Just hours after the BC SPCA recovered 16 dogs in distress from a Quesnel property this morning, a man convicted of animal cruelty in Saskatchewan has been charged in relation to a seizure north of Williams Lake that included 46 neglected dogs and puppies.
Terry Baker has been charged with two counts of animal cruelty under the Criminal Code of Canada after the animals were seized from his rural Cariboo property back in February.
“This again was another very troubling case because it involved an individual who already had a conviction for animal cruelty under the Criminal Code and had a limit of 10 dogs placed on him as a result of a conviction and seizure back in Saskatchewan,” says BC SPCA Chief prevention and enforcement officer Marcie Moriarty.
“He, unfortunately, continued to accumulate and breed dogs, and we ended up removing 46 very neglected dogs and puppies from his rural property.”
Moriarty notes that the dogs will always need very specialized homes.
“They required extensive intervention. Primarily we’re dealing with serious psychological distress in these animals, lack of socialization, and inbreeding,” she says.
“It’s been intensive for our staff and volunteers to get these dogs back to a state where they can be adopted.”
Of the 46 dogs, only eight remain in BC SPCA care.
If convicted, Baker faces a maximum fine of $10,000, up to five years in jail and up to a lifetime ban on owning animals.
– with files from Rebecca Kelli, My Cariboo Now
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