Local branch says N.S. SPCA slow in saving animals
Updated Wed. Feb. 6 2008 6:10 PM ET

CTV.ca News Staff

Local SPCA members in Antigonish, N.S., say the group's provincial executives should have acted much sooner to rescue nearly 100 cats and dogs from a Cape Breton animal shelter.

"We found out about four years ago through public complaints that people were very concerned about the housing of a number of animals," Antigonish member Betty O'Neill told CTV Atlantic on Wednesday.

Dozens of animals were found suffering from "horrible neglect" at Celtic Pets Rescue last Saturday, according to a press release from the N.S. Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.

The animals were seized by two investigators from the N.S. SPCA, along with five RCMP members and two special constables. There were 61 cats and 27 dogs, with up to 30 more cats needing to be rescued the following day.

Mary Haley, another local Antigonish SPCA member, said her branch had tried before to motivate the provincial SPCA to take action.

"There was absolutely no way that anything we said impacted on the present executives in Halifax," she said.

The local branch had stopped recommending clients to the Celtic Pets Rescue.

But N.S. SPCA president Pamela Keddy said her organization had received 150 letters in support of Celtic Pets Rescue. Even the local mayor had backed the animals shelter.

"We even had calls from the mayor himself, as late as the day of the seizure, telling us there was nothing wrong with this individual and we should be leaving her alone," said Keddy.

She said the SPCA often has to deal with complaints that have more to do with personality conflicts, rather than actual cases of animal abuse.

"A lot of it plays back to people just not getting along," she said. "There are a lot of very passionate people involved in our industry and we try to work with everybody."

Video footage of the seizure showed dogs living among their own feces. Another building at the shelter had a sewer backup in the basement, where dozens of cats were running free.

Antigonish SPCA member Peggy Cameron said her provincial counterparts should be taken to task for not listening to previous complaints about Celtic Pets Rescue.

"I would say a new slate of officers would definitely be in order. There would have to be some soul-searching among the executives," she said.

With a report by CTV Atlantic's Toby Kaufman

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