I am a pet owner, like millions of others around the world. But to me, my dog is not just a pet - she is my life. The bond we share transcends the ordinary; it's a connection that provides comfort, companionship and unconditional love. My dog was stolen April 10, 2022.  I live 30km out of town, she disappeared in less than 2 minutes.  This dog was always at my feet,  a long distance apart would be 100 feet. I was frantic I called, and searched I had heard a car pull away from the end of the driveway moments before I knew she was gone. She had never paid attention to vehicles before so I hadn't given it any thought. When she didn't come, I wondered if something about this car, had got her attention and she'd run down to the road. I grabbed a flashlight as it was starting to get dark and searched up and down the ditches worried sick she'd been hit. Nothing.  I searched until after midnight.  Back out again at 6am it was like she vanished of the face of the earth.  To me the only logical conclusion was that a predator got her. They have taken pets and livestock in broad daylight right in front of people.  I was heartbroken. May 1, 2022 I came across an Adopt a pet. She looked so much like my little girl and I missed her so much, I applied to adopt her I said I lost my Yorkie on April 10th,  I figured she was dead,  but I couldn't bring myself to say that, so I said lost. I said they had all the same issues and that they could be twins. The  ad said she was a young female Yorkie. Zeva was almost 9 when she disappeared that is not young,  it is middle to old depending.  May 2, 2022 the Abbotsford S.P.C.A sent me an email to say she already had an adopter.  I said if it fell through would they consider me. May 4, 2022 the Abbotsford S.P.C.A.  sent me another email this time saying they were only looking for a local foster to adopt situations.  I again asked if they wouldn't consider me. I said we have vets in Dawson Creek. I said I would drive down there to pick her up. No one ever mentioned she came from Dawson Creek. They told me she was having surgery on her teeth on May 26th and she wouldn't be adopted out until she had a clean bill  of health.  I went to the Dawson Creek S.P.C.A. at approximately 2:30 on the 27th of May,  thinking maybe they had a dog I could adopt.  I showed them the picture and said this is the dog I was hoping to adopt but apparently that's not going to happen,  they said "oh Delilah,  she came from here." I had been so sure my dog was gone, it took me a moment.  Then I said " exactly when did this dog come in. A girl went into the back room and came out with a photo and told me April 15th I looked at the photo and said " that is my dog. She was stolen? I was stunned. They said no she was found,  l said no, she was stolen. They said someone found her running down the road.  I said where was she found and when? They wouldn't tell me. I said she was positively stolen and weathered they dumped her when they realized she had bad teeth and severe separation anxiety or she escaped I don't know. I said she is tattooed and was wearing a collar with a rabies tag,  why didn't you call me". They said she had no tattoo and no collar or tag." I said she was wearing a purple and pink collar with a rabies tag, if she didn't have it on, some one took it off but she is definitely tattooed". She again said she had no tattoo, collar or tag. I said she is definitely my dog and she definitely has a tattoo.  I left and went immediately to the vet where I had them send off her 13 pages of vet bills.  I waited while she made me a paper copy and drove back to the S.P.C.A.  it was 2 minutes to closing when I got back.  The door was locked, I knocked,  no one came to answer.  I waited until 1 minute after then left. I went back with a friend when they were next open, with a statement I made about how much she meant to me.They still denied she had a tattoo or collar,  in front of my friend.  Then they told us she had a tattoo but it was too faded to read. She  said they tried everything but it was just too faded to make out any of it. That even if they had a partial they could probably have figured out who owned her. If that was true,  why not just say that to start with?? The intake form has her tattoo correct except for the first letter.  They had an A instead of a D. I'd say that's a pretty good partial. They eventually admitted she had a collar but the tags didn't come back to me.  I said how is that possible.  They said the vet must have screwed up. And again if this was true, why didn't they just say that in the first place? I said if the tag didn't come back to me someone changed it. I told them I have only had 2 dogs with rabies tags. I said it was possible I put Sprockets,  a cocker spaniel I once owned,  tag on by mistake. One girl looked down at the floor with a strange look on her face. At the time I thought she was feeling bad for me because I was upset. Thinking about it later, that was a tell, she knew something but was scared to speak up. I said the name would have been the same and a quick call to the vets would have confirmed i owned a Yorkie cross. One minute the tag didn't come back to me, then they would make it sound like it was just outdated information. This time they said she came in on the 14th.  And she'd been found sitting in the ditch.  They said they kept her for a month because they said she was well cared for and obviously well loved and they figured some one would be looking for her. They told us the person that "found " her had had her for several days before she brought her into the S.P.C.A.  who has a dog for several days and makes no attempt to find the owner.  Houses around here are about 1/2 mile apart,  knock on some doors. Put an ad on Facebook.  With all the people wanting to look like heroes because they saved a dog or cat or to shame the owner because they weren't looking after their pet, and yet the S.P.C.A didn't think this was more than a little off as well. The S.P.C.A. said that they had advertised her on their Facebook page. I didn't even know they had a Facebook page and neither did any of my friends.  We found their page and the post.  Several of my friends are friends with people that apparently shared, and yet she didn't show up on their pages? Again a little strange. She was in Abbotsford by the 28th of April.  That is not a month. I offered to pay for her dental work as I had been waiting for a cheque to come in, she went missing on the 10th the cheque came on the 15th. They told me she had been adopted on the 27th.  Really,  surgery on the 26th and she had a clean bill of health and was adopted the next day? I said she was stolen surely there must be extenuating circumstances? They said yes they could get her back, but she was theirs and I wasn't getting her back. They told me she was well cared for, obviously well loved and I had done nothing wrong and though they could get her back they wouldn't. I begged them. They told me they would talk to another lady and get back to me. This lady called me and very rudely told me I wasn't getting my dog back. This time I was told she came in on the 13th and she was climbing out of a ditch when she was found. Three different days. Three different scenarios. I was desperate. I called the city, I called the regional district,  the Ombudsman,  I talked to the people at the court house. All of them said what happened to me was wrong and they hoped I got my dog back. I filed a police report.  They wouldn't even tell the police officer or the local vet who the tag supposedly came back to, or the tag number. I called all the lawyers in town,  none of them practice that kind of law. They all said the same thing,  and wished me luck. I called the pro Bono line. I would wait for a call only to be told they were fully booked, it wasn't their  kind of law etc. I called at least 8 times.I found out the head office of the S.P.C.A is Vancouver.  I called that office. I talked to 4 different people.  All of them said what happened to me was wrong and they hoped I got my dog back.  It was one of them that told me to call LSLAP.  It took some time but she told me my next step was the Civil rights tribunal.  She said the good news was dogs are property and as she was stolen,  she should be returned. I filed with the civil rights tribunal.  I provided proof the S.P.C.A lied.  A witness to their lies. And apparently that doesn't matter.  They say right in the paperwork if you are caught lying or submitting false information you could be fined 10,000.00, I'm sure if I had lied they would of slapped me with a fine. One of the pieces of evidence,  a medical records report,  listed the patient as a neutered male of unknown breed??? Really my dog is a spayed female Yorkie  cross. I pointed that out as well but apparently that doesn't matter either.  The Civil rights tribunal said the S.P.C.A had the right to take my dog as she was straying,  how she came to be straying,  if she was I don't know. She definitely did not leave of her own accord.  It was 20 below out and she is a 2 lb Yorkie chihuahua cross. She wasn't out playing in the ditch. But even if she was there is No law against country dogs, straying or being at large in the country.  In fact the person that "found " her and picked her up with no intention of trying to find her owner, in fact stole her, as she had every right to be wherever she was. Zeva and I have a special bond. If I had to leave her with my mom, my mom, who spoiled her more than I did.  She said Zeva went from room to room crying for me. But she said she always knew when I was on my way because 3-5 minutes before I pulled in the driveway Zeva would go sit on the chair by the window and sit quietly staring out the window.  I suffer from depression and anxiety,  she means the world to me. She makes even the worst day better. I told the S.P.C.A that she might not be a registered therapy dog, but she was my therapy dog. They didn't care. I told them I had $2,744.00 enough money for whoever had her to buy their own Yorkie and make their own memories I asked them to make the offer on my behalf,  that they were welcome to the money, if they would just return my little girl. I had no idea when I would even get any more money, and I didn't care, that's how much she means to me. The S.P.C.A laughed in my face. The tribunal 
Said I didn't prove she was my dog by close of business hours on the 27 I positively identified her and described her collar.  The vet records were sent over and I was standing there, at the door 2 minutes to closing with a paper copy.  The fact that they refused to open the door apparently doesn't matter either. I do not believe the S.P.C.A acted in good faith in any way shape or form.  And I want my dog back. The S.P.C.A basically has a license to steal. That is reprehensible. 
Pets are considered family members by 85% of people according to an American Animal Hospital Association survey. They provide emotional support and have been proven to reduce stress levels significantly (American Psychological Association). Yet, despite these facts, there are still instances where pets are removed from their loving homes without due cause.

My plea is simple yet profound - return my beloved dog back to me. She is more than just an animal; she is a part of who I am. This petition seeks justice for all pet owners who have experienced similar heartbreaks.

I urge you all - fellow pet lovers and empathetic citizens alike - sign this petition in support of reuniting pets with their rightful owners when they have been unfairly separated. Let us stand together in the name of love and justice for our furry friends.