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Animal Abuse Cases - Details |
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Puppy Mill - (Falkland, BC - CA) Crime Date: 03/27/2003 Case Status: Alleged Abusers/Suspects:
Linda Douglas
Case ReportDogs, horses and marijuana plants were seized from a residence near Falkland on March 27 after a Kelowna SPCA warrant for suspected cruelty to animals led to suspicions about an indoorindoor drug grow operation.
Property owners Linda Douglas, 49, and her spouse, James Hill, 49, are facing charges of possession and production of a controlled substance. The have been scheduled to make a first appearance in Vernon Provincial Court on May 14.
The RCMP were at the residence on Highway 97 to keep the peace during the SPCA examination and eventual seizure of 51 small-breed dogs and five horses. "I suspect this is the largest seizure of animals in B.C. in recent memory," said Lorie Chortyk, community relations manager for the SPCA. "There were far more animals there than we thought."
Douglas owns the commercial dog breeding operation known as the Puppy Patch. She called the SPCA action unnecessary harassment and said the animals are well-loved and cared for properly.
"I am not a puppy mill," she said as she wiped tears from the corner of her eyes. "I love these dogs, all of them."
The SPCA investigation is ongoing and they are recommending charges of animal cruelty be laid. After Crown Counsel reviews the case, they will determine what, if any, charges could be laid under the Criminal Code or the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act.
The animals on the property were assessed by a veterinarian and deemed to be in sufficient distress to warrant removal. The animals were being kept in large open pens and investigators say they did not have adequate food, water or shelter.
"The dogs were badly matted, covered in feces, and appear to be suffering from a wide range of problems including respiratory problems, ear infections, blindness and infected teeth," said Chortyk. One poodle cross was in serious condition and was rushed to an emergency clinic in Vernon for treatment. Five cocker spaniel puppies also remain in veterinary care suffering from anemia, a serious iron deficiency.
The vet, who would not give her name, expressed concerns about medical conditions in every dog she handled and five of six horses on the property were loaded into trailers. A 10-day old foal was led onto a trailer with open bleeding sores on each leg. A gelding scored one out of nine on a body conditioning scale, which indicates an extreme state of emaciation.
During the examination of animals, police and SPCA staff entered the residence. Cpl. Terry Johnson of the Falkland detachment said there was an obvious scent of marijuana in the home, so both owners were arrested for possession of a controlled substance. A search warrant was obtained and RCMP checked the downstairs area of the residence, discovering 171 marijuana plants and hydroponic equipment.
"It was not what I would call a major operation, but certainly enough to consider the charge of production of a controlled substance," said Johnson. Douglas said her dog breeding operation is a legitimate business and added she has many satisfied customers.
"How is she going to make her living now?" asked Douglas� son Christopher. "If they take them all, she�ll have no way to pay the bills, to pay the mortgage."
A bulletin board advertised over 12 varieties of puppies offered for sale including cocker spaniels, Shih Tzu, bichons, Maltese and poodles, along with various cross-breeds. Cocker spaniels sell for $300, a malti-poo for $350 and a Maltese for $450.
Douglas would sell privately from her home, but also said she would sell litters of puppies to brokers for pet stores at the Lower Mainland. She has sold puppies in the past to pet stores in Salmon Arm and Vernon, but said she preferred to sell to the coast because the local pet stores didn�t pay enough.
Douglas said she could not remember how many puppies she would sell, but estimated six per month. At the time of the seizure there were a number of nursing mothers along with 10 newborn puppies and five puppies under the age of seven weeks.
She told the Observer that the obviously underweight horse was one she had rescued from somewhere else and she was attempting to give him a better life. She also claimed to have rescued some of the dogs from poor situations.
"Maybe they don�t look too good, but they are loved," she said. She says the SPCA has visited her operation before, at least once a year for the five years she has been in operation, and she�s only ever received one warning.
"There's been no complaints and if they told me to do something, like put down straw in the dog houses rather than blankets, I did it."
Chortyk could not say how many complaints the SPCA has received about the Puppy Patch, although she noted the investigation has been under way since January after an animal rights group brought the situation to their attention. She also could not confirm if previous SPCA inspections found anything wrong, saying that a recent major SPCA restructuring has led to difficulties with incomplete or missing information on animal cruelty files from previous years.
The seized dogs were transported to the Kelowna SPCA shelter for further medical treatment and evaluation. Eleven shelter workers and a veterinarian stayed up until midnight last Thursday bathing and clipping all the dogs.
�They are all getting love and cuddling,� said Robert Busch, SPCA Interior regional manager.
The shelter is extremely busy with all the animals that have been seized over the last few weeks. On March 12, the SPCA seized 29 dogs from a residence in Silver Creek as part of another cruelty investigation.
To make room for the dogs from Falkland, 14 of them were moved to the Penticton shelter. The horses have been transported to an undisclosed location near Kamloops. Busch said the shelter is receiving tremendous response from the community with donations of food, but funds are needed to pay for the additional workers required to care for the animals.
The dogs can not yet be adopted out because they are part of the on-going legal investigation.
"On Friday we already had people waiting at the doors to adopt these dogs. We�ve had tons of phone calls. But these animals are still owned by someone else until a judge says otherwise," said Busch. References Case Search
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