Three cases of animal cruelty probed that involve nearly 100 animals
Published Wednesday March 18th, 2009
Amid growing concern that Canada's animal cruelty laws are too lax, New Brunswick SPCA uncovered three more cases over the weekend involving a total of nearly 100 animals.
In the most alarming of the three, five full-grown Boxer dogs and 30 chickens were found dead Saturday on a property in the Restigouche area.
Marguerite Diotte, animal protection officer for Restigouche County, discovered the dogs in a shed with blood on their noses and mouths.
The cause of their death is still unknown and a necropsy - an autopsy for animals -has been ordered on the dogs.
Diotte said the SPCA was still working to track down the owners of the animals, but added that "there are charges that could come from this."
In a separate incident Saturday, a total of 36 young dogs were recovered from a puppy mill in the Bathurst area after a warrant was executed with the RCMP.
Paul Melanson, chief inspector with the New Brunswick SPCA, said the dogs are in "various stages of health," with some suffering from frostbite, malnutrition and bite wounds.
The dogs were Bernese Mountain, a retriever-cross, huskies and a variety of mixed breeds. Twenty-one of the animals were brought to Fredericton and are being kept at a facility for seized animals. The rest are in Dalhousie.
The SPCA also removed three dogs and 20 pigs over the weekend from a property in Madawaska.
Melanson said the pigs have frostbite and that one of the dogs was emaciated. He anticipates charges in at least two of the incidents, if not all three.
Melanson acknowledged that there have been an inordinate number of animal cruelty cases in recent months.
"I don't know whether it's because more people are reporting them, or because there are actually more cases," he said. "We know that puppy mills are increasing, because they mean tax-free money."
The rash of incidents follows public outcry over a February court decision that found a Minto man not guilty of killing five Pomeranian puppies with a hammer.
Oromocto MLA Jody Carr, an outspoken critic of current animal cruelty laws, said both the federal and provincial laws need to be reformed.
He said the federal law deals with the penalty after the fact, while provincial laws cover prevention, enforcement inspection and regulations.
"Both need updating," Carr said. "The federal laws for the penalties - especially for severe cruelty - and then the provincial laws in terms of these puppy mills and (other) situations."
- with files from CanadaEast News Service
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If this bill was passed so quickly why not one to update animal protection laws
The biggest supporter of puppy mills are pet stores.Make them provide a paper trail.
They should be liable for cruelty for keeping puppies & kittens in small glass enclosures for weeks on end with no opportunity to be housetrained,leash-trained,socialized,no fresh water,& feces,urine everywhere
Breeders should be licensed & inspected to ensure proper breeding criteria, cleanliness & adequate food&shelter for the animals
Spaying & neutering should be mandatory for non-breeders (maybe as demand increases vets would reduce their charge)Stiffer fines & no ownership of animals of any sort ever for abusers, & review of what abuse includes conducted by veterinarians.