.

The BC SPCA animal policing section has been raiding and seizing animals from reputable British Columbia rescue and sanctuary societies from alleged public complaint(s). As a result, the non-profit societies are facing huge financial costs that they must pay to the BC SPCA and legal costs in their efforts to obtain the animals back.

Felicia Allen, an animal rescuer for over fifty years in British Columbia, who has fought and won back BC SPCA seized animals in the BC Supreme court says that "Animal rescues and sanctuaries are particularly vulnerable to BC SPCA animal cruelty seizures because many of the animals arrive injured or in need of medical care, many others are in recovery and others are rehabiliatated for traumatized behaviours which takes time. Some of the animals will have to live permanent retirement lives since they suffer from conditions that can be managed but not fully restored to ideal health."

Felicia points out "that if an SPCA cruelty investigations officer walks in the door ofcourse there are going to be animals in distress which is so loosely defined in the BC Prevention Of Cruelty To Animals Act. It's an effective way to shut down no-kill rescues in British Columbia simply by blaming the rescue operators for the condition of the animals." "The BC SPCA should be helping the rescues since they do have over $80 million in public donations for the care of animals sitting in funding reserves," however Felicia doesn't see that happening, "as long as the BC SPCA continue to do animal cruelty policing."

Dogway Rescue

Cherry LaTour has been running the Dogway Dog Rescue since 1993 and registered the rescue as a society in November, 2011. Upwards of 4,000 dogs have been rescued in the rescue's 15 years of operation. The rescue is on a spacious six acre property with large fields and an in-progress 3500 square foot kennel with vinyl floors from a local flooring company. The kennel is designed by an architect who has researched other kennels and plans have been submitted to the City of Mission. Dogway was waiting on building permits.

On January 4, 2023, the BC SPCA seized 63 dogs from Dogway Rescue.

“We don’t make these dogs distressed,” LaTour said. “They come to us distressed. They come from meat markets in [other countries], they come from brothels, they come from terrible situations where they are beaten.”
Cherry LaTour, Dogway Rescue

Cherry LaTour told the press that Dogway Rescue spent upwards of $60,000 on veterinary care in 2022.

We have five staff and some of them have been here for 10 years,” LaTour said. “These people are exquisite dog lovers, and they’re not going to stand by while dogs are not treated well.
Cherry LaTour, Dogway Rescue

However, BC SPCA Eileen Drever Eccles, senior officer of protection and stakeholder relations, told CBC that "This individual has an opportunity to dispute the seizure," she said. "We will do everything in our power to ensure these animals don't go back."

Mrs. Eccles also told CBC that there is little oversight of rescue organizations in the province. When questioned later about the remark Felicia replied, "The same could be said of the BC SPCA animal cruelty investigations operations. There is no independent oversight at all."

When the dogs had been seized from Dogway Rescue, the BC SPCA issued a press release to the media about the animals seizure although no review or appeal procedures had been concluded.

Despite Cherry's attempts to appeal the dogs seizure with supporters providing testimony and evidence that the rescue was properly caring for dogs and that efforts had been made to improve operations and conditions, the BCFIRB Tribunal that oversees animal custody seizure appeals ruled the animals should not be returned.

Cherry was ordered to pay the BC SPCA its costs of $75,392.71

On March 21, 2023 a petition was filed in B.C. Supreme Court. The petition says that the BCFIRB Tribunal allowed inadmissible and tainted evidence and therefore the Tribunal's decision should be set aside.

The SPCA's Eileen Drever Eccles told the CBC that she hoped the case would serve as a lesson about the responsibilities required in caring for an animal.

The road to recovery for a very corrupt and broken system here in BC is to have animal cruelty investigations enforcement done by the provincial government as in Ontario which will free up the BC SPCA to be the charity it was founded to be.
Felicia Allen, animal rescuer and educator

Suzaku Sanctuary

The Suzaku Sanctuary Society is a federally and provincial registered not-for-profit society that provides a permanent home for abandoned and re-homed exotic birds, pigeons and rabbits. Warren Brundage, executive director of the sanctuary was interviewed on April 21, 2021 by the Richmond News about safety concerns over rabbit snaring as well as Lesley Fox, executive director of The Fur-bearers. Both societies had safety concerns about people using snares to catch rabbits.

On May 26, 2023 the BC SPCA animal cruelty investigations officers seized 162 rabbits, 10 pigeons, two guinea pigs, a rooster and a chicken from the Suzaku Sanctuary. BC SPCA Eileen Drever Eccles told the Trail Times that the SPCA could recommend that Crown counsel approve charges against Warren Brundage.

At the time the SPCA seized our animals, there were no animals that fit what people would consider to be distress, but that doesn’t necessarily matter to the SPCA. They define ‘distress’ on the spot, and they do it entirely subjectively.
Warren Brundage, Suzaku Sanctuary

Warren Brundage will try to get his animals back.

“They seized them after only two weeks of investigation, and that’s unheard of … It’s normally two months, sometimes four months … We were doing out best to comply with what the SPCA wanted us to do, and they came in and seized the animals anyway,” he said. Warren Brundage, Suzaku Sanctuary