BC SPCA: Animal cruelty charges laid after emaciated golden retriever and 11 puppies seized in Chilliwack

Animal cruelty charges laid after emaciated golden retriever and 11 puppies seized in Chilliwack

May 31, 2010

Crown counsel has laid charges of animal cruelty against Chilliwack resident Paula MacGougan after BC SPCA constables seized an emaciated golden retriever and her 11 puppies.

MacGougan, whose animals were seized in January, faces charges under both the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act and the Criminal Code of Canada. When BC SPCA officers arrived at the home the nursing mother, whose ribs protruded through her thin coat, scored only one out of nine on the body conditioning scale. Her four-week-old puppies were also treated for nutritional issues.

"It is such a sad case because it was completely preventable," says Eileen Drever, BC SPCA senior animal protection officer. "The mother was trying to care for her babies but she was so malnourished it was difficult for her to provide for them." Drever says the dogs were kept in a home with no food or water in an area littered with feces and urine. "When the owner of the animals did not comply with an SPCA order to seek immediate veterinary treatment for the animals we obtained a warrant to seize them."

Drever said a male red retriever, who was being kept outside the home in a feces-filled yard with no potable water or shelter, was also taken into SPCA care and treated for an ear infection.

The two adult dogs and 11 puppies have now been adopted into loving homes.

For more information please read our press release or our original news item.

The BC SPCA conducts nearly 6,000 cruelty investigations a year and is reliant on donations from the public to continue its work. Your gift could save a life. Please donate today.

The BC SPCA is a non-profit organization funded primarily by public donations. Our mission is to prevent cruelty and to promote the welfare of animals through a wide range of services, including cruelty investigations, emergency rescue and treatment, sheltering and adoption of homeless and abused animals, humane education, advocacy, farm animal welfare, spay/neuter programs, and wildlife rescue and rehabilitation.