More than 200 sled dogs seized by Animal Welfare Services to remain in Ontario's care, tribunal rules
CBC
An Ontario tribunal has ordered the province to return 11 sled dog puppies that it seized, but decided it can keep more than 200 dogs because the animals would be returning to a "situation of distress."
Four of the dogs have died in government care as the case made its way through the Animal Care Review Board, a quasi-judicial agency, which noted the deaths in its decision.
Windrift Adventures, a dogsledding operation north of Barrie, Ont., had appealed the province's Animal Welfare Services seizure of 239 dogs on Sept. 23, 2021, along with the decision to keep them.
The board, which deals with disputes and appeals in animal welfare cases, heard the appeal in the fall.
"I find that ordering the return of the remainder of the dogs to the appellants at this time would be returning them into a situation of distress," wrote review board member Lindsay Lake, who adjudicated the case, in her decision on Dec. 31, 2021.
Inspectors with the province's Animal Welfare Services swooped in on two of Windrift's properties, one in Moonstone, Ont., and another in Severn, Ont., in September.
On site, Lake wrote, inspectors looked at the lengths of the dogs' tethers — the dogs live outside — and the insulation in the doghouses, and said Windrift was not in compliance with the law.
Then they took the dogs.
"I'm extremely frustrated and feel let down," said Adrienne Spottiswood, one of Windrift's owners.
"Animal welfare is supposed to protect the animals and that's not what they're doing. Four of our dogs are dead."
The tribunal previously heard at least two of the dogs died of a bacterial infection. Spottiswood said Animal Welfare Services told her two others died of cancer.
"They were all healthy when they took them," Spottiswood said.
The government said the dogs got the bacterial infection from Windrift's horses.
Spottiswood disagreed.