Conditions revealed behind the seizure of more than 60 animals; society revamped

Miriam Ostermann
Times Associated Editor

 

Just weeks after two founding members and an animal rescue society in Gleichen were convicted of cruelty charges, officials provide insight into the investigation and circumstances behind the seizure of more than 60 animals – conditions a newly revamped society is working hard to avoid in the future.
Co-founders Debra and Edward Michel pled guilty on May 7 to charges of allowing cats and dogs in their care to be in distress and failing to provide adequate care for ill or wounded animals. The Oops-a-Dazy Rescue and Sanctuary Society also pled guilty to permitting animals to be in distress and received a $10,000 fine. Since then, the society has undergone a transformation, electing a new board, revising their policies and procedures, and seeking the expertise of a veterinarian.
While the sanctuary is no longer in operation – due to a court order that prohibits the Michels from owning more than a combined five animals – a veterinarian report accompanying an agreed upon statement of fact, reveals a property manifested with dog fights, disease, and inadequate use of space.
“It’s hard for me to imagine that someone staying at the property would think that the situation was acceptable,” said Roland Lines, communications manager with the Alberta SPCA. “The floods may be responsible for an increase in the number of animals they had, but they had the opportunity to surrender animals to us or other agencies if they had too many. And they didn’t take advantage of that.”
The Alberta SPCA received two calls from different individuals towards the end of May last year, both claiming to have seen a large number of dogs and cats on the property. One individual had recently adopted one of the dogs and reported wounds on the animal, while the other spotted an animal carcass on the property.
Upon inspection of the property, officers described the area where the dogs were kept as cov-ered in animal feces, garbage, and broken furniture. The investigation found the dogs were not segregated, and showed signs of packing and aggressive behaviour. Some of the animals were also injured, and according to the veterinarian report, a cat and a dog were found deceased on the property.
As had previously been reported, all 19 cats faced euthanasia, having been chronically affected to varying degrees with upper respiratory disease. The 42 dogs were treated for numerous injuries and diseases, and were rehabilitated back to the Oops-a-Dazy society, who found foster homes for the canines.
The society, which has nearly 40 active foster families, is now making sure the animals are placed into proper care through inspections and vetting, and will only accept new animals when a foster family is already available. Besides looking into upgrading their policies and procedures, the society is also revising some of their programs, one of which was the sanctuary program.
“Our concentration now is really more about quality care than the quantity of animals that are coming in,” said Michelle Krusk, who accepted the position of chair for the Oops-a-Dazy Rescue and Sanctuary Society in August 2014. “We want to make sure that we have really good regulations around animal care. We are right in the midst of revamping our policies and procedures. It’s a lot of work and a huge undertaking. It’s definitely something we’re working diligently towards.”
While Krusk added a fine is always difficult for a charity to receive, she agreed with the decision and accepted the penalty as a condition for the charity to continue operating. Acknowledging the court order, she said the society is mindful of the terms, and the Michels are not currently being utilized as a foster home, nor are they involved in any decision-making processes. The society has a year to pay the fine.