Edmonton woman faces puppy mill charges

A woman accused of running a puppy mill in an Edmonton home has been slapped with eight charges under the province's Animal Protection Act.

A man who was called to the west-end house to do some maintenance work in early April found the animals when he tried to discover where a terrible smell was coming from. He broke through a barricade to the room from which the stench was emanating and found dozens of cats and dogs, stacked in tiny cages and sitting in their own feces.

The Humane Society seized more than 40 animals from the home in April. All of them have since been adopted.

May Poon is facing eight charges and is scheduled to appear in court Oct. 28. If convicted, Poon could be banned from owning animals and faces a maximum fine of $20,000 for each charge.

© Copyright (c) The Calgary Herald

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Edmonton woman faces puppy mill charges

A woman has been charged for allegedly keeping 42 animals in their own filth - Edmonton’s first puppy mill.

But in a worrying trend, “designer” breed dogs are still trickling in to the Edmonton Humane Society, a tip that there are other mills operating in the city.

“This was a sign there were people out there breeding without the welfare of the animals in mind,” said Shawna Randolph, spokeswoman for the humane society.

Charges against May Poon, of Edmonton, include failing to provide food and water, keeping animals in distress, failing to provide adequate care when the animal is wounded or ill and failing to provide adequate shelter, ventilation and space.

The charges have been levelled by the Edmonton Humane Society, under Alberta’s Animal Protection Act.

Rows of tiny cages were uncovered in a home at 17215 60 Ave. April 1, according to the humane society. There were 32 dogs and 10 cats found, some with bleeding cuts, others too weak to walk. They were allegedly lying in their own faeces and urine.

Many were left with uterine tract infections and severe dental problems, alleges the humane society.

The puppies have all been adopted out, but some face ongoing dental and house training issues, said Randolph.

Poon will appear in court Oct. 28.

“We just really hope that the court system will have a situation where (the person responsible) will not be allowed to care for animals in the future. That’s what we’re hoping for - prohibition,” said Randolph.

The problem is much bigger than one operation, said Randolph.

“The (humane society) is confident there are other puppy mills in Edmonton yet to be uncovered,” she said.

There are still “designer” breed dogs being dropped off occasionally at the humane society shelter.

It raised red flags before the current case, said Randolph, but the trend hasn’t waned since the operation was busted.

“These are breeds that reputable breeders would not make,” she said.

She said a large portion of labradoodles and poo-poms - inter-species breeds - are raised in puppy mills.

That sort of cross breeding has taken hold in Eastern Canada and the U.S., she said. Now the operations are spreading west.

“We knew it was a matter of time before one showed up here,” said Randolph.

The humane society is asking neighbours to sniff out suspicious signs and report possible puppy mill houses in the city.

“If they suspect that their neighbour could be running a puppy mill, that call would not make them a bad neighbour. It could potentially save an animal’s life,” she said.

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One of the 32 dogs taken from an Edmonton puppy mill.

richard.liebrecht@sunmedia.ca

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