Sixteen dogs have been seized from a property in Quesnel by the BC SPCA.
A July 4 press release from the SPCA says the dogs were being kept in crates too small for their size in a poorly ventilated area, with little or no access to water and with feces/urine-soaked matting.
Karin and Catherine Adams have been named as the individuals keeping the dogs.
The BC SPCA says the pair are known to them, and were convicted of animal cruelty in 2015 after an SPCA investigation. Their sentencing included a 20-year ban on owning animals.
READ MORE: Trial set for Adams’ animal cruelty case
“It is extremely frustrating when we deal with repeat offenders, particularly those who breach the terms of their sentencing,” says Marcie Moriarty, chief prevention and enforcement officer for the BC SPCA.
“However, we are pleased that these dogs are now safe and are getting the attention and care they need.”
Moriarty adds that the SPCA was alerted to the situation by calls from concerned members of the public, and their investigation went on from there. “These individuals are very, very well known to us.”
She says that in the past, the Adams women have been caught with even more animals in their care. The pair has made concerted efforts to sell puppies in the past, and the BC SPCA has also previously found distressed horses in their care.
“They are notorious,” she says.
The dogs include breeds such as German shepherds, a Yorkshire terrier, a retriever, bull terriers, standard poodles, Portuguese water dogs, a Pekingese, corgi-border collie crosses and miniature pinschers.
The SPCA says they will be recommending new charges of animal cruelty, and the investigation continues.
The women will face charges for violating the conditions of their 2015 sentence.
The SPCA currently have the dogs in a number of different shelters throughout the Interior.
Moriarty says there is no evidence the dogs were stolen; however, if individuals’ dogs have been stolen and they believe their dog may be one of the 16, they can bring their dogs’ identification to the SPCA.
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