A Calgary woman has pleaded guilty to charges after two emaciated border collies were seized by Calgary Humane Society peace officers and Calgary police last year.
Amanda Pollock, 21, was convicted for offences under the Animal Protection Act, fined $1,500 and put on 10 years’ probation, a Calgary Humane Society news release said Wednesday.
The terms of Pollock’s probation limit her “to four spayed/neutered dogs with clauses requiring the annual submission of veterinary reports and allowing peace officer monitoring,” the humane society said.
She pleaded guilty to the charges on Oct. 16, said Brad Nichols, senior manager of animal cruelty investigations at the humane society.
The humane society said the charges and subsequent conviction stem from an incident on Dec. 1, 2017, when Calgary police responded to a 911 call about two dogs confined to a single small cage.
“Veterinary examination assessed that the dogs had been severely malnourished to the point of emaciation and severely dehydrated,” the release said.
Nichols said they hope this conviction will make Pollock a more responsible pet owner.
“This guilty plea is an encouraging turn insofar as accountability. There was some concern that the distressed state of the dogs was not appreciated by Ms. Pollock throughout this process,” he said in the news release.
“This outcome will ensure that the dogs may be monitored throughout the term of the order. As a relatively young offender, there is hope that by the conclusion of this order, Ms. Pollock will be capable of making more responsible, welfare-based decisions for her pets.”
The two dogs have been released back to Pollock, who has paid back the medical and rehabilitation costs, Nichols said.