KEY POINTS:
An outstanding contribution to animal welfare has earned Kerikeri's Jim Boyd the Royal New Zealand SPCA gold medal.
The Bay of Islands' Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals inspector is known for his work on tough animal-abuse cases. It's a job that would make many weep, he says.
His secret? He's dogged. "I don't know how to back off and back down.
"I keep on plodding on until I get what I'm looking for."
As a national "troubleshooter", Mr Boyd reckons he has prosecuted 200 cruelty cases, of which he has lost just two.
One dogfighting case took five years to solve, and his efforts have even sparked death threats and a price on his head.
The former police officer received his award at the society's annual conference in Wellington. He said it was a "delightful" surprise that left him stuck for words.
He is on the council that gives the award, but his plane was delayed last Friday so the rest of the group held a meeting then to approve his medal.
Mr Boyd said his police background helped his SPCA work, but animal cases were harder to solve than those involving people.
People could talk, whereas the SPCA relied on animals' body condition and physical injuries.
He has found that those who treat animals poorly generally treated people the same way.
"The same people I'd been chasing around as a police officer for beating their wives and children were the exact same people who were beating their animals," he said.
Mr Boyd ascribes much of his success to his close working partnership with his "lovely wife" Gail, Bay of Islands' SPCA manager.
The couple also run an export kiwifruit business and share their home with five children as well as horses, cats, dogs, birds, mice and tropical fish.
- NORTHERN ADVOCATE
