Advertisement

Manitoba dog rescue horrified dogs shot and killed

A Manitoba woman who runs a dog rescue for older animals is heartbroken and outraged after two dogs she was trying to place in new homes were shot and killed.

Judy Smith-Hill lives in Stony Mountain and runs Before The Bridge Senior K9 Rescue.

She said a man in Braintree, Man., who owned two mixed breed dogs, Tippy, 11, and Dinky, 15, had a massive stroke and was no longer able to care for them. A friend of his was keeping an eye on them, while neighbours were feeding them.

Smith-Hall believes the dogs were tied up in the yard but could go in and out of the house.

She said that was the situation for almost a month.

She said the man taking care of the dogs contacted her and actually signed a form releasing them into her care just recently and she started looking for new homes for the animals, which she said were "nice, sweet, dogs, house dogs, really."

She said the man seemed reasonable and even said he'd even drive the dogs into Winnipeg if necessary.

Horrified as dogs are shot

Four days after he contacted her, the neighbours told her they heard shots, and saw the dogs being buried in the yard.
Smith-Hall said they were horrified and upset, and felt they should have done more to protect the dogs but Smith-Hall said "they never saw it coming."

The neighbours advised her not to call the man responsible.

"'Don't bother calling him, he's taken matters into his own hands,'" she said they told her. "At which point my heart went into my feet. I wasn't sure what she meant by that but I had a pretty good idea."

Smith-Hall did try to reach the man, to no avail.

"He did not return my call, so I think the deed had already been done," she told CBC. "Or their minds were made up, he went with a friend, and they shot them in the head and buried them in the yard."

Smith-Hall said she was devastated.

"You feel like you've let them down and failed them," she told CBC's Marilyn Maki on Radio Noon.

"I don't think the fellow who has lost his mobility and his ability to look after himself, he would probably be heartbroken if he knew what happened to his dogs," she said.

She wishes she had acted more quickly in the four days she was aware of the dogs' situation.

RCMP are aware of the incident, but Const. David Portelance said police have consulted with the crown and no charges will be laid.

Plea to pet owners: make plans for your pets' care

Smith-Hall said the reason she's speaking out about the dogs' story is in the hope of preventing it from happening again.

"There's a huge lesson that most people need to make provisions for their pets if something should happen to them and that's not just senior people. Young people get injured in car accidents have things happen in their lives that they can no longer care for their dogs and really and truly you should have a plan in effect for someone to take care of your dogs."

She said two couples approached her recently and asked if they could will their dogs to Before The Bridge which could then find them a home.

"I said of course!" she said.