Court must decide fate of more than 500 seized dogs - CTV.ca
Updated: Sun Sep. 18 2011 1:54:20 PM
CTVNews.ca Staff
A Quebec court will determine whether more than 500 dogs seized from a puppy farm will be put up for adoption or returned to their original owners.
Hundreds of allegedly malnourished dogs were confiscated from Paws "R" Us Kennel in Clarendon Township, about 90 minutes northwest of Ottawa, this weekend and placed under the care of an animal welfare group.
Guy Auclair, a spokesman for the Quebec Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, said it's the largest such raid that's ever occurred in the province.
"We have had this kind of situation before, but (with) a lower number of animals," he told The Canadian Press on Saturday.
Auclair said it's now up to the courts to decide what will happen to the dogs. He added that the investigation is ongoing and charges could be laid against the operators of the breeding facility.
Officials allege more than 500 dogs were living at Paws "R" Us without adequate food and water. Many of the kennel dogs were reportedly suffering from skin and respiratory problems.
Laurie Scott, a spokesperson for Humane Society International Canada, said she hopes the dogs will be able to find new homes.
"They just so desperately need a second chance so we'll be turning to the public for that," she told The Canadian Press.
HSI Canada helped the Quebec government confiscate truckloads of dogs from the rural breeding operation on Friday and Saturday in what could represent the largest animal cruelty case in the province's history.
Rebecca Aldworth, executive director of HSI Canada, said the confiscated puppies were living in some of the worst conditions she's ever seen.
"This was the largest facility of this kind we've ever come across," Aldworth told CTV News Channel on Sunday.
"The puppy mill capital"
For Aldworth, the raid emphasizes the need for stronger regulations on commercial animal breeders in Quebec.
"We need stronger laws in this province and we need more consumer awareness," said Rebecca Aldworth, executive director of Humane Society International Canada.
Quebec has long been referred to as the puppy mill capital of North America with an estimated 800 unregulated breeding operations in Montreal alone.
The raid comes as the Quebec government prepares to introduce new animal welfare regulations designed to crack down on puppy and kitten mills.
Aldworth said the updated animal protection laws will help deter unethical breeding operations but noted that pet lovers need to do their part too.
"Consumers need to be aware that when they purchase a dog over the Internet or in a newspaper ad…they could unintentionally be supporting a puppy mill or an unethical breeding facility," she said.
She advises prospective pet owners to purchase animals from shelters and practice vigilance when buying from a small facility.
Breeder speaks out
The dogs seized from Paws "R" Us Kennel were transported to an emergency shelter where animal welfare workers were on hand to care for them.
Paws "R" Us is owned by members of the Labombard family, who have been running the facility for more than 16 years.
Co-owner Nicole Lobombard maintains that the dogs were sufficiently cared for.
"There's a veterinarian that visits the facility every two weeks and vaccinates my puppies," she told CTVNews.ca in a phone interview on Saturday.
Labombard says the facility has automated feeding equipment on every animal pen and that the visiting veterinarian would have told her if the puppies were malnourished.
Friday's raid was the result of multiple inspections conducted by officials, said Aldworth.
"What they observed in this facility clearly warranted the removal of the animals," she said.
With files from The Canadian Press
*Submitted comments are subject to moderation before being displayed.| 18 Comment(s)
Curious
What happens to those puppies now?
Davis
I sure hope all these animals are not being shipped off to the "Berger Blanc" animal pound for mass slaughter.
We all know what that place and its uniquely cruel methods of killing (euthanasia is a "sugar coated" word)that they perform. There needs to be a government in Montreal dedicated to building a no-kill/non profit animal shelter in the city.
And there needs to be in Quebec a huge public awareness campaign to drive it into the heads of people what their irresponsibility will amount to and how they can help homeless animals with new homes instead of continuing the vicious cycle of negligence and cruel death. We would not do this to people, in fact our governments are keeping senior citizens alive well beyond Mother Nature's intention.
It used to be that 80 was an old age and if someone died we accepted that "that" was a long life. Now they keep people alive well over their 90s into their 100s with unnatural methods of pharmaceuticals etc. If we can act like Dr. Frankensteins keeping them alive we sure as hell can act like Mother Theresa when it comes to the most neglected of our society.
Yes I'm talking about our 4-legged friends. I don't care who disagrees with me, use your damn conscience. You know this province and its people are hugely neglectful.
Just stop being defensive that you're being attacked for it and own up to it and fix it!
Wendy Lynch
"Officials say the investigation into the facility is ongoing and charges could be laid." ... COULD BE LAID .... COULD BE ??
What the h*ll is the matter with govts. and 'humane societies'?
Of course charges should be laid and this family should NEVER be allowed to raise any animal again - ANYWHERE in Canada! Someone should put all the family members in filthy pens and give them "sufficient care"! And, if indeed a vet. was going to the facility every two weeks and ignored these poor animals and their 'living' conditions - he/she should no longer be able to practice veterinarian medicine.
WestKwes
While I personally detest puppy mills, the way govt "officials" conducted their operation gets the same reaction from me. Frequent inspections of this agricultural business raised no red flags, vet visits were regular and the demand from us the people is strong, so how come Nanny needed to stomp on it so heavily?
Ella-Max
Will there be a follow up to this or will we never know what happened to these poor sentient beings? It's one thing for the media to flash a story up with a crisis and give us the impression that the alarm bell was signaled and rescue happened.. but where does it end? Is it a good beginning for the rescued animals or will they be put to death? I and many other people want the blunt truth not a fairy tale.
Lise Nisco
Viewing this video brought tears to my eyes.... I'm so happy that they puppies have been removed from the facility and hopefully a better life will be in their future. I am offering to volunteer to "foster" a puppy or two to help intergrate them and prepare them for their "adoptive homes". I would also be interested in adoption as well. I have a 21/2 years old miniature poodle, and as a hobby I do dog grooming.....
kathy M
I laugh at these commercial breeders who stand in front of a TV report with crocodile tears in their eyes citing that they took good care of their dogs.
I'd love to see them sit in a small cage for the next 10 years in their own urine and feces, then fed the same crappy slop their fed their own dogs, and THEN claim that this is appropriate care. Huh!
The government needs to get involved and regulate these people. The government should also take initiative in educating the public on how to properly purchase pets and how to properly identify quality dog breeders from these horrible profiteering mills.
Frankly it will cost a fortune to re-habilitate and re-home these dogs, and as far as I'm concerned the Lalombards should be made to pay the entire cost of the re-homing operation or risk losing their property, so that funds could be raised to pay for the mess that they've created in the first place.
Sorry! I have NO sympathy for that family and anyone like them. Chances are good that they were not any kinder to their pigs when they were pig farmers.
Once an animla abuser always an animal abuser. These people have little or no respect for other living creatures and look upon them no differently than they would a pair of shoes.
Alex
These people should be treated the same way they treated those poor animals, see if they like it.
They can't even be called "animals" it would be an insult to the four-legged race.
will
If a vet visited that place every two weeks, he should loose his licence and be charged. Being a Quebecer these days, is friggen embarrassing.
frank
to answer curious question, most of them will be soon in puppy heaven, yes, life is cruel and not fair...
MJ
The animals will have to be cared for by HSI until ownership is resolved by the courts. They might need foster parents, but not adopters at this time. This case shows us how lacking our federal law is regarding to animal welfare. To avoid supporting a puppymill, adopt from a rescue group or shelter, not online or from a petstore.
Niki
From my experience on seizures done by the SPCA Montreal in the past, the dogs will be taken care of by ANIMA QUEBEC until a judge decides if the puppy mill is guilty or not. The owners might also decide to release the dogs to ANIMA QC. In that case, or if they are found guilty, the dogs can be put for adoption (well, the ones that are in a good enough shape to be adopted). Please people, stop encouraging pet stores or answering to ads in the papers advertising dogs. Adopt, don't shop. Thousands of dogs are killed each year because of surpopulation in pounds.
ronnie from montreal
I could not BELIEVE what I had seen yesterday !! this was the icing on the cake , now it's time to shut all puppy mills down for good and this owner should be charged heavy and NEVER allowed to own another puppy or dog ever again !! when I saw the conditions I could NOT BELIEVE what these poor dogs and puppy's were in , now this is the BIG raid , time to shut them all down and ban this for good, if you saw this on t.v. last night you should think about this people who are doing this and they dont give a sweet f.... as long as they sell there puppys oh yes I want that puppy in the pet store .now you know were there coming from .this should be banned for life after seeing this on t..v shut them ALL DOWN ,BAN THIS AND MAKE THE OWNERS PAY FOR WHAT THEY DID TO THESE DOGS & PUPPY'S! make me sick !
Maureen
Montreal just built itself a new opera music hall. Quebec wants a hockey arena. Yet no one in Quebec is doing anything to give decent shelter (no kill place) to these little guys that bring us loads of joy. They give us so much and take so little back and this is how we treat them? This is wrong. Kids need to be taught in school "responsibility" and proper pet ownership. Growing up with a sense of awareness of responsibility and understanding of the needs of what amounts to as a furry 4 legged child will be the base for becoming a good person.
BlakeG
FINALLY! The people that operate this place should be charged, banned from animal ownership, and pay for ALL medical care and treatment required. Sell their property if required. 2. Anyone that has a pet from there should start up a class action against the owners of the "kennel" (I wouldn't even call it that) to recoup all medical costs required and previously paid for. 3. The Vet that was used by this place should lose his licence and be charged if he turned a blind eye and did nothing about this place. Who is this greedy Vet anyway? Finally another mess closed! No do something PROACTIVE! Fix the laws!
Leslie Weir
This is another reason pets should not be sold in pet stores, and puppy mill people should go to jail. It seems simple but it won't happen. Too many people don't give a dam, they think dogs are products, they are not, they are part of the family, rescue dogs, seeing eye dogs, dogs work in airports, with firefighters, with police officers and with avalanche search and rescue. Puppy miller's are lazy don't give a dam people that should not be able to do that in Canada, or anywhere else for that matter.
Ross
What I would like to know is. Is our Quebec Government getting some sort of kick backs from all these puppy mills here in Quebec that's why they will not tighten the laws.
Curious
Well I would definately adopt one of these dogs and pay the shipping expense to my home and what ever adoption fee I would have to pay rather then have him/her put down. This story is so, sad.
19 Sep, 2011
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