“They were both pretty sweet; they were both pretty cuddly.”
Owner Michele Bent recalls the two dogs before she and her friend Laura Edl adopted one each as puppies.
“She was lying there by herself in her pen, her sister was gone,” says Edl, who ended up adopting Cora.
“She just wanted to cuddle… She completely captured my heart.”
Cora and Sadie are happy and safe now, but that wasn’t always the case. Following complaints from families that had purchased puppies from dog breeder Patricia Lynn Moore, the SPCA seized horses, rabbits, pigs and around 30 dogs and puppies from the rural property in the winter of 2009.
Global News was there when the SPCA arrived, and witnessed the animals in obvious distress. Many were fenced in outside in cold, without signs of water. One horse was clearly injured, and the dogs and puppies were seen shivering in the snow.
The story effected Edl – a big animal lover - immensely.
“I actually saw it on the Trouble Shooter in December 2009,” she explains. “I grew up with horses, and the initial part of the story with the horse with the hole in its face really bothered me.”
“I went to work the next day, and talked to a co-worker about it, and talked to my husband. And then, we watched the Humane Society website to see what the outcomes were, and followed it on the news, and then when some of the puppies came up for adoption, we went and adopted one of them.”
Her friend and co-worker felt the same.
“When I saw the dogs sitting there,” Bent explains. “It was just sad, to see them hovering and cold, and I just said to my husband, I’m going to get one of those dogs.”
Both women say Cora and Sadie have become wonderful members of their families, and very affectionate ones, at that.
“She is a great dog,” Edl says of Cora. “She’s wonderful. She’s a little bit of a watchdog, and she loves to cuddle. She likes to be on your lap if she can.”
Bent’s description of Sadie is similar. “I’ve got kids... she’s good with them,” she says. “She’s very sweet. She likes to cuddle with us.”
The breeder, Moore, was charged with 8 counts under the Animal Protection Act for Failure to Provide Proper Care and Causing Animal Distress. On June 12, 2012, Moore was found guilty on 3 of the charges and sentenced. She was fined $2,000 and is prohibited from owning more than 2 rabbits for the next 5 years. She must also regularly report to the SPCA on the condition of the animals she keeps.
While Edl and Bent are glad to see the case come to close, they think the punishment doesn’t fit the crime.
“I think penalties need to be harsher in respect to animal abuse, animal neglect,” says Edl.
“This lady… it appears that she has a proven track record of repeatedly doing this. I believe she should be banned from owning any animal for life.”
“I’m extremely disappointed… I don’t think she should be allowed to own any animal whether it’s a goldfish, or a dog or a horse.”
“I didn’t think it was very severe,” adds Bent. “
“I didn’t think that it’s a huge impact to her; a $2000 fine, and not being able to own more than two rabbits. It didn’t speak to the dogs…. I don’t think she should be allowed to have animals given the pattern and what they’ve been through.”
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| A mare was found on Patricia Moore's farm with a fist-sized hole between her eyes. |
“I’d like to see stiffer penalties, so that people don’t get away with the animal abuse. It’s sad to see, and it’s sad to see over and over again.”
While the women will continue to support harsher consequences for those convicted of animal cruelty and neglect, they are comforted by the fact they were able to offer a better life for two special animals.
“It’s nice to know that we kind of took her out of that, saved her,” shares Bent, “and brought her home to a good home with other animals where she’s very happy.”
It was a rough start, but the future is bright for these dogs and their families.
“Absolutely no regrets, none whatsoever,” says Edl. “I would do it again in a heartbeat.”
(Global News Edmonton - June 14, 2012)