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Edmonton puppy mill case
EHS Puppy Mill Case updates:
UPDATE ON COURT CASE - GUILTY PLEA
January 21, 2009
May Poon of Edmonton has pled guilty today to two charges under the Alberta Animal Protection Act after causing animals to be in distress in her west Edmonton home last spring. She has been fined $5,000 and is prohibited from owning animals in Alberta for the rest of her life.
The charges stem from a commercial breeding mill which was discovered on April 1, 2009 in a home at 17215 - 60 Avenue in Edmonton. A concerned citizen had called the Edmonton Humane Society’s (EHS) Animal Protection department concerned about the “imminent danger” of some animals inside the house. EHS Animal Protection Peace Officers found 42 animals (32 dogs and 10 cats) housed in tiny cages, living in their own feces and urine. In many cases the cages did not have water or adequate food.
The Edmonton Humane Society is pleased with the court order of prohibition placed on Poon. The EHS feels that this sends a strong message to the public that commercial breeding without caring about the well being of animals, will not be tolerated.
This case placed a significant strain on the Society, and none of the proceeds of the $5,000 fine that Poon is required to pay will come to the EHS. It is estimated that it cost the EHS approximately $20,000 to treat the animals for serious medical and behavior issues before they were adopted. Funds to care for the animals came from the EHS' Sick & Injured Animal Fund, set up to help animals in the Society's care which require major medical attention. Click here to donate to the "Sick & Injured Animal Fund."
The EHS is confident that there are other puppy mills in Edmonton yet to be uncovered. Anyone suspecting that they may know of one is strongly urged to call the EHS’ Animal Protection Department at 780-491-3517.
News coverage of guilty plea:
iNews 880 (click here)
CTV Edmonton (click here)
Edmonton Sun (click here)
Edmonton Journal (click here)
Global TV Edmonton (click here)
Click here for tips on how to select a reputable breeder.
Charges laid in Edmonton’s first puppy mill investigation
Edmonton, October 9, 2009 - Edmonton Humane Society (EHS) Animal Protection Peace Officers have completed their investigation into the city’s first puppy mill case and have laid charges against an Edmonton woman. May Poon of Edmonton is facing eight charges under section 2 of Alberta’s Animal Protection Act. Here is the breakdown of charges:
1. Causing distress – APA Section 2(1) “No person shall cause or permit an animal of which the person is the owner or the person in charge to be or to continue to be in distress.” This is a global charge for all dogs involved in this case;
2. Causing distress – APA Section 2(1) “No person shall cause or permit an animal of which the person is the owner or the person in charge to be or to continue to be in distress.” This is a global charge for all cats involved in this case;
3. Animal care duties – APA Section 2.1(a) “A person who owns or is in charge of an animal must ensure that the animal has adequate food and water.” This is a global charge for all dogs involved in this case;
4. Animal care duties – APA Section 2.1(a) “A person who owns or is in charge of an animal must ensure that the animal has adequate food and water.” This is a global charge for all cats involved in this case;
5. Animal care duties – APA Section 2.1(b) “A person who owns or is in charge of an animal must provide the animal with adequate care when the animal is wounded or ill.” This is a global charge for all dogs involved in this case;
6. Animal care duties – APA Section 2.1(b) “A person who owns or is in charge of an animal must provide the animal with adequate care when the animal is wounded or ill.” This is a global charge for all cats involved in this case;
7. Animal care duties – APA Section 2.1(d) “A person who owns or is in charge of an animal must provide the animal with adequate shelter, ventilation and space”. This is a global charge for all dogs involved in this case;
8. Animal care duties – APA Section 2.1(d) “A person who owns or is in charge of an animal must provide the animal with adequate shelter, ventilation and space”. This is a global charge for all cats involved in this case;
A preliminary court appearance is scheduled for October 28, 2009. If convicted, Poon could be prevented from ever having animals in her care again (prohibition), and could be fined a maximum of $20,000 for each charge.
The charges stem from a commercial breeding mill which was discovered on April 1, 2009 in a home at 17215 - 60 Avenue in Edmonton. A concerned citizen had called the EHS concerned about the “imminent danger” of some animals inside the house. EHS Animal Protection Peace Officers found 42 animals (32 dogs and 10 cats) housed in tiny cages, living in their own feces and urine. In many cases the cages did not have water or adequate food.
The EHS is confident that there are other puppy mills in Edmonton yet to be uncovered. Anyone suspecting that they may know of one is strongly urged to call the EHS’ Animal Protection Department at 780-491-3517. The call would not make a person a “bad neighbor”; it could potentially save animals’ lives.
June 19, 2009
Last of puppy mill animals adopted
New beginnings for all 42 animals removed from the Edmonton Puppy Mill home
The last of all 42 animals removed from Edmonton’s first discovered “puppy mill home” in April went up for adoption on Friday, June 19 at the Edmonton Humane Society’s shelter in northwest Edmonton. Four Siamese cats, and five Toy Poodles were made available after spending several weeks in foster care in order to be ready for their “forever homes”. This follows the previous adoption of the other 33 involved in the case. UPDATE AS OF Monday, JUNE 29: Rainbow the Siamese cat has been adopted now along with her three kittens that were adopted earlier in June. The only animal removed from the home left to find their "forever home" is Daisy the Toy Poode. (see all picture captions below)
The animals were removed from the commercial breeding mill in an Edmonton home on April 1, 2009 after a concerned citizen called the EHS about the “imminent danger” of some animals inside the house. EHS Peace Officers found 42 animals (32 dogs and 10 cats) housed in tiny cages, living in their own feces and urine. In many cases the cages did not have water or adequate food.
Many of the animals spent several weeks in rehabilitation with foster families in order to be adoptable for new owners. Some, like 10 year old Daisy (below), will never be completely housebroken, even though the Toy Poodle has come a long way.
“Daisy is so sweet and has made huge improvements with both socialization and housebreaking. I’d keep her myself if I didn’t already have a house full of animals, “says EHS foster parent Moira Laurie.
10 year old Daisy (above) - still available for adoption while still in foster care. To book an appointment to see her if you are interested in adopting her, call 780-491-3509.
Sunny, Breezy and Beau (above), their mother Rainbow (below) - The kittens were all adopted by Sunday, June 21.
Three Siamese kittens and their mother Rainbow (above), also removed from the home, also went up for adoption on Friday, June 19. The kittens were all adopted that weekend, leaving Rainbow at the shelter without them, hoping for HER "forever home." Rainbow was adopted however, on June 28. 2-year old Cinnamon and her puppies (shown below on June 19 when first placed up for adoption) quickly found their forever homes on Friday, June 19 when word quickly spread that they were available. The Toy Poodle was pregnant when she was removed from the house and gave birth to three pups in the old EHS shelter on Easter Sunday.
Cinnamon and her puppies (above)- all were dopted on Friday, June 19, just hours after being made available
The EHS thanks everyone who has been graciously donating to its Sick and Injured Animal Fund over the past few months to assist with the medical care needed for these animals. Many of them required intense dental work, and many of the female dogs had life-threatening infections in their uterus because of a lack of proper medical care. The essential medical care provided by the EHS has unfortunately drained the crucial fund, and the Society hopes more people wanting to make a difference will help replenish it by calling 780-491-3507.
UPDATE - April 13 - One of the toy poodles ( 1 year old Cinnamon) gave birth to three adorable puppies (all black and shown below) on Easter Sunday, April 12 in the shelter. The two female and one male pups are doing well and spending private time with their mom. The litter and their mother will be going into foster care for the next several weeks before any of them would be available for adoption.
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 7 month old Goliath, male Chihuahua mix - one of 7 puppy mill dogs adopted on April 8th within minutes of our doors opening to the public during the week of April 6th when the first batch of animals involved in the case went up for adoption.
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EHS medical staff gathering a blood sample for testing from one of the puppy mill dogs - April 6, 2009
Edmonton Humane Society investigates puppy mill case in the City of Edmonton
EHS removes large number of animals from Edmonton home overnight
April 2, 2009 - The Edmonton Humane Society (EHS) is investigating the case of a commercial breeding mill in the City of Edmonton after visiting a home on Wednesday, April 1 and finding 42 animals (32 dogs and 10 cats). The animals were being housed in tiny cages, living in their own feces and urine. In many cases the cages did not have water or adequate food. Charges under the Animal Protection Act are pending. The EHS responded to a citizen’s complaint about the “imminent danger” of some of the animals in the home. The home owner surrendered them only after the investigation began.
About a third of the EHS staff members worked that evening until close to midnight gathering the animals from the home and transporting them to the shelter. They were examined, vaccinated, and then staff identified the breed, gender and estimated age (shown below). Then the animals settled into the shelter to enjoy their first comfort of snuggling into a blanket or playing with a toy.
All of the dogs are the adorable and irresistible small breeds such as Chihuahuas, Pomeranians, Toy Poodles and even the designer breed “Poo-Pom" (cross between a Toy Poodle and a Pomeranian). Many of the cats were Siamese, including three newborn kittens. The owner admitted to selling the offspring on a popular buy/sell internet site.
The Edmonton Humane Society knows puppy mills, puppy brokers or commercial dog breeders exist in the City of Edmonton. This is the reason why the California animal transfer program was launched late last year to bring the popular small-breed dogs to our shelter on a regular basis in hopes of deterring people from on-line or newspaper ads and pet stores, where in many cases ads are placed by puppy mill operators or puppy brokers.
The EHS knows that this is a small scale mill and that there are likely larger scale operations in and around the City of Edmonton.
How You Can Help:
Considerable resources were needed for these animals, since many have severe dental issues that require extensive surgery, and many of the female dogs had infections in their uterus. The Society’s Sick and Injured Animal Fund exists to provide rehabilitation and treatment for animals that come from these emergency situations and we continue to rely on the public for financial support. To donate, we encourage you to call 780-491-3507.
Report abuse on-line or call 780-491-3517 to report suspected animal abuse.