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MLA Thornthwaite targets bad breeders

SPCA seeks funding to enforce any new regulations

A bill tabled this week by North Vancouver MLA Jane Thornthwaite is intended to bring puppy mills into line, but the new law may make no tangible difference without money to back it up, according to those tasked with enforcing its enforcement.

The Standards of Care for Breeders of Companion Animals bill, which passed first reading Monday, aims to shut down unscrupulous dog and cat breeders by making many existing voluntary regulations mandatory. The proposed legislation outlines a list of legal requirements for breeding animals, ranging from shelter specifications to nutrition to the number of litters allowed per animal. It also introduces a strict definition of breeder - as an owner of three or more intact females - and imposes significant punishments on those who break the new rules.

The move is a continuation of the province's legislative response to the highly publicized mass slaughter of sled dogs in Whistler in 2010, said Thornthwaite. That response has included new regulations around sled dogs and a tightening of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act among other things.

This latest bill is intended to stop up more of the gaps, she said. "If you see these animals for sale, you don't necessarily know where they were raised or how they were raised," she said. "If (you) ask those kinds of questions . . . and the person you're buying it from says 'No,' (they won't answer them), it's a pretty good chance it's a puppy mill. It is a rampant problem."

But while the proposal looks good on paper, it may ultimately make little difference in practical terms, since it doesn't come with any money for enforcement, said Marcie Moriarty, the B.C. SPCA's general manager of cruelty investigations.

"There are definitely some progressive actions in there - things around ear cropping, tail docking, limits on number of litters - a number of things we would absolutely support," said Moriarty. "I'm just not sure how our 26 constables who respond to 7,000 animal cruelty complaints already each year, all paid by donors, are going to be able to enforce this beyond what we do already."

The SPCA benefits to a limited extent from provincial tax breaks, and the province kicked in $100,000 toward the organizations $300,000 investigation of the sled dog slaughter, she said, but animal cruelty laws are enforced almost entirely at the expense of private donors.

"Besides words on paper, we haven't seen any tangible resources being provided by the government to assist the B.C. SPCA with enforcement."

In fact, things could soon be made worse by another piece of proposed legislation, Bill 24, which establishes a new appeal process for owners whose animals have been seized, said Moriarty. Her organization estimates the cost of complying with that change at $300,000 and 60 days of constable time annually.

Thornthwaite defended her legislation, however, saying it is not expected to give rise to more complaints. Rather, it will give investigators more tools to bring those breeders they do target into compliance.

It will also raise public awareness of the problem, she said, and perhaps prompt prospective pet owners to ask more questions about an animal's background before making a purchase.

Thornthwaite also said the increased data gathering required of the SPCA in Bill 24 may give the organization the leverage it needs to secure government funding in the future.

"That's an interesting suggestion," said Moriarty. She went on to argue the SPCA already publishes a great deal of data, but so far has had no luck using it to loosen government purse strings.

jweldon@nsnews.com