The Prince George North Cariboo SPCA is caring for 31 adult German shepherds and 12 puppies seized from a breeder’s property southeast of town.
Marcie Moriarty, the BCSPCA’s Chief of Protection and Outreach Services, said the SPCA was first contacted by a person concerned about a German shepherd puppy on the property in mid-July.
The property owner denied investigators full access on their first attempt to follow up on the tip, earlier this week the SPCA returned with a warrant.
“What the constables found was absolutely shocking,” Moriarty said. “43 German shepherds removed from the property, including 12 puppies ranging from one week old to nine months.”
“These dogs were living in horrible conditions in outdoor kennels that were plywood soaked in urine and feces,” she continued. “[There was] no evidence that these dogs were getting the type of exercise and stimulation they needed.”
The dogs were “significantly” underweight and are currently being evaluated physically and physiologically in Prince George.
The sudden mass intake will put more strain on the system that has already been under a lot of pressure this year after 260 cats surrendered from a property in Houston.
“I have been with the SPCA for 20 years, very rarely do we have seizures involving this many large breed dogs, many of them with emotional challenges that will require a lot of our resources,” Moriarty said.
The SPCA hopes the breeder, who was not named, will not have the ability to have or breed animals again.
“The SPCA can recommend charges to Crown Counsel, what we would be seeking is a ban on ownership,” Moriarty explained. “We need to be there to speak for the animal and we hope the person gets the help they need, but does not continue to breed animals because these animals were really suffering.”
The intake of these 43 dogs has triggered a provincial emergency alert for the BCSPCA, who are accepting donations to help rehabilitate them.
Moriarty also said anyone looking to adopt from a breeder can find a list of best practices on their website to avoid funding breeders like this one.
Some of the puppies will be available for adoption within a few weeks, but Moriarty says it is too soon to say for many of the adults whose medical needs are still being assessed.
(Files by Will Peters-MyPGNow)
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