April Dawn Irving charged by SPCA in Milk River dog rescue

The Alberta SPCA has filed 13 charges under the Animal Protection Act against April Dawn Irving.

Irving is accused of hoarding more than 200 dogs that were removed from a southern Alberta acreage near Milk River.

The charges allege Irving either caused or allowed the dogs to be in distress and failed to provide them with adequate care.

This is not the first time the 55-year-old has been charged. She was convicted under Saskatchewan's Animal Protection Act after she was accused of operating a puppy mill in 2013 and also faced charges in Fort McMurray under Alberta's Animal Protection Act that were later dropped.

"What we would certainly be looking for is a prohibition against owning any animals in the future given her history in Saskatchewan, we think if we can get a conviction," said Roland Lines with Alberta's SPCA.

The SPCA says three of the charges relate to a dog that a veterinarian had to euthanize for untreatable injuries in December.

Five charges relate to 60 dogs that Irving surrendered in December, and five charges relate to 141 dogs that the Alberta SPCA took into protective custody in January.

Irving's first court appearance is set for April 13 in Lethbridge.

Last month, the RCMP announced Irving had been charged criminally with one count of animal cruelty in the death of five dogs.

"Certainly, in this case, I think it's a positive step that the RCMP ended up collecting their own evidence and deciding that they should lay criminal code charges in that case just because this person has demonstrated the desire to move provinces to avoid orders so if she ends up getting convicted under the Criminal Code then that will apply across Canada," said Lines.