Cheadle dog breeders charged

Miriam Ostermann
Times Associate Editor

 

Two Cheadle dog breeders were charged with offences under the provincial Animal Protection Act last week, only a few months after 41 dogs in distress were voluntary surrendered to the Alberta Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA).
Doraine Jensen and Bjarne Jensen face three charges of failing to provide adequate care for ill or wounded animals, allowing animals to be in distress, and failing to provide animals with adequate shelter, ventilation, and space.
With an April 4 court date looming, the Alberta SPCA was unable to comment further on the details surrounding the investigation.
“I can’t give specifics of conditions because that will be presented as evidence in court, but we found and veterinarians confirmed, that the dogs were in distress for various reasons,” said Roland Lines, communications manager for the AB SPCA.
“It is concerning, but unfortunately it’s not really anything new. Over the years Alberta SPCA, not on a frequent basis but unfortunately on a regular basis, have come across breeding operations where people either through lack of attention or lack of resources allowed their dogs to fall into conditions of distress that they’re not dealing with.”
The Alberta SPCA received a public complaint with concern for the dogs on the property last November, which led the charity to actively conduct an investigation. Through the efforts of the peace officer on site, 41 of the dogs were voluntarily surrendered, allowing for the immediate transfer of ownership of the animals to an adoption group. As a result, the society was able to rehabilitate the canines to the Alberta Animals Rescue Crew Society (AARCS), who said the dogs arrived with ear and eye infections, dental issues, were extremely matted, and covered in urine and feces.
“It’s really important that if the public sees something wrong that they need to report it so that they can investigate it, and places like this are hopefully shut down for good,” said Deanna Thompson, executive director of AARCS.
“It’s really sad. My understanding is that they have been charged, which we are very happy to hear. These animals were suffering and they deserve justice and hopefully we will not see any more animals coming from this breeder.”
Thompson added that half of the dogs have been adopted, and the remaining canines are in foster homes either recovering from their injuries or waiting to be permanently relocated. One of the dogs was also euthanized due to cancer.
While 41 animals were removed from the Cheadle property, Lines said several more were deemed to be family pets and remained at the location. The Alberta SPCA confirmed that 40 shih tzus and one border collie ranging from puppies to 11 years of age were in distress.
According to the SPCA, veterinary reports on the condition of the surrendered animals impacted their decision to lay charges under the act on Feb. 17. The breeders also falsely advertised being certified by the Alberta charity.
“One issue that this case brought up for us, is that these particular breeders, on their website, identified themselves as being SPCA inspected,” said Lines. “Although strictly speaking it is true that our officer attended their property and inspected them, in no sense did we certify. We were inspecting them as part of an investigation, which ultimately led to charges. So one of the things I want people to be aware of is that the AB SPCA doesn’t run any sort of approval or certification program for any animal operations in the province.”
Lines cautions the public to be wary of any organization that claims to be Alberta SPCA certified. The Jensens’ court date is set for April 4 at the Strathmore Provincial Court.