Former Vancouver dog trainer fined for causing distress to animals

A former dog trainer in Vancouver who lost a 2019 bid to keep four dogs seized by the B.C. SPCA has been fined in connection with the case.

On Wednesday, Glen Affenzeller, who also goes by Zeller, entered a guilty plea in provincial court to one charge under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act related to causing distress to animals.

Judge Reginald Harris ordered Affenzeller, 66, to pay a $2,000 fine, stretched out over three years due to Affenzeller's low income. He is also banned from caring for any animals for five years, with the exception of his one pet dog, which he's allowed to keep.

The case goes back to 2019, when the B.C. SPCA received a complaint about Affenzeller and a video showing him slamming and punching a dog. They executed a search warrant on Affenzeller's East Vancouver home, alongside Vancouver police officers, and seized six dogs, four of which belonged to Affenzeller.

Affenzeller appealed to the B.C. Farm Industry Review Board to have those four dogs returned, but was unsuccessful. He was also ordered to pay the SPCA $7,401.86 in costs associated with the care of the dogs.

The court heard on Wednesday, in a joint submission of agreed-upon facts by Crown and defence, that officers found Affenzeller's yard to be unsanitary, smelling of urine and littered with feces in varying states of decomposition. A dog bed in the yard was soiled with urine.

The four dogs belonging to Affenzeller — Carebear, Mieka, Hazel and Duphous — were taken to a veterinarian, who determined they each had significant to severe medical conditions requiring care. Those conditions ranged from arthritis, excessive lesions and dehydration to lack of hygiene and toenails requiring clipping.

The court heard that since 2019, Affenzeller's business has fallen apart and he has lost many of his possessions after he was forced to move out of his home. He's currently relying on the Canadian Pension Plan and living on friends' couches.

"His life now is in quite a bit worse of a state than it was five years ago," said his lawyer, Patrick Johnston.

Johnston told the judge his client is "extremely remorseful," though Affenzeller chose not to address the court himself. He sat slouched in his chair, fidgeting in blue jeans, a teal and gold shirt and white and blue sneakers.

Outside the courthouse, Affenzeller declined a recorded interview with CBC News, but said he has received death threats since his story became public. He said he feels bad for the distress the dogs were in, but began to contest some of the details of the agreed-upon facts heard in court.

"I just want this whole thing behind me," he said.