergency at the hospital by the RCMP. "That's when the BC SPCA took the horses, refused to contact me and took advantage of my situation." she says.

Felicia took legal action on the BC SPCA in the BC Supreme court for the return of her horses. The Court eventually ordered that the BC SPCA return the horses to Felicia. The BC SPCA returned the horses who had been in their foster homes for three months during the lengthy court processes by this time and two days later the BC SPCA took the horses again. This time Felicia says that, "the BC SPCA killed Oliver and Star and sold Lacey and Coco. I was in grief beyond belief. What kind of evil people do this?"

Star who was named by the children in therapy was tragically killed by the BC SPCA after being seized by them two days after a Supreme Court judge had ordered Star returned to Felicia. "Star was in her best years. Healthy, vibrant, sweet. Her biggest crime was that the BC SPCA couldn't make a profit selling a former rescue animal off the harness race track. The vet that was hired by the BC SPCA did not recommend euthanasia for Star."

Felicia's horses were killed and sold without notice provided to her as required by the BC Prevention Of Cruelty To Animals Act, section 17(b)(i).

The horses were my life, my loves and my partners. After the BC SPCA took them two of the horses were murdered by them and two sold for profit without me even knowing. This was all done behind my back which is not allowed under the BC Prevention Of Cruelty To Animals Act.
Felicia Allen

Felicia has filed another claim against the BC SPCA in the BC Supreme Court. She alleges corruption by upper management in the BC SPCA and by the BC SPCA policing section. "If BC SPCA Marcie Moriarity, Eileen Drever Eccles with her husband Sean Eccles break the law and are found to be corrupt, this time I hope they pay dearly for it. Killing animals for sport and selling them for profit shows the way that they operate in my view." She seeks considerable damages and vows to "get my two horses back. Somebody is hiding my horses that are alive. You know who you are and I hope karma strikes your family just as hard if you do not find the integrity and morals to contact me."

Oliver is terrified, frightened and doesn't understand what is happening to his human and herd family of nearly twenty years. Oliver was cruelly killed after three months by the BC SPCA.

The media and alleged wrongfully seized animals

The media has documented many instances of BC pet guardians speaking out that their animals have been wrongfully seized by the BC SPCA. The pet owners fight back against the BC SPCA animal policing section for their beloved animals. Most recently, Dale Malkinson's lost her little dog of eight years to a stranger that the BC SPCA sold her to, Al Magaw lost his dogs either to BC SPCA euthanizations or selling the animals, Marisa Panter fought hard in the media to get her Dashshund dogs back (and had to pay the BC SPCA's $5,570.25 bill for the dogs detainment for two weeks to the BC SPCA) and there have been many others.

No one knows how many millions of dollars that the BC SPCA has paid their lawyers to what Felicia says is "fighting legally with the public to keep, sell or euthanize animals while their owners are desperately fighting for their animals to get them back. Judging by the outcomes, it's mostly a loosing battle for the pet guardians and much worse for their animals who are traumatized, locked in cages, face death or being sold to a stranger when all they long for in their grief and confusion is to be with their loved ones."

Felicia and Oliver

Felicia founded the BC SPGA in 2023 to "stop the sacrilege of innocent animals by the BC SPCA. We are not talking about those who run mills or do the unthinkable to animals, this is about wanted animals being taken from their guardians who do not have the financial or other resources to get them back. The animals are the innocent victims. The BC SPCA are entitled to their costs for seizing a pet under any and all circumstances. That in itself defies logic for an organization running an over $80 million surplus from public donations given to them for the care of animals. It is cruel, abusive and terrifying for the innocent victims - the pets."

This section on definitions is very important to the whole bill. I have a great deal of concern about the minister's comments when we talk about the definition of the word "stress." Here we have a large group of individuals -- members of the SPCA -- throughout British Columbia who will be charged with the responsibility for a specific act and given the power of enforcement, and the definition is very subjective. The interpretation of the degree of stress is wide and varied; there may be hundreds, if not literally thousands, of unique, individual interpretations of stress. If we cannot specifically define a word in a bill that is the fundamental basis of this legislation, and if we do not have specific parameters around the definition, how can the act be enforceable?

MLA Clifford Serwa, Member of the British Columbia Legislative Assembly for Okanagan West Okanagan South (1986-1991). Legislative debate on Bill 4, Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Amendment Act.

Again going back to section 2, subsection (c)(2)(b) talks about the subjective terms "injured, sick, in pain or suffering." Here is the problem. If we don't have a standard for this, how can anybody enforce a law?
we expect people who are authorized agents of the SPCA -- volunteers, possibly -- to go out, administer the law and say: "That's pain." You haven't given them any standard to go by. That's my fear about this bill.

MLA R. Chisholm, Member of the British Columbia Legislative Assembly from 1991 to 1996. Debate on Bill 4, Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Amendment Act.

When the BC SPCA then take furry family members knowing that most people can't afford to buy them back from the BC SPCA if even given the opportunity then you have, I agree, what a woman described as "the Mafia" in correspondance received by the former BC Agricultural Minister.
Felicia Allen

We need an overhaul of our law enforcement system as it serves animals. It is unacceptable and possibly unconstitutional to have laws pertaining to animals, or any other laws, enforced by a charity which is exempt from mechanisms of public accountability and transparency essential to the responsible use of such power.
- Jordan Reichert Deputy Leader, Animal Protection Party Of Canada

Drever almost ruined this case of real cruelty because of "playing to the media". But, as is being shown all over North America, playing to the media to get donations is what "Cruelty Seizures" is really about, not animal welfare. If the seizures were about animal welfare, most animals would not be seized but would be left in their familiar surroundings and improvements enforced through fines. If the seizures were about animal welfare, none of the animals would be summarily killed by the SPCA.
Animal Advocates Society of British Columbia

I object to granting any organization a legislative monopoly unless there are truly compelling reasons to do so. It is not good for the taxpayers to have no choice, and it is not good for even the best-intentioned organizations to have no competition or possibility of competition in the future.
Hans de Jong, Member of the British Columbia Legislative Assembly for Abbotsford Central Fraser Valley (1986-1991)