Over 40 dogs found in Fort Qu'Appelle home, court documents show
Two men from the Fort Qu'Appelle area were found guilty of causing distress to animals in a dog hoarding case.
According to court documents, Morgan Desjarlais and Gary Gillingwater had a total of 48 dogs in their home.
Judge Kevin A. Lang passed down the decision in Fort Qu’Appelle on Jan. 30.
Following complaints and worries about the wellbeing of the animals in the two men’s care, Animal Protection Officers visited the home three times from Oct. 21 to Dec. 15 of 2021.
During the visits, officers described the home as having “unsanitary living conditions” with urine and feces covering the floors and some portions of the walls.
The home was also described as very cluttered with garbage piled in all of the rooms and a strong smell of ammonia filling the air.
Food and water were available to the animals, officers noted during each visit. However, many of the dogs were found to be “unkempt with fecal balls attached to them, long nails and matted coats.”
During the second visit by authorities, the bodies of two dogs were seized and another one was euthanized due to ‘medical distress reasons,’ court documents showed.
“Clearly, little to no effort was put into cleaning the Residence as Animal Protection Officers felt that the overall condition of the Residence was either no better or was even worse as time passed,” the decision read.
“Clearly, many of the dogs needed immediate medical attention – one dog needed to be euthanized the same day due to its poor condition. The condition of all the dogs was and continued to be in jeopardy throughout this timeframe given the unsanitary conditions of the Residence.”
During the third visit by authorities, both Desjarlais and Gillingwater surrendered 13 dogs while another 32 dogs were seized by officers.
Both Desjarlais and Gillingwater were found guilty under the Animal Protection Act 2018.
If a person is convicted under the act, the possible penalties include a fine of up to $25,000 and/or imprisonment for up to two years.
A prohibition or restriction on owning animals for a specific period may also be included.
Sentencing for both of the accused is set to begin on Feb. 6 at 10 a.m. at Saskatchewan Provincial Court in Fort Qu’Appelle.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'Anything to win': Trudeau says as Poilievre defends meeting protesters
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is accusing Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre of welcoming 'the support of conspiracy theorists and extremists,' after the Conservative leader was photographed meeting with protesters, which his office has defended.
'My stomach dropped': Winnipeg man speaks out after being criminally harassed following single online date
A Winnipeg man said a single date gone wrong led to years of criminal harassment, false arrests, stress and depression.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
'One of the single most terrifying things ever': Ontario couple among passengers on sinking tour boat in Dominican Republic
A Toronto couple are speaking out about their 'extremely dangerous' experience on board a sinking tour boat in the Dominican Republic last week.
7 surveillance videos linked to extortions of South Asian home builders in Edmonton released
The Edmonton Police Service has released a number of surveillance videos related to a series of extortion cases in the city now dubbed 'Project Gaslight.'
Ukraine uses long-range missiles secretly provided by U.S. to hit Russian-held areas, officials say
Ukraine for the first time has begun using long-range ballistic missiles provided secretly by the United States, bombing a Russian military airfield in Crimea last week and Russian forces in another occupied area overnight, American officials said Wednesday.
Pilot reported fire onboard plane carrying fuel, attempted to return to Fairbanks just before crash
One of the two pilots aboard an airplane carrying fuel reported there was a fire on the airplane shortly before it crashed and burned outside Fairbanks, killing both people on board, a federal aviation official said Wednesday.
BREAKING Manitoba government tables bill to end ban on homegrown recreational cannabis
Manitoba is planning to lift its ban on the home growing of recreational cannabis.
All Alberta wildfires to date in 2024 believed to be human-caused: province
There are 63 wildfires burning in Alberta's forest protection area as of Wednesday morning and seven mutual aid fires, including one in the Municipal District of Peace.