Eleven dogs “that appeared to be malnourished and neglected” were seized by Strathcona County RCMP and taken to the Edmonton Humane Society.
RCMP said they, along with Strathcona County Enforcement Services, responded to a report from a concerned citizen about an animal in distress on Jan. 28.
They found the 11 dogs and took them.
“Along with the support of the Edmonton Humane Society, all of the seized dogs are now receiving veterinary care and will be put up for adoption,” RCMP said in a news release Friday.
“Due to their neglected and malnourished condition, it will take a few weeks before they become available for adoption, as they recover and reach a healthy weight prior to their spay/neuter surgery,” said EHS spokesperson Kylie Adams. “The dogs will be placed into foster care in the meantime.
“We are grateful that, with the support of our community, we can be here to provide a safe haven for animals who come from situations of neglect,” she said. “We encourage anyone who is concerned for an animal’s care to report it to their local animal protection or police agency.”
The humane society said it can’t release any additional details about the dogs’ conditions because the case is going to court.
A 26-year-old man was arrested and charged. RCMP said there were already court conditions that he not possess domestic animals or be at a residence with them.
Alex Joseph McGrath, a resident of Edmonton, was charged with 11 counts of causing animals unnecessary suffering and 12 counts of failing to comply.
He was released from custody and is set to appear in court on Feb. 15.
Albertans can support the care of these dogs — and many other animals in need — by making a donation to the EHS. The humane society is also accepting applications for foster volunteers for animals of all types.
“We’re just so grateful that these dogs have been removed from that situation and now are in our care and they’ll get a new chance,” said humane society CEO Liza Sunly.
“It’s really important to us that all animals have a loving home and are well taken care of. And it’s nice to know that the community cares so much.
“We know that there’s many people who are really heartbroken to hear stories like this, and certainly we are too.”
Sunly said in addition to volunteering or donating, there are other ways Albertans can help.
“Being aware of good animal welfare and passing those kinds of important messages about compassionate care for animals to younger generations are all very important to really maintain a caring community.”
Bringing in and caring for a group of animals this size will put a strain on the EHS’ capacity, she added.
“That’s actually one of the reasons why we practice capacity for care and manage our intake at all times — because we want to make sure that we’ve got capacity to take in emergency cases like this when they come up without compromising the welfare of the animals that are already in our care,” Sunly said.
“We also work closely with foster families to help alleviate some of that pressure.”