Puppy mill - 160 dogs, 7 cats, 1 rabbit
Rawdon, QC (CA)

Incident Date: Friday, Sep 26, 2008

Disposition: Convicted

Defendants/Suspects:
» Francesco Coelho
» Carole Lapalme - Alleged

Case Updates: 2 update(s) available

While members of the emergency services department of the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) remain on the ground in Texas along with regional staff and HSUS volunteers seeing to the needs of hundreds of animals rescued in the aftermath of Hurricane Ike, other members were called to assist in a puppy mill bust in Canada.

The HSUS was called to Montreal last week to supplement the work of Humane Society International (the international arm of The Humane Society of the United States) in a groundbreaking puppy mill bust. After weeks of collaboration with the Canadian Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, on Friday they raided an abusive breeding facility and rescued more than 100 dogs living in horrendous conditions.

This is thought to be the largest puppy mill raid in Quebec in more than 10 years, and HSUS says these are among the most deplorable conditions that they have ever come across at a puppy mill. The dogs, ranging from Chinese Cresteds to Dogs de Bordeaux, were housed in tiny wire cages strewn throughout a dilapidated barn and home located on the property. These cages were stacked to the ceiling in some places, and filled with feces and mud. Ninety percent of the animals we rescued were nothing but skin and bones. Many were so frail that they could barely lift their heads as they were carried out to safety.

The HSUS team found the skeletal remains of several dogs still locked inside their cages. This disturbing sight was a stark illustration of the deadly cycle of the puppy mill industry. These animals are born in their wire prisons, breed there-and ultimately die there if no one intervenes. Sadly, help came too late for the mound of incinerated dogs that we found outside the home. These could possibly have been animals that were killed after they ceased to produce puppies.

One member of the HSUS team said "I have lead many puppy mill raids during my career, but this may be the most disturbing facility I have ever set foot on. The scene in the ramshackle barn was especially gruesome. The conditions were so horrific that I am surprised we found any live animals in that structure. The barn was filled with wooden boxes and wire cages about four feet tall with no doors or openings. Several matted dogs were crammed into each filthy enclosure. The only way to get a dog in these cages would be to literally throw them in and seal the top behind them. The design of these enclosures made it almost impossible to get any food or water in to the dogs. I have never seen anything quite like this tangled maze of despair. We had to physically pry these death traps apart just to get the dogs out.

"Things were not much better inside the house. We had to search in places that the average person would never dream of keeping a dog. Our team found animals in every nook and cranny of that house. At one point we rounded a corner to find a small closet door. Inside we found several cages of dogs crammed into the dank space. In the midst of these cages we found a plastic storage container sealed with a closed lid. Inside there was a small beagle who had been left there to die. We thought he had already passed away until he took several shallow breaths. He was rushed directly to the shelter for veterinary care, but he did not make it alive. The fact that this dog spent his last days inside a sealed plastic coffin will haunt me for the rest of my life.

"The horrors inside the house culminated in the basement, where dogs were kept in a dungeon of wire hutches. The smell of feces and ammonia in this pit nearly overwhelmed our team as we struggled to free the dogs. I immediately noticed that one cage held a tiny Lhasa Apso puppy less than a week old who looked especially weak. As soon as I touched his ice-cold body I knew that he was fading fast. We rushed him back to the emergency shelter for the immediate care he so desperately needed. The shelter's vets have informed me that he has improved slowly over the past day, and is expected to make a full recovery. He is one of several dogs we saved who would not have survived another day of neglect and abuse".

All 110 dogs who were rescued Friday were transported back to the emergency shelter, evaluated by a team of veterinarians and given necessary immediate medical attention. CSPCA's shelter was not equipped to take in such a large influx of additional dogs, so the HSUS team worked with CSPCA to convert a training facility into an emergency shelter where all of these rescued animals will be comfortably housed.

Case Updates

References

• - Sept 29, 2008

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