Fight to keep regional district from destroying dogs is back in court
One of the supporters accused of stealing the dogs says they did it out of desperation
Robert Barron, Nanaimo Daily News
Published: Tuesday, March 30, 2010
The date of a new hearing for an Errington woman fighting to keep the Regional District of Nanaimo from killing her two dogs will be set in a Nanaimo courtroom on Wednesday.
The controversial case began when bylaw officers seized the animals in January 2009 from owner Elaine Cameron of Errington as part of a dangerous dog investigation.
Zakk, a mixed breed German shepherd, and Chloe, a mixed black Labrador, were declared dangerous in July by provincial court judge Allan Gould and ordered destroyed. Cameron successfully appealed on a technicality and won the right for a new hearing, but the dogs continued to be held at the Parksville/Qualicum SPCA until the case is resolved. The case took a bizarre turn earlier this month when three women were arrested a day after breaking into the SPCA and freeing the dogs that had been held for more than a year.
The women have been released from custody and the RCMP is requesting they be charged with break and enter, theft under $5,000 and possession of stolen property.
However, one of the women, who asked not to be identified, said the RDN is being vindictive toward the animals, whose only crime was their involvement in a scuffle with a neighbour's dog that crossed over into Cameron's yard. However, RDN bylaw officer Jack Eubank said the case against the dogs began in 2006 and they have been involved in eight separate attacks on both domestic and wild animals since then, with none occurring on Cameron's property.
"After each of these incidents, the RDN has tried to work with the dog's owner to stop the attacks and we told the owner that the animals must be kept in an enclosure so they couldn't escape," Eubank said.
"However, the incidents continued so we were forced to act. These animals have been declared vicious and if we gave them back and they attacked again, the RDN would hold some moral and legal responsibility."
The woman involved in last week's break-in at the SPCA said she has known the dogs since they were pups and they have never been dangerous.
She said she has been involved in numerous protests at the SPCA and petition campaigns demanding the dogs be released and acted to free the animals after the RDN stated they would be relocated to an undisclosed location.
"I released the dogs because I know that if this goes on, they're going to die," she said. "At least they know that we've been doing everything we can to save them."
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