**** NS SPCA Media Releases
Dartmouth Pair Charged with Animal Cruelty
A 28-year-old man and a 29-year-old woman from Dartmouth have been charged with six counts of animal cruelty under the Criminal Code.
Nathan Conrad and Carley Rushton were charged in July 2019 for causing unnecessary pain and suffering or injury to an animal contrary to section 445.1.1 (a) and for abandoning an animal in distress or willfully neglecting or failing to provide suitable and adequate food, water, shelter and care for it contrary to section 445 (1) (b) of the Criminal Code.
In June 2019, the Nova Scotia SPCA received a complaint that tenants of a home had not been seen at a residence for a long period of time and there were animals still living inside. After investigation, the SPCA secured a search warrant and entered the home. One dog, two bearded dragons and fish were removed from the property – all in serious medical condition.
Conrad and Rushton were served summons and were scheduled to appear in Dartmouth Provincial Court on August 22, 2019. An appeal with the Animal Welfare Board was not filed and the animals remained in the custody of the SPCA. The dog, one of the bearded dragons and the fish have been rehomed. The remaining reptile is still receiving medical care.
Antigonish Pair Charged with Animal Cruelty
A 34-year-old man and a 32-year-old woman from Antigonish have been charged with two counts of animal cruelty under the Criminal Code.
Robert Mason and Kayle Regnier were charged in July 2019 for causing unnecessary pain and suffering or injury to an animal contrary to section 445.1.1 (a) and for abandoning an animal in distress or willfully neglecting or failing to provide suitable and adequate food, water, shelter and care for it contrary to section 445 (1) (b) of the Criminal Code.
In June 2019, the Nova Scotia SPCA received a complaint that two dogs in the home were being neglected and abused. The SPCA conducted an investigation and determined that there were grounds to seize the dogs from the home as a result of the dogs being in distress.
An appeal with the Animal Welfare Board was not filed and the two dogs remained in the custody of the SPCA. The two dogs, both Jack Russell Terriers, underwent weeks of rehabilitation and care by the SPCA and have since been adopted into new homes. Mason and Regnier are both scheduled to appear in Antigonish Provincial Court on September 4th, 2019.
Truro Pair Charged with Animal Cruelty
A 27-year-old man and a 20-year-old woman from Truro have been sentenced with animal cruelty under the Animal Protection Act of Nova Scotia.
Brett Fiddes and Jessica Riley were charged in April 2019 with causing their dog to be in distress, failing to provide a dog with an adequate source of food and water and failing to provide a dog with adequate medical attention when it was wounded or ill.
In March 2019, the Nova Scotia SPCA received a complaint that an emaciated dog had been brought to a veterinary hospital by a good Samaritan. The veterinarian admitted the dog and was rendering live-saving treatments. When the dog was stable, it was seized by SPCA Enforcement Officers and taken to the SPCA Dartmouth Animal Hospital.
Through the course of the investigation, it was determined that the dog belonged to Fiddes and Riley. In Nova Scotia, when an animal is seized by an enforcement agency including the SPCA, the owner has a right to an appeal by the Animal Welfare Appeal Board. No appeal was filed by the pair with the Animal Welfare Board and the dog became the property of the SPCA.
Fiddes and Riley were both charged under the Animal Protection Act and pled guilty to the charges in court on August 21, 2019. The Judge handed down a sentence to both Fiddes and Riley with a prohibition order that prohibits them from having in their possession, care or control, any livestock, farm and companion animals, and from residing in any residence or on any property in which any such animals are housed or kept. The two were granted an exception to allow them to keep their current three cats but must take them for a veterinary examination within 30 days of court and every year after that for the duration of the order. Both Fiddes and Riley were also ordered to pay restitution and fines upwards of $2,000.
“This dog, Buddy, suffered severe and chronic neglect. Unfortunately, Buddy was a victim of the many manifestations of animal abuse, both physically and psychologically,” says Jo-Anne Landsburg, Chief Inspector at the Nova Scotia SPCA. Buddy had to be humanely euthanized due to health and behaviour complications.
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