A British Columbia woman who has been fighting since day one to get her lost dog – although identified by a tattoo – back from the hands of the SPCA lamented that she has been living a nightmare as she was allegedly sold to another family .
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“I would like to talk to the people who have it and ask them to return it. I would like to sell everything I have to give them enough money to buy their own dog. I don't want another dog. I want my dog,” Dale Malkinson shouted in an interview with the National Post on Friday, shortly after he was thrown out of civil court.
The British Columbia woman's nightmare began in April 2022 when her little Zeva, a Yorkie-type dog, allegedly ran away while she was feeding her lambs on her land.
That day, her owner searched for her until after midnight in vain as she feared the worst due to predators in the area, she continued to English-language media.
At the same time, the Pitou was reportedly found on the side of the road in the South Peace region of northeastern British Columbia before being taken to the British Columbia Society for the Prevention of Animal Cruelty (BC SPCA).
However, a faded identification tattoo would have prevented the organization from locating the owner, and the dog's anti-rabies tag would have resulted in them calling someone else who would not respond to their calls.
So much so that after four days, Zeva would have been put up for adoption in Abbotsford under the name Delilah.
To make matters worse, Zeva's owner then took steps to try to adopt “Delilah,” who looked a lot like her dog, who she now believed to be dead. However, the BC SPCA then reportedly responded that they were only considering local adoptions because the dog needed some appointments with the local dentist.
She became increasingly convinced that the photo was Zeva's and then took steps to prove it was the same dog. However, one family had already adopted the Yorkie by the time they received confirmation.
Today, she laments that the organization still refuses to simply notify the new family of the situation after she sued the BC SPCA in civil court in hopes of getting her dog back nearly two years later.
“For the privacy and confidentiality of everyone involved, it would not be appropriate for us to inform the new owner of this information. The court […] “Confirms that the BC SPCA acted in good faith,” Kaila Butler, senior communications director for the BC SPCA, told the National Post.
In British Columbia, according to English-language media, it only takes four days for a stray animal to become the property of the SPCA, so the civil court would have sided with the organization.
“I accept that the BC SPCA did their best to find Ms Malkinson […] The BC SPCA had the right to give Zeva to a new owner after holding her for more than four days […] Ms Malkinson no longer has the right to claim Zeva,” Peter Mennie, the court’s arbitrator, would have ruled.
Yet Dale Malkinson would sacrifice all of his meager savings to buy a new dog for those who keep Zeva.
“I just want my dog back,” she told the National Post.