

CTV Vancouver





The family of a terminally ill dog breeder is speaking out after her 27 Boston terriers were allegedly surrendered to the SPCA without her knowledge.

Deanna Scrafton’s dogs, which include 16 puppies, were legally turned over to the Cowichan SPCA branch on Sunday, and adoption applications have been flooding in ever since.

There’s just one problem, according to Scrafton’s family: the terriers are already spoken for.

“These dogs do not belong to Deanna anymore. They’re all sold,” her father Mike Westrop said. “She’s found homes for them.”

Westrop said his daughter was recently admitted to hospital to undergo colon cancer surgery, and that’s when her husband called the SPCA and surrendered the dogs.

“He made arrangements Saturday night,” Westrop said. “When Deanna found out that the dogs were taken the nurses had to come in to give her a shot and settle her down.”

CTV News visited the breeder’s home on Tuesday, but there was no one there.

The Cowichan SPCA said the man who signed over the dogs on Sunday is their legal owner, and they will remain in various shelters and foster homes for the time being.

Branch manager Sandi Trent said the puppies are about four weeks old, so it will be a while before any of them can be adopted out, and the mothers also have to be neutered.

It’s unclear whether any of the dogs will end up with the original buyers, but Trent didn’t rule out the possibility.

“Unfortunately it becomes a civil issue at this point,” Trent said. “Our concerns are with the animals and making sure they have good, long-term forever homes with families that are good matches.”

The SPCA said it’s received more than 100 applications and dozens of phone calls and emails about the Boston terriers.

Most of the dogs were in healthy condition, but some were suffering mange and skin problems, dental issues and one has a suspected neurological issue. There is no cruelty investigation being conducted.

The SPCA confirmed it paid a few visits to the breeder’s property earlier this year and raised some concerns about living conditions and fleas, all of which were addressed.

Westrop said Scrafton cares deeply for the dogs, and he hopes something can be worked out so the animals end up with the people they were promised to.

“For Deanna’s sake, I want the people to know it’s important these people get their dogs,” Westrop said. “To be blindsided like that, we just don’t know what to do.”

With a report from CTV Vancouver’s Maria Weisgarber