An incident at Middle Cove Beach which one witness describes as possible animal abuse is raising concerns over how authorities respond to reports of animal cruelty in Newfoundland and Labrador.
Emily Gladys, who resides in Torbay, and her partner were walking from the beach when they saw an older-looking dog near the parking lot. The dog had missing patches of fur and sores on its body, so Emily and her partner took to tending to the animal. After running back home from for some flea shampoo, Gladys gave the dog a bath in a nearby brook and gave it food and water.
The owner of the animal arrived shortly thereafter and retrieved the dog, with Gladys alleging the dog was dragged.
"If I had my time back, he wouldn’t have gotten the dog. I would have grabbed him. I probably would have got charged, but you have to treat dogs with respect and kindness." — Emily Gladys
“I left in tears and I’m not the only one,” said Gladys.
“If I had my time back, he wouldn’t have gotten the dog. I would have grabbed him. I probably would have got charged, but you have to treat dogs with respect and kindness. They’re your friends.”
Gladys proceeded to report the incident to authorities.
In an email correspondence, the Humane Services with the City of St. John’s said the matter was out of their jurisdiction and was best reported to the police.
Const. Jason Walsh with the Royal Newfoundland Constabulary says officers met with the owner and examined the dog and found the condition of the animal was due to its advanced age.
“Operational patrol services did respond to an animal cruelty complaint in the area of Middle Cove Beach on the fifth of August. Officers responded to the complainant’s come, which led into a further investigation in regard to the animal’s safety and well-being,” said Walsh.
“A wellness check was completed on the animal in question. It was determined by officers at that time that there was no immediate safety risk for the animal. The animal is elderly, far up in age, especially for a dog. The dog’s health is beginning to decline, so right now there’s no reason for us to consider any breaches in regards to the Animal Healthcare Treatment Act.”
Walsh says officers are working with the owner on care for the dog.
"It was determined by officers at that time that there was no immediate safety risk for the animal. The animal is elderly, far up in age, especially for a dog. The dog’s health is beginning to decline, so right now there’s no reason for us to consider any breaches in regards to the Animal Healthcare Treatment Act.” — RNC Const. Jason Walsh
Gladys says she was not satisfied with the response.
“I think something should be changed in the laws for the victims — those animals are victims when they’re treated like that. They don’t ask to be adopted by anybody, they just ask for love and attention,” she said.
Lana Locke, an animal rights advocate in Nova Scotia, questions the training of police officers when responding to animal abuse complaints.
“The laws take away the powers from the SPCA to go out and seize. They don’t have any seizure powers at all,” said Locke.
“The officer didn’t take anyone out with them. I don’t understand why they couldn’t take a member of the SPCA with them just as somebody else to assess the situation. Are these officers trained to assess these animals?”
The Telegram was unable to contact the owner of the animal in pursuit of this story.
Twitter: @DavidMaherNL
