CALGARY - A Calgary woman has been fined $10,000 after more than 30 dogs were seized from her home.
Beverly Jean Creed pleaded guilty Friday to causing an animal to be in distress.
Police and bylaw officers were called to the house in the Acadia neighbourhood last May when a delivery person smelled a foul odour.
The Calgary Humane Society says feces and urine were found throughout the building and health officials later declared the house unfit for human habitation.
Veterinarians also determined 17 of the dogs had been in medical distress.
Brad Nichols, manager of cruelty investigations with the humane society, said the fine is the largest ever handed down in Calgary for animal cruelty.
"This reflects both the number of animals involved and the severity of the environmental and medical neglect. The animal limit effectively ends any breeding, pet sitting or mass handling/showing, which is a considerable penalty considering Creed’s lengthy involvement in the dog show community.
"Hopefully this sentence acts as a deterrent for those warehousing animals for any purpose. This case demonstrates how severely quality of care can drop off with a large population of animals.”
About a dozen of the animals were returned to their owners, while the rest have been adopted, Nichols said.
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