WE bring you two stories this week about dedicated volunteers looking to improve the lives of animals.
One is about B.C. SPCA, which took in Webster, the poodle-cross who was neglected and left abandoned with a broken leg. The other is about Animal Liberation Front spray-painting and stink-bombing a West Vancouver fur dealer.
We won't make the argument that the fur industry is beyond reproach or that fur even looks good - both deserve fair questioning. But we will note that these two groups, both ostensibly motivated by a love of animals, use two different methods that produce two different results.
In one case, we have self-described radicals damaging property, making threats and tying up police and fire resources. In the other, we have committed volunteers and professionals taking a dog out of harm's way and giving him a second chance at a full, good life.
The anti-fur activists' action, ironically, boils down to fashion over function. They made a big scene but four-leggeds are no safer today than they were the day before. Webster, on the other hand, is wagging his tail with a full tummy and is ready to go to a forever home, which undoubtedly won't take long.
Score one for the SPCA, which gets by entirely on donations like the ones they are seeking to help pay for Webster's care.