There will be a rally outside the Quesnel Provincial courthouse tomorrow (July 31), to address concerns after two Quesnel women had 16 dogs seized from their home earlier this month.
It is not the first time the women had animals seized. Karin and Catherine Adams, a mother-daughter pair, were previously convicted of animal cruelty in 2015, following an SPCA investigation. Their sentence included a 20-year ban on owning animals.
Just two weeks after having their animals seized in Quesnel, Karin Adams, 46, had another eight dogs seized from a hotel room in Innisfail, Alberta, where she was subsequently charged with mischief, eight counts of faliure to obtain a dog licence, driving a motor vehicle without a valid licence, trespassing, and harbouring more than three dogs.
In a message to the Observer, Cindy Smith, one of the rally’s organizers, says it was after the Alberta arrest that she felt particularly driven to host the rally. “There was a lot of discussion and fear on social media,” she says.
“I knew now was the time that we let our concerns be heard by the courts and the judicial system.”
Smith says that the organizers hope that stiffer penalties will be imposed on animal cruelty offenders, particularly on reoffenders like the Adams women.
On the Facebook event page for the rally, Rally 4 Paws, 60 people have marked themselves as “going” while another 135 people have marked themselves as “interested” in the event.
The rally will be held Tuesday, July 31 at 10 a.m. outside the Quesnel Provincial courthouse. Participants are asked to leave their pets at home, as the weather will be hot and the organizers hope to keep the rally area clean and calm.
heather.norman@quesnelobserver.com
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