File photo - Todd Leduc won back his dog 12 Gauge, a Rhodesian ridgeback, after it was seized by BC SPCA.
Image Credit: PIXABAY
October 20, 2023 - 6:00 PM
A BC man was homeless when BC SPCA took his dog after he was caught on camera hitting the Rhodesian ridgeback.
The society seized the dog the next month, joined by three RCMP officers, but owner Todd Leduc successfully appealed to the Farm Industry Review Board to get the dog back.
On June 25, Leduc was outside a Coquitlam homeless shelter with his dog, named "12 Gauge", leashed to his waist. As he came into the frame of the security camera and approached a group of people outside, 12 Gauge suddenly lunged back, pulling Leduc to the ground, according to the review board decision.
He got up and punched the dog in the head five times over about 30 seconds, as 12 Gauge cowered away, according to the decision.
The security footage was sent to the BC SPCA a couple days later, but the society seized the dog in July after investigators eventually found where Leduc was staying.
Leduc told the review board 12 Gauge dragged him to the ground because it was chasing rodents on the sidewalk. He said he "overreacted" and made a mistake by hitting the dog, then told the board the dog is "like a son" to him.
Leduc's been intermittently homeless since 2018, but currently lives with a friend and would find a trainer once he got the dog back, according to the decision.
SPCA investigator Special Const. Sandra Windover, however, testified that 12 Gauge was "distressed" by the abusive incident caught on camera.
The SPCA submitted two intake forms for 12 Gauge from the same day. Both were on Aug. 4, more than a week after the dog was seized, but had different notes on his behaviour.
One said the dog is friendly and healthy, while the other said he was fearful and needed rehabilitation. The difference between the two wasn't explained, according to the decision.
A veterinarian found no physical signs of harm or injuries, but Windover testified that she "has difficulty believing" the June video was the first time 12 Gauge was abused.
While the review board found issues with the SPCA's evidence, it also found the video to be a "serious instance of abuse."
On Sept. 26, the board ordered that 12 Gauge be returned to Leduc on conditions.
Leduc will take the dog to obedience lessons within three months of the decision, while the BC SPCA can visit him and the dog at any time for wellness checks.
Leduc was also ordered to pay $1,278 to the BC SPCA for its costs associated to the investigation. Those costs breakdown to $68 for the seizure, $82 for vet costs and $1,127 for housing 12 Gauge.
He won't be able to get the dog back until he pays.
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