Puppy mill - 9 dogs seized
Williams Lake, BC (CA)Incident Date: Thursday, Mar 15, 2007
Disposition: Alleged
Alleged: Shannon Currie
Case Updates: 1 update(s) available
The BC SPCA seized nine Shih Tzu type dogs from a breeder in a rural location west of Williams Lake on March 15, BC SPCA spokesperson Lorie Chortyk says.
The breeder is believed to be supplying puppies to pet stores in the Greater Victoria area.
"The dogs were dehydrated, badly matted, covered in feces and living in filthy conditions in a garage," General Manager of Cruelty investigations Marcie Moriarty says.
"One of the dogs was also suffering from an untreated eye condition."
SPCA officers also seized a sick and undernourished St. Bernard mix dog from the property.
The exact location of the seizure could not be named, Chortyk says, because the community is so small, to name the place would mean the property owner would be revealed.
"If people could see what we see at puppy mill operations, they would never want to be involved," Chortyk adds.
All too often people see a cute puppy and don't think about whether it is coming from a reputable breeder, she says.
Prices are higher with a good breeder because they are paying for proper veterinarian care and finding appropriate breeding partners.
"This case highlights the on-going problem of unscrupulous breeders supplying pet stores with puppies for sale," Moriarty says. "It's a simple case of supply and demand and it is the animals who suffer."
Unfortunately the BC Interior and the Okanagan offer good remote locations with large properties where breeders can go undetected, Chortyk says.
The recent seizure residence has been visited four times, at first with orders to improve conditions, Chortyk said. Then since November 2006, the BC SPCA has removed 21 other sick and neglected dogs.
The BC SPCA received a call about the puppy mill from a resident of the Williams Lake area.
"The latest seizure is part of an on-going investigation with this breeder," Moriarty says. "We have issued numerous orders and given her every opportunity to address the animal welfare concerns in facility but she has not complied."
The dogs taken into care in the earlier investigations have received veterinary care, grooming and have since been adopted into loving homes, Moriarty says.
The name and location of the breeder could not be named pending charges.
The BC SPCA investigation into this case will continue and charges of animal cruelty are pending. If charged and convicted, the breeder faces a maximum $2,000 fine, up to six months in jail or a prohibition on owning animals for a period of time determined by a judge.
Case UpdatesDog breeder Shannon Currie, a 12-year resident of Bella Coola wants to take the BC SPCA to court for defamation, harassment and slander.
She says the SPCA has already found her guilty of animal cruelty in the media before the case has come to court.
Last week the BC SPCA issued a press release stating it had seized nine Shih Tzu type dogs and one undernourished St. Bernard mix dog from a breeder in a rural location west of Williams Lake.
Currie says even though the SPCA did not disclose her name and location, because Bella Coola is such a small place, everyone in town knew it was her. Now she says her children are being harassed at school, her husband is harassed at work, and she cannot get a job in Bella Coola.
"There has been an extremely negative impact," Currie says.
Currie has hired a lawyer and is now looking into pressing charges against the BC SPCA for harassment. She is also trying to get her dogs back, one, an 11-year-old blind Shih Tzu who has been with her since he was six weeks old.
She says she was in the process of getting the dogs treated for conditions and had taken to them to the veterinarian. Currie says she purchased the dogs from another breeder in Alberta and they were not in good condition when she bought them.
The BC SPCA's third visit to her home on Feb. 26 was shortly after Currie had given birth to a stillborn baby, she says. It was a very stressful time. She says she had told the SPCA constable about the family's loss before he came to visit but he went ahead with the visit.
Then on March 5 BC SPCA came with two vehicles, the RCMP and a warrant. It wasn't long before everyone in Bella Coola knew about the seizure after the vehicles were seen at her home, she says. Currie says she has been breeding dogs for about nine years. She started with all Shih Tzu dogs and in the last year started breeding Maltese terriers.
She says she has spent thousands of dollars to give her dogs proper veterinarian care. One her dogs had an ulcer on his eye and Currie says she spent over $2,000 to transport the dog and have the eye removed in an expensive surgery.
"Does that sound like someone who neglects their dogs?" Currie says.
General Manager for Cruelty Investigations for the BC SPCA Marcie Moriarty says she feels for Currie and her personal problems but the SPCA was concerned for the health of the dogs.
"We have to put the health of the dogs first," Moriarty says. "We feel we took appropriate action."
Moriarty adds that no one forced Currie to become a dog breeder. She also says the SPCA gave Currie ample opportunity to rectify the situation with her dogs. The SCPA started the investigation in November of 2006.
Releasing the information to the media is the policy of the BC SPCA in situations where a large number of dogs are seized, she says. The primary purpose is public education.
The SPCA procedure is to send a press release after the initial seizure and then another when the charges are accepted. The name of the animal owner is public in the court system at that time, Moriarty says.
This procedure is similar to what the RCMP do in criminal cases, she adds.
Concerning the possible harassment and slander case, Moriarty says Currie is within her rights to take the issue to court but the SPCA stands by its actions. | Source: The Williams Lake Tribune - April 2, 2007
Update posted on Apr 4, 2007 - 1:37AM |
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