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57 malnourished, feces-covered dogs seized from Smiths Falls-area home Charges pending against owner; homes needed for dogs
ISABEL TEOTONIO AND ZEV SINGER
Ottawa Citizen
Tuesday, September 21, 2004
When the authorities came to take away almost five dozen golden retrievers from the home of a Smiths Falls-area woman last Thursday, the dogs, packed into three small rooms, were wall-to-wall.
The 56 golden retrievers and one black lab mix were malnourished, infected with para sites and matted in feces. They had bite wounds from living so close up against each other. Some were stunted, physically and mentally, from inbreeding.
As of last night, 14 of the 57 dogs had been euthanized after assessment by veterinarians.
The owner of the house has not been identified since charges are still pending, but officials at the Lanark Animal Welfare Society say she is a li censed breeder. The investigation into the case is ongoing.
Inside her run-down Montague Township house, where some of the walls didn't have drywall, the woman kept 54 of the dogs, all of which were removed. There were another 28 dogs in an outside kennel. Three of those were taken away, but the woman was left with 25 dogs, under the condition that she take some of them for veterinary care.
Dr. Ann McEwan, a veterinarian who examined 33 of the removed dogs, said it was the worst case of neglect she's seen.
“I've never seen dogs as caked in s--t as these,” she said. “Literally, there was no way you could touch them anywhere on their body without coming into contact with feces.”
Larry Wilkinson, of the Lanark Animal Welfare Society, went to the woman's home on Thursday with a veterinarian, four animal control officers, and an OPP officer after the society received multiple complaints about the state of the home.
“The floors and the walls were black from feces, urine and mud,” Mr. Wilkinson said. “The smell was overwhelming.”
Mr. Wilkinson said the woman fed the dogs some dog food, but their diet also consisted of boiled beets and bread. Bits of plastic bag that the dogs have been passing since their rescue lead him to believe that the loaves of bread were consumed without ever coming out of the package.
Dr. Gaelin O'Grady, the second veterinarian, said she didn't believe the woman meant to harm the animals.
“I wouldn't call this an abusive situation,” she said. “It's a case of severe neglect. She's never deliberately harmed these dogs.”
Mr. Wilkinson said yesterday that he would have liked to raid the home months ago, which might have saved some more of the dogs' lives, but couldn't get enough co-operation from the public. He said people would call in and tell him about the house, but were not willing to give their names and provide the specific information he needed to get a warrant to enter the home. Only after months of working on the file, did he find people more willing to speak up.
His hands were also tied by the township's bylaws. Mr. Wilkinson said many municipalities have bylaws that require an annual inspection in order to acquire a kennel licence ― a requirement that the Ontario Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals had urged all municipalities to adopt.
But Montague Township, where this incident occurred, has no such bylaw. “If they did, this probably wouldn't happen,” said Mr. Wilkinson.
Finding good homes for the remaining 43 dogs could be a challenge, because some of the more inbred dogs may be difficult to handle, Dr. McEwan said.
“The ones that are going to be the most challenged behaviourally are the young pups, because given the situation they were in they were very closely bred ― brother-sister, fatherdaughter.”
Seven- or eight-month-old puppies that should be 18 to 23 kilograms are only about nine kilograms, she said.
“If they're that severely undersized they have the physical problems associated with that, but they also have the mental problems,” she said.
Those could include behavioural problems like a propensity to bite out of fear.
Raising them will require a lot of love and patience.
“It's going to be a bit of a challenge,” she said.
However, the worst biters were already euthanized, she added, saying that was the single biggest reason for putting those dogs down.
Biting is actually a bigger problem among golden retrievers than most people realize, she said.
“They are probably more prevalent for dog bites than what you hear for pit bulls,” Dr. McEwan said. “They bite more often, but unfortunately pit bulls tend to do more damage so they get all the press.”
According to Brian Pemberton, a spokesman for the Ontario Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, cases like this one with the house of golden retrievers are becoming more common.
“The trend is certainly upwards and this number is not totally out of the ordinary,” he said. “Let me rephrase that ― it's bad, but it's not unheard of.”
People who want to make a donation toward the care of the rescued dogs or who want to adopt one can contact the Lanark Animal Welfare Society at 283-9308.
WITH FILES FROM JOANNE LAUCIUS
© Ottawa Citizen 2004
ISABEL TEOTONIO AND ZEV SINGER
Ottawa Citizen
Tuesday, September 21, 2004
When the authorities came to take away almost five dozen golden retrievers from the home of a Smiths Falls-area woman last Thursday, the dogs, packed into three small rooms, were wall-to-wall.
The 56 golden retrievers and one black lab mix were malnourished, infected with para sites and matted in feces. They had bite wounds from living so close up against each other. Some were stunted, physically and mentally, from inbreeding.
As of last night, 14 of the 57 dogs had been euthanized after assessment by veterinarians.
The owner of the house has not been identified since charges are still pending, but officials at the Lanark Animal Welfare Society say she is a li censed breeder. The investigation into the case is ongoing.
Inside her run-down Montague Township house, where some of the walls didn't have drywall, the woman kept 54 of the dogs, all of which were removed. There were another 28 dogs in an outside kennel. Three of those were taken away, but the woman was left with 25 dogs, under the condition that she take some of them for veterinary care.
Dr. Ann McEwan, a veterinarian who examined 33 of the removed dogs, said it was the worst case of neglect she's seen.
“I've never seen dogs as caked in s--t as these,” she said. “Literally, there was no way you could touch them anywhere on their body without coming into contact with feces.”
Larry Wilkinson, of the Lanark Animal Welfare Society, went to the woman's home on Thursday with a veterinarian, four animal control officers, and an OPP officer after the society received multiple complaints about the state of the home.
“The floors and the walls were black from feces, urine and mud,” Mr. Wilkinson said. “The smell was overwhelming.”
Mr. Wilkinson said the woman fed the dogs some dog food, but their diet also consisted of boiled beets and bread. Bits of plastic bag that the dogs have been passing since their rescue lead him to believe that the loaves of bread were consumed without ever coming out of the package.
Dr. Gaelin O'Grady, the second veterinarian, said she didn't believe the woman meant to harm the animals.
“I wouldn't call this an abusive situation,” she said. “It's a case of severe neglect. She's never deliberately harmed these dogs.”
Mr. Wilkinson said yesterday that he would have liked to raid the home months ago, which might have saved some more of the dogs' lives, but couldn't get enough co-operation from the public. He said people would call in and tell him about the house, but were not willing to give their names and provide the specific information he needed to get a warrant to enter the home. Only after months of working on the file, did he find people more willing to speak up.
His hands were also tied by the township's bylaws. Mr. Wilkinson said many municipalities have bylaws that require an annual inspection in order to acquire a kennel licence ― a requirement that the Ontario Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals had urged all municipalities to adopt.
But Montague Township, where this incident occurred, has no such bylaw. “If they did, this probably wouldn't happen,” said Mr. Wilkinson.
Finding good homes for the remaining 43 dogs could be a challenge, because some of the more inbred dogs may be difficult to handle, Dr. McEwan said.
“The ones that are going to be the most challenged behaviourally are the young pups, because given the situation they were in they were very closely bred ― brother-sister, fatherdaughter.”
Seven- or eight-month-old puppies that should be 18 to 23 kilograms are only about nine kilograms, she said.
“If they're that severely undersized they have the physical problems associated with that, but they also have the mental problems,” she said.
Those could include behavioural problems like a propensity to bite out of fear.
Raising them will require a lot of love and patience.
“It's going to be a bit of a challenge,” she said.
However, the worst biters were already euthanized, she added, saying that was the single biggest reason for putting those dogs down.
Biting is actually a bigger problem among golden retrievers than most people realize, she said.
“They are probably more prevalent for dog bites than what you hear for pit bulls,” Dr. McEwan said. “They bite more often, but unfortunately pit bulls tend to do more damage so they get all the press.”
According to Brian Pemberton, a spokesman for the Ontario Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, cases like this one with the house of golden retrievers are becoming more common.
“The trend is certainly upwards and this number is not totally out of the ordinary,” he said. “Let me rephrase that ― it's bad, but it's not unheard of.”
People who want to make a donation toward the care of the rescued dogs or who want to adopt one can contact the Lanark Animal Welfare Society at 283-9308.
WITH FILES FROM JOANNE LAUCIUS
© Ottawa Citizen 2004
