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LOCAL NEWS
Last updated at 11:46 PM on 04/02/08
Neglected dogs and cats being treated
Celtic Pets Rescue owner and operator Zonda MacIsaac will likely face animal cruelty charges
ERIN POTTIE
The Cape Breton Post
PORT HASTINGS — Dozens of cats and dogs are receiving medical care after they were found soaked in urine and covered in their own feces at an animal rescue shelter.
Considered one of the worst cases of neglect ever found by the provincial SPCA, officials say the case is especially difficult since it involves one of their own — an animal rescuer.
More than 80 animals were seized, including a living cat caged with a dead cat, after officials obtained a search warrant and entered two buildings at Celtic Pets Rescue on Cenotaph Road, Port Hastings, Saturday.
Its owner and operator Zonda MacIsaac, is a well-known animal rescuer who has placed more than 500 unwanted and homeless pets into adoption in the last six years.
Her mother, Alice MacIsaac, was an SPCA special agent/special constable, giving her the authority to investigate reports of abuse and animal neglect. She is also a former member of the SPCA board of directors and has been listed as vice-president of Celtic Pets Rescue.
The SPCA removed Alice MacIsaac from her positions in October and Zonda will likely face animal cruelty charges.
Both MacIsaacs were unavailable for comment Monday, however an unidentified woman answering Alice MacIsaac’s phone said she was at a hospital in Sydney attending to her daughter.
Nova Scotia SPCA began investigating the shelter in October after receiving a phone call from someone claiming its operator seemed to be neglecting the animals. The SPCA visited the shelter but officials were only allowed entry into an unfinished kennel building. At the time, Celtic Pets reported only 10 cats and 11 dogs under its care.
After obtaining a warrant to enter the second building — an unoccupied house — SPCA members found cats running free in a basement full of sewage. High amounts of animal urine burned the eyes and throat of an investigator and the use of protective gas masks were not enough to relieve the smell of ammonia.
A total of 61 cats and 27 dogs were removed, however more than 100 animals are believed to have been found in the two buildings. A second warrant was obtained Monday, giving provincial SPCA members the opportunity to seize another 20 to 30 cats.
“The female officer couldn’t even talk she was bawling and then the other officer was so overwhelmed he was getting physically sick,” said SPCA provincial president Pamela Keddy of Saturday’s search. “There was a lot of fecal matter — I mean the cats were just drenched in it — we have white cats that are a shade of brown.”
One dog and one cat were found dead. Two other cats had broken paws that were untreated and didn’t fuse properly. Many cats have ear mites and upper respiratory illnesses and most of the animals were dehydrated. A few of the animals have been placed on IVs and some may have urinary blockages.
“We had had an existing relationship with (Zonda MacIsaac) prior to her opening a kennel. She had solely relied on foster homes and there was no physical building to inspect,” said Keddy. “So when she constructed this building, we had asked to inspect it, but it was always in a state of construction so it never quite happened.”
Keddy says the SPCA had no reason to believe the shelter wasn’t up to code. The SPCA had been providing Celtic Pets with donations of food, bedding and other animals supplies. The society will now be re-evaluating its partnerships with animal welfare groups.
Keddy says there are no regulations for anyone opening a rescue shelter, which must be listed as charitable groups or societies.
In 2006, Zonda MacIsaac made a public plea for support after claiming complaints from a disgruntled neighbour would lead to the closure of the shelter. She received hundreds of letters of support on her behalf.
Guido Scharfenberg watched Saturday as the animals were removed from the building next to his home.
“It was a very mixed up feeling because first we were very relieved and then after 12, 13, 14 dogs, they still brought some more out. We thought ‘Holy cow, how (many) more are in there?’ We didn’t have an idea it was so bad — I mean we assumed it was bad — but not so bad.”
Celtic Pets Rescue has not been registered with the Registry of Joint Stocks since 2002. However, the independently run shelter holds a contract with the Town of Port Hawkesbury to house stray animals.
“They are our animal control services provider and we have not had a problem with them since they’ve had that contract,” said Colin MacDonald, chief administrative officer for the town. But MacDonald said an animal hasn’t been impounded at the Celtic Pets facility since it opened. Instead the town has its own facility at the public works site in a heated building with a caged area for the animals to get outside.
Town council will discuss that contract tonight at its regular meeting.
SPCA officials say they will likely lay charges in the next few weeks but are currently searching the shelter buildings to make sure no animal — alive or dead — is left behind. They hope to eventually have the seized animals adopted.