Kitchener woman loses 30 pets after Animal Welfare Services inspection

An “overwhelming obnoxious pungent smell of urine and feces.”

That is how Animal Welfare Services Inspector Callea Baese described the conditions in a home on Crosby Drive in Kitchener while executing distress warrants on June 22 and July 19.

Twenty seven dogs and one kitten were removed from the home of a Kitchener woman and multiple Statement of Accounts (SOA’s) were served to her for the cost of the continued care of the animals.

The woman appealed the removal of her pets to the Ontario Animal Care Review Board, as well as two of the SOA’s. She argued that the animals were being fed, sheltered and cared for, and the condition of the home was not sufficient to put the animals in distress.

However, because one of the SOA’s she was served was not appealed or paid by a due date, the animals were forfeited, and unable to be returned to the owner. That left two puppies born in the Chief Animal Welfare Inspector’s Care that could be returned in an appeal, but that was not the board’s decision.

The board dismissed the appeal and confirmed the amount owing in the SOA’s.

According to the legal document, during cross-examination, the woman acknowledged that she was not able to properly care for 23 or more animals and the conditions in the home were unsafe.

The animals were also examined by Dr. Farr, a veterinarian and medical director of the Hamilton-Burlington Society for the Protection of Animals (SPCA). She determined that “the animals were soiled and smelled of urine; many had long nails and matted coats. Many were anxious. Some showed signs of dermatological infections.”

However Farr did conclude that “overall the dogs were in good condition.”

In multiple photos taken at the home from the initial inspections, Bease pointed out to the board “piles of debris and garbage as well as feces and urine stains” in the living room, kitchen, bedrooms, bathroom and basement areas of the home.

There were photos that showed the basement floor “covered with a dark thick liquid.” Bease also pointed out dogs in many of the photos with wet fur as a result.

New photos of the home were presented to illustrate improvements to the conditions, though the board deemed more evidence was required to prove any animals returned to the home would not be placed in distress.