Hoarding 50 dogs - Cariboo, BC

Thursday, May 18, 2006

SPCA investigators want to throw the book at an animal owner after stumbling across one of the worst cases of animal cruelty they have ever seen. One dog had to be put down and 49 others moved to a shelter after B.C. SPCA responded to a complaint on a rural property outside Williams Lake. "It was an absolutely abysmal case of neglect and animal cruelty," said B.C. SPCA general manager of cruelty investigations Marcie Moriarty. "It's one of the worst I have ever seen, it's right up there."

Moriarty told 24 hours that one dog had a collar embedded around its neck, causing severe wounds and infection. "It was in critical distress and we had no choice but to euthanize it on site," she said. Other dogs now at an Okanagan shelter are severely malnourished. "One dog, a mother of four, was just a skeleton when we got her," she said. "We're not sure about their condition. It's too early to tell."

Moriarty said the SPCA and RCMP are looking at charging the owner, who did not own the land where the animals were found, under both the Animal Cruelty Act and the Criminal code, which could land a six-month jail sentence, $2,000 fine and restrictions on owning animals. "The sentences available are woefully inadequate," she said. "But we'll definitely be seeking a jail term."

References

• 24 Hours Vancouver - May 18, 2006

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