One of the dogs seized from a Langley puppy mill in February 2016.
Image Credit: SUBMITTED/B.C. SPCA
December 20, 2017 - 3:02 PM
LANGLEY - Three people are facing animal cruelty charges in connection to one of the largest puppy mill seizures in the province's history.
The B.C. SPCA says in a news release that Glen Lawlor, Maria Wall Lawlor and James Dale Shively, also known as James Phoenix, have been charged with two counts of animal cruelty.
They allegedly failed to provide their duty of care owed toward animals and for causing or permitting animals to be in distress.
B.C. SPCA investigators seized 66 sick and neglected dogs and puppies from a Langley property on Feb. 4, 2016, according to the news release.
There were 32 adult dogs and 24 puppies, including old english sheepdogs, bernese mountain dogs, soft-coated wheaten terriers, standard poodles, miniature poodles, and Portuguese water dogs. They stayed with the SPCA for months, being treated for serious medical issues ranging from broken limbs, missing eyes and ears, infections and abscesses, to malnourishment, dental disease and severe matting.
The SPCA says the dogs have since been adopted into loving homes.
Chief prevention and enforcement officer for the B.C. SPCA, Marcie Moriarty, says that in addition to those issues, many of the dogs needed extensive rehabilitation to deal with psychological issues due to a lack of socialization.
“We are very pleased with the charges and we hope this sends a message that this type of neglect and cruelty is not acceptable to British Columbians,” Moriarty says in the release, adding that they were alerted to the situation by a member of the public. "A key step in shutting down puppy mills is for those who are purchasing animals to be educated and aware of the signs of unscrupulous operations."
To contact a reporter for this story, email Ashley Legassic or call 250-319-7494 or email the editor. You can also submit photos, videos or news tips to the newsroom and be entered to win a monthly prize draw.
We welcome your comments and opinions on our stories but play nice. We won't censor or delete comments unless they contain off-topic statements or links, unnecessary vulgarity, false facts, spam or obviously fake profiles. If you have any concerns about what you see in comments, email the editor in the link above.
News from © iNFOnews, 2017