C.B.S. man ticketed for keeping beagles in too small an enclosure
The Royal Newfoundland Constabulary has ticketed a man from Conception Bay South for breaching the provincial Animal Health and Protection Act.
The RNC handed the 58-year-old man 14 summary offence tickets, after it responded to a complaint about living conditions for seven beagles on a property at Farmland Lane shortly after 6 p.m. on Tuesday.
The man allegedly broke the act by keeping the pets in a pen that was less than nine metres squared and one metre greater than the height of the tallest dog.
C.B.S resident and Beagle Paws volunteer Heather Ballard told CBC News that while she is pleased the owner has been ticketed, the town should have done something about the situation sooner.
"We certainly have been trying to work with the Town of C.B.S. and trying to get them to acknowledge that these animals are being neglected for about two and a half years now, and every time the Town of C.B.S. goes out, they come back and assure me that these animals are being well taken care of," Ballard said.
"They [the town] don't feel they're neglected, and that is not the case on this property."
When the police arrived at the home to ticket the man on Tuesday, all seven dogs were missing.
"The dogs have disappeared. He did say that he gave them away," Ballard said. "Where are those dogs? Are they safe? What about their welfare now? The fine is one thing, but the dogs are the bottom line, the reason we're doing this."
Officers investigated a complaint at the same property about a year and half ago, at which time the owner was given a warning.
Ballard said enforcement officers and the mayor visited the property in the past and determined that the animals were being properly cared for.
"It's disappointing for not just me but for everybody out there to see that's what our town is doing — nothing," she said.
A spokesperson with the RNC said the case will be in the courts within the next two to three weeks.
He can either contest the tickets or pay the fines.
More than a year ago, seven pit bulls were discovered abandoned inside a home in C.B.S., after a resident heard whimpering and yelps, but saw no one come and go from the abandoned house.
The dogs, that were rescued by members of the RNC and municipal enforcement, were underweight.
Dozens of charges were laid against the dog's owner Ross Martin, 35, including causing unnecessary suffering and causing damage or injury, relating to the animal cruelty investigation.
His case is making its way through the provincial court system in St. John's.
